While considering homeschooling a friend recommended a book called, "A Well Trained Mind" by Susan Wise Bauer. I highly recommend this book if you are considering homeschooling or have decided to home school and not sure what curriculum to use.
While considering homeschooling a friend recommended a book called, "A Well Trained Mind" by Susan Wise Bauer. I highly recommend this book if you are considering homeschooling or have decided to home school and not sure what curriculum to use.
So many people ask why I made the decision to home school my kids. There are so many reasons but here are a few:
1. I wanted more control of what my kids were learning and when they learned it.
I started noticing that school was SUPER easy for my oldest two. Although the school was doing their best to challenge them, they were still bored. I started to think, how great would it be to teach them according to their ability to learn, rather than their age level?! Taylor made education!! Something you can't get in a public elementary school.
2. TIME.
A typical school day is 7 hours. Research has shown that a child can get more from 3 hours of home school than they get in a 7 hour school day. By homeschooling my children I gave them 3-4 extra hours per day. That is, if they choose to use their time wisely and get their lessons done in a timely manner. Suddenly practicing piano for 30 minutes a day isn't such a big deal to them because they know they have time to do other things they'd like to do. Extracurricular activities are just as important to me as education. Developing talents like playing an instrument has so many benefits backed by countless studies and research! Being active and being part of a team has life long lessons as well. While attending public school my kids didn't have time to do these activities AND fit in play time.
3. Influence.
When your child attends public school with 25+ kids in a class with a teacher you have never really met there are influences there that are beyond your control. Now I am not saying in anyway those influences aren't a HUGE learning opportunity for your child. And the last thing I want to do is raise my kids in a bubble and not expose them to diversity and adversity. Here's how I see it, in elementary school kids are learning so much about themselves. Before they go out into the world, I want to make sure we have created a strong foundation of confidence and values. So when they are faced with adversity they KNOW who they are they are comfortable with themselves without all the fluff of the world.
The decision to home school was not an easy one for me. It was one that I thought about for a few months and one that I didn't take lightly. There was no 'let's give it a try'. It was either I do it, or I don't. I did not go to college and even harder for me to admit, do not have a traditional high school diploma. Having my children's education, in my 'uneducated' hands was/is frightening! I am also not a patient person. I had a hard time helping my kids with their homework without feeling like I was going to blow a gasket from time to time. The fear is lessening as time goes by because I am seeing how they are flourishing with me as their teacher. The most unexpected part is how much I am recalling from my elementary days and also I am learning so much! So far I'd have to say my decision to home school was and still is the right decision for us. My kids love it and I'm learning to love it more and more each day. It's been 6 months since I've started this journey and I'm still learning how to juggle everything around and still haven't got everything incorporated into my day that I'd like. I'll get there eventually. Like they say, Rome wasn't built in a day!
1. I wanted more control of what my kids were learning and when they learned it.
I started noticing that school was SUPER easy for my oldest two. Although the school was doing their best to challenge them, they were still bored. I started to think, how great would it be to teach them according to their ability to learn, rather than their age level?! Taylor made education!! Something you can't get in a public elementary school.
2. TIME.
A typical school day is 7 hours. Research has shown that a child can get more from 3 hours of home school than they get in a 7 hour school day. By homeschooling my children I gave them 3-4 extra hours per day. That is, if they choose to use their time wisely and get their lessons done in a timely manner. Suddenly practicing piano for 30 minutes a day isn't such a big deal to them because they know they have time to do other things they'd like to do. Extracurricular activities are just as important to me as education. Developing talents like playing an instrument has so many benefits backed by countless studies and research! Being active and being part of a team has life long lessons as well. While attending public school my kids didn't have time to do these activities AND fit in play time.
3. Influence.
When your child attends public school with 25+ kids in a class with a teacher you have never really met there are influences there that are beyond your control. Now I am not saying in anyway those influences aren't a HUGE learning opportunity for your child. And the last thing I want to do is raise my kids in a bubble and not expose them to diversity and adversity. Here's how I see it, in elementary school kids are learning so much about themselves. Before they go out into the world, I want to make sure we have created a strong foundation of confidence and values. So when they are faced with adversity they KNOW who they are they are comfortable with themselves without all the fluff of the world.
The decision to home school was not an easy one for me. It was one that I thought about for a few months and one that I didn't take lightly. There was no 'let's give it a try'. It was either I do it, or I don't. I did not go to college and even harder for me to admit, do not have a traditional high school diploma. Having my children's education, in my 'uneducated' hands was/is frightening! I am also not a patient person. I had a hard time helping my kids with their homework without feeling like I was going to blow a gasket from time to time. The fear is lessening as time goes by because I am seeing how they are flourishing with me as their teacher. The most unexpected part is how much I am recalling from my elementary days and also I am learning so much! So far I'd have to say my decision to home school was and still is the right decision for us. My kids love it and I'm learning to love it more and more each day. It's been 6 months since I've started this journey and I'm still learning how to juggle everything around and still haven't got everything incorporated into my day that I'd like. I'll get there eventually. Like they say, Rome wasn't built in a day!