When my husband and I decided to homeschool our children, we had collectively already had experience with community college, four-year university, public school, private school, charter school, and homeschool. We knew what we didn’t want, and we had a pretty good idea of what we did. After eight years of educating our children at home (since Summer 2013), has homeschooling fulfilled our positive expectations?
Yes, I can truly say that it has!
Is it easy? No.
Have I always felt thrilled to be with my children all the time? No.
Have I never felt like giving up? Ha! Should I attempt to count the times for you?
Have my children always shown appreciation for my efforts? Not as often as I could wish.
Let me tell you, homeschooling has sometimes been discouraging, frustrating, overwhelming, and stressful. Now that I’ve told you all the bad stuff, you may be thinking, Why does she keep on, then?
Because it give me this:
Freedom
Every item in the following list is a record of how homeschooling, despite the frustrations, has ultimately given us the freedom to do so much more than we feel we could in any other sort of educational situation.
50 Reasons We Choose to Homeschool
1- We’re intimately involved in every detail of our children’s education.
2- Protection from unhealthy influences.
3- Protection from wrong, false information.
4- Good method of applying Psalm 1:1-6.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
5- Gives our children the ability to learn at their own pace (slow, medium, or fast).
6- Gives our children the ability to learn according to their individual learning styles (hands on, visual, auditory, etc.).
7-Our family grows together. We build relationships. We spend a lot of time together.
8- God is at the center of every subject.
9- Great way to obey Deut. 6:4-9.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (NASB)
10- Freedom to pray out loud together spontaneously in any cirucumstance we find ourselves in.
11- We can take advantage of God-moments, to veer from curriculum and teach important life lessons.
12- I don’t have to drive my kids around (especially helpful when pregnant and feeling sick).
13- We can train our children’s character in the direction we want it to go, without other people undermining our efforts with their own ideas of how best to raise children, or of negative influences that could destroy our hard work.
14- A wise way of protecting our children from those who might cause them to stumble, as in Luke 17:1-2.
He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. (NASB)
15- We can choose their curriculum. It’s whatever we want it to be.
16- We know everything they’re learning (no having to ask to see their books, ask them questions about what they’re being taught in class, or discuss content with a teacher).
17- Heeds God’s counsel in Prov. 1:7.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
18- We can take breaks to do other things whenever we want.
19- Less schoolwork. No homework (ha, ha–it’s all “homework”).
20- More freedom to specialize according to our children’s individual interests.
21- Gives our children “teachers” (curriculum) that are good models of what we want them to be. Whatever your teachers are like is what you will become yourself, as Jesus taught in Luke 6:39-40.
Jesus also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. (BSB)
22- Read-alouds with all the children together are opportunities to have deep conversations with each other.
23- Small children learn from their older siblings, and older siblings learn by helping their younger siblings. Builds sibling relationships. Helps them learn how to manage conflict and care for each other.
24- Involves a lot of practical learning, such as meal planning/cooking, how to clean and organize a house, organizing a schedule and keeping to it (or changing it), etc.
25- Excellent application of Prov. 22:6.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
26- We can have a close relationship with our teens. They’re not gone all the time.
27- Snuggle time with little ones while we read their books on the couch.
28- No separation anxiety.
29- We can keep on top of potty training (even five-year olds can still have accidents at school).
30- Naps.
31- Lots of play.
32- Time for reading alone.
33- Less stress from strict deadlines.
34- So many resources available.
35- Versatility–“school” can be anything educational.
36- Takes the warning in Prov. 13:13 seriously. This could be referring to instruction in general, but also makes sense as referring to the Bible, the ultimate book of instruction (the “word”).
Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.
37- We can educate their manners, their faith, their character, their work ethic, their emotional intelligence, etc.
38- Counseling is done by us if they need advice (not someone else whose beliefs we may not be totally aware of or agree with–this includes other Christians, since even Christians can have varying views on important subjects).
39- We have time to help other people.
40- We are able to manage any unique needs our children may have.
41- Good way to take the advice of Prov. 13:20.
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
42- Our daughters get lots of practice learning how to raise children and manage a household. Easy for them to be modest (no peer pressure).
43- We don’t have to worry about other people bullying our children.
44- We know that our children are safe.
