So Thankful for the Right to Homeschool

There are actually days when I want to quit homeschooling.  I seriously consider sending my kids to school just so that I can have a day to myself. There are very few days that my kids don’t ask me for a day off from our schoolwork. Most of those days I would love to tell them that we don’t have to do school today. But as the responsible adult in this situation I cannot say “Yes” for a majority of the time. My children don’t realize how often I would love to have a day off, because then I could get to do what I want to do, maybe even get to work on my to do list!

Even though there are some times that I seriously consider sending my kids to school, I know that I would never voluntarily take that step. Looking at my days overall, I enjoy too much having my kids home with me, knowing what they are doing and what they are learning about. I get to know my kids. I know how they think, how they will react to any given situation, and I can teach them about the world and about the Lord in a safe environment. Homeschooling is one of the greatest blessings in my life.

This thankfulness is no more apparent than on days when I once again have to step inside a classroom. I am a certified elementary teacher, and I have taught first and second grade for 10 years and 5^th and 6^th grade for one and a half years. My last year of teaching was spent as a resource room assistant, teaching a wonderful 7^th grade autistic student. My desire to be a teacher has been constant since I was nine years old, but now, I have absolutely no desire to step into a full time classroom again. I love to teach, but I have a great deal of difficulty with the red tape and politics of the classroom. However, to supplement our household income I sometimes step into my husband’s classroom as a substitute teacher.

When I am in his classroom, I remember about how much I am thankful for the right to homeschool. He teaches agriculture and is the FFA advisor for a rural high school. On days that I sub for him, it opens my eyes. Very few of his students, if any, want to be in classes. Most of the information that they are “learning” is learned for the test and then quickly forgotten. They are required to be there against their will, and I have read and heard it said that school is the same as a prison. In some ways, I would have to agree. They are stuck inside a building where they don’t want to be for a majority of their day. Their time is not their own. Every day all year they focus on the day they get out.

When I sub, I am nothing more than a glorified babysitter. My entire day consists of attempting to keep bored teenagers stuck inside a room for 50 minutes while somehow forcing them to do the assigned work. They are smart, and they know that I have no real power to enforce anything that I say. Most of the time I leave school with a headache. At the end of a day of subbing, I look forward to getting home to my children, and getting home brings a little bit of healing to my soul.

On days when I think about putting my kids in school, I remember that I don’t have to get my kids up early to catch the bus every day. I don’t have to worry about having the latest fashions for my kids to go to school. My children are able to talk to anyone of any age, not just kids of their own age. Homeschooling creates a reduction in peer pressure and my children don’t have to worry about bullies. I can tailor my children’s education to each of them individually. They have more choice in what they would like to learn and I can help where they need help. We don’t have specific learning times, and if we want to take a day off, we can! And the very best blessing – we can learn in our pajamas if we want to. 🙂

I can hear the question now, “What about socialization?” If by socialization you mean finding friends and spending time with others of the same age, we do that. I believe that we socialize more than children who are in school all day. We have hockey, gymnastics, tae kwon do, ballet. Our town has a local homeschool group where we have lots of friends. The one day a week that we can stay home we cherish. Playdates can be as numerous as we would like. We don’t have to work around the school’s schedule, or make sure that we get to bed on time.

As far as the negative aspects of socialization, those are almost non existent. I am able to protect my children’s innocence. They are not as exposed to crass language, sexual innuendos, and rude behavior as schooled children are.

But am I not just being overprotective? I don’t believe that I am. My children do not need exposure to all the ugliness of the world right now. I want them to be children. To allow them the happiness of a carefree life, while exposing them to the parts of the world that they can handle at their tender ages. That is why I homeschool.

Most importantly, I homeschool because I am able to teach my children to love the Lord.  We can learn together, not just academics, but to learn how to love each other and how to become closer to the Lord.  His Word encompasses everything that we do in a way that they would not get if they went to school.

So on those days when I would just like to chuck it all and give up, I remind myself of the days when I get a taste of the classroom again. I remember the benefits of teaching my children at home, and tell myself that I would not give it up for anything else.