Why We Homeschool

Because we can!
I’m adding to this as I think of things and feel inclined to post them. They are not going to be in any particular order, nor will this be a complete list. There is no way I could ever articulate all our reasons. Some things just feel right.

Reason 1 (added 8/3/06):

Conversation with Simon in March about his absolute favorite school subject: Science.

Mom: “So, Simon, what science unit are you working on now in school?”

Simon: “None. We finished science.”

Mom: “You finished science? What do you mean? It’s only March.”

Simon: “We finished science. Now we are practicing for the SOLs*.”

Did I hear him correctly? The one subject that gives him joy in school is over for the year IN MARCH? You want Science? Guess you are SOL.

* In Virginia, this stands for Standards of Learning, not the OTHER thing you were thinking of.

Reason 2 (added 8/3/06):

We adore our neighborhood. It is a little slice of fifties nostalgia. There are 37 families on two streets. We all know each other. We talk to each other. We help each other. We have lived here 13 years. Kids were not even on the radar screen when we bought this house, so we were clueless about the “quality” of schools.

Sure, we have the option of moving to a “better school district,” but would that make a difference? Probably not. Most schools are profiled by their demographics and test scores. Does that mean that the schools with higher test scores and fewer “free lunch” kids, and lower turnover are better? Not in my eyes.

In the elementary years, I see the education of my child in the hands of his teacher — an individual who may or may not be any good at what he or she chose to do for a living. I’ve witnessed some abominable behavior by teachers at our local school. That does NOT mean that the school is bad, but heaven help us if our kids end up in one of those classes! Unfortunately for first grade, that adds up to a 50% chance — not good odds in my opinion.

So therein lies another of many reasons why we are bringing them home. At least now we know who the “teacher” will be every year. (Fellow homeschoolers, wink and nod, because we all know the “teacher” is the child.)

Reason 3 (added 8/7/06):

So I can stop reading WrightsLaw and SchwabLearning and stop fighting to get that Free Appropriate Public Education that we are “entitled” to by IDEA.

Reason 4 (added 8/27/06):

Simon, Alvin and Theodore aren’t average kids. Public school can work really really well for a middle-of-the-road kid, but not so well with kids who are “special.” Homeschooling will allow us to customize an education appropriate to their unique needs.

I’ll never forget the many 30-45 minute telephone conversations I had with Theodore’s preschool teacher. She would go on and on about how different he is and called him a “square peg.” She warned me over and over that I’d be hearing from Theodore’s teacher when he goes to kindergarten. She’d say she hopes he gets a teacher who understands him.

My response, on our last conversation, was to tell her we were planning to homeschool. The ensuing silence was heavy, palpable. Then she let out a string of “concerns” about how important school is for socialization! We chatted for another 10 minutes or so about that, and in the end she reluctantly said, “Well, I know it works for some kids. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Gee, thanks.

(update) Then there were the many meetings with Simon’s teacher in first grade (when we were first discovering his learning issues). They all but outright requested that we put him on drugs for ADHD. “He’s distractable” his teacher said. “When he’s supposed to be doing his work, I find him under his desk making pig noises.” Well DUH! You handed him a stack of worksheets and HE CAN’T READ. He doesn’t have ADHD (confirmed by pediatrician and full psycho-educational evaluation at Johns Hopkins (that the school should have done)).

Reason 5 (added 9/28/06):

Technically, this should be Reason 1, but this is not a ranked list, just random.

We homeschool because we hope to nourish and encourage their love of learning. They are filled with wonder and questions, and they genuinely WANT to learn. We feel that the homeschool environment offers a wonderful opportunity for facilitating that.

We never want them to find education a bore or a drag or some horrible tedious thing they have to DO. Learning is a lifestyle.