I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but I have officially decided to homeschool. I never thought I’d be a homeschooling mom. In fact, I am pretty sure that I’ve said more than once, “I could NEVER do that” in regards to homeschooling. And yet, here I am.
The biggest question in your mind must be, “WHY would you homeschool?”. That is exactly what I thought every time I met a busy homeschooling mom. Don’t I already have enough things on my plate. For goodness sake, why would I go and add more. Why would I give up the 8 hours a day when someone else is responsible for my child?
Why would I choose homeschool?
While there are several reasons why I chose homeschool, I think it all comes down to the fact that I think kids are capable of learning a lot more than we give them credit for. Beyond that there were several things that I just really wasn’t happy about.
Last year my son came out of kindergarten knowing just about as much, academically, as he went in knowing, but I was fine with that. He was gaining a lot of important social skills.
This past year my list of grievances kept piling up. With minimal art, no music, once a week Physical Education, and frequently cancelled recess, my son was just plain bored. I also really wasn’t happy with the fact that my son was watching non-educational movies at school on a weekly basis. While I don’t expect my son to be entertained at school, I do expect him to be challenged and his natural desire to learn harnessed.
Here is just one example of our frustrating experiences: One day after reading a new and exciting book for his independent reading homework–a book I picked out for him (because I knew he was capable of reading it) that was more difficult than the books he had been coming home from school with–he came home from school looking a little downcast. I asked him what was wrong. “My teacher didn’t like that I read a book above my reading level.” “Hmm, well, did you miss a lot on your test?” (They are tested on each book they read independently.) “No. I got a 100%.” ???? Umm, okay. From then on his teacher made sure he came home with easy “reading level appropriate” books.
My son began the school year so excited for each day, but by the beginning of the second half of the year he was crying every Sunday evening because he didn’t want to go back to school. It would be one thing if he was having trouble academically, but he was at almost 100% in all of his subjects. “School is just too long” is how he explained it. And for him, a kid who learns relatively quickly, 7 hours in a classroom, learning what he can learn in 3 hours, is just too much. Add to the fact that he was coming home (as a 1st grader) with an hour and a half of homework every night was just unacceptable in my book.
How in the world will I have the time?
“I’m just concerned that you won’t have time.” I can’t tell you how many times my husband has said this to me. It is a valid concern. I am a busy mom. I am very active in my children’s lives. I love playing with them. I love taking them places. I also have a very active toddler who is constantly getting into trouble when not closely supervised. When I get a chance, and am not too exhausted from everything, I write on my lovely blog. 🙂
Here is the way I see it. This isn’t about me at all. I’m a mom. I chose to be a stay at home mom because I feel like I am the one who can best give my children the things they need to blossom into productive, happy adults. I feel like any reason I may have not to homeschool is just about me. What about my time? What about my blog? What about having to take 3 crazy boys to the grocery store? These are all about what is convenient for me.
I don’t anticipate homeschooling will be convenient (except that we will no longer be subject to Louisiana’s excessively strict attendance policies 😉 ), but it will definitely be worth it. I’m so excited to be able to teach my boys what I know they can learn, and not be held back by a school’s policy not to teach a child faster than the pace of the classroom’s average child. I’m excited to harness their excitement for learning about the world around them, and to give them an opportunity to explore and learn by doing. I’m excited to help them love learning again!
About Amy @ Oh So Savvy Mom
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