These are my thoughts that have come from a question Mike asked me a few days ago. We were discussing school options for the boys. He knows I want to homeschool them, but I have had a hard time articulating my thoughts and feelings verbally. I know, you're shocked. But pick yourself up off the floor and keep reading. When he said, "So why does Carody Lynn Kidwell want to homeschool her children?" I thought of a few answers for him, but I wanted to go a lot deeper and really get to the heart of why I feel so strongly about homeschooling.
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I would like to have close relationships with my children during their school years, especially when they become teenagers, and generally homeschoolers have more close-knit relationships with their families during their school years than public/private school kids do. I know this is a generalization, but this is just coming from my own observation. Feel free to object and tell me what you think or have observed yourself.
I would like to be able to choose the curriculum that my children learn. If they have completely different learning styles, it would be nice to be able to choose from different curriculum that would be better suited to their individual needs.
I would like our school day and year to not have to revolve around the public school's time table. This would mean more flexible vacation time, and less stressful days for the family.
Nighttime could be spent as family time, rather than just time to get homework done and prepare for the next school day. This would probably change as they get into higher grades, as schoolwork takes longer to complete and they may have to work into the evening, but it could be avoided in the earlier grades.
The kids would be able to spend more time with their dad while they are young, since their homework could be done during the day.
I have read that when kids are in school, so much time is spent on coordinating the kids and going to/from different activities and subjects that not much time (compared with the amount of time per year that is actually spent in school) is spent in actual learning. I know this is highly debatable, but from my experience of being in public and private school, I can fully agree. I would like to be able to focus on learning for a portion of the day (a few hours to start, and longer as the kids get older) and not have their entire days taken up with being shuttled from one activity to the next.
I believe that I can give my children an education that will prepare them for college and the rest of their lives and will enable them to be outgoing, productive, godly people, as well as excellent employees or entrepreneurs.
I believe that when the Bible says "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" (Proverbs 22:6) it is telling us that every one of us has things that we are created to be good at ("a child" in the way HE should go, rather than training "children" in the way THEY should go -- I know that some people interpret this verse to mean that we should teach our children Biblical truths and they will not stray from it as they get older, but I don't read it that way), and I think that we as parents should help to develop those traits in our children so that they will have something they can lean on when they get older, whether for income or enjoyment or to further the kingdom of God. I know I would be able to do this even if my kids were in school for a large portion of their day, but if I got to spend so much one-on-one time with each child, how much better could I know them and help them develop these God-given traits?
I would like for my husband and I to be the first people that our children come to for guidance and help in becoming the people God intended them to be. (basically a restatement of the above paragraph)
I would like to eat lunch with my kids every day. :-)
I want to be there to see the look on their faces when they finally grasp a new concept or see something amazing for the first time, and know that I helped them to get to that point.
That's all for now, I'll add more as they come to me, I'm sure!
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I would like to have close relationships with my children during their school years, especially when they become teenagers, and generally homeschoolers have more close-knit relationships with their families during their school years than public/private school kids do. I know this is a generalization, but this is just coming from my own observation. Feel free to object and tell me what you think or have observed yourself.
I would like to be able to choose the curriculum that my children learn. If they have completely different learning styles, it would be nice to be able to choose from different curriculum that would be better suited to their individual needs.
I would like our school day and year to not have to revolve around the public school's time table. This would mean more flexible vacation time, and less stressful days for the family.
Nighttime could be spent as family time, rather than just time to get homework done and prepare for the next school day. This would probably change as they get into higher grades, as schoolwork takes longer to complete and they may have to work into the evening, but it could be avoided in the earlier grades.
The kids would be able to spend more time with their dad while they are young, since their homework could be done during the day.
I have read that when kids are in school, so much time is spent on coordinating the kids and going to/from different activities and subjects that not much time (compared with the amount of time per year that is actually spent in school) is spent in actual learning. I know this is highly debatable, but from my experience of being in public and private school, I can fully agree. I would like to be able to focus on learning for a portion of the day (a few hours to start, and longer as the kids get older) and not have their entire days taken up with being shuttled from one activity to the next.
I believe that I can give my children an education that will prepare them for college and the rest of their lives and will enable them to be outgoing, productive, godly people, as well as excellent employees or entrepreneurs.
I believe that when the Bible says "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" (Proverbs 22:6) it is telling us that every one of us has things that we are created to be good at ("a child" in the way HE should go, rather than training "children" in the way THEY should go -- I know that some people interpret this verse to mean that we should teach our children Biblical truths and they will not stray from it as they get older, but I don't read it that way), and I think that we as parents should help to develop those traits in our children so that they will have something they can lean on when they get older, whether for income or enjoyment or to further the kingdom of God. I know I would be able to do this even if my kids were in school for a large portion of their day, but if I got to spend so much one-on-one time with each child, how much better could I know them and help them develop these God-given traits?
I would like for my husband and I to be the first people that our children come to for guidance and help in becoming the people God intended them to be. (basically a restatement of the above paragraph)
I would like to eat lunch with my kids every day. :-)
I want to be there to see the look on their faces when they finally grasp a new concept or see something amazing for the first time, and know that I helped them to get to that point.
That's all for now, I'll add more as they come to me, I'm sure!
1 comment:
I think it's great to have in writing or at least typing why you want to homeschool....things could get tough and they would be a good reminder.
Another thing we have in common...I too have been to private school for K/1 and 2, public for 2-10 (since I did 2 grades in one year, the public school system decided that even though I was smart enough for 3rd grade, I wasn't old enough), and homeschooled via summit christian academy out of texas that uses alpha omega lifepacs for 11-12 grade.
I too know home school is best of the 3 choices.
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