WHY HOMESCHOOL? HERE ARE 10 GOOD REASONS
JULY 20, 2015 BY BRITTONL 29 COMMENTS
When it comes to homeschooling I used to lie all the time. I didn’t want to hurt anybodies’ feelings. People would ask me why I homeschool, and what was I supposed to tell them?
“Well gee, I don’t know. I guess we homeschool because we don’t want our kids raised in a Godless, bully-infested, government hellhole, whose academic mission statement is “Common! Common to the Core!” … or something like that.
So instead, I’d just shrug and claim that homeschooling is what worked for us, for our family. That’s right, nothing more than a preference; you like chocolate, we like vanilla.
But that isn’t how I really feel. With all my heart I believe homeschooling is for every parent, every child, every family.
Top 10 Reasons to Homeschool Your Children. This is right on. Must Read!
Is homeschooling a better way? Yeah, it is. There I said it.
But I’m not saying that we are better, or we love our kids more. I, (like I’m hoping you will be), am a homeschool convert. I wasn’t a believer, but after reflecting on my school experience, after remembering what it did to me, and didn’t do for me, I gave homeschooling the old college try. And I never looked back.
I love that homeschooling keeps our family together. I love that I it doesn’t take all day. I love that my kids are several grades ahead. I love that there is no Common Core. I love that I don’t have to fight a school board over curriculum choices. I love that I am part of a freedom movement. I love that my kids are chasing dreams, not test scores. I love that my kids’ best friends are their brothers and sisters. I love that we can still start each school day off with a prayer.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Here are my top 10 reasons for homeschooling:
10 REASONS TO HOMESCHOOL YOUR CHILDREN
1. KIDS SHOULD LOVE LEARNING.
For me, school was synonymous with suffering. It was sit down, shut up, pay attention, take notes, do assignments, regurgitate, get report cards – an endless cycle of compulsion, forced learning. You had to learn until it hurt. You couldn’t be human. You couldn’t have an off day. You couldn’t say “No, thank you.” You couldn’t say, “I would rather…”
In time, kids learn to hate learning. They cry over homework, they wait to the last minute and then cram for tests, or they cheat. Anything to lessen the “learning” load. I was one of them.
With my kids it is the opposite. I’m like, “Hey, stop reading that book and go play outside for awhile.” My kids do math worksheets for fun to see how many they can solve. And I’m not even sure if it is healthy, but they read alllllll the time.
2. KIDS NEED TO BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE POTENTIAL.
Have you heard of a gal named Barbara Corcoran? Before becoming famous as an investor on ABC’s Shark Tank, she made millions in New York selling real estate. I believe she sold her company for 66 million. Although proving to be a business “genius,” the multi-millionaire confesses, “I feel like my whole life I’ve been insecure about looking not smart.”
Here is a woman who has achieved financial success that most Americans could never dream of, yet she still harbors a deep-seated insecurity about being stupid. So, where did this idea that she was stupid come from? School, of course. Barbara was a straight D student. Somehow all the success in the real world can’t shake that terrible lesson taught in school. She is now 66, and still talking about how stupid she feels.
She isn’t alone. All children are bursting with potential, only to have their wings psychologically clipped in school. And for millions of adults, the doubts and insecurities linger long after school is just an ugly old scar.
3. SCHOOL IS SOCIAL SUICIDE.
I cannot tell you how often non-homeschooling parenting ask how I “socialize” my children outside of school. I’m always like, “Ummm, well I talk to them and allow them to talk to others, which is already more than I can say for school. I mean, I don’t know what schools these people attended, but I went to 10 unique schools, in 6 different states, both public and private, and they all had this in common: Socializing was strictly forbidden.
The second you walked in class you had to zip the lips and PAY ATTENTION! because you know, “You’re not here to socialize.” For goodness sake, you couldn’t even quietly pass a note. Kids literally only have a few minutes at recess and lunch, or in between classes to talk. Maybe that’s why conversation devolves into slang and 4-letter words.
But I’m not complaining. I mean, don’t you remember how school kids socialize? Seriously, school is social suicide!