If you find yourself asking, “Should I homeschool?” then no doubt you have much to consider! There’s no two ways around it – homeschooling can be difficult at times! However, it’s possible you will find, as I did, that what you gain is far more than what you have lost.
Should I Homeschool? (read this.)
Dear Homeschooling,
I’ve been dissing you a lot lately, and I’m sorry about that. We had a rocky start, you and I. When I wondered, “Should I homeschool?” I thought at first it would be easy! Honestly, I thought we’d get along easier. You know, with me being a teacher and all. You were shockingly difficult at times.
Homeschooling, you stretch me. Not in a spa-room, Yoga-kind-of-stretch. More like a filling-a-water-balloon-just-to-the-point-of-explosion stretch.
Every day with you requires more prayer, more patience, more creativity, more messes, more self-discipline, and more screaming reprimands from the Solace That Used To Be The Bathroom than I ever imagined.
You take a lot of me.
But I need to tell you something else. See, it’s April here, and Year Two is about in the books. And I was reflecting recently while picking up paper clippings from underneath a paint-chipped desk that…well, I owe you thanks.
Homeschooling, Thank You.
Because of you, my children are very best friends. All three of them, even the little. What a precious gift you’ve given us. Because of you, we spend some quality time around here. Yes, that is more time to poke pencils at each other’s kneecaps and dump sand malignantly down one another’s shirts. But overall, from the quality time we are deep, true friends. So thanks.
And another thing. Thanks for my second education. Was my first education so dreadfully lacking? Or do I just not remember how stunning the human brain is, or how inexplicable men dragging rocks to make a pyramid over hundreds of years? Without you, let’s be honest: I wouldn’t be reading books about volcanic rock, discovering Rhode Island’s state bird, or tinkering with magnets. I just wouldn’t. But it’s all fascinating, what you’ve been teaching us.
Homeschooling? Come to think of it, thanks for all that reading. For the stories. You’ve reminded me that a good story is a good story at 5 or 35. We’ve read by the fire, we’ve read in the sand, we’ve read in the backyard on blankets. We’ve read and laughed, we’ve read and cried. Okay, that was me. I cried, and they laughed at me. But still, homeschooling – these books are great. Thanks.
Thanks for drawing us outside, homeschooling. You know, as a teacher, I always looked forlornly out the window. It seemed so unfair that we were in cold metal desks under florescent lights. I love reading on the back porch with you. I love being able to sprint outside to see some spider’s web, feel if it’s raining, chase the squirrel out of the bird feeder (again) or spy on the robin who still hasn’t had her eggs.
Homeschooling, thanks for all of the Extra Things we can fit in our day. We can sit on a couch under a fuzzy blanket on a Tuesday, just because. We can bake together. We can play checkers. We can make Valentine’s Day cards for the neighbors, we can write our Compassion kids, we can paint flowers with watercolor (crumple it up when it’s just not right and start again). Since I’m just not one of these Super Moms who would fit these things in the smidgens of the afternoons and weekends, I need you, homeschooling.
Homeschooling, you give us so many gifts. But the greatest one. Thank you for giving me Second Chances to parent. I am so hurried a person. So preoccupied, so distracted. I shudder to think how rushed and busy our family would be without you in our lives.
You make me sit still.
You make me look at my children.
You give me eight precious more hours in the day to know them, to tell them “good job, Buddy,” to stand next to them while they do it again, to scratch their little backs while we read.
Homeschooling, you give us time.
You take my time, but you give it back, pour it back into these little ones. For this gift, I will ever be grateful.
Do you know a friend who is wondering, “Should I homeschool?” Please pass this along!
A note from Jessica: Now’s the time of year when many moms are facing school decisions. If you know a mom who’s considering homeschooling, would you share this post with her? Yes, homeschooling is as hard and fun as cleaning the toilet sometimes. But also, it’s so wonderful! 🙂 And you can do it!
