“I Can’t Afford to Homeschool”

 

 

“Some of us aren’t blessed to be able to afford to homeschool.”

I still remember that quote being lobbed at me like a hand grenade.  I remember thinking, “I can’t afford it either.”

And my family couldn’t many times.  But...  we also couldn’t afford not to.

Homeschooling has costs.  Even if you use a free curriculum, there are costs.  There are costs associated in public school, too.  Very rarely is anything actually free.  Money was tight for us so often that I worried I might not be able to afford what was needed to provide my children a quality education.  We endured unemployment, lost nearly everything materially we had at one point, had health crisis after health crisis...  and still we plodded on.

I get aggravated when I hear “we can’t afford it.”  God called me to homeschool in 2008.  I argued with God for months.  I approached my husband about it, sure he would be totally against it, and was shocked when he didn’t outright shut me down.  I researched and was shaking the day I wrote the letter to the school to pull my first student out of public school. 

Homeschooling had a cost. 

Financially, it cost me.  There were some free items online, but twelve years ago, the options were definitely more limited.  The first year I bought some used, a couple new workbooks, and hit the library.  

Some years I could purchase curriculum new.  I usually earmarked a chunk of our tax return for purchases.  But that money could have been used in so many other places.  Instead, there was sacrifice.

We did without.  There weren’t many planned vacations...  or even fancy field trips.  There was a lot of Hamburger Helper for dinner.  We made bread homemade at times.  I grew a garden.  We hit yard sales and thrift stores for clothes.  While friends were going to movies, we had movie nights in with library rentals.  When friends were buying new cars, we budgeted gas money for limited trips to town.  When others were going out to eat, we were gathering around our table at home to another meatloaf or more spaghetti.

But God called me to homeschool.  And now, thirteen years later, that calling hasn’t left. 

I know single mothers that homeschool.  I know working mothers arranging schedules and/or working from home to homeschool.   Some use public school resources.  Some use free curriculum (such as Easy Peasy homeschool) to limit expenses.  Some borrow curriculum from other families.  Some use the library and write their own lesson plans.

I remember, more than once, sitting down with a stack of thrift store books and composition notebooks to create my own “workbooks” for my child.  I printed off free, public domain books from Google books to use.  When I did buy, I often looked for some non-consumable books that I could pass down to my younger children.  At times, I would purchase the cheaper workbooks and supplement with library books. 

Where there is a calling, there is a way.  God will provide.  He may not provide riches or ease.  He may call you to spend your free time planning and placing a dozen books on hold at the local library, but He will guide and provide.  

It wasn’t easy.  It was work.  It wasn’t always lightbulb moments or complete joy either.  I had to suck that kid that hated to read into books with some twaddle.  It’s okay.  I made a lot of use of Netflix documentaries for a couple years to fill in the history studies.  I planned projects using books checked out from the library.  I read blogs and found free spelling lists and free book lists and free scope and sequence lists. 

We baked bread homemade to sell at the Farmer’s market.  I babysat.  We canned vegetables.  We did what we needed to get by so we could continue to do what God called us to do.  

Could I afford to homeschool?  No.  But I was obedient anyway.

 

It was worth it.

It was worth it to watch my kids learn and grow.  It was worth it to get to disciple them.  It was worth it to sit around the table and discuss the Bible together.  It was worth it to see the learning struggles turn into confidence. 

Should everyone homeschool?  No.  I can say with confidence that some parents shouldn’t homeschool.  And, there are even some parents that can’t homeschool.  But, there are more parents that can than have allowed themselves the option. 

Right now parents all over the nation have had to homeschool.  Covid-19 has changed many situations and parents have pulled their children for many reasons.  Many will probably go back to public schooling when the pandemic is over.  Some...  maybe more than some...  will stick with it.  They will discover what some of us have known for a long time: that homeschooling is challenging and hard work but worth it. 

Some will move past the public school at home mentality and delve into the world of Charlotte Mason, Unit Studies, Literature-based Education, or become eclectic in their approach.  Some will stick with school at home and their child will thrive because they can relax at home and learn without distraction or the pressures of the public school environment. 

My friend has three children that are grown.  She has stated that she is glad they are grown.  She couldn’t see sending her children to school during this time in history.  

