Written by contributor Sarah Small of SmallWorld at Home
A note from Jamie: Now that we’re in the swing of another academic year, it’s helpful to remember the reasons why we’ve chosen this homeschooling lifestyle. Sarah sums it up so beautifully in this post, which originally published on August 12, 2011. Enjoy!
Where I live, the public schools begin in early August. Summer still—the hottest month of the year—and kids are sitting in slick chairs, pencils sharpened, new shoes still a little tight. I imagine a little boy just my son’s age watching a fat bee hover outside the window. He can’t hear it buzzing, of course, because the air conditioner drones at high speed, drowning out the sounds of bees and the smell of sunshine and dry grass.
We started homeschooling 12 years ago because…
• We thought it was silly that our then-first-grader spent time each week in public school devoted to filling in bubbles on a test page. He and his classmates were practicing for the standardized tests they would have to take in second grade.
• We didn’t like being warned that we were not to go away on vacation—that doing so would be an unexcused absence. But, we asked, what about all the learning that comes with traveling? They’ll miss too much at school, we were told.
• Our six-year-old would come home from a long day of school and have to do homework. He would sit at the table, folder of worksheets in front of him, looking stressed out.
• Our state ranks near the bottom of the barrel, year after year, in education. Even the “best” schools, when held in comparison to other states, are only mediocre. And we do not strive for mediocrity.
We started homeschooling for a bunch of reasons, and the list has grown year after year.
But sometimes it is just one reason that stands out above all the others. Forget academics, test scores, long days, busy work, and tedium. What we give them now is this: an August day. A river to wade in. The feel of dry grass beneath our feet, and a sliver of silver moon at night.
Sometimes that whole stack of “reasons why” comes down to a knowing feeling—a conviction that this is the way life should be.
That’s how I like to start each new year of homeschooling: knowing that for every tangible reason why, there is an intangible one as well. For every study that points to higher ACT scores among homeschoolers, there is my own memory of my three little ones playing in the sandbox while I read The Witch of Blackbird Pond to them. For every argument that homeschoolers become more responsible adults, there is an afternoon spent hiking in the glorious autumn sunshine.
As I prepare to begin my 12th year, I hold on to the conviction that we are made to hear the bees buzzing and smell the late-blooming flowers. And sometimes that’s reason enough to homeschool.
What intangible moments have made you grateful to be homeschooling? What reason do you give most often when asked why you homeschool?
yes. yes. yes. this is on the very same wave length of my post tomorrow!
thanks you!
I love this! My kids would tricycle as I read the Little House books to them last year. They absorbed every word! We are definitely made to enjoy the out-of-doors. When the weather’s nice, we do EVERYTHING outside.
Thank you! What a beautiful post 🙂
Love this post!
We tried public school twice. Once for Kindergarten for half the year, where the teacher was never there, the subs were never consistent, the children seemed to not learn anything, lesson plans were not followed. The school also had counselors we had never met, nor were we made aware of them, that came into the classes weekly to speak to the students. We found out this counselor even asked questions like “are your parents mean to you?” In what world does a person ask a 5 year old a question like that? If you tell a 5 year old they cannot play outside for another 5 minutes you are the meanest person alive. *sigh*
We tried it again, against my will, for 1 month in 1st grade, stuck with a teacher that was known for not being parent-friendly. She wouldn’t answer simple questions. She couldn’t give me an idea of what the students had been working on so prepare our child for her class. She looked down upon homeschoolers and said many times that she was sure he would be behind.
We saw children bullying and nothing being done about it. We saw our child getting up at 8 in the morning, eating breakfast, getting dressed, going to school, getting home at 4pm with a pile of homework. I tried to help him as I cooked dinner, we ate dinner, he had a half hour to play, then off to the shower and bed. I missed our son. I felt like I never saw him.
Public school is most certainly not for our family.
Sounds like homeschooling is the perfect fit for your family! So sorry you had to have so many struggles to find out.
I stand at my kitchen window, washing the breakfast dishes, enjoying the squeals coming from the 2 year old as his older sister and brother chase him around the house. I smile, as that sounds smoothly transitions into a shriek of “MINE!” and the tug-of-war begins with older siblings attempting, in halting steps, the art of compromise.
I smile, not because the ear piercing sound is soothing, nor because I enjoy listening to the daily squabble that multiple children bring into the home. I smile thinking – as I watch the school bus rumble past my window, belching it’s noxious way down the street – that I’ve got the better end of the deal.
Beautifully said, as is this post.
Well said!! I agree with this comment as well as the post!! It makes me sad to hear parents who can’t wait to ship their kids off to school and then to a bazillion activities… I love being with my kids everyday and wouldn’t change it for a minute!!
Amen!
This is awesome! I admit, I love having my kids home! I wish that I was more…relaxed though. I really admire those that have a better balance then I do. Thanks for the post!
You know, I get more and more relaxed every year. By the time I finish (8 more years), I may be a bona fide unschooler. 😉
Glad to know it gets better!
Yes! All of this! That knowing feeling — I had to ignore that feeling when sending my oldest to public school for two years, and was so happy when we got to bring him home beginning in second grade. Sometimes it is hard to explain to others about that feeling, but it is so obvious to me now. Sometimes people ask if I will send my second child to public school for kindergarten, but why in the world would I do that? And miss all the amazing moments we get to have together? All the fun things we get to do that just so happen to include learning? Thanks for putting this all in words.