45- We can have church at home; we are our own small “ecclesia.”
46- We aren’t exposed to a lot of illnesses. If our children need to go the doctor or dentist, we have an open schedule.
47- Early college, if we so desire.
48- Our sons get lots of life skills by doing projects around the house, learning how to repair stuff.
49- We can teach subjects in the order and at the time which is most appropriate to each child’s stage of development, when they are ready for it, instead of having to follow a rigid formula.
50- Focuses on what’s most important, as described in Matt. 6:33.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Love this. I remember making a list of the pros and cons for homeschool and public school. I have alot of your reasons on my original list. There really isn’t any comparison. God is so good and He is faithful in helping us teach, train, and disciple our children. I’ll be homeschooling 3 this coming year. And have two more to get two. It’s wonderful to see that it still works with your larger family! No giving up here !
Hi, Natali! Glad to hear you liked my list!
How neat that you had made a list of your own in order to compare homeschool and public school. Homeschooling is hard because we’re in charge of everything; and homeschooling is great because we’re in charge of everything, ha, ha!
Yes, we’re committed to homeschooling all our children until they each graduate and won’t be giving up, either. I think the best thing a homeschool mom can do is be flexible. If something isn’t working, we can always find another way. It takes creativity and lots of thinking and experimenting, for sure. But, it’s definitely worth it. 🙂
~Jessica
May I ask if you use a curriculum for pre-K or kindergarten? My oldest is five. I’m trying to sort out if I should start now or wait until first grade. He knows most kindergarten type things, but has no interest in learning to read yet.
Hi, LB! Thanks for the question! We use Sonlight.com for all our children. They have some great material.
I’ve found that waiting another year doesn’t do any harm and may actually end up helping. Starting things when your kids are ready for them works best. You don’t have to make your child learn to read yet; just make sure you’re reading out loud to him or her, and that will be great preparation. 🙂
~Jessica
Those are wonderful reasons to homeschool! How is everyone in your home doing?
Hi, Regina! Thanks, glad you liked the list!
We’re doing well! How about you all?
~Jessica
Hi Jessica,
If we didn’t have Red Bird, we would almost certainly be future homeschoolers, for MANY of the reasons you mentioned. PARTICULARLY the ones mentioning keeping our children safe and spiritually pure.
Thanks for sharing your input, Courtney! Yes, keeping our children safe and spiritually pure should be an important priority for Christian parents. I’m glad we have that same goal! 🙂
~Jessica
Homeschooling is fascinating to me somewhat and who knows? Maybe someday we will choose to adopt that lifestyle. However for us there is a parochial school close by that reflects our values and standards. Children first need to learn to obey and respect their parents and learn to be honest and kind at home before they go to school. I guess I do have some questions about homeschooling… If they don’t go to school how do they learn to interact well with others outside their family? Do they get enough social interaction? How do they learn to respect and obey authority other then their parents? How do you keep them motivated to learn if they work in a grade alone and not in a group? Perhaps this looks like “juvenile questions” but these are things I wonder as homeschooling may or may not be on our agenda someday…
All excellent questions, Tea!
Social interaction-
First, children learn how to behave socially by interacting with their parents, siblings, and extended family. They also learn from attending and being involved in church, extracurricular activities (music lessons, sports, etc.), going to the library for reading hour and crafts, getting involved with the local Parks and Recreation, being part of a homeschool group, going on field trips, going places with their parents (like the store, the bank, the doctor’s, etc.), getting to know their neighbors, doing family ministry/outreach, etc. Actually, homeschooling gives a lot more variety of social interaction and social situations than a traditional school environment where the children mainly interact with children their own age, and the only adult in the class is more of an authority figure, but not necessarily a friend thay can converse with. It’s good for us to be able to talk with and have healthy relationships with people of all ages. I’ve noticed that kids who don’t have this variety of interaction will sometimes (though not all the time) be a bit handicapped socially. They may enjoy joking with their friends at school every day–but how much is that contributing toward an actual, real-life ability to carry on a polite conversation with different sorts of people? Not saying your children are like that–just saying I’ve seen kids like that.
Respect and obey authority other than their parents-
If children obey their parents, they will obey others in authority. But, if they don’t obey their parents, good luck at trying to get them to obey anybody else! That’s been my observation.