I am glad we aren’t making big life changes for our remaining, school-aged daughter right now.  We already made that choice years ago.  The pandemic has meant a lot of changes in our lives, but our schooling is not one of them.  We just continue on, learning and growing, as we have for years. 

Spring Will Come

It was a rough day.  We have them occasionally.  My third grader was in full distracted mode (my term for days she has trouble focusing).  Finally, at 3:30, I quit lessons for the day.  The older two had been finished with their lessons for over an hour.  I still needed to run to the store to pick up something for dinner.  Lessons weren't productive, and I needed a break. 

It seemed, as I put away the incomplete lesson book, that all my mind wanted to do was replay every negative conversation I had been involved in about homeschooling.  I have been homeschooling for several years, and still I sometimes allow the hurtful tones and negative attitudes of others get to me.  Most of the time I try to have a thick skin, but there are times when someone I love and respect voices their disapproval and it hurts.  I am not sure why, but I am always surprised when someone that I assumed was supportive of homeschooling suddenly lashes out.  The shock and hurt feel almost like a betrayal,  a condemnation of not just our choice to homeschool, but of me as a mother. 

I believe there is an assumption that a homeschooling mom became a homeschooling mom because she couldn't let go of her children or because she had no other worthy purpose or skills.  The truth is that many homeschooling mothers were once career women.  They were teachers and doctors and business owners.  I was a business manager.  I went to college, ran businesses, was flown around the country for training, all the while leaving my two little daughters with babysitters and their father when he wasn't working. My story of being a professional turned homeschool mama is not unique. It is common. 

Choices that women make, I have learned, are always open to criticism.  Sadly, it is often by other women.

I work hard to teach my children.  I spend hours researching and learning how to teach in different ways with different methods using curriculum that suits the way my children learn.  I know about methods long forgotten in our public schools, like copywork and dictation and oral traditions.  I have built a mini-library of quality literature.  I have spent a lot of money over the years investing in curricula and books on teaching and how children learn.  

So why in the world would I let someone dismiss my efforts because they disagree or don't have the same calling?

It doesn't matter if I believe homeschooling is amazing.  From the outside, no one sees or cares to see what goes into giving what amounts to a quality private school education at home.  All that many see on the outside is we don't have much money, my children aren't daily in a school setting with bunches of peers their age.  

As a woman, I have had to let go of or put my own dreams on hold. This fact alone infuriates other women.

So, if I have a rough day or struggle to teach a concept to my ADHD daughter, I hesitate to talk about it because, in the past, I have been treated as if I'm an idiot that could just put my child in public school. (Apparently, homeschooling has set the women's movement back a hundred years.) If I attempt to discuss how I like being able to have our faith as the center of our school, I get told every horror story of prodigal homeschool children and every negative opinion from those that don't share my faith.  If I discuss my husband and I not wanting to medicate for the ADHD, after researching the facts for myself, I get told how others made a different decision with their child and it was wonderful.  Good for them!  

If I discuss the problems my children faced when they were in public school, I get told that it isn't always like that... And maybe it isn't.  Maybe rampant bullying and sexual assault and LD classrooms  and alienation and cliques and class warfare and ineffective teachers are just a part of the negative in the positive world of standardized tests and sports and clubs and tests and pep rallies and tests and parent/teacher conferences and tests and that inspiring teacher and... Did I say tests?  

I apologize for having an attitude.  I have been the victim of "every family should be free to make their own choices," but in words only. Often, even with the acceptance of homeschooling as a valid and statistically backed choice, many hold the same feelings about homeschooling as they do about their political views... saying everyone can have their own opinions is fine as long as it doesn't counter their view. 

I don't expect that I'll ever be able to win the approval of some, even some that I love. As a Christian, I keep telling myself that I am being obedient to what the Lord has called me to do, and I should seek only His approval.  But... It does hurt.  

