In December of 2011, I had this strong conviction come over me. The conviction was to homeschool. While it had definitely crossed my mind well before then, it was a stronger idea, bigger than ever. I started discussing it with my husband, who was at first a little opposed, but not entirely (he was homeschooled for a few years as a child) and soon he was absolutely okay with the idea. In February 2012, I made the decision to homeschool and set aside the money to do it. In May, I bought curriculum. I was scared, unsure of how this was going to work. I knew we could do it. I was just unsure of how it would go. I started talking my friends and family. I thought I would be met with "Good for you!" and "That's wonderful!" I was wrong. I was so, so wrong! I got so much criticism, even before I started. I was so let down. I thought that taking control of my kids' education would be praised. Instead, I was criticized and put down. I felt so alone! I did have a few supporters that kept me going during that hard time. I kept going, because I had bigger reasons to homeschool than to gain the approval of others. Here's why I started homeschooling and why I continue today.
1. I am a Christian. My first and foremost reason to homeschool is to lovingly guide and raise my kids to love Jesus.
2. I get to spend more time with my kids. I get to share good times and bad times, loving and correcting them more often than the parent who's child is in public school. I don't have to worry about other people raising my kids or other kids raising my kids. (Read "Hold onto your kids. Why parents need to matter more than peers" by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate.)
3. I know exactly what my children are learning. I know what their grades are at any given moment. There is no need to go over the curriculum in depth with a teacher or check in to make sure that they are doing okay in school. My son is dyslexic and has a lot of trouble with math. I get to give him one on one time to strengthen the skills he has trouble with. My daughter is advanced and it's great that I can teach her ahead of her class.
4. I don't have to worry about bad teachers, teachers who don't "get" my child, bullies, my kids hanging out with the wrong crowd, drugs , alcohol, and cigarettes. I don't have to worry as much about bad influences until my kids are mature enough to make good decisions.I don't have to worry about bomb threats or someone entering the school with a gun. I don't have to worry about any of that. I just worry about "socializing them." (We all knew that argument would come up.)
So, these are my reasons. You may not agree with them. You especially might not agree with number one. That's fine. They're not your kids. They're not your kids to mess up, as you might think I am. They are mine. I promise though, that I will never knowingly hurt them. I'm not homeschooling them to shelter them from the world. I'm not messing them up. I'm building stronger children for a cruel world. When they step out, they will surely have the tools and more that they need to survive and thrive.
