100 reasons why we homeschool

If you think you may get offended or defensive, please don't read this. It isn't about you or your choice. It's about us and our choice. We aren't against the schools for everyone, we just have certain things that we strongly disagree with. This does not all apply to our local schools either.

Would you get mad at a vegetarian for explaining why they don't like meat? Would you feel angry or defensive? No, probably not. They just believe or feel differently about things. They are doing what is best for them and you are doing what you believe is best for you. If someone told me that eating meat was gross or inhumane, I might chuckle, but I wouldn't be angry or defensive.

And my personal disclaimer: Homeschooling is not for everyone. I do not think everyone should home school or has the ability or desire to home school. These are just my personal reasons for home education. I'm not trying to convince anyone, condemn anyone, and so forth. I believe that we should all do what is in the best interest of our children, and that may be different for each family. Christians should not judge each other. There is no point in attacking brothers and sisters in Christ.

I also have nothing but admiration for teachers who are doing the best job they can do. It's an amazingly difficult job.

I also want to say that these are things we try to do. We aren't perfect. Home schooling is fun, but it is not easy. It's not for the feint of heart!! It's hard work, and we all try our best.

That said, these are the reasons why WE home school:


1. God has led us to do this. And who can argue with that??

2. I do not like to get up that early and feed, clothe, fix hair and rush my children out of the house.

3. My children are in much better shape than they would be if they were at school all day. We take frequent exercise breaks. We take walks first thing in the morning, to get our blood flowing and prepare for the day.

4. I know what my children are eating and drinking. There are no vending machines here!

5. God is all about relationships. Our relationships with God, each other, and with our children are the most important of our lives. How can we get that across to them if we are constantly sending them off to school? They would come to believe that exactly the opposite must be true.

6. Talking outloud to myself is the same as having a parent/teacher conference.

7. Schools can only do so much. Some kids thrive in that system. Other kids get lost. Most kids do well but never excel.

8. Too often kids in school get bored or ignored. Too much time wasted and opportunities squandered.

9. We want to take full responsibility for the raising our children.

10. The removal of our children from the family environment for most of the day is not what we consider good for the family or the kids.

11. The public school system is underfunded, understaffed and overburdened.

12. Teachers are up to their eyebrows trying to control kids when they should be free to teach.

13. Placing children in a virtually unmonitored crowd of same aged peers frequently leads to the child taking one of three positions: bully, victim, bystander...not what we want for our kids.

14. Large classes tend to limit the amount of time students can spend actually studying the subjects that are required, leading to much too much homework after a long day at school.

15. People learn at different speeds and by different methods, teachers rarely have time to identify these, let alone fit their teaching technique to such a wide variety of individuals.

16. The family becomes very close at home together. This may seem paradoxical to those who think spending several hours each day in the near vicinity of their children would put them in the looney house. Yet, the time and the shared activities and understanding bind parents and children tightly together, bridging the "generation gap" to a great degree.

17. Done well, homeschooling teaches children more thoroughly than public schools do. This comes as a result of more one-on-one instruction and the ability to study a subject in depth. Public school children waste a great deal of time in meaningless activities during school hours (and in their commute to and from school), but at home, a well-organized, disciplined child uses this extra time to read or to pursue an interest spurred by his study. What is more, he still usually finishes his school day earlier than his neighbor who attends a local school!

18. A homeschooled child also has a wider variety of subject fields to study than his public-school counterpart. While the public school has a set curriculum and a handful of elective courses, homeschoolers are limited only by time, money, and their communities' offerings. However, with the Internet and easy, fast transportation, they can pursue even exotic topics relatively effortlessly.

19. I can break up the day however I want to fit my children's learning attention span.

20. I can teach my children without any "assumed limitations": Teaching multiple languages, developing one skill or subject--the sky's the limit.

21. What you teach an older child naturally filters down to the younger children making learning much easier and faster for siblings.

22. We can turn a trip to the grocery store into a learning experience-- a field trip!

23. We can keep our children as far away from drugs as possible.

24. We don't have much worry about bomb scares or mass shootings

25. Our children can think, discuss, and explore in ways not possible in a classroom setting

26. We use constant positive reinforcement and gentle correction.

27. Often, the school system becomes a babysitter. You only need a few hours for learning--the rest of the public school day is filled with unnecessary "busy work."

28. We try to spend time developing life skills such as cooking, cleaning, and organizing that are easily learned with the additional time spent at home.

29. We spend as much time outdoors as we want to enjoy nature and the world around us.

30. The children learn responsibility by completing their daily jobs and chores.

31. We try to make money management as natural as breathing by allowing even small children to do tasks, earn money, save it, and spend it in an appropriate manner.

32. It's less likely that we will have a child beat up by a bully. We can teach self-defense skills that will enable him to deal with any situation, but not until he is mature enough to handle the emotional aspects of confrontation.

33. There is no pressure or set "expectations" from teachers on a younger sibling, that follows an older sibling in the same school.

34. We're always around when our children need to talk.

35. Some days I learn as much as the kids do.

36. It's easy to bond as a family through family group activities and field trips.

37. We can take as many or as few field trips as we like, and we can go anywhere at any time.

38. It's so much easier to plan vacations! If Fred can take off, then we can go.

39. It's so much cheaper to plan vacations, since we can go during the off-season.

40. We can pass on our religious beliefs and morals to our children and stay away from the "indoctrination" of other school systems. If someone is going to be brainwashing my kids, I want it to be me!!

41. We will teach sex education when and how we want to.

42. We won't be giving our kids any condoms.

43. The children can develop their imagination and problem solving skills instead of one institutionalized method of thinking.