Luckily, the Lord knows what I need.  Recently, with a gift card I received for Christmas, I purchased a book by Sally Clarkson titled, Seasons of a Mother's Heart.  I was encouraged by the book, but one paragraph brought tears to my eyes.  Here is a couple sentences that helped me tremendously:

"Since homeschooling rejects the educational status quo, it invites criticism and rejection, not just for us as adults but also for our children.  Family members, church members, friends, even strangers will question your decision and scrutinize your life.  I am finding only heart-deep dedication and sacrifice enables me to confidently say, 'This is right.  This is what God wants me to do. This is worth it.' Because I know that doing God's will is worth whatever the cost may be."

I have done experiments with my children and gone on great adventures in books and learned about the Ice Age through 9/11.  We have traveled the country with Laura Ingalls Wilder and walked the road to Damascus with Saul.  Right now, we just finished facing the horrible Miss Minchin with Sarah Crewe and we were just kidnapped in the Borrowers Aloft, while mastering our muliplication tables and researching wildlife in the desert. 

Spring will come... 

It is January.  Like the cold temperatures outside, my attitude has been down.  The struggle with my daughter's ADHD, completing my oldest's schooling requirements so she can graduate, praying for the fifteen year old as she struggles to figure out who she is and what she believes, all clashed with my hurt heart when once again I was surprised by a loved one that lashed out about homeschooling. I have to give it all to the Lord again. Just as I felt the reassurance the January will give way to April, I felt the Lord reassure me that Spring will come to my life too.  The child with the short attention span is still learning and growing.  The oldest at home will graduate, and she has plans to spend time doing missionary work. The fifteen year old is a child of God.  He loves her and knows he best way to touch her heart.  Those that disagree with the choices made by my husband and me have the right to do so.  I will allow the Lord to minister to their hearts as I continue to be obedient to what He has told me. 

This time with my children won't last forever.   Despite the attitudes of others, I hold a thousand memories or more of my days with them, teaching them, growing together in the Lord.  I pray I have thousands more.

Affording the Homeschool Life... Curriculum

Affording the Homeschool Life:  The Curriculum

The decision to homeschool children can be a tough one.  When I first felt led to homeschool my children, I began a research campaign to learn all I could about how to homeschool.  I had many questions.

One of my biggest concerns was the cost of homeschooling.  My husband and I live on a pretty tight budget.  When I first began homeschooling, we had five children ranging from 18 months to 17 years old.  Four of my children were in public school. 

My husband agreed that we would "give it a year".  We would homeschool our third grader, since it seemed impossible to homeschool the other ones. I began researching curriculum.  I had an idea in my head of the way I wanted to homeschool, lots of great books and some workbooks.  I was searching for something that would meet my needs.  I was surprised at how expensive things were.  I quickly purchased a bunch of materials that kind of resembled the public school, except the materials were Christian and we had Bible as a subject. This is the way most start.

I must have tried a bit of twenty different curricula those first few years. I spent SO MUCH money!  Truthfully, it was a learning process that I pray can help teach others.  Homeschooling doesn't HAVE to cost a bunch of money!  

I still purchase different curriculum, but my standards aren't the same as they were ten years ago.  I've learned to invest in quality Christian books that are unlikely to be found local libraries.  I believe in investing in quality math programs.  I invest in materials, but I also know that amazing free materials are available online.

It doesn't take more than an internet connection to access a wide world of free curricula.  I've found amazing sites offering a plethora of amazing free lessons.  Some sites go through all or nearly all the years of schooling!

My favorite free sites include Ambleside online, Old Fashioned Education, and Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool.  With little more than an internet connection, a printer, and an Ereader (Nook, Kindle, Tablet); these sites can give your child a top quality, private-school education. No... I'm not joking. 

There are many blogs out there also that are amazing at leading parents to free or cheap homeschool options.  Large Family Mothering, Budget Homeschool, and on and on.  Just Google "free or cheap homeschool" and you'll get a huge list. Hop on Pinterest, search "free homeschool" and bask in all the amazing ideas and links and websites for every subject under the sun!  The development of sites like Khan Academy have made upper levels of math and science now suddenly doable... for free!  Colleges are filming lectures.  Youtube has lessons on everything from music to math demonstrations to biology dissections. Reading about Martin Luther King?  Watch his "I Have A Dream" speech online.  There are no limits for what can be learned with an internet connection, a library card, and some basic school supplies.

Composition Notebooks are awesome tools!

