The decision to home school our daughter was made long before she was born. We decided to home school her because we love her and want the best for her. When searching for the best possible education, there is no place like our home. Public school is no place for children and many private schools in our area have turned into reform schools. We wanted more control over what she was taught and the pace in which it was taught. We wanted to be able to instill our values and convictions in her before society tried to indoctrinate her into an apathetic crowd follower.
Public school is no place for children; private schools are turning into reform schools. It is the governments job, or so they think, to make children responsible citizens. It is my job to do more than that. I want my child to have my religious beliefs, morals, and ethics. The best way for me to do that is to teach her the way I want her to go, giving her as much information, training, and love as possible, and then let her decide.
Parents, grandparents and other guardians send children off like lambs to the slaughter when they wave good-bye to them at the bus stops and the steps of the schools. Violence is a huge concern in schools. It seems every week there is another school shooting or a school in lock down due to some violent incident. This isn't surprising. Children need individualized attention. Over-worked and under-paid administrators, teachers, and staff is the major problem. Class size and under-funding go hand-in-hand with too much work and not enough pay. Children get lost in the crowd and there is little, if any, one-on-one attention. The schools do what they can, but the problems they face are overwhelming. No child should have to endure those types of problems. Until public schools and private schools are able to solve the problems, the will continue to be no place for children.
The dangers of peer pressure is another reason to home school. Children reflect those around them. Parents who home school have more control of who their children interact with. Instead of having to set next to the motley mix in a traditional classroom, the parents help to choose their child's peer group. The child and the parents are able
to choose the extra-curricular activities to participate in, thus eliminating many of the negative influences. No parent can protect their child from everything, but this is a good start. By choosing good friends at an early age, this helps the child to make the same good choices as they grow up and move into the adult world. They are less likely to fall prey to drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, and abusive relationships later in life. Not only is the concern of the socialization of a home schooled child taken care of, the future socialization of the adult is rooted in a good foundation that will lead to a lifetime of good decision-making skills when it comes time to choose friends.
"No Child Left Behind" is another excellent reason to home school. This is a wonderful, on paper. In practice, it is seriously lacking. It should be called "No Child Gets Ahead" instead. "No Child Left Behind" has chosen the absolute lowest acceptable level of education and made it the standard. Average, above average, and the advanced students are forced to wait for the others to "catch up" before moving to the next concept. This not only leads to boredom, but the thought "why would I try hard?" by those students ready to move on. Home schooled children move at their own speed, deciding what pace is best for them. Our daughter is only at grade level in one subject. She is two and three grade levels above her grade level in all other subjects.
Home schooling provides the freedom to teach a broader range of subjects. They aren't stuck studying just what traditional schools would teach children at her age. Our daughter has religious studies, ethics, two foreign languages as well as sign language. Home schools are more individualized to meet the needs of the child, allowing them to explore their own interests. Because it is more individualized, students are not being taught to regurgitate information, instead of forming their own thoughts and theories. Not only do I teach our daughter Creationism, but she also studies the theory of evolution. Children should learn to think for themselves, form their own opinions. Hands-on activities and real life experiences are used on a regular basis. The home schooled student is able to direct their own education and is only guided by their loving and nurturing parents within guidelines those same parents have set.
The time home schooling parents and their children spend together is priceless and another excellent reason to home school. Home schooling is able to give the family both quality and quantity of time together. Because I am able to spend time with my daughter, we are able to start a solid relationship that will last a lifetime. Because of our relationship, this will boost her feeling of self-worth as well as her self-esteem. Those two things will help her through the darkest hours of her life and keep her on track, always knowing that she has parents how love her and are there for her.
Home schooling offers a flexible schedule for the entire family. Once the classroom work is completed, there is time to move on to other things - not stuck in a traditional classroom for eight in the morning until three in the afternoon. That extra time can be spent on family outings, which can also serve as field trips. Family vacations can also be considered field trips. Home schooling supplies are easily packed up and taken along for those vacation so classroom time is not lost. I have even home schooled our daughter in the waiting room of a hospital. The staff was kind enough to give us a tour of a lab in the hospital while we waited for a family member to come out of surgery.
Home schooling offers parents the ability to educate their children in an environment more conducive to learning. It allows the parents to control what is learned and when it is learned. Home schooling gives the parents and the students the opportunity to teach and learn as many ideas, theories and concepts as they want, without indoctrinating the children to educational standards that are not high enough. Flexibility is a wonderful aspect of home schooling that has the ability to turn just about anything into a learning experience. These are all great reasons to home school.