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I loved this post! My daughter is in Kindergarten (at the local public school) and I have a 21 month old at home….I have been thinking of home school for awhile but I do not know a lot about it…there is a home school co-op at our church but that is the extent of my connection to any home school resources at this point…I also am a former teacher…I worry about adding more than I can handle on my plate if I were homeschooling….how do you balance homeschool, household chores, errands, appointments/activities and blogging? Where do you get the curriculum and how long do you home school…meaning do they eventually go to a public high school? So many questions…thank you for opening my eyes more to the home schooling option!
Hi Ellen, thanks for commenting! Balancing everything – that is the question! 🙂 There is no doubt I would have more time for all of that – blog, home, shopping, etc. if I were not homeschooling. I remind myself that I have chosen to sacrifice some of that right now. That said, I do manage to fit it all in…usually. One thing we’ve done this year is have Friday be “cleaning day” where the learning part is their own chore lists, and I can get stuff done around the house. In the younger grades, you will probably have afternoons free for chores and errands…although the kids will join you. I would just say, where there’s a will, there’s a way. I had the same apprehensions but it usually all works out. We use Sonlight which I highly recommend. I wrote about it here. http://smarttereachday.com/is-sonlight-homeschool-curriculum-worth-the-money-for-elementary/ .
Thank you so much for your response! I will definitely look into that and hopefully with prayer and discussions with my husband we will know how to proceed for next year 😃 On another note I found your blog through a link Crystal Paine had put in one of her newsletters and I love your posts!
I homeschooled 4 kids. All are now in their 20’s. The year my oldest turned 5 I had a 21 month old and a new baby born August 28th…lol. I told my husband I needed a month to adjust to the baby, so we started kindergarten on October 1. My two littles took about a 2 1/2 hour nap in the afternoon, and that was our school time. Jeff still finished all the ki dergarten curriculum in 5 months and started 1st grade in March. Homeschooling takes a lot less time than public school. I also had been a teacher. I was amazed to look back and realize how much time had been wasted waiting for everyone to get a pencil, paper, find their books, etc. My husband is a pastor so we moved every few years. School was their constant. When my mom broke her pelvic bone we packed up school and went to stay with Grandma. My kids developed such a closeness with each other and to their grandparents. To this day my kids are best friends. As for a quality education, my oldest graduated cum laude in music composition, my next is Food Service Director at a Christian camp, my third son is Counselor In Training Director at a different camp, hoping to make amp ministry his career, and my daughter is earning her Early Childhood certification. One went to a public high school, one did a community college high school completion program, 2 went to a homeachool co-op high school. Different things work for different kids. You’ll know what works for yours. As for chores, ours sometimes went by the wayside so we could do a fall nature walk to collect leaves and make placemats to surprise Daddy when he came home for dinner. I’ll bet you anything none of my kids would ever mention how clean or dirty the house was…just the fun things we did and the wonderful books we read.
Hi. I applaud your interest in homeschooling. To get started, you should look for a home school fair or convention. Our state convention is in June. Tons of curriculum ideas, seminars on how to homeschool, about homeschooling high schoolers, used curriculum, etc. And of course an opportunity to connect with other homeschoolers. Cathy Duffy puts out a review of homeschool curriculum, by subject and publishes what she feels are top 200.
I like Timberdoodle.com. they sell entire grade levels of curriculum, or pieces, too, but the kits compromise the very best of the what is available. I also subscribe to homeschool buyers coop (free), lots of discounts for online curriculum, most come with free trial, so good to try before you buy.
The biggest most difficult part of homeschooling is deciding to do it and actually doing it! 🙂 I’m a single mother, Realtor and grad student. I homeschool my daughter for many reasons. As far as Kindergarten there are so many free curriculums along with online worksheets (teachers pay teachers, easy peasy homeschool, etc) that it is very easy to get started. Get started this summer when school lets out and act as if you’re homeschooling 3 days a week, Kindergarteners don’t need more than 1 – 2 hours a day sitting still, you have to get yourself out of the “school is an 8 hour a day” mind set, that was set up for public schools because parents work, that is the only reason the school day is so long. Besides look at all the stuff they do, recess, lunch, music, that isn’t sit down time, you can do that too. We go out to lunch every Friday, on Wednesdays we have to do something outside, swim (great PE), walk, find leaves, etc. It’s really easy to homeschool, especially in the younger years. Best of luck!
