What a hard blog post to write! How do I tell everyone all of the wonderful things about homeschooling? I will start with giving a bit of a background about myself, and why I think I might know a little about homeschooling :)
My name is JL and I am very blessed to be married to my high school sweetheart and we have been blessed with three beautiful children. Hence my blog name momtothreebabies.blogspot.com :)
I attended school from kindergarten to 6th grade, in both private and public school settings. During my Junior High and High School Years I switched between homeschooling and public schooling. I finally made the final choice in 10th grade to homeschool. I do not regret that decision at all! I still got to go to dances, I still had a ton of friends! I was still able to enjoy all the "high school" things, but I was also able to really excel at my studies and help my family at the same time by homeschooling. I've been writing on my blog about homeschooling, writing for other blogs about homeschooling, studying everything I can get my hands on, reading every book out there, and oh yeah, I wrote my own book about homeschooling!~
When my first child was born, I knew the minute he was laid in my hands that I would homeschool him. I took being a mommy really seriously! Too seriously ! I studied late into the night and got my hands on any and every parenting book, magazine, website I could! I was obsessed with being the best momma ever! For me, I would homeschool, because then I would be able to watch my child grow, see him read his first words, watch him get that big math problem solved all by himself and watch his eyes light up as he learned about the world around him. There were so many possbilities to life with my son, that I couldnt even comprehend it or even decide where to begin! Fast forward 11 months later, and Im giving birth to our second child! Two years after that our third child! Wow! All of these beautiful babies were mine, and I had a big responsibility to them. Together with my husband, we began to pray about what would be best for our kids. We knew without a doubt that for our family, homeschooling was the way to go. I have a very strong testimony that education is a very special and sacred right, and that the decision we parents have to make, on how to educate our families, is best made through careful thought and prayer, and that every family is different. We are all so unique! That's what makes us so cool! Each family is going to choose what is best for them, and thats that! No one option is best for all. One of the amazing things about homeschooling is that I get to tailor the curriculum and ways of teaching, for each child. One learns best through reading and writing about it. One learns best through doing things! Sometimes we all just want to go outside and look for bugs! That is something about homeschooling that I am incredibly thankful for- flexibility!
When I was working on my book about homeschooling, one of the questions I asked my "helpers" was why do they homeschool. The responses were all so different and unique and it was so exciting to hear them! Some chose it because they couldn't bear to be away from their kids during their formative years. Some felt they could better teach their children, because they knew their children the best, and knew how they could learn. Some felt that the school system in their area was not up to par, and that their kids might bet a better education at home. Others have been homeschooled and are now homeschooling their own kids! So many reasons! All good. Like I said before, every family is different!
Alot of people have said to me, " I am not smart enough or patient enough to homeschool my kids." To those people I reply, maybe not, but everyone is different and if you truly feel called to homeschool your children, you will find ways to have others come in to help you in the areas you dont feel confident with. I personally feel that anyone who has graduated high school should be able to teach their kids kindergarten. Now, personally, when my kids get high school age, I am defintely having a friend come in to teach them algebra and calculus and all that other good stuff! That is another big advantage to homeschooling. We get to work with our friends and family members who have great talents to share! Maybe the children's grandma is a sewing whiz! Well have her teach her grandkids how to sew! What a wonderful way for family to bond! Maybe you have a friend who spent a couple years in France... have them teach your kids to speak some key words in french! Your friend gets the opportunity to share something special, and it will end up being a blessing to your whole family. I can't even begin to tell you all of the amazing things I have learned while homeschooling my children. We are learning about the ingredients that make up the earth.. wow! Exciting stuff here! I am blessed to continue my learning along with my children!
I could go on and on about homeschooling. Really this isn't the best subject to have me write on, because I tend to get long winded and then feel like I havent even begun to tell you about homeschooling! There are lots of great websites, support groups, etc out there. Im sure you probably know someone or "of" someone who homeschools. Talk to them! Keep your options open, and never be afraid to ask questions!
One more thing before I leave you, my dear friends. The big "S" word. Socialization. I really don't understand the big deal about this. My kids and most homeschooled children I know, are incredibly socialized! I will use my family as an example, so as not to offend, but my three kids live in a fun neighborhood with plenty of kids their age and also kids that aren't their age! They attend church and play with the children there and learn along side them. We attend a huge homeschool group that meets once a week and they have a blast. My kids have family members out the whazoo and cousins galore! Everytime we go to the grocery store, my kids are learning to socialize in the real world. We don't sit at home around the table and never speak to anyone! Homeschooling is a great option out there for education! I urge you to learn more about it! :)
JL Kaylor
www.momtothreebabies.blogspot.com