My new favorite homeschool tool is composition notebooks. I use them for nearly everything!  They make great books for copywork.  Glue key pages from workbooks in them to cut out busy work, focus on the essentials, and create a cute portfolio of their work at the same time.  We've been doing a lot a lot of notebooking this year, and composition books are perfect for that!  Sometimes we make our notebooks with the composition books; and sometimes we put our pages in sheet protectors in binders. Composition notebooks are cheap, already bound, and perfect for things that won't be removed. 

Notebooking page for poetry. (yes, she has a couple errors)

My seven year old has come to despise workbook pages.  However, sometimes they are useful.  I have managed to take a couple workbooks, and use the information in them to create lessons with most of the busy work cut out.  This has worked wonderfully, since I already own the workbooks.  However, this is a great way to take some of the thousands of free workbook printables online and add them to what you are studying.

Using random workbook pages to cut our excess busywork.

If you have considered homeschooling your child, but feel that you can't afford the materials, I wish to encourage you.  It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.  I can easily spend hundreds on materials, and there have been years where I have.  There have also been years where I didn't because I didn't have the funds or because I didn't see the need.  I have found that, sad to say, the programs that have cost me the most financially were the ones my children tolerated, and often learned little.  There are exceptions, like Teaching Textbooks, but the children learn the most when they can be creative with their lessons! 

I love Charlotte Mason methods because they are effective and cheap.  It costs little more than the cost of a pencil and paper to teach a child to narrate.  It actually costs nothing for them to narrate verbally.  Why have endless curriculum testing for comprehension when you can have the child actually use higher level skills and retell what they read or had read to them?  Writing is a very efficient means of processing information and helping with retention.  It certainly works better than filling in the blanks or endless multiple choice questions.  Talk about a cost savings!

There are companies and curricula that I have found to be worth the expense of the materials.  I tend to buy many of my homeschooling supplies through Christianbook or private homeschool sellers.  I have loved Heart of Dakota at different times.  As I strive to get away from spending the hundreds for the upper levels per year, I find myself drawn to materials that guide, but give me lots of room to be creative.  I am finding that with Queen's Homeschool Supplies.  I also find that older materials, McGuffey Readers and public domain books, which are free online, are so much better than a lot of our modern materials.  The depth of the reading, the large vocabulary, the Christian principles that were such a part of the lives then; this is quality that is hard to duplicate in this day and age.  Many homeschooling companies take these older works and use them in their lessons because they are so wonderful!  Queen's Homeschool has taken multiple older works and revised them or created amazing  studies into science or history!

Don't let expense of materials keep you from homeschooling.  There are so many options in this day and age that it can actually be overwhelming.  Hop on the computer, research away, talk to other homeschoolers, read some books from the local library.  Don't be afraid that your child will not receive a quality education at home because of expense.  That excuse no longer works very well.  Homeschooling can be expensive if you think that is the only way to give your child a good education; or it can be as cheap as you need if you take some time and effort... and get a little creative.  And, if you do choose to invest in some quality materials, know that you are investing in your child.  It is never wasted.

You CAN Homeschool!

My sister--in-law homeschools her two young children.  She ran into issues with the local public school when her oldest daughter was in Kindergarten.  She got a hold of me, and I helped her find some materials to help her begin homeschooling.  Now, a year later, she wouldn't trade it for anything.

I stumbled upon the Easy Peasy homeschool site last year.  I forwarded it to my sister-in-law to see if it would help her.  I used it occasionally as a supplement for Megan's math lessons.  Megan loved the videos, and they helped her greatly.  A couple of months ago, I was visiting with my sister-in-law.  We were discussing homeschooling, and she told me that she had switched it all over to Easy Peasy.  I asked her how it was going.  She said that it was getting tougher, meaning the material was getting more advanced, but that she really enjoyed it.  She was excited and thanked me for sending her the link.  It was saving her a ton of money, and her children were learning so much!  In a couple of years she had gone from a mom in tears, dealing with a school that wanted to hold her daughter back in Kindergarten, to having two young children succeeding greatly learning at home.

