You Wanna What?!?!

Proverbs 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

I find it rather amusing when people find out we intend on homeschooling our children.  Most the time awkward silence and huge protruding eyes of shock meet mine saying without needed words, "Sayyyyyyy whatttttt?!?!"


No I was not homeschooled and nor was Brian.  Brian went to public schools before private college and I always went to private Catholic schools and look at that, I ended up at a private Catholic college....honestly by chance as it wasn't a deciding factor but something that I soon realized after I chose it.  Very often I am met with so why do you plan on homeschooling if you guys weren't?  There are many reasons and my husband and I have discussed in great detail our child rearing plans.  Notice I use plans and know that plans do change.  Not every child does best in a homeschooling atmosphere due to their personalities and learning styles and there is a chance our whole "plan" may foil and we may decide a traditional schooling approach would be best fit for one child or another or all.  So keep in mind this is only our current "plan" and while we have no children now, we know that time will come in only a blink of an eye.  We are not talking about unschooling which is a whole different topic, our plan is to homeschool with actual lesson plans and following curriculum and state standards.  How long will we homeschool?  My gut feeling for unsaid children is we will only homeschool until they are high school age.  Again this is going to depend on the specific child and after praying and deciding what will be best for our current family dynamic and capabilities.  So what is our thinking of why to homeschool you may ask?  Well here are a few snippets of our thinking pattern which is the closest you can get to what we actually are thinking....crazy or not:

