Why Do You Home School? (November 2009)

I cannot count the number of times I have been asked this question by people who do not home school. Interestingly, I am rarely asked this question by fellow homeschoolers. Rather, the question is always, “What are you using?” It’s the dreaded curriculum question. But to the new homeschooler, the first question of “why” must be answered before one can answer the question of “what.”  
 
So, since I have nothing else to do, I decided that it might be at the least entertaining to fill a portion of our newsletter addressing these issues. I am no expert, but I figure eight years of research and living it, plus eleven years in the mainstream educational world might qualify me for at least a few articles surveying the basics.
 
When you are considering curriculum choices you must first evaluate your choice to home school. Why are you home schooling? What do you hope to achieve by home schooling? How long do you plan on home schooling?
 
Top Ten Reasons People Home School, (according to a totally non-scientific survey):
 
1. Our local public schools are not appropriate (due to social, intellectual, spiritual, safety, or other issues – what they do or don’t do).

2. We cannot afford private school.

3. We want to provide our children with a Christian worldview education.

4. We disagree with the education schemata of the American school system (developmentally inappropriate, type or speed of exposure to skills and information)

5. We cannot imagine our kids being away from us for the majority of the day.

6. We think we can provide our children with a higher level of education that meets the individual learning styles and needs of our children.
 
7. Our lifestyle (perhaps lots of travel, living in another country) necessitates it.

8. We believe it is a Biblical mandate.

9. Our child has a specific passion that we want him/her to be able to pursue (acting, music, surfing, etc.)

10. Because our other friends or acquaintances are doing it.

No matter what your reasons, there is a curriculum out there to meet your needs. I think the biggest component of a curriculum failing is that it does not answer your need -- the reason you home school to begin with. For example, if you home school in order to provide your children with a Christian worldview in academics, a secular curriculum will not meet that desire, without supplementation.

Add to that each person’s personality, the personality of your family as a whole, learning styles, special needs, gifts and talents, organizational skills, etc. and you have quite a mess of factors to consider. How do you make sense of it all? What are the best choices that meet all these needs?

I challenge you to write down the reasons that you home school and extrapolate your goals from them. Then evaluate whether or not you are meeting these goals. If so, hurray! Have some chocolate to celebrate. If not, start evaluating where the changes need to take place. Is it you? Is it your curriculum? Did you get lost somewhere along the way? How can you get back on track?