The free or cheap materials that are out there are incredible!  I spent quite a bit on materials over the years.  I don't regret that because I needed the guidance.  I experimented with a lot of different teaching styles, and have ended up with an eclectic mix of things.  What I have learned along the way is priceless.  One of the greatest discoveries for me is that my children don't always need expensive materials to learn a great deal.  I have chosen to use some materials that can add up quickly, such as Rosetta Stone Spanish and Teaching Textbooks math for the High School levels.  I also use a variety of workbooks for certain subjects.  I have a mix of CLE, Ace,  and various other companies.  I have chosen to do this because, often, the workbooks are more cost effective than printing out worksheets on my printer.  It's also convenient for me, since all the work is done.

This isn't necessary though.  Notebooking only requires the purchase of composition books or blank paper to place in a binder.  I've seen notebooking work in incredible ways.  I've not mastered it all yet, but I do enjoy it greatly.  To me, it's kinda like scrapbooking mixed with notetaking.  I love scrapbooking, and it definitely allows for creativity with my children.  It's also awesome to go back and see what the children learned and were studying.  This works great for many subjects!

I have also begun using Netflix quite a bit. I also use Christian Cinema a lot for Christian movies to supplement what we are learning.  I have one daughter that learns very well from what she sees.  She learns visually.  She could read and read, and only retain a bit.  But when she watches a documentary or a movie, she can recite nearly everything that was shown.  It was a struggle for me at first to let her learn this way because I am such a reader and love learning and teaching this way.  However, I have come to realize that her learning style is different than my teaching style.  I've also learned that, the more senses my children use, the more they learn and retain.  It's one of the reasons we have drifted to more of a unit study learning method.  It works for all of my children!  I can use more literature for my daughters that love reading, add in hands-on projects, and throw in movies for my visual learners. 

I never felt that I could homeschool on my own.  When I first was led to homeschooling, I researched and researched.  Often, fear that I wasn't doing enough or that there was another method or curriculum that was better would overwhelm me.  I prayed, but not in faith.  Over the years, I have spent SO much money on materials.  When we moved recently, I kept much of it, but also got rid of a lot.  I wasted a lot of money, much of it spent in fear that I couldn't do it and needed that expensive curriculum or materials.

Now, everyone is different.  I tried to build a great library, but have had to downsize it quite a bit with our recent move.  I believe in investing in quality materials and Christian materials that may be more difficult to find in a local library.  However, I have been pleasantly surprised that my new library has a wide selection of Christian reading materials.  It has made downsizing my precious books a bit more tolerable.

If you are just starting out, I would encourage you to Pray, Pray, Pray.  Allow the Lord to direct.  Don't feel afraid to try something new, even sometimes using something that might now have the best reviews.  Every child is different.  I have found that what works for one child, even in my own home, won't work for the next.  That's okay!  Get to know your child's learning style, and hit as many senses as possible.  Most of all, relax.  It'll be okay.  Focus on the basics at first.  Your child won't become a bumbling idiot.  When they are young, read to them A LOT.  In fact, I still read to my highschooler and middle schooler.  They can read the material for themselves, but sometimes it just helps to read together.  We do this with Bible time every day.

I began homeschooling six years ago.  It has taken six years for me to begin to feel that what we are doing is working.  I have stopped stressing that I am failing them in someway.  Instead, after six years, I am seeing the fruit of homeschooling.  I am seeing my daughters live their lives for Christ.  I am seeing them fail, but then get back up again.  I am seeing them being independent in their learning, instead of having to be spoon-fed by someone else.  They are learning to think for themselves and evaluate their choices.  My first grader has taken off in reading, which opens up the whole world to her.

YOU CAN HOMESCHOOL!  Whether you have a lot of money to spend or practically nothing, you can homeschool.  Whether you have a gifted child, or a child with learning issues, you can  homeschool.  Whether you are starting at the beginning with a precious preschooler or are pulling an older child out of public school, you can homeschool.  One of my daughters came home her junior year of high school and graduated successfully.  She is on college today, and her English teacher said she would never make it to college.   One daughter came home at the beginning of ninth grade after years of LD classes and IEPs.  She is now finishing up her Sophomore year with great grades.

