Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Top 10 Reasons To Homeschool

A very popular homeschool curriculum, Sonlight, posted what they consider the "Top Ten Reasons to Homeschool your Children."      

Glance through them...

The Top Ten Reasons to Homeschool Your Children
1. To instill your values and beliefs in your children.

2. To encourage academic excellence in your children.

3. To speak and meet your child’s unique, individual needs.

4. To help your children through the difficult times in their lives.

5. To help your children understand the hard questions we face in life.

6. To build intimate and meaningful relationships with your children in order to show them how much you love them.

7. To share with your children the common, everyday joys of life and be there when they need you most.

8. To be your children’s mentor, spiritual leader, role model, friend and teacher.

9. To protect your children from the negative influence they may encounter outside the home.

10. To instill in your children a life-long love for learning and to show than that learning is not boring, but exciting.


While I truly love homeschooling, I don't think that you have to homeschool to accomplish most of the things on this list.    It is my hope that we were working on this list LONG before we started homeschooling.  

In fact, there is only one thing on this list that was a factor in deciding to homeschool.    Number 10 talks about instilling a love for learning.    Both of my boys had lost their love of learning in public school.    So much of public education these days is teaching to the "middle" as well as teaching to tests that there is little room for personal growth of even creativity and imagination.      At the point we took the boys out of school they definitely would not have described learning as fun and exciting. 

So how do you feel about this list?    A reason to homeschool or just a a good list of ways to be fully involved in your child's life?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a very interesting list to me - as we are still considering if we will homeschool or not once we adopt.

I do agree with you that I hope most parents accomplish this any way.

I think #9 is also probably easier to do if you are homeschooling - but I think at some point children need to face these influences - they just need to know how to handle them. Because as adults in a working world they will face worldly influences. But, homeschooling allows parents to sheild their children until they are ready.

Thanks for sharing this.

K Storm said...

Of course, I think homeschooling is a decision every family makes based on their situation - if it works for all then go for it. I don't see that working for our entire family but I think that all the items on that list can be accomplished with kids enrolled in school as well. Ultimately, it is our job as parents to teach them those things no matter where the "reading, writing, and 'rithmetic" comes from.

Beth said...

Those pretty much sum up the reasons we have homeschooled the past 8 years....graduated our oldest this year! I was subbing long term in the local high school and really didn't like the 'disdain' for learning the kids had. I then taught for 5 weeks in a 3rd grade class(the level our oldest was in at the time) and when I saw what little learning went on in a LONG day, I talked seriously about homeschooling. It has been the BEST decision we have made. We have gone without---financially, but I have the rest of my life to work. I want my girls to love learning and love God. And the best part is....I get to share in it!

Unknown said...

That's a great list. I agree that it's a list of things that can be accomplished outside of "school" time. Homeschooling isn't something that I want to do... just not right for us. But I have seen it being done SO wonderfully by many people.

I DO agree that public schools these days are hamstringed by the government and the threats of what happens if test scores aren't met. I realized the other day that Essie's never learned cursive writing... why? It's not on the test.

So... I'm taking it upon myself to supplement what they get at school. Fill in some gaps... hopefully that'll help.

Dr. Wifey said...

i believe these things must be accomplished whether the child is homeschooled or not. i agree with Sandy on #9.

Patti Lacy said...

Wonderful post, Deanna, though we did not go this route.

Education tops my lists of must-fix U.S. problems.

Blessings,
Patti