Monday, August 6, 2007

Why do you do what you do, you ask?



As part of Back To Homeschool Week over at Randi's Blog, I'll be answering one question a day, all week, about homeschooling. Go on over to her blog and check out all the other's who'll be doing it too.

I am going to enjoy reading all the responses!

Monday, August 6---What led to your decision to homeschool?
Why do you do what you do? What brought you to homeschooling? What factors played a part in your decision?


I’m going to try to make this short and sweet (yeah right!). I started homeschooling because we couldn’t afford private school for more than one kid at a time and the public school system where I live stinks (I know I graduated from it). So really that is it. I’d love to say that I had some noble and grand reason to begin on this crazy journey, but the reason really boils down to finances.

Sometimes I thank God that we were not wealthy back then (although, wealth would be okay now God, because I’m so much more mature and sensible, hint…hint…hint.) because I would have stuck all my kids in a Christian Private school and missed out on this incredible journey called homeschool.

I think I am STILL homeschooling because I have seen the benefits of it. I have seen that it can really be a superior method of education, simply because it can be tailored to each specific child. I don’t care how prestigious a private school is, not many can claim that. And when you have two dyslexic kids who need a lot of “tailoring” it is worth every hassle.

I am convinced my dyslexic kids would not be who they are today if they had been in a school setting. They would have been crushed. But at home we could get them the help they needed and go at the pace they needed to go. They have not decided they are dumb, quite the contrary, they have discovered just how talented they are in many areas because they have had the time and freedom to develop their areas of interest and talent, while working to better their week areas.

I am not arrogant enough to say that without a doubt we will always homeschool, all the way through, but I do pray that God gives me the strength to get through each new school year. I am so close to graduating my first, I can hardly believe it. This job is just too darn hard and consuming to stop now. I want to finish well. I love the benefits I am seeing to homeschooling highschooloers. I never thought we’d make it all the way through high school. It was incredibly hard for ME to finish high school (I thought Algebra and Biology were going to kill me!) but I have seen God provide in miraculous ways, like an Algebra tutor (God Bless that woman) and homeschool Co op’s.

So there you have it. It is not grand or noble, but It’s the truth.

Hopefully the reasons I continue to homeschool will be more inspiring than the reason we started in the first place.

4 comments:

Barb said...

I appreciate your honesty in your story of homeschooling and look forward to hearing more.

~Jennifer said...

It doesn't matter so much why you began, but that you've been happy with the journey once you started it. Sounds like you are. :-)

Family W said...

***I have seen that it can really be a superior method of education*** Amen, Amen, Amen!

Hanley Family said...

Wonderful thoughts...and I may have pushed for private school if we could afford it back when my husband got the insane notion that we should homeschool.

What a nut. But here we are, three years later and I wouldn't change a thing!