What Are Your Reasons for Homeschooling?
From the previous post (and the reason for it), it is apparent that there are a lot of myths and assumptions about why people choose to homeschool. So I wanted to share why it is that we chose to, and invite other homeschoolers to share their reasons so that we can hopefully dispel some of the notions regarding our reasoning.
Our daughter showed an interest in learning to read at a very early age, and picked it up quickly and very well. By the time she was five–and before entering kindergarten–she was reading 2nd-grade level chapter books and adding/subtracting with regrouping. My wife went to register her for school, and despite her abilities, the district or school refused to test her into first grade, and would have forced her into kindergarten by age alone. We were not happy.
So that began our homeschool journey. Since kindergarten is not mandatory, and because our district doesn’t force declarations of intent until age 8 (unless they’ve already been in the public school system) we had time to test the waters. Despite occasional struggles finding curricula to match the kids’ learning styles, they have thrived. Standardized testing has demonstrated this quite well.
Are there other reasons? Absolutely, but it was the rigidity of the system that started us. We simply want a better and more comprehensive education for our children.
That being said, we’ve not been strictly homeschoolers. Shocking, isn’t it? Our oldest son was diagnosed with speech apraxia and began a specialized preschool within the public school system when he was 3. That program helped him immensely. And currently, we are a part of a program here in WA State where we are actually under the covering of the public school system. We have accountability, we have approved lesson plans, and we have use of some of our tax dollars. For us, it’s kinda the best of both worlds. However, if the program were to change and become overly burdening or invasive, we’d go back to strictly homeschooling in a heartbeat.
So how about you…why do you homeschool? Share with us!
From the previous post (and the reason for it), it is apparent that there are a lot of myths and assumptions about why people choose to homeschool. So I wanted to share why it is that we chose to, and invite other homeschoolers to share their reasons so that we can hopefully dispel some of…
My family started homeschooling because the local private school we were attending became unattainably expensive and the local public schools were… umm… "not a good learning environment."After my parents started homeschooling us, all the other benefits began to surface.My wife and I were both homeschooled–not sure why her parents homeschooled her–and we both had wonderful experiences and are on track to homeschool our own when they come home [smile]. ~Luke
Hi Scott,I just stumbled upon your website today and have enjoyed reading it. We are homeschoolers too. The reason we homeschool is because our son is a spirited kid. One of those that can't sit still, loves to talk, very inquisitive and constantly analyzing everything. When he turned 5 we tried catholic kindergarten and they threw him out within a week saying somethings wrong with him, get him tested. We went through all the hoops and discovered just an immature boy. We have been homeschooling ever since and just finishing up the 3rd grade. It's been a challenge, but well worth it. Glad to have discovered your blog. Will be back.