I have a lot of friends and even family who homeschool.
Prior to having more than one child, I had every intention of homeschooling.
My kids are in public school.
Why? I have discovered that my patience for my children is virtually nil and I feel like they are getting an excellent education where they are.
I am currently debating homeschooling my children. Not this year, maybe not next year. Possibly never, but possibly some day.
I am going to base this decision on each child's needs and my own perception of how the school is meeting their needs. At this time, my children are each getting an excellent education. I am happy with their teachers and how well their needs are being met.
Bless my heart, I am loving having both girls gone most of every day. I love how Heather is currently pretty much too tired to think straight from the time she gets home til she goes to bed. I am fully expecting that to change, but I'm enjoying it for now. I am loving time with MY BOYS. :)
Why do I want to homeschool? Well, Links like THIS HomeSchool Facts!!! Certainly spell it out in clear language why it's a good idea. I do not like the fact that my children are going to be learning to strongly believe in a theory of life's inception that has no more basis in scientific fact than the theory I believe quite strongly myself. However, it is taught as a dogma that is considered proven fact and anyone who speaks against it is laughable at best by today's standards of "intellegence."
I also do not like the social influences that my children will be exposed to in public school. I was exposed to these things and made it out warped but ... ok. I worry about those who I know came out of it believing that it is acceptable to do certain things I do not agree with even remotely. I worry that my oldest daughter who is the biggest prude who ever walked the earth will come out of school with some extremely bad experiences. She is highly suggestible and doesn't really stand up for herself effectively. She even lets her smaller siblings talk her into things that she KNOWS are wrong. she KNOWS it. She makes friends with children who have extremely terrible home lives. I am ok with her being friends with them. I have a lot of reasons for being ok with it not the least of which is the opportunity to minister to their families. Also, because I want her and our family to be a good example to them. However, I am also concerned for the things that she has done and will escalate into doing as she gets older.
I am concerned that my Heather bug will not get what she needs out of school. She is so smart, she loves to learn, but she is super easily dis-tractable and she LOVES to make trouble. She gets a kick out of seeing others go insane because of how she is acting. She could very easily be labeled a bad kid and get terrible grades because she needs special allowances to help her succeed. Most people prefer to react to the aftermath of a situation, with Heather it's better to be proactive and be ahead of her, it makes a huge difference in her behaviour.
I want to be able to take my kids to various activities throughout the year on school days. Not pull them from school, have it be a PART OF their school. Going to the zoo, the art museum, a science center, a nature preserve, just about anything. I do not like going on weekends when these places are so jam packed you can't breathe much less enjoy yourself.
At the moment, seeing the things my homeschooling friends post makes me want to pull my kids and let my heart grow fonder of them because I am WATCHING them blossom and grow right in front of my eyes. However, because they are genuinely getting an excellent education from people I share strong values with, I know that they are in the right place. As they get older, if this starts to shift, well. They are going to come home and we are going to embark on an educational journey together!!
Part of what has me not even seriously considering it for "RIGHT NOW" is the fact that my husband is working full time and doing a full time internship as well. I am taking master's courses and I have a tiny infant who is currently into EVERYTHING. It is too much. This is working best for us today. We'll see what tomorrow brings. :) We'll see.
No comments:
Post a Comment