Wow, God bless you, girl! You’ve got your hands full but your post was really encouraging. Yes, I think those of us on the fence struggle with feeling intimidated by the need for balance and simplicity when it’s so much easier to complicate things too much to ever get started!! 😊 Thanks for sharing! 👍
For K and 1st grade you can be done with “school” work (reading, writing, math) in about an hour a day (while the baby naps). Add to that some free reading each night, outdoor time for physical activity, helping around the house, nature walks, field trips and play dates and you’ll have a wonderful school year together. My advice is to take it easy… nothing is too important schoolwise until middle school or even high school (I mean, really, do you remember anything from 1st or 2nd or even 3rd grade? Maybe a fun teacher or a field trip… there’s not one thing on a worksheet that you couldn’t have picked up much easier later when you actually needed to know it). My kids are in 5th and 6th grades, so I have the benefit of hindsight 🙂 That said, I do find a lot of great curriculum at the homeschool buyers co-op… http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/?source=67359
Yes I do actually, I remember learning to read at age 5, and learning to write, probably what lead me to do so well in English language and English literature.
You can still homeschool academically advanced kids. Two of my daughters were reading before age five. The third read at age six. The poster meant that almost everything could be picked up later to make space and room for a lot of adventure and outdoors. The educational system cycles through the same material three times before High School graduation. This allows a lot of time in the younger years to play and still know what is needed. She is right that if you were reading by age five, you probably were going to do fine with less than three full cycles through the material. But if three are important, you can do all three in every subject and still be done in less time than the public schooled children.
Thanks for adding your insights, Michele!
Love! My son is only 18 months old right now, but I made the decisions months ago that I want to homeschool him as he grows. I love how you admit that it’s hard. I know it’s going to be hard. It scares the pants off me! But I also know that I’d be that same mom that wouldn’t get all the activities in on the weekends if my son went to public school. I’m looking forward to homeschooling him, even tho I have no idea where to start! But I’m surrounded by people to help me.
You nailed it, Jessica. It wasn’t always easy, but I’m so grateful for every single moment of our homeschooling years.
” I am so hurried a person. So preoccupied, so distracted. I shudder to think how rushed and busy our family would be without you in our lives.” This statement really made me think. This also describes me, and I also can’t imagine how rushed our lives would be without homeschooling! Thank you for reminding me of all the blessings involved.
Love this post! I only home schooled for one year, but it was a huge learning year for our whole household! I too re-learned a lot of stuff with my 8th grader being at home. I also learned reasons why other parents were homeschooling their children due to bullying, faith, etc. Most important to me was that my child learned that there were positives and negatives to both ways of attending school. He went back to Christian school and graduated from there, but I know he is forever grateful for the year at home!
I would love to homeschool my daughter next year, she is in Kindergarten now. We discussed homeschooling before enrolling her in a charter school last year and now a decision needs to be made for next year. Her school is a great school but there are things we don’t care for such as time away and the amount of homework. But I’m so worried I won’t be able to give her/ have time to give her, everything she enjoys at school such as art, music, time with other kids, games, field trips etc. With having a VERY active 3 year old and running a small business from home I’m even more concerned if I can give her the time needed for a quality education. We are seriously considering it, maybe I should just step out and try.
Hi Tasha, we have been homeschooling for 5 years (that is hard to believe!) but I just want to encourage you to follow your mama heart. No decision is ever set in stone. This article is very true on all levels and it isn’t the easy road but it is such an amazing adventure. If you are a woman of faith at all that will serve you well. If you believe God is nudging your heart towards this I would strongly encourage you to take the leap of faith and choose to trust over fear! Blessings as you discover your journey!
Love this post! When I think about all of the years I have homeschooled, this is what I think about. Folks on the outside don’t always see what I see. They don’t know the amazing things I have shared with my children. They somehow think they are losing experiences rather than gaining all the join and wonder we have been able to get with an at home education. You have put into words my own thoughts, and I, too, am grateful to those homeschool moms who encouraged me to give this a try. Best decision ever.