44. There are unlimited possibilities for extra curricular activities that interest our children.

45. We can develop the individualism of our children.

46. Home schooling avoids traditional school "group activities" that may leave one student doing all the work or ruining it for everyone else.

47. We eliminate the feel of failure, embarrassment, or teasing from "failing" a grade.

48. Our children are out of the care, custody, and control of people we don't know and who naturally teach their philosophy of life whether they realize it or not.

49. There's no opportunity for our children to "just get by" with academics.

50. We hope to instill a life-long love of learning that doesn't stop when the bell rings at the end of the day or when they throw that graduation cap after high school.

51. Our children can have input and say in subject matter and style.

52. The kids can focus on growth and development--not following the latest fad or being in a certain group.

53. There is no pressure to wear shoes with skates inside, or hipster pants. We don't have to worry about which tops are in style or colors or whatever.

54. Our kids are surrounded by people who love them, encourage them, and want the best for them.

55. They won't end up graduating without knowing how to read or knowing other basic skills due to educational failings of public schools.

56. We can avoid grading scales and testing that gives no positive benefit to the kids.

57. We don't want to give the state or federal government control of our children.

58. The kiddos are not limited by "age" or "grade" to advance or explore academics in which they are interested or gifted.

59. We want to teach our children to enjoy life.

60. We can take a day off when we need to.

61. There's no worry about getting behind because of chicken pox.

62. The kids can't cut class.

63. We always know if they have "home work" to do.

64. I can't stand waiting in those horrid drop-off and pick-up lines. It's hard on my mind, my van, and my time.

65. I don't have to worry about my kids getting a gay or lesbian teacher.

66. Has anyone seen the mayhem in the cafeteria? Enough said.

67. Has anyone eaten the food from the cafeteria? Enough said.

68. Our kids have to learn to get along with other age groups. They learn to take care of each other and resolve conflicts.

69. They get much more "daddy time."

70. My kids learn to change diapers at a young age. That's a big plus.

71. The kids can help me work in the garden and plant flowers every year.

72. We can interrupt lessons to pursue other things when they come our way. For example, the other day we were working on math when a frog jumped on the notebook. So we "paused" our math to put the frog in our big bug catcher and then we looked up the frog in our animal book. A similar thing happened with a walking stick two days ago.

73. I don't have to worry about the kids coming home with new bad words. (Except occasionally from church!) My kids know we don't allow the "F" word (fart) and they are careful about how they speak.

74. I can spank when necessary. Schools are very limited in the discipline that they can administer. Not that I would want someone else to spank my kids!

75. We involved many other family members: Poppy helps with science and math. Amy and Julie are awesome art teachers. Papa is the captain of the fire dept, so that makes a great field trip. Nanny, Nana, and Rob & Linda have chicken farms we can visit. The kids love to gather eggs and hold baby chicks. Noni has been a huge help with reading and music. Mimi and Papaw supply tons of books and help with education every spring when they visit. My other grandparents in town practically run a zoo.

76. I don't have to put on make-up every day.

77. The kids can work all day in the PJs on cold winter days.

78. No scary bus rides, with unsupervised children, no seat belts, and long rides after an already long day.

79. We don't have to worry about other adults working in or around the school, who could be dangerous to children. If you've heard about the local news story, the I'm sure you understand.

80. I can play lots and lots of music. We learn ABCs, body parts, addition, colors, spelling, etc through song time.

81. My children have the opportunity now to participate in many wonderful homeschool programs, such as Famous Person Night, the Education Fair, Young Authors program, PE day, Mothering Matters, Keepers (and Contenders) of the Faith, and so forth.

82. I can spend as long on a subject as necessary to make sure that they really grasp the concept.

83. The kids are always a part of our school room decor. We make time lines, family trees, body outlines, etc. Lots of "hands-on" activities for them to participate in.

84. Homeschooling has helped me not judge others. I've become more open-minded about what education really means and how it can be accomplished. Children learn in so many different ways. Some may thrive with rigid structure, and others do great with a very relaxed schedule. Some work well at night, and others rise at the crack of dawn. Some learn by videos, computers, and some parents do not use worksheets at all. It's not my place to judge, but just to do the best with what I have been given and to pray that others do the same.

85. I've come to rely on God more. You'd understand if you were home all day with a 2nd grader, kindergartner, toddler, and infant!! The more I feel my need for God, the more likely I am to seek Him out.

86. I'm a control freak and I think dealing with the schools would drive me nuts.

87. And how could I possibly stay involved in two different schools and a preschool, plus spend time with my infant? I wouldn't know the half of what was going on.

88. I'm sure my home is cleaner than a school.

89. And we don't have to worry about catching every sickness that circulates through the town.

90. Snow days do not affect us. My kids aren't thrilled about this.

91. We can school all summer, if we need to. The kids aren't thrilled about this either!

92. Character training is a bit part of our daily plan.

93. My kids see me read the Bible more often, when they are around more.

94. Look at the statistics. "The trend in public schools show that the longer a child is in the public schools, the lower he scores on standardized tests.
On average, the home education students in this study scored above the national norm in all subject areas on standardized achievement tests... well above the national average."

95. And more statistics. "The average homeschool 8th grade student performs four grade levels above the national average."

96. We can read good books, like CS Lewis and classics like Little Women, at a very young age. And we can avoid awful books, like Heather Has Two Mommies.

97. No school fund raisers. Yea!

98. Our local school has hundreds and hundreds of kids on the playground at the same time. Does that seem safe to you?

The last two are reasons that Isabelle and Ethan gave when asked "What is your favorite thing about being homeschooled?

99. Isabelle said "being with you."

and

100. Ethan said "learning about God."

Good reasons.