Why Do I Homeschool?

Ask any homeschooler and they will all probably give you a myriad of reasons why they homeschool. But most (or all) have only 1 or 2 main reasons, and consider all the others just great benefits. So it is with me.

I never knew what homeschooling was until I met a few families at my old church that homeschooled their kids. I had only ever heard about Independent Study, and that from high school, where the only kids who did that were the ones that seemed to not have been able to handle school for various reasons. So, of course, my first thought was that these "homeschooled" familes I met must have weird, socially stunted children. What I found was pleasantly surprising. These families had children that were (are you ready for this?) normal. So this sparked my interest and began my pretty intense study of homeschooling. I checked the internet, read books, went to a homeschool fair, and then decided that I liked all that homeschooling had to offer.

I guess one of my first reasons for homeschooling came about because I lived in the Bay Area where the schools are not that great, unless you live in an affluent neighborhood and I knew that we would never be owning a million-dollar home. So the thought that I could give my children a superior education (or at the very least, an education comparable to the public schools) was very appealing to me.

A few years later, as I have come to be in a much deeper relationship with God, my main reason for homeschooling now is to help my children view life and all things learned from a biblical perspective. God created everything and has given us the tools we need to help us understand how He did it. It is utterly amazing to me. So I want my children to see God and His workings in all subjects.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that families can't do this if their children are in public schools. I know many great God-fearing families who have done a wonderful job imparting a biblical worldview to their public schooled children. I am just saying that I know myself, and I know that if my children were in school it would be way too easy for me to be lazy about their education and leave it all to the school and not get involved. So homeschooling kind of forces me to do what God calls all parents to do.

I should also tell you that all the other benefits of homeschooling really appeal to me. Like the flexibility of being able to do school when we want and take vacations when we want. I also like being able to choose the curriculum we use. One of the greatest rewards, however, is seeing the excitement in Cameron when he learns something new and I feel blessed to be an integral part of that. I look forward to many years of watching my children learn, and also learning right along with them.