Why We Decided to Home School

Why did we decide to home school? After all, we were trained and licensed teachers. We weren't advocates of home schooling and we didn't do it for religious reasons either. We even looked into private schools but realized that the tuition for these schools was far beyond what our pocketbook could reach.

What we really were was unhappy with the public school system and how we saw our children struggling with various issues daily. It even seemed like the teachers didn't know what to do with issues apparent in their school or were afraid to take on the problems for fear of becoming involved in legal issues. The fact that there were a few lawsuits already existing is what was bothersome, and how teachers held back because of those fears. And it was like the kids knew that they ruled the roost.

The problems that we heard about or had to deal with first hand and the consequences the school imposed to solve problems but didn't in the long run, didn't seem to have any effect on the kids. After a while, we started questioning who was really running the school . . . the teachers or the kids.

What we did know was that our children were increasingly becoming unhappy with attending school and worried about their safety, the environment in the classroom, and the quality of their education. Because of daily disciplining issues, there was less teaching and we noticed our children were trailing in concepts for their grade level. All these annoyances were creating emotional and physical problems, not to mention boredom, which virtually disappeared once they were at home. School was stressful rather than social and academic achievements.

Since we were both licensed teachers, the decision to home school was an easy one. We both knew we were capable of instructing our children but worried how our decision would affect them in the long run. When we approached our children on the idea of home schooling them, their first impression was worry about having friends and being involved in their outside activities. But we assured them they would still be able to associate with their friends and keep their outside activities. After we started home schooling and joined a local home school association their worries lessened, especially when they joined other home school children in planned activities. It was the realization that there were other children, who like them, were doing the same thing and doing as well, if not better, than their public school counterparts.

One of the first approaches we took was to access where the children were academically in their education. Then the decision on what was needed to get them at their grade level. After researching curriculum and state requirements we decided that custom creating our curriculum would better fit our children than something that was decided for us. We needed a curriculum with flexibility that included the required subjects but other areas of interest as well. It was important too, that our children had some control on deciding what they wanted to explore. All we had to do was incorporate those things.

Custom creating a curriculum worked well for us. Sometimes it took our children to levels that were far beyond their grade level and what they would have ever received in a public school. Home schooling opened up areas that took our children far beyond their limits and broaden their vision of the world.