Great post. I have an intuitive personality type. Often I will feel something is true, then find the research that backs me up (and yes, occasionally I have to change my ideas when the research does not back me up). Homeschooling is one of those areas where I ‘felt it’ first, and the research is overwhelmingly in agreement.
When people ask ‘why?’ I cite the personalised education to match my children’s strengths and interests.
Your answers sounds like something I would say. I’ve never known anyone who’s been homeschooled but like so many other things in motherhood, it’s like a little voice whispered it to me and I can’t shake it. I trust it and it just feels right. Glad to know there are others out there who listen to their intuition =)
Yes! I initially homeschooled for academic reasons. But now we homeschool because it is better for us as a family – we are all happier!
Good post! When asked why we homeschool my reply can often be long-winded, though it really is simple.
My husband and I decided a long time ago (when we were engaged) that homeschooling was our path. We want the best for our children (doesn’t everyone?). We live in a place where we simply believe that we can do it better than our public schools. We tried public school for a year, due to our family situation at the time, and it just didn’t work out. The one child thrived but would come home completely exhausted and worn out (that was only Kindergarten!). She now hates the idea of public school, “because the days are soooo long!”. The the child just works better at home without 18 other children to distract her.
For now, they (all four) attend a Montessori center 3 days a week for 3 hours a day. We have found a great way to merge what we do at home with the work of the center, and feel it’s the best of both worlds. The kids all LOVE the shorter days and ease of homeschooling; as well as the freedom to choose, the “cool science experiments”, and the beautiful friendships formed with other homeschoolers at Montessori.
So when I see them inspired by positive peer influence to make a timeline of the history of the world, I know it’s all “working”. When I see them cuddled up in a blanket at home with a yummy snack reading their history lesson, I know it’s all working. We homeschool because it’s the best thing for us right now.
That does sound like the best of both worlds!
This brought tears to my eyes! You know, I can try to explain my reasons for homeschooling to my most severe critics (my MIL 😉 until I’m blue in the face but really it all comes back to a feeling that these intangibles ARE important. Some people may just never “GET IT”
So true! It makes me sad sometimes what others are missing out on!
This is a beautiful post. Although we aren’t “officially” homeschooling yet, my daughter is able to go to pre-school. I decided that I would rather have her at home with me to enjoy life and get outdoors instead of trying to prepare her for a school system that I am not comfortable sending her to. For now we try to read as much as possible and get outside to enjoy all that sunshine!
Not having to wait for the school bus when it’s minus 5 degrees out is my “reason enough” 🙂
For sure!
I don’t have kids but I think if I did, I would homeschool– for all these reasons. Kudos to you for hanging with it for 12 years- impressive!
Perfectly put, it really does come down to a feeling of being ‘right’. I have spent so many glorious days, in the sunshine with other home schoolers, thinking just how lucky we are to be doing this. A wonderful post.
So wonderfully said. As I have read posts on facebook all week of mothers celebrating their children’s return to school, relishing in the fact that they have their free time back, and even throwing morning “momosa” parties I am reminded that I didn’t have kids just to be excited to get rid of them. I had kids to love on them each and every day!
Momosa parties–wow! I haven’t heard of that one!
This actually brought tears to my eyes. These moments I spend educating my children through actually trying some of the challenges we’ve read about such as building a lean-to from the book My Side of the Mountain, are not only teaching them but building positive memories. Unfortunately schools have not caught on to what it takes to get a child excited about learning.
I would say the first and foremost reason we homeschool is because we believe that God has called us to do it. Secondly, would be all the freedom that homeschooling affords. We are able to choose what to study, when to do it, when not to do it, how to do it, and etc. We can make up our own schedule and go on vacation when want. We can have an hour lunch break or an hour recess break. Just lots of freedom that there would not be when tied down to a governmental system.
My kids are 3, 2 and almost 1 and those are all the reasons we are going to homeschool. The simplicity of it all!
Love.Love.Love!!!!!
Thank you for writing and sharing this!
It is such a comfort to me to hear families who’ve been doing this longer than we have still say they are confident they’ve made the right choice to home educate!
Excellent post, thank you!
This is our 9th year homeschooling and I find that the longer we travel this road, the less important some of the first reasons we chose to homeschool have become.
Some of the most important factors have become things like time- time for my daughter to sit for hours at the keyboard practicing a song, time to read countless books (and not have to suffer through writing a “book report” for each one), time for all 3 of them to try all sorts of different artistic mediums and discover which they enjoy working with most. Opportunities to be out in the community, meeting new people, serving others, making friends who aren’t the exact same age as them. Exploring nature or a new city, and any other opportunity that presents itself as a good learning experience, or maybe just plain fun!
Simply learning to live well and love others in this world of ours is the best sort of education for us, I think.
Blessings,
Catherine 🙂
“Simply learning to live well and love others in this world of ours is the best sort of education for us”–so true! Well said!
Yes! Thanks for this. It gave me a good pick me up (which I was needing). I agree wholeheartedly!
Nailed it! Love the post.
Perfect reasons to homeschool. We have the same ones. =)