One of my biggest fears was teaching my youngest to read.  Her sisters all learned to read in public school.  What if I couldn't do it?  What if she didn't get it?  My fears were all unfounded.  I bought Hooked on Phonics, supplemented with Explode the Code and lots of books.  She is reading successfully, already moving beyond her grade level.  She recently seems to have taken off in her reading ability.  She "gets" it, and is reading everything set before her.

Yes, there are challenges.  Yes, there are days where I want to cry.  Yes, there are subjects where I feel I am failing my child.  Yes, it's hard and time consuming.  But.... I wouldn't trade homeschooling for anything!

An Attack of Fear

Yesterday I was in awe of how God came through and provided my husband and I the opportunity to homeschool his daughter, Jasmine.  Today, we had a meeting with the lady that was in charge of my older daughter's homeschool.  We sat down and tried to hash out a course of action.  Care is being made to be as thorough as possible.  We know that we may have to answer to the courts one day, to show our progress.

It was at that moment that I got overwhelmed and nervous.

Seriously nervous!

Can I do this?  Am I capable of teaching a girl that has struggled her entire school history?  Can I teach a child that has been diagnosed with learning difficulties?

Everything seemed complicated and overwhelming when we were going through the plans for high school.

I prayed... QUICKLY!  Suddenly I was remembered the phrase that has sustained me through every new adventure God places me on.

God doesn't call the able, but enables the called.

God called me to homeschool years ago.  My fears come from the unknown, not from God.  My fears come from facing that courtroom yesterday, knowing everyone was against us, and asking for God to allow His will to prevail.  After all, the judge admitted he doesn't really believe in homeschooling.  Our lawyer said he didn't believe we stood a chance of getting permission.  And yet... we were given permission.

My fears come from the fact that I know that we will be watched and monitored.  Jasmine's mother will not hesitate to take us back to court if Jasmine is not succeeding.  That is a lot of pressure on Jasmine and on me.  I don't want to fail Jasmine, but knowing I'm being monitored is a scary proposition.

I am doing what I need to be organized in keeping records.  The rest, I will cover in prayer and take one day at a time.  If God led us to it, He'll lead us through it.

Doing Things My Way

One thing this year has enforced in my mind, after dealing with the public school system, is that I don't like dealing with them.  I get irritated when they blatantly usurp the authority of parents.  I get exhausted with their boring, failing teaching methods.  I get frustrated with they way they treat the students like little prisoners whose sole purpose is funding money.  I don't agree that standardized tests show a true measure of anything other than whether a child has mastered how to take tests.

Either way, I am grateful God is allowing me to homeschool my girls.  Our days don't often look anything like the local school.  In fact, I don't want our education to resemble the school at all!  Unfortunately, it is so difficult to let go of how I was taught.  It still sneaks up on me... that fear that I'm not doing enough, that my kids aren't up to par in some way.

As I am beginning the planning process for next year, I have to remind myself that my kids are unique.   They deserve to have individualized learning plans, not a cookie cutter mold where everyone is expected to fit.  I am reminded that learning is an adventure for us.  There will be things that they don't enjoy as much, but are necessary skills to progress in the adventure.  I am reminded that my daughters are beautiful, talented, special girls that only have one childhood.  I want that childhood to be special.

I was trying to discuss homeschooling with a lady that doesn't really agree with it.  She stated that, in her research, she didn't see a lot of positives about homeschooling.  Now, I doubt she had truly researched homeschooling with an open mind, for the pages are endless online where homeschooling is shown to be successful.  The research has been done, and the truth is that homeschooled children outperform public schooled kids by a huge margin.  I even went online to print out some of these testing results to show the lady.  Of course, if a woman doesn't want to think of homeschooling as positive, all the research in the world won't change her mind. 

I'm going to keep planning, keep moving forward.  I'm not going to worry about whether my children are meeting certain standards, but whether they are actively learning and growing, both spiritually and academically.  Honestly, when I have tested them, they always meet the standards of the state.  Even when we have run into struggles, usually if I just back off for a bit and focus on other things, it'll all fall into place and click in the child's mind.  Sometimes a child just isn't ready mentally to learn something, and then it'll all begin to make sense at a later time.