Wow! It’s like I wrote parts of this! It’s April in our second year…2 kids & a little…I cry & they laugh at me…our Compassion kid, Walter…I can’t imagine how little quality time I would have with them if we didn’t homeschool. Thanks for this!
I love this. I’m in the prayer trench of praying about my decision to homeschool right now. This is very encouraging to me.
Saw this and just wanted to encourage all the homeschool moms. I homeschooled seven and my youngest graduated last year. I’m so glad that I chose to homeschool! Sure it was tough and sure people thought we were strange; the laundry didn’t get done, the house wasn’t sparkling clean; but we learned so much together. Those same people that thought we were strange are in awe and the grandparents are so proud now. We took vacations during the “school year” and did school during summer, We took karate together. We rode horses together and learned responsibility by working for those lessons. So much more.. so worth it.
Ditto. My baby of 5 will graduate next year, bringing a close to 22 years of homeschooling. My oldest turns 31 today. My 4th child graduates from college in 3 weeks. My family has thrived, and I am forever grateful for the blessings and opportunities and friendships and lessons that homeschooling brought into our lives. Hard? yes. Scary? yes. Frustrating? yes. Freeing? yes. Outside the box? yes. Worth it? oh yes.
Thank you for this! I needed this encouragement today. I’m currently pregnant with #4 and this pregnancy has been hard on my health. I haven’t even done school with my kids in weeks. I feel like a failure. So thank you!
This post was really great. We’ve been considering home schooling and have pretty much decided to do it after his pre-K or K year… and then take it year by year if I can do it. Someone shared your post with me and I’m so grateful she did.
LOVE your perspective….. and now love your blog! Gunna check out some more of your goodies.
xo
Dani
OKDani.com
A nice read except for the fact that the moms homeschooling were called ‘weird’. They are not “weird Moms”, they are Moms who take the time to go above and beyond in their parenting.
Years go, I did home-school my oldest child because he was a smart kid who was bored to tears in public school and the victim of intense bullying which the teacher did nothing about. He is an electrical engineering genius today. By the way that teacher was convicted of stealing money from crooked business deals one year later, sad to say.
I have a teaching license/certificate and a Master’s degree in Education, I taught college level students for 12 years until things got too political and I no longer felt comfortable where I was. I taught seventh grade science for one year at a public school and found out public school is also very political, for students, and the teachers who want to have their contracts renewed. There are a thousand social justice warriors teaching and trying to control how your children think for every one teacher who actually cares about reading, writing and ‘rithmatic. More parents should home school!!!
Kaida, you say that like “weird” is a bad thing. What if making big sacrifices for our children, recognizing that our education system is failing and putting our relationship with our children (and their wellbeing) first is weird? It’s certainly not the norm around here.
In a crazy world we can wear the term “weird” like a badge of honor.
Year two’s about in the books? I’d love to see this revisited when year ten’s about in the books. Next year will be our final year, and it’s been a heck of a ride. Keep it up!
I’m glad this post popped up on my facebook timeline somehow! I’ve been “in the trenches” of homeschooling a 2.5 year old and a 6 month old and I guess I’m still in the “Oh my WORD, I always thought this was going to be SO much easier… I have worked with young children for most of my professional life!!” But I’m grateful for this post that reminds me to look at the other side of this most beautiful coin! I wholeheartedly agree with all the points in this article! 💗
We are just completing our 6th year of schooling at home. Next year I will have three in high school, with my oldest being a senior, and my youngest in 7th grade. I will admit that this road we have traveled is one of the hardest challenges I’ve ever faced. That said, it has also been one of the most rewarding. I will always cherish this time I have been given with my four. I too, shudder to think what our lives would be like if not for homeschooling. Not only am I grateful for this opportunity, but when asked, each one of my children say that they are, too.
Love this letter. Lots of good points.
Thank you for this. It’s April, and I too am exhausted. After 6 years of homeschooling, I proudly wear the badge of weirdness!
