Why We Homeschool

Photo courtesy of randolf.k12.nc.us

With the start of school and fall approaching, I figured I'd spend a minute to write about why my family has chosen the path of homeschooling our three children.  We have a myriad of reasons why we homeschool and we honestly consider all our educational options each year, with each individual child and their unique needs in mind.  I will also preface this discussion by saying that this is just our second year of homeschooling, so I am NOT an expert by ANY means, but I hope you will be encouraged or enlightened about this educational choice, wherever your personal opinion might currently lie. 

Before I delve into all the reasons we homeschool, however, let me first discuss the reasons that do NOT factor into our homeschool decision.  Please allow me to proceed with bullet points for ease...

• We do NOT homeschool to protect our children from the evil influences of the world.  I am not naive enough to assume that outside influences lead to my children's demise.  While the world offers many temptations and opportunities to sin, the Scriptures are clear to point out that the desire to sin lies within each of us and that this innate desire leads us to sin (James 1:14-15).  I am also aware that not going to school does not protect us from bizarre shootings and other such calamities which have recently made the headlines regarding schools.  Homeschooling does not make us "safe"--either in the physical or spiritual sense.  Period.

• We do NOT homeschool because we think that public/private education is bad or evil.  One of the factors that went into our decision this year was the class sizes our public school supports (30!), not so much any bad experience with this public school.  Also, while public education does not teach about God or support prayer, I feel that this is largely the parents' responsibility according to Deuteronomy 6 and other Scripture passages that urge parents to teach their children about God and His law in every moment of their days.

• We do NOT homeschool because we feel like we are "better" than teachers or public/private school systems.  There are lots of pros AND cons with homeschooling.  No method is perfect, in my opinion--we live in a fallen world and in all of Scriptures, God/Jesus always works on an individual heart level and never according to a system (Did you ever see God speak the same way twice?  Or Jesus heal the same way twice?).  My sister is a teacher, my step-mom is a teacher--we are not anti-teacher in any way around here!

So...then, why DO we homeschool?  Well, for lots of reasons.  Some are educational reasons, others are spiritual reasons, and still others are, in all honesty, selfish reasons.  Let me explain. Again...I will go with bullet points for ease...

• Educational reasons:  We love the fact that we have flexibility to teach according to each child's interests and skill level.  My voracious 2nd grade reader can devour books on the 4th and 5th grade level, while my Kindergarten math whiz can blow through Kindergarten math and work at a higher grade level...no questions asked...no testing required.  We can also tweak each day's lessons to meet their needs.  For example, when I was introducing U.S. history today, my son became more excited to learn about George Washington as a General in the Revolutionary War than he was to learn about him as the first President.  So....guess what our history class will include?  Military history!  And when the solar system became insanely interesting to them as they were putting together an inflatable solar system from the ceiling, I could take over an HOUR with them and discuss the heavens!  No bells.  No time table.  No schedule (plans, yes...firm schedule, no).  I love how we can learn reading and math, but not the exclusion of these amazing subjects like history, science, music theory, and art.  I love how we can learn U.S. history, U.S. geography, and U.S. artists like Norman Rockwell and Grandma Moses and it all works together (true confession- prior to homeschooling I had never heard of Grandma Moses!).  I also LOVE how we can be studying science, but yet include so much more--let's say we are discussing Pluto and whether or not it is truly a planet.  Well, we can poll our friends and family and graph out the results of their answers (hello...MATH!) and then we can write fact vs. opinion papers about the topic (hello...ENGLISH!) all while we are officially studying SCIENCE.  Beautiful.

• Spiritual reasons:  I love how we can learn all these amazing things and give credit to Whom credit is due.  If we study the heavens...we can praise God for His amazing creation and look to Psalm 147:4 marveling  that God has called each of the stars by name!  We can learn about our Founding Fathers and delve into their faith and why they came over the Atlantic Ocean to pursue religious freedom.  I also love how I can weave in spiritual lessons throughout the day as the kids argue, become frustrated, or ask questions about nature or about our culture (there's Deuteronomy 6 again!).  I also love how we can start out our school time with prayer and pray over tests and throughout our day as needs arise.

• Selfish reasons: Just some quick backstory with this one--my oldest daughter went to public kindergarten a couple of years ago and we found that when she came home from school (usually around 2:45 or 3:00) she went straight to her room to "decompress" from the day for a bit.  Only after 30 or 40 minutes would she be up for playing with her siblings.  Then, there was gymnastics, dance, karate, and homework, then family dinner, bath, and bedtime...all to be squeezed in those last 5 hours of the day when she was most tired and often grumpy.  Needless to say, part of homeschooling for us was wanting to "get our daughter back."  I didn't want to send my daughter out of the house first thing in the morning for someone else to enjoy her freshest moments.  I didn't want the constant homework struggle and the rush-rush to try to fit it all in at the end of the day.  Homeschooling has allowed us to have NO homework per se and for us to arrange her school and activity schedule to meet her needs and our family needs FIRST.  YAY!

I could go on...but I think that covers the major reasons why we have decided to say YES to homeschooling all of our children this year. There are hard days and bad days and great days with it ALL...public, private, and homeschool.  In fact, I truly believe the grass is always greener WHERE YOU WATER IT!! For me, that is at home where I strive to make our homeschool the best it can be, all the while realizing that it is God's thing to teach, instruct, and to grow up our children to be God-fearing men and women who serve others and use their talents and gifts for God's glory in their generation!


The face of homeschooling has definitely shifted over the years.  We do not all wear jumpers--in fact, some of us wear push-up bras and thongs...just sayin'!  We are social--in fact, with cooperative education groups, field trip opportunities, community classes and such, you could find yourself busier than traditional school!  And we are smart and well-educated and many of us realize we are not just baby-making machines!  There are a TON of professional women who are choosing to homeschool...some even around their work schedules (!)...and some families split up the responsibilities so Dad teaches his strong subjects and Mom teaches hers.  If you are on the fence, I'd encourage you to pray about it and honestly empty yourself to do God's will for your family.  I have seen God change my heart, my husband's heart, and my children's hearts, so if this is God's path for your family, HE WILL see it through!  And if you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask me or another homeschooling family--there are SO many great resources out there for you!