In a world where chaos seems to be reigning, no one can predict what skills are going to be needed in the future.  I do know that the creativity that is going to be required is not the type that is encouraged in the public schools.  I know that, as America continues to break covenant with God to do their own thing and worship their own Gods, that God's people need to be praying and heeding the wisdom of God in raising and teaching their children.  This is not the time to live in fear, but to stand in the authority given to us by God.

The HOW and WHY of our Journey

Homeschooling

There has been a few questions lately about why I homeschool... or even why I keep homeschooling.  I am in my third year of homeschooling.  I think some people thought homeschooling was a passing fancy, not something that I would stick with long term.  While there are some days even I think I am crazy for embarking on this venture, I love it.  Some days are very tough.  I don't always feel like homeschooling.  Then the days come where I wouldn't trade the time with my kids or the adventures we have for anything.

 I first grew curious about homeschooling a few years ago, but I didn't think I could do it.  I didn't think I was smart enough.  I was under the impression that my kids needed trained professionals to get an education.  After all, I had been educated in public schools and had gone on to college.  I wasn't a big fan of school, it was just what a person had to do.  My husband's school years were something he hadn't enjoyed due to learning issues.  Even though I had family that homeschooled, it wasn't even a consideration.  My older girls never went to preschool, but as it became more normal for all my friends to send their children to preschool, and as my step-daughter went to preschool, I put my daughter in preschool.  That was just what seemed to be an important step in the education of children.  Both of my younger sisters worked as preschool teachers, so obviously it must be a great way to give your child a head start in education.   

 There seemed to be numerous problems with my kids in school through the years.  There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary issues.  I was frustrated.  I had a principal tell me that my child was his from the time she walked out the door till she came back in it.  Bullies never seemed to really be dealt with.  In fact, they were rarely punished at all.  There was more than one trip to the ER over the years due to bullies beating up one of my children.  Academically my kids were up and down.  Sometimes they would do well, other times they would do horribly.  When my step-daughter developed the same learning issues as her father and was diagnosed with learning disabilities, I began to wonder if there wasn't a better way.

Then, after I became a Christian, I met a family at church that homeschooled.  I taught the children in Sunday School.  Those children were a little different than other children their age.  They seemed more mature, were better behaved, were articulate, and had a deep faith.  Suddenly, of all the issues I had with school, I wanted my children to receive a strong Christian education.  I felt led more and more to homeschooling.  Suddenly it seemed that homeschooling was everywhere:  in the news, on the internet, in the families I was meeting.  I began to purposely research the pros and cons of homeschooling.  I read books from the library and read everything I could on the internet.  My fear and doubts about homeschooling were slowly disappearing.

The discussions that ensued were monumental.  I talked with my husband endlessly.  This was a big deal, and we didn't want to make a mistake.  We prayed about the decision to homeschool.  My husband, after much thought and prayer, agreed we should give homeschooling a try.  The day I sent the letter to the school pulling out my third grade daughter was nerve racking.  Would I be able to do this?  Really?  I began to buy supplies and plan how I wanted to educate my daughter.

That first year I was nervous.  We probably did way too much.  At the end of the year I gave my daughter a diagnostic test.  She performed at grade level for math and way above in reading.  I was relieved.  She was on track with the public school students.  The following fall my husband and I were surprised as events unfolded.  Within a week we pulled one of our high school daughters from school to be homeschooled.  We went from one student to two instantly.  It took a lot of trust, both in God and in my daughter, to homeschool a high school student.  I knew she would have to be very independent and a self-teacher.  In some advanced classes, I knew she was beyond what I could teach.  Yet, she excelled at home.

In our third year of homeschooling, we use a variety of methods.  I am still learning every day how children learn.  Each of my children are different.  I am preparing to begin homeschooling my youngest.  My high school student has stuck to a more traditional method of schooling.  It works for her.  That is how she has learned through out her education.  It makes it easier to create a transcript.  She will graduate this year.  My ten year old has been my guinea pig.  We have learned that she is right brained dominate.  She reads well.  She learns best by seeing and hearing, not by just reading alone or traditional methods.  She likes some hands-on.  She loves being read to.  In school she might have eventually been classified as learning disabled, though she isn't in my opinion.  She just learns differently.  I knew her father was right brain dominate, but was surprised that I was too when tested myself.

