Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Why do you homeschool?

This was a question asked of me by my Facebook likes. Why do I homeschool?  My answer to that question was...to be obedient to what is required of me by God.  Now yes I know that answer is more than sufficient but it doesn't truly answer the question.  Yes I am being obedient but there's so much more.  So I will appropriately answer the question...

Why do I homeschool?

I homeschool first and foremost because I want my children to know and love God more than they love me.  With all of their beings I want them to know who God is.  I want them to know God as their personal savior.  As the Almighty God who rescued them from the pit of hell and gave them life by sending His only Son to die on the cross for them.  So all that I teach and all that I do is centered on that one fact.  That God is our center and without Him we know nothing and are nothing without God's saving Grace.  Learning and practicing Deuteronomy 6:1-7.

I also homeschool because I am selfish. I enjoy watching my kids learn.  I enjoy the experience of teaching my babies and watching as that fact of knowledge sinks in and becomes one more grain of truth that they can count on and use in  life. Why would I give that up and give that to anyone else.  No one will love my children the way that I do,  therefore I'm not willing to give their learning experience to anyone. 

I am a product of public school.  So while I don't think that public schools are inherently wrong
I believe that they have become the accepted norm.  And yes, some families need public schools,  my family does not.  Now that is not to say that they won't ever need it,  but for the stage that we are in,  we do not and therefore I choose to school my babies at home. 

My Tater is extremely smart.  She takes after her momma in that fact.  She is 4 and completing first grade work.  In public schools, she would not be offered that opportunity.  Thus we homeschool. 

I am also a diabetic with erratic sugars.  There have been times when I have gone so low I have gone into a diabetic coma.  This normally happens during the night.I get so low that I have not been able to wake up come morning light. If my daughter was placed in public school, she would be considered truant through no fault of her own.  To prevent this from happening I have chosen to take on the responsibility of teaching her at home.  This is not to punish her but to protect her from a system that does not understand the intricacies of being a single parent with a debilitating disease.  This is not an excuse for us not to do school, yet rather an explanation as to why we homeschool instead. 

I believe that in life you do not only interact with those who are only a year younger or older than you.  But we interact with people of all ages,  all socioeconomic levels,  of all races, of all types.  Why would I allow my children to only be subject to those who are exactly like them.  If real life is not like this then why should school be like this.  My children have friends who are older and younger than them.  My children have friends who are of all ethnicity,  who come from 2 parent homes,  1 parent homes, children who are raised by aunts, grandparents, and from foster parents.  This is real life.  And this is what my children are used to.  So what about socialization is often the argument after I state my point.  What people should really ask is what about learning to get along with their age group.  I often point out that my babies again interact with everyone.  They have yet met a stranger and thus can interact with their age group and higher.  Plus, my children have opportunities to be with children their own age in co-op, in dance class, in American Heritage Girls, and in nursery at church. 

I also homeschool because I believe in being an individual.  I was different in school but forced to be like everyone else.  Because of this I wanted my children to not be conformed to the world's standards.  But being transformed by learning about God and His amazing standards.  Romans 12: 1-2. Plus you can't learn about God in public school.  So while they are in their formative years I want to make sure their buckets are full of Christ and His love before the world can poke holes and try to drain them dry. 

That's about it.  These are the reasons why I choose to homeschool.  I'm sure that many of these reasons will change just as I'm sure that these reasons will somewhat not change.  But as for me and my house,  this is how we choose to serve the Lord.  By doing and being obedient to what is required of us. 


2 comments:

  1. Thanks for this encouraging post! I pray you don't have anymore overnight lows! I know how scary that can be, since my son has type 1 diabetes. You are doing a great thing for your kids.
    Blessings,
    Lisa

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  2. Thank you Lisa. I hope so as well. I hate my lows. And as far as my kids, they continually bless me more than I do for them. Glad you enjoyed the post.

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