Keeping them motivated to learn-
Well, my children don’t primarily work in a grade alone, though they do have a few things they do by themselves, which is good. Alone time is good; we need it to think deeply and to process things. However, we do as many things as we can together. Whenever we do things together, it makes them so much more fun and meaningful. One child will offer one thing to the conversation or activity, while another child will offer something else. It helps that they are different ages. I am very much involved, too. When they enjoy the material, there won’t be a problem. For instance, we use Sonlight, which is based on literature. There is a great variety of books we read together which my children love! (Another type of social interaction: they learn from the characters how to act/not act with others.) Do they love everything? No. But, making a real-life connection to what they’re learnign helps them see the value in it. Also, keeping things short helps. Offering rewards for finishing work helps. I think homeschooling makes kids good at self-learning. If they love their books, and if they know how to find out stuff they’re interested in, there really is no end to the learning. I want them to be self-motivated, not depend on a teacher to give them work, and then when they’re finished, say, “Oh, good, I’m glad that’s over,” and promptly forget everything. Not saying your kids do that, either. But I know people who have had that experience, and who prefer homeshooling in part because of it.
I’m so glad you asked those questions!–not “juvenile” at all, just things that anybody curious about homeschooling would want to know.
I grew up homeschooled, and I don’t feel socially handicapped at all. Yes, I’m naturally an introvert, but I get along well with people. Do I always do and say things right? No–but there isn’t a single person I know who always does and says things right. It’s just part of being human. We learn as we go. 🙂
~Jessica
Thanks for the response! There must be pros and cons both ways. I do have friends who were homeschooled and believe they will (or are) send /ing their children to a Christian school rather then homeschooling them. But then we and then wouldn’t readily endorse some of the social activities you mentioned 🌷
Sure thing, Tea! Sorry it was so long–it just took that much space to be able to address the different points you brought up. To be fair, I have seen children who went to public or private school grow up to be great people. I definitely am in favor of homeschooling, but it’s okay if others feel they prefer different educational methods. 🙂
I wasn’t sure what you meant when you said that you wouldn’t readily endorse some of the social activities I mentioned. Could you explain that a little more? My children don’t actually do all of those activities; the list of activities is just ideas to choose from, for those who are concerned about their children getting social interaction.
~Jessica
Well… I might be stepping into deep waters here so I’ll keep it brief. The influence that our children would be under joining league sports or perhaps even just story time at the library could be somewhat spiritually
deterimental… But friendly fun sports with friends I don’t object too neither field trips and the like 😀 But I don’t want to pass any judgment …
Okay, thanks for your reply, Tea!
Dear Jessica:
I’ve just started reading some of your posts in the last few months. The topic of homeschooling always intrigues me, whether children are taught in a secular or religious setting. I agree that families should do what is appropriate for their own children. I do wonder if some families who homeschool would allow their children to try public school if they really wanted to have that experience. Have any of your children asked to do that, and would you and your husband allow them to?
I’ve been a public high school teacher for the last 41 years, and will be retiring soon. I can honestly say I enjoyed school from my very first day of kindergarten, many, many years ago 🙂 I attended only public schools, a state college (BS), and public university (MA). All were great experiences, not perfect, but good for me.
Thank you for explaining your point of view.
Caroline
I really really struggle with the dominance of feminist dogma in schools which completely decries marriage and motherhood and the sexualisation of older girls especially in a mixed environment.
Hi, Caroline!
Thank you for your comment, and good job on being a public school teacher for the last 41 years! The schools need good teachers. 🙂
To answer your question about if we would allow our children to attend public school if they asked: They have at times showed an interest in the possibility. However, after much thought over the years, we have decided that this will not be an option for our family. Just as we decide which church we will attend as a family (and we require our children to go with us), we decide for our children what educational option we will follow. We have very strong feelings about homeschooling, so that is what we are going to be sticking with — through the good days and the hard days, as well. It is certainly a growing process, but I believe that it has all been worth the challenges involved.
My favorite part of homeschooling is that we can make the Bible the foundation of our day, and we can talk about God throughout the day, stopping to pray at any moment we need to. My second favorite part is that we are all together, building our family relationships.
Thank you for your question and for your curiosity about homeschooling!
~Jessica