I will begin homeschooling my youngest daughter soon.  This will be the first time I have ever taught a child to read, and I am a little nervous about that.  I will probably buy a step by step program that lays it all out for me.  I kind of hope that my youngest daughter never sees the inside of a classroom. Though I believe most of the teachers at public schools are excellent, there are some that are not.  The atmosphere of a public school is just not where I want my children to spend seven or more hours per day.  I have peace about homeschooling despite the fact that it has required some sacrifices.

Yes, we do school nearly every day.  We rarely take snow days.  We have a plan and a schedule... for the most part.  I test Laura at the end of the year.  I keep her reading and doing some math in the summer so her skills don't regress.  Laura and I have have studied American History, Geography, and are currently in the midst of World History.  We read LOTS of books.  We read the Bible and do Bible studies at home.  We study history and science from a Christian perspective.  We read all sorts of books, though I like to lean to more Christian literature because I feel that the stories of others serving Christ is a very important.  We read fiction and non-fiction, biographies, and whatever else grabs our interest.   Laura read or had read to her 72 books in the fourth grade.  I feel like my daughters are receiving a top notch education.  They have the time to form a relationship with God and follow their own interests.  School usually takes between three and five hours per day.  We are almost always finished around lunch time.  There is no homework to stress over in the evening.  And, as the years go by and my teaching style changes and adapts, I see Laura developing more and more of a love of learning that my other kids lost somewhere.

One of the benefits that I haven't discussed is how close homeschooling has made our family.  Being together as much as they are can create conflict, but it also creates a bond that runs deep.  The kids do projects and play games together.  My oldest was teaching music to her younger sisters.  Dad helped with science.  The older ones read to the three year old.  One of my favorite times is couch time, when we sit together in the living room and read book after book, having adventures in the books we read.  Yes, each child has friends, but that time together has helped to develop a lot of memories and a bond that is truly beautiful.

Why I Homeschool

I have been asked by several people what made me decide to homeschool. A couple of people asked me if I was having problems with the school?
Homeschooling may be more acceptable, but many people want a good reason. Wanting to give your child a Christian Education is controversial. Some believe that we should "train them up in the way they should go" while they are young. Others think our children should go to public school to be lights there, to represent Christ in the school. My Pastor went to public school, while his brother was homeschooled in high school. His brother wanted to be homeschooled, but my Pastor looked at his school as a mission field.
I guess my reasoning is more personal. My older children are in public school. They work hard to maintain their beliefs and be strong for Christ. They want to be lights, and have stood up for Christ in many classroom debatesas well as with personal issues. However, they don't feel like missionaries. They feel instead like they have to make sure they aren't dragged down by those around them...from peers to faculty.
I spent some time with some homeschooled children before making my decision. These were not shy, unsocialized children. But they seemed to have something that many children I see just don't have. They felt free to be who they are without feeling like it was wrong. They weren't peer dependent. They didn't feel like they had to hide their faith. They didn't feel like what brand they wore or what shows they watched or how many friends they had (in life or on myspace) mattered. I doubt popularity or any of those issues that plague other children entered their minds a whole lot. And, from what I saw, these children had respect for their parents, their lives, and those around them.
1. I homeschool because I want my daughter to love Jesus, and to be free to love and learn about Jesus without feeling pressure to do otherwise.
2. I homeschool because she can learn about the world with a Christian worldview, not a sheltered worldview that keeps other theories from her. She will learn about evolution, but she will also learn that it is not a theory we believe. She will learn about her creator.
3. I homeschool because my daughter was beginning to feel negative about herself, already feeling like she had to measure up to everyone else and be like them.
4. I homeschool because I get to spend quality time with my daughter any time I want to.
5. I homeschool because I know what Laura is learning, how she is treated, and that she is safe.
6. I homeschool because I can make sure Laura is working at the pace for each subject that ensures she knows what she is doing and works best for her.
7. I homeschool because God put it in my heart to do this and I need to be obedient even though it isn't always an easy task.

Personal Beliefs, Personal Attention, Academic Pace, Practical Living, and Character Training are all major reasons to homeschool your child.