With my whole heart, thank you for this post. You are a God-wink for me today; I needed to hear all these things and be rejuvenated. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
What a great article! I think you shared something a lot of moms I knew needed to hear way back when I homeschooled. It’s amazing…my kids are 30 now…so I started homeschooling 24 years ago and ended 12 years ago….and yet, I am always pleased when I see people realize that one of the greatest things you take away from homeschooling is that it is…. a lifestyle. Your kids truly become your friends and you enjoy them more as you spend time with them.
I miss the homeschooling years. They pass by oh so quickly. I know…to you, they feel like they are dragging. But trust me, one day you’ll think, “I’m halfway there…I only have 6 more years to go” and the next thing you know…you’re turning around and they’re heading to college.
Keep up the homeschooling and remember to find the good in each day. God bless you!
Ohhhhh how I needed to read this. I THANKYOU 10,000 times for writing it. I am so blessed.
As a graduated homeschool mom (many years ago actually), I have to say you hit the nail on the head with this article! It’s all SO TRUE!
You do know that there is a lot of dads doing the home schooling, right? How about giving credit where credit is due.
We’re almost finished with year one of homeschooling and I’m constantly flip-flopping on next year’s plans. I needed to read this – thank you!
I am finishing up my 18th and final year of homeschooling and you nailed it…thanks homeschooling! What a gift of time. For those of you starting on this journey know that it is worth every step. One gift not metioned is when your kids head off to college or wherever you know you gave it your best shot…good or bad you gave all you had, no regrets about lost time or chances, and that definitely helps ease the transistion (for Mom!). : ))
Hi….I will be home schooling my kids starting next school year 2017/2018). I’m overwhelmed by the cirriculum! I don’t know what to choose! Any sugestions? Thanks!
My suggestions are not going to be specific curriculum publishers or titles, because only you know your children, and please don’t purchase a big curriculum set just solely because a friend is using it. My overall suggestion is to first become a very observant student about your child and how they learn. Read a book first about the different learning style types of children or look it up on the internet so that you can identify your child’s learning style. Then find supportive resources for that. Rarely or probably never have I seen one curriculum be across the board effective in all subjects for a child, and especially not for all children in the same family. But that is one of the advantages of homeschooling, that we can find the tools and strategies that will provide the love of learning for each child instead of a one size fits all standard. Look up Cathy Duffy the curriculum reviews resource book because she is really helpful in determining what learning styles will be more successful with different curriculum. Over the many years of our schooling, and also true for my other homeschoolers who have had rewarding and successful results, we have found that the early years you don’t need to buy much. Use good literature from the library as the jumping off point, and you can create good unit studies from there that will cover all of the subjects. Cheaper, fun, and a great way for kids to learn, especially if you are teaching multiple ages and learning styles at the same time. There are great preplanned unit studies online you can borrow ideas from until you start learning your own style and your kids style more. If unit studies don’t appeal to you, then you can choose a math program from one publisher if it sounds like a good fit for your child, a writing program from another, etc. and mix it up. Don’t be afraid to scrap it and try another the next semester or the next year if it is a battle. It may not be the right fit. Or, you may need to do that subject “off book” with certain learners, depending on their learning style. For example, my daughter was a hands-on learner who needs to move in order to learn concepts, especially when it came to math concepts and memorization. I used the textbook as a guide to know what she needed to learn that day and she wasn’t sitting in front of it. I would create movement games that would introduce the concepts and the material and that helped her brain create the necessary pathways of learning. Then she would sit down for a few minutes and usually review on her math paper what we covered earlier in the week or the day before. But even then, she was allowed to move a little bit while doing it. Especially on their most challenging subjects,, be sure to cater to their learning style or they will feel like a failure and end up hating the subject. But they can learn to feel accomplishment and confidence and love learning all subjects if you don’t use a one size fits all curriculum or even a one size fits all teaching style. And remember, your children grow and change, as will you as you homeschool, so be open to finding creative changes from year to year. Homescjholimg is more fruitful when it is not static and predictable each year. The packaged across the board curriculums are not perfect and permanent.
