Back in January I wrote a post about five reasons people choose to Homeschool that I believed were flawed. Five Wrong Reasons to Homeschool Most of these reasons had a basis in making sure that you are not trying to control what your child thinks and believes through a micro-management of their environment, but rather to help guide them to find out what they think for themselves. It sprang out of years of watching how different people I knew in the Homeschool community I grew up in reacted to their parents pressures, desires, and rules.
I did specify that I am not against homeschooling, but rather feel that some motives to Homeschool can actually be damaging and have the opposite to the desired affect the parent wishes.
After publishing this post, my brother, who has landed far more in the “anti-homeschooling” camp than I, suggested that I write a separate post specifying what good reasons their might be to Homeschool. He felt that my first post was very fair and was curious to see what I would write in a subsequent post.
So now that brings us to where we are today! What are some good reasons TO Homeschool? Let’s see!
Right Reason to Homeschool One: In Order To Have More Control Over What And When Your Grade-Schooler Is Subjected To Certain Subjects And Topics.
Although in my first post I said it wasn’t a good idea to Homeschool in order to isolate your child from worldly influence, I do think that a parent has a right to say what and when their young child is taught about certain things. Sex for instance. Let me specify this reason has to do with very young children. Young children are like little sponges and I think its very justifiable for a parent to want a bit of control of what their little sponge soaks up. With a world where schools are greatly taking over for parents in teaching about a LOT of sensitive subjects, and in a world where very young children, with a few clicks of a mouse, are being subjected to things they really don’t need to know about yet… wanting to have a home based education for awhile in order to help build a good foundation for your child, and to protect their innocence a little longer? That’s a good reason to Homeschool.
However I would specify to make sure you aren’t avoiding these subjects altogether. Just because you Homeschool does not mean your child is completely isolated. Abuse can happen and sensitive issues can be encountered at any age and in any situation. But wanting these subjects dealt with on your terms is a completely justifiable desire.
Right Reason to Homeschool Two: Due to Anything From Large Class Sizes, Budget Cuts, Poor Teachers or Curriculum, Or Lack of Ability to be Flexible to the Needs of the Child, You Feel That a Public Education Would Fail Your Child.
Lets face it, Public Education is in many ways getting worse and worse. Teens are graduating High-School with a minimum of understanding, if that. Lacking basic math skills, spelling and writing skills, and very little of an understanding of history. Over crowded classrooms easily let children fall through the cracks. Those students who excel are those with a natural inclination towards study, and not very many students are so naturally inclined. Special Ed students are not necessarily helped by their label as it becomes little more than a label with no real help geared towards them to learn to cope and excel in spite of it. Instead students are pushed along, ready or not, grade by grade, never exactly “failed” only because the school system is more concerned with their egos then their minds. This situation may not be true for every area and every school, but if you find that this is what your local public schools seem to look like, Homeschooling may very well be a viable alternative. This is dependent on IF you actually can do better of course, but you might very well be able to. However I do suggest finding some type of umbrella over you to come along side and make sure that you don’t miss out on any subjects simply because you didn’t think of them, or understand them yourself.
Right Reason to Homeschool Three: Your Child is Being Systematically Bullied, and Other Options for Dealing With the Situation Have Failed.
Let me specify that I don’t think the potential of being bullied alone is enough reason to Homeschool. There are going to be bullies your child must deal with at all stages of life, including adulthood, and they are going to have to at some point learn to deal with them. However, if your child is being bullied, and any options you’ve taken to deal with it haven’t worked, leaving your child in the situation is practically an abandonment. By all means remove your child from the situation. They need your protection, and kids can be horribly cruel. Do talk to your child about the decision. Bring them into the conversation. This is their life, they deserve to be heard. In fact I believe open communication is something you must nurture with your child, no matter what you do.
Right Reason to Homeschool Four: You Want to Offer Your Child a More Diversified and Rich Education Than Currently Available.
Maybe the schools in your area are not exactly failing the children in them, but you still feel like you could offer a better one at home. This could mean anything from wanting more focus on music and the arts, a deeper understanding of history, better available literature, and yes, even including things like church history. However make sure that by including certain subjects others don’t suffer. It’s true that bringing in a better understanding of music, literature, and history are all very valuable, but your child might also enjoy a better understanding of the basic sciences than you are able to give them. Another option is to include and encourage your child in different interests outside of school, however that may not be feasible. This really is all about making sure your child is getting the best education possible, and not just your own preference of education.
Right Reason to Homeschool Five: You Just Feel, in Your Heart of Hearts and Before God, That Homeschooling is Right for Your Family and Your Children.
I tend to be very analytical and thought out, therefore many reasons I include in my decisions have to do with a lot of details. However, I don’t think that should at all disregard the prayerful choice. If you truly feel deep inside that God is directing you to Homeschool your children, than by all means do so. I only urge you to prayerfully consider your motives, make sure your choice is not made out of fear of an ever changing world, but rather out of love for your child.
That’s really the point of these posts I think. Having a motive of love, not fear or control.
Make sure that whatever you do, Public, Private, Homeschool, or Charter, you are doing the absolute best for your child. Your child is a unique individual, and it’s a scary thing to realize that you can’t protect them from everything, or make all the choices for them in their life. They may make mistakes, sometimes big ones, and you, along with every other parent in the world, will have to trust them to God and allow them to grow and to be.
But you can grasp on to the truth that God won’t ever forsake them, and loves them even more than you do.
I often sing “Jesus Loves Me” to my daughter, but I also tend to change the words a bit…
Jesus Loves You This I Know,
For The Bible Tells Me So.
Little Ones to Him Belong,
They Are Weak but He is Strong.
Yes, Jesus Loves You,
Yes, More than I do.
Yes Jesus Loves You,
The Bible Tells Me so.
God bless you in your choice, and lead you as you seek to raise these precious gifts from Him.
~Joy Aletheia Stevens
(In case you are curious, in our own life neither my husband or myself have a lot of faith in the traditional Public School system to give our daughter the education she deserves, but I also don’t feel like I necessarily have the patience or ability to teach her myself. At this point we are leaning towards looking into local charter schools. Although I’ve told my Mother, who loves teaching children to read, that if she wants to give my daughter a head start on reading she is welcome to. Seeing as my daughter just turned two, we still have a little time to determine our final choice.)
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We did the traditional home schooling for k-8, then virtual home learning for high school. Environment makes a huge difference. What I liked about the virtual model is that you had teachers to team up with. Good post.
I like the idea of the virtual home learning! If a person chooses to homeschool through high school I think its very important to be able to get some type of team to help you.