Why I Homeschool

Obviously, I'm not a wordy person.   I don't like books, articles, and blogs that go on and on about something.  Please just make your point and move on.  In high school and college anytime I had to write a report I struggled having to come up with the amount of pages/words required.  I hated reports.  Couldn't stand them.  Why be required to meet a minimum of pages/words when I feel my point was adequately made?  Grrrrrr.

Quite possibly it could be I get aggravated because I feel I'm not good with words - unless you get me started on something I know a lot about…..ahem, Downton Abbey anyone? - ok, just kidding….kind of.  Most introverts aren't wordy unless you get us on something we're really passionate about.  And even then when I REALLY want to speak I have a hard time expressing myself which is REALLY frustrating.

So from time to time when I come across one of the blogs I follow about something I'm passionate about I like to post it.  This article I've copied below is long (and yes, there were times I said to myself "just get on with it" while I was reading) so I've cut some of it out to make it shorter and to meet my "just make your point and move on" requirement.  The blog post below is written by Nicole from Redbeet Mama.  This woman nailed my feelings about homeschool.

*Just a disclaimer here…..this article might make you assume I think everyone should homeschool.  I do not feel that way.  I feel homeschool is what the Lord has called our family to do.  I wholly believe that some kids will not thrive in a homeschooling environment.  Trust me, I know some that wouldn't.  But this decision is working for OUR family and my children (and mommy and daddy) are thriving more than I could've possibly imagined.

P.S.  The part where she says she doesn't homeschool because of the questionable school system is something I disagree on.  That IS one of the reasons we homeschool.

Why I Homeschool

Whenever anyone asks me "Why I homeschool?";  without hesitation I reply "I love the lifestyle."   My eldest daughter is entering the third grade, so this year will be our fourth year at it.  When she was of kindergarten age and all our neighbors were busy preparing their children for school, the big yellow bus, and buying cool lunch boxes and backpacks,  I admit I felt a little awkward because I was sitting back, relaxing and looking up recipes for homemade all-natural playdough, and buying supplies at the thrift store for our mud kitchen.  It felt like I was diving off a high dive. There wasn't a line of people, or friends waiting to dive in with me. It was aspirating and defying. I was diving into the deep unknown and landed in a beautiful, warm ocean.

When the private and public schools students returned back in the Fall on our first year of homeschooling, our morning walk ritual turned into waving to all the kids on the school buses that drove past us as we trotted along. It felt weird, and I wondered how did this make my children feel? Then our attention would quiet  down and we were drawn elsewhere, like the day we spotted a blue heron in the creek behind our house or the time we met Helen, our neighbor, walking her dog Sasha, and invited us to a tour of her beautiful garden. 

School and their buses became a distant memory. 

My eldest child did ask me if she could go to school at the beginning of that first year.  It turns out she really didn't want to go to school, she just wanted to ride on that spectacular yellow bus. Our trip on public transportation cured her of that desire. I also bought an orange punch buggy that we drive around in and it is very hard to feel unhappy in it.  When parents who are on the fence about homeschooling their children because they tell me that their kindy child really wants to go to school and has shown such a strong interest. I chuckle. I bet that kindy child really just wants to climb on that amazing gym structure on the playground, drink from that big kid water fountain, or like my child, ride the big yellow bus. Kindy kids don't really want to go to school, they don't know what school is just yet.  Kindergarten is no longer what it was designed to be. In our school district it is full day with many hours at desks.  I believe that most children, not all, would rather stay with their parents and discover about life at home and be outside and more and more parents are doing it. Homeschooling is no longer taboo. 

Socialization seems to be the first concern about homeschooling. There is no need to worry about socialization. Socialization is not sticking your child in a classroom with  twenty other children and one teacher for eight hours a day. Socialization starts at home. Learning to be a healthy, happy, contributing member of the family is socialization…and at its very best. Yes, we also have friends. Of course we do. 

I want to preserve childhood as much as I want to preserve family life. I am raising children who will know what it takes and how to enjoy caring for their families. I want my girls to know that they can do it all just not all at once. There is a season for each one of our ambitions as women, motherhood being the most important. This is a  very short season of our lives and not only do I want to be present for it, I want to be calm and enjoy it. Homeschooling provides that for me. It gives my family the time to create and live the lifestyle that my husband and I desire.  

My family doesn't homeschool out of necessity or because of the questionable school system.   I feel blessed that I can stay home and we can manage on one salary. I am aware that it is not a reality for many families.  We homeschool because we believe in preserving our children's childhood. We homeschool because we enjoy a slow, homestead-family life and I love my role as Mother.  I also believe that I can give my children a better education than I received, and a very compassionate connection to our earth and all living things. School can teach kids to sharpen the brains,   I am more interested in softening their hearts.   

I am not stressed or overloaded but by no means is homeschooling entirely a causal swim in the ocean. We have really awesome days and really crappy days. Just like everyone else. Maintaining a nice, constant in and out breath is the key to our happiness.  

This slow, intentional life that we have created for ourselves and our children would be lost if we sent our them to school. When curious people reply with their "I could never homeschool", I beat them to the punch and I say "I could never do it any other way."  Unless of course our needs change. This lifestyle works really well for us. 

The water feels good.