I have — officially — only two more days of homeschooling left, after 25 years and four kids!! My daughter’s end-of-year review is this Thursday, then graduation in early June, and I’m done. I was just thinking about that, and then I saw this article a friend shared on Facebook. This is so true; it made me a bit teary-eyed. As the saying goes, “The days are long, but the years are short!”
One week from today I will officially be finished homeschooling our five boys. It has been a 20 year journey! We have learned together, laughed together and cried together. But the best gift of all was the growth we all experienced together. I have watched my 5 “babies” become men and frankly there is no greater joy than being part of that, day in and day out. Despite the crazy schedules, messy house, undone dishes, fights to get school work finished, etc. it has been worth every sacrifice we had to make. I think, besides knowing Christ, homeschooling has been the greatest developer of their character. Are they perfect? Well, no. But from the time they were young, and much more so now, people see they are different. In a good way! And yes, you can do it! You find a way to teach the courses you feel you can not handle. And God grows them into people you never would have imagined: a lawyer, a physical therapist, a financier, and 2 future mechanical engineers. God is good! It is the road less traveled but the journey is priceless!
I love this!!! I just wish it was easier for me to jump into the “start” of homeschooling!!! im seriously overwhelmed by the options!!! Looking forward to spending the summer reading more and making my decision! Who knew there was so much to make their schooling “legal”… Stinking system sucks!
I HIGHLY recommend the book by Cathy Duffy called 101 Top Homeschooling Picks. It has a teaching style quiz and learning style quiz and then gives suggestions based on those. When I first dove in I found it incredibly overwhelming but the book helped me sort it all out. Our second year we joined a classical conversations group and I don’t miss the curriculum selecting days at all.
The Home School Legal Defense Association
can be a big help with advising one on how to make sure that one is operating in accordance with the laws regarding homeschooling in a particular state. They can offer additional advice, if needed, about homeschooling students with special needs. Their website address is https://www.hslda.org.
Nailed it! Thank you for writing about what so many homeschool truly believe.
I’m in year 3 of homeschooling. This article would say almost everything I would say. It’s been a tough year for me. I’ve wanted to give up a lot. However, there are many blessings. The gift of time is definitely a big one!
My daughter is entering the 7th grade. I worked while she was growing up. I find myself now as a single stay at home mom. My daughter has several learning disabilities along with other issues. She currently has an IEP. I am affraid she will struggle more with kids older than her and adjusting to switching classes. My income is limited and I am worried i can’t provide her all the extras like speech therapy and physical therapy. I am not sure if I should try for a year or just leave her where she is. Any advice or help would be great.
You may be able to get a voucher to pay a 3rd party for the therapies she needs. You should call the coordinator for more info.
A beautiful breath of fresh air for my Saturday morning here in Australia!
Thanks for that. I love your words and your writing style, and as a mum who’s 1.5 years into homeschooling, I have to say I really agree with everything you say!
Thanks Jessica.
I have an almost 3 year old. I just placed him in an 8 hour a week church preschool to help him socialize, the rest of his learning had come from home and our totschool room. He is an only child, and our family or friends have no children his age. I really want to home school, but am worried about the social aspect if I only have 1 child. Would you recommend any help on this?
I have a couple of friends who homeschool their only kids. In my opinion there are lots of benefits to it. If you love the idea of being your child’s best friend and selecting the best, most appropriate groups for friends it can be a win-win! There are so many homeschool co-ops that range from field trips to academics, monthly, weekly, multiple times a week that you are sure to find one that fits your needs.
You may wish to see if there are any homeschool co-ops in your area. I homeschooled for many years, but there were various co-ops in which my children could take anything from P.E. classes to Art and Theater classes to Science and Math classes. We participated in these classes occasionally just for the socialization. We also participated in park days and field trips (to plays, orchestra concerts, science museums, zoos, a car manufacturing plant, a textile plant, and so on). There are even homeschool sports leagues in some areas.
So good! So, so good!
This post showed up on my facebook feed today, and I LOVE it!
