by Victoria Tiegert

Created on: February 05, 2008

As a mother of three teenagers who have all been homeschooled at one point or another, I can say that it has been a great experience for all of us! There are many benefits to homeschooling that are not available in the traditional classroom setting. The top ten in our home are as follows:

1)Spending time together! With life as hectic as it is these days, I enjoy the fact that my children are home with me more often than not. The first eighteen years of life goes by so fast. In no time at all, our children are going off on their own.

2)Learning together! Not only does being directly involved in my children's learning experience keep me sharp and up on current theories and issues, but it also initiates discussions that otherwise may not have been. I get to know more about my children and they get to know about me.

3)Choosing an optimal learning environment! Everyone learns differently. Some children learn better with background noise, some prefer quiet. Some stay on task better with snacks available and others do not. Homeschooling enables us to give each child their most beneficial surroundings to learn in.

4)Flexible scheduling! Most children have a subject or two that they struggle to understand. We are able to place those subjects at their best learning time, which may differ from child to child. My children stay focused and on task better in the morning, so that is optimal for the more difficult subjects, rather than placing them at the end of the day when they are getting antsy and worn out.

5)Traveling! Homeschooling could be called "anywhere schooling" as it can go with us wherever and whenever. Just pack up the laptop and explore the world! Another benefit is that if we choose to visit a tourist attraction during our vacation, we can schedule it at a time when most families with children are in school and not at our destination.

6)Staying healthy! With the problems facing many communities of over-crowded classrooms, homeschooling allows us to avoid some of the viruses that are being passed from desk to desk, child to child. When an illness does hit, we are able to continue with out studies from bed with our O.J. and chicken noodle soup close by! We don't have to miss a day of learning to prevent others from catching our sickness.

7)Wearing what we want! We can study in what we are comfortable in. Although I do encourage getting up and dressed, there are some days when PJs are the best! We have no dress code to worry about and no pressure to look a certain way as we learn.

8)Avoiding drama! As a homeschooling family, we are able to avoid a great deal of the "peer drama" found in the classrooms around our country. We can focus on our studies during the school day better if we are not thinking about the current rumor mill.

9)Taking field trips we actually enjoy! We can choose our field trips with our children's input. This ensures that not only will they be interested enough to learn from it, but it will be enjoyable as well.

10)Making our time count! Some subjects take more time to learn than others and we are able to devote the necessary time in those areas. Being able to focus solely on the questions of one child, we are able to zip through subjects easily picked up.

There are so many benefits of homeschooling for our family that it is tricky to narrow it down to the top ten. Although homeschooling is not for everyone, we have truly enjoyed it in our home.

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