We’ve been house hunting for over a year and finally a few months ago put our current home up for sale and one of the top selling points of our current home is the great location.
We live walking distance to a Super Target as well as a ton of restaurants and other stores. We are also only 1/2 a mile from the local elementary school which is part of one of the best school zones in South Florida.
So obviously, perspective buyers with young children are always curious about the schools. And since most of them have already done their homework and know the school is supposed to be good, why do we chose to homeschool?
The answer is easy: while the school is indeed fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone (despite our kindergarten troubles), we’re just not school people.
Homeschooling is a lifestyle choice for us.
It’s not about the quality of the school. Or the teachers (we love the teachers!) Or even the administration.
It’s about the schedule and the rules. It’s about being tied into the school calendar and being forced to live on the school’s timeline.
For us, homeschooling affords us the freedom to make choices as needed for our family. It lets us decide how our days will go and when we do what.
Some days when I’m really stressed and frustrated and the girls are arguing about school and Doodle hasn’t napped and it’s two hours until hubby gets home and I still have to make dinner I think about what life would be like if my older kids went to school like other people’s kids do. What if I had my days almost to myself with only Doodle to worry about? What would that be like?
It would be all of us waking up at 6:30 every day (not just me and Doodle). It would be me rushing around to get everyone fed breakfast and lunches made. It would be arguing about getting ready and who is taking too long. It would be 4 school runs a day: Honeybun dropped at 7:30, Sugarplum at 9:00 then pick up Sugarplum at 12:00 and Honeybun at 2:00. It would be no chance of a morning nap for Doodle. And it would be homework struggles followed by needed resting time followed by dinner and bedtime.
It would be all the worst parts of last year and the year before–combined! Sure, I might get some extra quiet/alone time but I’d also get all that stress and running around time.
I like being able to know and have a say in what my children hear, see and learn and while I trust the teachers to have the right intentions, I can’t expect every parent and therefore every child my children come in contact with to have the same standards we have as a family. Children pick up on and often repeat everything they see and hear and some of the things we heard out of our kindergartener’s mouth last year (and her mouth the two years prior while in preschool) were quite surprising.
But it is definitely about WAY more than the learning, I’m a true believer that learning can happen anywhere (and am becoming more and more skeptical of the merits of the way we are teaching our children today.)
It’s about being able to spend time with family when we need to and friends when we want to.
It’s about being able to sleep in when we are tired, travel when we can and take a break when we need it.
It’s about eating when we are hungry and moving when we are fidgety.
It’s about playing when our work is done and enjoying each other’s company as much as possible (and fighting as little as possible).
It’s about having a life that we enjoy. Where we learn together, explore our world and all grow as a family and as people.
For us, homeschooling is a lifestyle choice. It’s never been just about reading, writing and arithmetic!
I have several friends who homeschool and love the flexibility it provides for their family! I think every family definitely needs to find what routine and choices work best for them individually!
There are definitely pros and cons to whichever method of education your family chooses!
Thank you for writing this, it’s lovely to get an insight to what homeschooling is like. My eldest goes to school and loves it, but I miss him terribly. School is the right place for him as he thrives there, but if he ever started to struggle, I would consider home schooling!
Thank you for linking up with the #WeekendBlogHop
Laura x x x
My daughter loved school, too! Except for the waking up early and walking there and walking home and the homework, and missing visiting new places with th family, all of which resulted in major fights and meltdowns. Now all we fight about is getting our school work done so we can play!
This was a really insightful post – thank you! I’ve been tossing it around lately because of the way our lifestyles have changed.
Lisa, we were in the same boat this time last year. We decided to take the summer to try it out on a small scale to see if it could actually work and if it didn’t, there was no big upheaval for the kids.
I totally get the reasons for wanting to homeschool, and I would if I had no patience. I’m not a teacher and can barely help with homework properly. Sigh. I wish we could though, I really would!
Tammi, that’s one of the misconceptions of homeschooling: that it’s hard and you have to have a teaching background. You really don’t, though. There are so many resources available to homeschooling parents and trust me, homeschooling is WAAAAY easier than doing homework!
I think you have amazing reasons to be a homeschooling family! We have some friends who homeschool for very similar reasons.
Thanks, Vera. After being dissatisfied with three different programs in three years, I definitely think we made the right decision for our family.
If it’s possible to do homeschooling I think it’s really great since you know what your children are learning. I, myself would not have had the patience to do it. Bravo to those who do!
Dee, it’s hard sometimes to understand how homeschooling works because traditional schooling is so ingrained in our culture but it actually isn’t as much work as one would expect. When you look at it, there is a lot of wasted time in a regular school day so while homeschooling seems like a huge undertaking, it really only requires a few hours a day.
I would never have the patience to home school my kids but I think it works really well for some families. I feel it is a personal decision and important to do what is best for you and your kids.
Ann, I hear that a lot from parents but it’s been a lot easier than I expected. I think success is all about going in with the right expectations!
It’s so important to do what’s right for your family. I am not comfortable teaching my own kids… my bachelors is so far from school teacher!
Chelley, I think it’s definitely easier to start when they are young and the topics are things you know well (addition, telling time, basic grammar, etc.) Plus, you don’t have to teach like the schools do, there are sooo many resources out there that it actually makes it really simple to teach your kids at home.
That is so cool. I know many, many parents that home school and they love it. I think it all depends on the family and the time they can put into it. BTW, I love your set up
Thanks, Shuana! Homeschool definitely has to be right for the family and I think it’s a misunderstood concept so many people are to afraid to try.
I know I could not homeschool my kids. I don’t have that kind of patience but I give credit to any family that can do this.
Lisa, I’ve found my stress has gone down significantly since starting to homeschool my daughter versus when she was in public school!
We’ve discussed homeschooling quite a bit. I just don’t think I have the patience to do it. I really wish I could put my head into it though for sure. I am always in awe of parents who do!
Ronni, I doubted my abilities at first as well, especially with three little ones and my oldest being so stubborn but it’s been going better than I ever could have expected. I suggest doing a summer “trial” to test the waters and that way if it doesn’t work, nothing is lost!
I agree with you! We are a homeschooling family as well! I would not change it for the world!
Most people think it must be so stressful and crazy, but it has been sooooo much easier for our family than public school was!
I have thought many times how nice it would be to not have to stay to the school schedule. But my daughter and I but heads all the time and it would too difficult for me to teach her
My eldest daughter and I have not always gotten along well either, Debi and that was a big concern for me. But truthfully, I think we fight a lot less now because when she does get stubborn (she’s big on talking back), I have the patience to deal with her more appropriately because we’re not both so stressed by the schedule.
That “patience” word …. it’s based on how awful it is to do homework at night when your child is tired and does not know what to do. I never have to home educate under those circumstances, so the situation is much easier.
I do not have patience. I do not have a halo, either.
I completely agree, Anthea! It is so much easier to do work with your child when it is by choice and you are in control rather than having someone else mandate how you spend your time and energy. My patience increases when I know we can walk away from something when we are frustrated because we are on no one else’s deadline.
Duh, I meant to type “I never have to educate under those circumstances…”