I stopped homeschooling a year and a half ago, but I homeschooled my 2 boys starting in 1st/8th, through graduation for my older boy, and through 6th for my younger. My younger went back to school and is doing great there. My middle is my special needs, but he was SO much happier and learned so much more when I was homeschooling him
I do not have the courage to homeschool with my 7 children but MY GOD, thank you so much for doing…everyday…what I am unable to do or unwilling to do or just plain lazy to think about doing. You rock and with 7 girls…I pray my daughters marry a man who was educated and fostered and cheered on you.
We are just finishing up our second year of homeschool and facing the decision of what to do next year. I so needed this reminder of all the good things that come from homeschooling, not just the challenges. 🙂
I’m about to start my 20th year homeschooling here…. hey, just 14 more years to go. 🙂 And although my in-laws feel differently, I have not wasted my graduate degree in education by being home to teach my own children. Why is it a “career” to teach other people’s children about literature and writing, but “drudgery” to teach your own children about arithmetic and the wonders of nature and how to make brownies and forgiving your brother for the tenth time today?
I just have to add that we love and have chosen homeschooling joyfully. My husband is a public school administrator. We just wanted to maximize our family time with the kids and magnify our family culture through the way we educate our children and live our lives together. I don’t regret any of it. And, so far, neither do any of our eleven children…. the adult children look back fondly on their years at home, and even help convince the younger ones that YES, Latin will come in handy! LOL!
So true. Thanks for the encouragement!
Thank you writing!
As our son’s first year of college comes to a close my husband and I have reflected on how much more time we had with him prior to this year, thanks to homeschooling through 12th grade. It has made a huge difference in all our lives. He’s had a great freshman year at college. He is always amused when peers and professors are surprised to learn he was homeschooled. (He’s outgoing, makes all A’s, always over-achieving….. LOL; sounds like a homeschooler to ME!)
I’m a new homeschool mom of 2 girls 5 years and 10 years and we live in South Africa. My 14 year old son goes to public school – grade 8. He prefers going to school and I would love to have him homeschooling, but….
Thank you so much for your post🙏🏻 I’ve only been homeschooling from March 1st this year but your post says exactly what’s on my mind . We love homeschooling! I’m so glad I decided to be one of those crazy moms😊
God Bless🙏🏻
Thank you for this post. As I wrap up our 7th year of homeschooling, I appreciate the opportunity to reflect on the bigger picture of the benefits of homeschooling. Honestly, it is such an integral part of our family life that I stopped questioning why several years ago. Now as we start considering high school options, I find myself taken aback at how quickly this journey has gone. It’s a reminder to value the next two years before we change course.
I wrestled with fear, uncertainty, etc, in the early years. Now I’m thankful I stayed the course.
Such a beautiful perspective. I’m delighted I came across this. I was homeschooled, so that’s my comfortable known. This week I just registered my almost-three-year-old in a private Christian school for late fall. I never imagined being a working mom who would register her daughter in pre-K. I don’t know what the future brings, but I’m working hard to make sure we can choose our best options each year, not just what’s comfortable or “known”. One day that option might be homeschooling like I always imagined it would. 🙂
Such a beautiful reminder! Thank you!
Love this! Thank you for the reminder.
This truely reached my heart ❤️
I’m so glad!
I seriously love this post and say amen to every. single. one. of these things. 🙂
Oh, love that, Holly!
So beautiful I cried. I’ve been a homeschooling mom for 13 years and it’s still as wonderful as it was on the first day. Thank you for helping me remember. XO
SO glad to hear that, Catherine!
That was a great article!
Loved remembering all the perks of homeschooling.
And made me realise again, we are still on the right track!:) thank you 😊
Some of these reasons for homeschooling are our favorites, including that our kids have become great friends (despite the occasional spats). For some reason, grade schools tend to make kids feel like they can’t be friends with other kids who are older or younger than them. There is a stigma attached to those relationships.
Also, re-entering into daily education activities has been beneficial for both mom and dad, who in our family both participate in the education process for our six kids.
I really, really needed this.
OMG! You made me cry! I am a brand new homeschool mom, wondering if I’m doing the right thing for my child and my family.. and reading you post has opened my eyes to all the posibilites and opportunities we will have as a homeschool family. Thank you for sharing your beautiful experiences with us!