WWhy We Have Chosen to Homeschool Our Children
By Paul and Katie Finley
Hiking
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The last two months I have written about something that is dear to our family's heart — our choice to homeschool our three children. I have written about what homeschooling is and what it looks like. This month I would love to share why we homeschool. Again, this is a choice we have made for our family and we do not want anyone to feel judged by this article if they do not homeschool. It is a beautiful fit for OUR children and family and might not be for everyone.
The "why's" of homeschooling are different for every family. It's fun when we talk with others who teach from home to learn why they do it. We also get this question asked a lot of us. So here goes, here are our "whys."
Why?
Because we love for our children to be home with us. Yes, there are moments that are tough, but we love having them around. We love that we can be done with school in a few hours and go for a hike or the beach, making memories together.
We homeschool because we feel each of our children learn differently. Most traditional school education is taught in a classroom with at least 20 little individuals, if not a lot more. I feel we can best teach our children from home because I know each of their learning styles and can teach in the way that is best suited for them. My two oldest girls learn totally differently from each other. In a public school class setting, fish are told to fly and eagles are told to swim. Because there are too many kinds of animals in the class, there has to be a standard. I want to teach my children right where they are.
We homeschool because we strongly believe in freedom of religion and belief systems for all people in America. We cherish the freedom to be able to teach our kids about our relationship with Jesus and the importance that it is in our daily life. Unfortunately, in most public school settings, freedom for all religions is quickly vanishing. It's hard for us to accept the belief that we are better off as a human race for all mankind to adhere to the religion of non-religion.
Field Trips
We homeschool because we feel its the best way to socialize a child. Yes, our children experience socialization! We are asked all the time about this, most homeschool families are. How can a kid who learns from home be socialized? How can they function in society? Very well actually!
Our children have play groups with children ranging from two to 15. Non-homeschooled kids go in a classroom for six hours with 25 kids the same age, with one adult.
My kids interact with people of all ages, from all different backgrounds. cultures, and religions/non religions. I think this is a healthier picture of "socialization." One of my daughters is a little shy and is not involved in much. Is this because she is homeschooled? No! Are there shy children in public schools? Yes! My other is a brown belt in Karate and loves to talk to everyone she meets. Is this because she is homeschooled? Maybe, but I think it has a lot more to do with her individual personality.
Parks
Usually when people ask us how are kids are going to function in society, they do not really want to listen to our answer. They have been taught that the only way is to do what most people do, follow the worn out path. They do not want to hear that study after study shows that homeschool kids do really well after they leave home. They go to college, start their own businesses, and function just fine out in the "real world."
The number of people homeschooling is increasing every year. Done right, homeschooled kids are set up very well to live healthy, balanced lives.
We also homeschool because we like to go to the parks, museums, aquariums, and zoos when they are not over crowded! We like taking camping trips and family vacations in the fall, when the central coast is most beautiful. Just as my husband likes to surf outside of the box, we like to live outside of it. And we like having our children right next to us.
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