Why I homeschool

I was asked to write up "Why I homeschool" for our local homeschool group newsletter. Here it is.

Why I homeschool (according to those who think I will ruin my kids.)

I'm too lazy to get out of bed and get my kids up in the morning or have a regular bedtime.

I don't want to have to clean my house all by myself.

So I have built in babysitters for the younger kids during the day.

So I don't have to cook dinner or bake treats.

So I can brainwash my kids about religion.

So I don't have to fight the nightly homework battle.

To have control over my kids.

So my kids don't have to use textbooks and can just read all day.

To make my kids be geeks and nerds.

To not worry about grade levels.

To shelter my kids.

Guess what, they are right!

I homeschool because I'm too lazy to get out of bed and get my kids up in the morning or have a regular bedtime. TRUE: I enjoy our late night talks when my kids open up and the early morning cuddles when they all come lay on my bed and talk.

I homeschool because I don't want to have to clean my house all by myself. TRUE: I want my children to learn the skills needed to run a household, to work hard, and to work together.

I homeschool so I have built in babysitters for the younger kids during the day. TRUE: I want my children to have relationships with each other. The older kids get to be a hero and role model while learning how to work with and take care of younger children. They can still play make believe and other childish games because they are playing with a younger sibling. They also learn responsibility and leadership skills.

I homeschool so I don't have to cook dinner or bake treats. TRUE: My kids are becoming great cooks and won't have to survive on ramen noodles in college or on their missions.

I homeschool so I can brainwash my kids about religion. TRUE: If my kids are going to be “brainwashed” into learning a specific world view/political view, I want it to be what I think is important! And, because I feel that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the most essential knowledge, I am able to focus on that and incorporate it into our daily learning.

I homeschool so I don't have to fight the nightly homework battle. TRUE: I want to preserve our evenings for family time whenever possible, so I structure our days so that most school work is completed earlier in the day. I can also cut out a great deal of busywork and review of mastered concepts.

I homeschool for control over my kids. TRUE: I am able to better control the media and books they are assigned and exposed to. They will have plenty of time in life to read or watch whatever they want, but while they are in my home, I can introduce them to good literature and media and help develop an appetite for things that are virtuous and praiseworthy. I can also “control” who they become friends with by introducing them to other good kids who have similar values instead of just the kids who happen to live nearby.

I homeschool so my kids don't have to use boring textbooks and can just read all day. TRUE: If a textbook is boring and dry, we can find a better way to learn the information. I read all day in public school, I just had to hide it. And most of the stuff I remember didn't come from fill in the blank worksheets and textbooks, but from real book and things I found interesting.

I homeschool so my kids can be geeks and nerds. TRUE: If a geek is someone who is not afraid to be smart and a nerd is someone passionate about something, that is exactly what I want for my kids. Whether their passion is math or running or coins or famous people, I want them to be able to explore and be excited about that. I want them to know that being smart is good and that it's okay to have different interests then their friends. They don't have to be on the soccer team just because the other kids in their class are if their passion is math not sports.

I homeschool because I don't want to worry about grade levels. TRUE: I want my kids to learn and master the material. If that is faster than public school in one subject, great. If it is slower than public school in a subject, that's fine too. We can keep working on something until they understand it instead of just moving on. We can also cover what they are interested in (and will actually remember) regardless of which grade level they are supposed to learn it in.

I homeschool to shelter my kids. TRUE: I want to build their flicker of a testimony into a bonfire before sending them out into the world where Satan will use every possibly means to extinguish it. This doesn't mean that they never interact with any one and never get to share their testimony or the gospel. It does mean they don't have to fight a battle with the world before they have time to put on their armor and learn how to fight for truth.