Alison - posted on 06/09/2011 ( 3 moms have responded )
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I've been doing a lot of research on homeschooling because I'm thinking about homeschooling my kids. I have a 3 yr old daughter and an almost 2 year old son. I just thought I'd share my reasons for leaning toward homeschooling. I went to public school K-12th grade. I had actually a pretty good experience. I had good friends, a few inappropriate teachers, a few great teachers, and then mostly average "copy notes off the chalkboard and regurgitate them back for the test" teachers. My mom was involved in the PTA and mostly school was easy for me. I didn't do as well in college, but I got my bachelor's degree in English with a good GPA. I'm considering homeschooling because I think it's a better family dynamic. I would actually see and work with my kids during the day instead of sending them to school for 6 or more hours, and then rush to get them through homework, dinner, extracurriculars, and bedtime. I think it is healthy for kids to be exposed to differing viewpoints, but I want them to encounter those when I deem appropriate and by their personal maturity level, not when the state determines. I think I can give my children a tailored education because i can move at their speed and find a different curriculum or method of teaching if something isn't working. Even really great teachers can't do that in a classroom with 20-30 + kids. And I can teach for retention not for a standardized test. I do see some advantages to public schooling. It's a different type of socialization when the child is on their own more--not always a good experience, but valuable in some ways. And if the teachers are good, they will be able to answer questions more readily than someone without training in a particular subject. Plus, in homeschooling I'm taking away two good kids and one potential parent volunteer away from public schools. I'm still a little on the fence about homeschooling v. public schooling, but I'm leaning toward homeschooling. If anyone is interested, the curriculum I've decided on if I homeschool is: using the book list from greatbooksacademy.org except for math and art. I want to use Artistic Pursuits for art and Math Mammoth for elementary math and then I'll probably use textbooks from algebra on up. It's a classical, literature-based curriculum. It seems mostly secular but there is some bible study for history in a few grades. You can read a white paper here on the benefits of homeschooling if you'd like. http://homeschool.calvertschool.org/abou...
I encourage critics of homeschooling to read before they judge. :O)
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