• Flexibility - This is such an important perk of homeschooling.  Having the flexibility to do schooling at any point during the day.  We can wake up early or late.  We can skip a day or two or we can school through the weekend.  We can do school here or we can do school there....we can do school anywhere (Ok I'll stop the Dr. Seussyness!).  Being able to be flexible is ideal as we would not have set times or days or so on where we needed to be one place or another allowing us the ability to schedule and plan out instead of around schooling we can with schooling. 
• Travel - With Brian traveling for his job a lot, we have the chance to trudge along with him on paid trips.  Especially trips that only entail a drive (as he uses a rental on their expense and gas - for plane trips his ticket would be paid for and we would need to pay our own) we could buckle up the kid(s) and hit the road with our books in tote.  While Brian is working we can visit museums, zoo's, monuments, etc. during the day and spend time as a family in the evening.  Not being tied down to a specific building from 8am-4pm, five days a week, we have the opportunity to travel and still be able to keep up with schooling or possibly even double up the week before or after a trip.  When we shape our lives around homeschooling we will quickly learn that every situation in life is a learning opportunity and the learning truly never ends when we put the books or projects away. 
• Make our own holidays - Going along with that same thought, we make our own holidays!  Instead of having just the summer, we can hit up places during the off season when other families are stuck at home because of traditional schooling.  We can save money during off season and beat the crowds.
• I'm home - This makes it even more ideal and easier.  We are a one-income family and Lord providing we will continue to be.  Being home gives me the perfect set up to stay at home and nurture and teach our children. 
• I have a degree - Yup I have a teaching degree and I'm not afraid to use it!  While I choose not to teach right now, I have a bachelors in teaching and am knowledgeable on learning/teaching styles, writing lesson plans (that meet state guidelines), proper development in children and realistic goals for them, endless teaching techniques, and so on.  While I honestly believe any parent could learn such things and successfully homeschool their children, I know I have the background to prove I can....state certified and all!
• Family time - As many warn us, time flies and children become adults in the blink of an eye.  We want the chance to spend as much family time together as we can.  We feel traditional schooling being gone for most of the day then having boatloads of homework in the evenings has a huge negative impact on family time.  By homeschooling, we also plan on Brian being a part of the teaching.  When he is home in the evenings he could teach specific lessons and be a part of our children's education which I find vitally important.  Often times moms find themselves swamped with everything, but by homeschooling I can put lessons aside for Brian to work on with the children as fathers are just as important as mothers. 
• Focus on the Individual - Having taught, I know it is impossible with 1 teacher and 30 students to designate individual time with each student.  When it comes to homeschooling, the child is able to be given more individualized time.  There is not too much time spent on the whole of keeping classroom management, but on the individual instead.  A child needs their mind and heart to be educated.  They need to build a love for learning and become lifelong learners constantly yearning to learn more and more as learning is never finished even once you have all the degrees. 
• Not Wasting Time - Going along with classroom management, think of how much time in a given class is spent on repeating directions, dealing with Billy who won't stay in his seat, telling Suzy to keep her hands to herself, telling Tommy to stop passing notes, having to stop class so everyone can sharpen their pencils, being done with a test or assignment and having to just sit there for 20 or so minutes waiting for everyone else to be done, needing extra time but not being able to have it because the teacher just keeps going with the lesson leaving you without the foundational knowledge and in the dust, taking time from class setting up each activity and then having to designate time set aside from class time for clean up, etc.  So much class time is spent on managing the mass and keeping order and correcting behaviors.   When homeschooling, there isn't a need for 8 hour school days as the same amount of learned knowledge can be taught to a single student on their own in 2-4 hours even with breaks since there are not so many distractions.  I'm a firm believer no child can learn sitting for 8 hours a day then come home and do 2 or so more hours of homework.  It is not healthy or developmentally possible for a child to remain focused for that long of a period of time.  We wonder why childhood obesity is an issue, we need to let our kids move and be active. 
• Teach Self Control and Desired Behaviors - Obviously being home and working with your child all day, you are able to get to the root of any behavior or self control issues.  Teaching and modeling desired behaviors and working on self-control is an important thing that a teacher of 30 students is just not able to teach on top of everything else jammed into the day.  When homeschooling, you have the opportunity to call them out and correct/teach them (yes behaviors and expectations are taught not just randomly learned) right away.  Nipping undesirable or inappropriate behaviors can be done immediately unlike in a classroom where they usually escalate and often times go unnoticed. 
• Nontraditional Learning Styles - Homeschooling will allow for each child individually be able to learn in their strongest learning style.  I'm a firm believer in hands-on learning and find it paramount to a child's way of learning.  Being able to take more field trips and learn by doing hands on activities is the fastest way of learning.  Not only can we learn about different studies by reading from a book, we can actually go to the places outside of a classroom and learn firsthand about our current subject.  In a traditional classroom this is just not feasibly as it would be limited on where and how often they can leave their four walls of a room. 
• Age of Technology - Living in an age of technology and computer programs, there is knowledge to be learned right at our fingertips.  Teachers aren't the only ones with knowledge, but now there are endless ways of learning.  There are even cyber schools set up through school distracts where students can somewhat homeschool from home in charter schools yet the parents don't need to do any lesson planning.  Now this route does often have set time periods where a student must be logged in so it is not really true homeschooling, but it is a hybrid type program available. 
• Opportunities Abound - The city and state are obligated to supply materials to homeschooling families.  There are also many grants set up for homeschooling parents.  Taking classes in the community such as swimming classes, art classes, horseback riding, Karate, etc. are available and funded for homeschool children.  I know when I taught that many districts were angry the schools funding had to be allocated to giving each homeschooled child a computer and offer reimbursement for educational activities though the child is not enrolled into their school.  We pay school taxes (a very hefty tax here in our city!) therefore our child(ren) should be able to receive necessary materials as that is what that tax is for, education.  We will take those opportunities available if they help aid in our child's education.  Also homeschooled children have the opportunity to take some mainstream classes if they want part time.  They can go in for a class at that certain time it is taught and then leave after.  This can be helpful if a child needs extra tutoring or instruction that you cannot provide.  So there are many opportunities!
• There are "Others" - Yes you heard right, there are many "others" out there doing this too!  I know in my specific area there is a plethora of other families who homeschool.  No we won't all be wearing matching handmade dresses and knitting all day together.  It is easy with the Internet to link up with other homeschooling families and share ideas and curriculum.  There are many homeschooling groups that get together for shared lessons on a weekly or monthly basis.  We will not be alone and can network and get together with others and yes we do intend on taking over Chuckee Cheese's during the day when it's vacant bahahahaha!
• No We Won't Be Weirdo's - Our children will be around other children, no we don't plan on keeping them locked up in our dark house unable to see sunlight or other human beings.  If anything, our children will likely be more wordly and go out and interact in our community while other children are stuck within four walls next to Charlie who smells and Mrs. Grinch who is a mean old woman counting down her days until retirement!  Our kids will take part in sports teams, play groups, and play with neighbor kids.   No we aren't ones for seclusion and we aren't making our own little cult, we intend and plan on being a part of our community and building friendships with others who both homeschool and go to mainstream schools.     
•  Moral and Religious Reasons - I would lie if I didn't say the most important reason above everything else why we intend on homeschooling wasn't for moral and religious reasons.  I know we cannot protect the innocence of our children and keep them in a g-rated world forever however there is no reason we cannot try to shelter them to a point.  I am not talking about not letting them know what is going on around us, but I am talking about protecting our children's innocence and letting them be kids.  Kids need to be kids plain and simple.  When teaching, I was shocked at the things I would hear daily.  Kids are mean and brutal and not every child is loved and nurtured.  It is a harsh reality knowing there are others out there who want to do harm to our children.  There are teachers whom are not properly equipped or in their right mind to work with children and only tear children down or abuse them.  We do live in a time where there are many cultural battles and politics swirling with teachers on strikes and not in their classrooms and such.  We don't need all that garbage in our children's daily lives to take away their innocence and put fear into their hearts and souls.  Our children need proper morals being taught and lived out amongst them.  It shatters my heart to know after the Newtown, Conn. shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School my own 8 year old sister was beyond terrified to go back to school.  My parents purposely kept the news off around her as to try to shield her from the tragedy, however she was well aware with keen ears and knowledge of what occurred as kids talk.  She was worried that the windows in her classroom were not bullet proof or that the same glass front door the perpetrator shot through and entered is the same door they have at her school.  This tragedy could have easily happened at her school or truly any school.  While I know shootings happen everywhere not just in schools and that thankfully they are rare occurrences, I know it pained my parents hearts to tell her she will be safe when in reality that isn't a promise they could truly make because they would not be there to protect her.    
• Raising Warriors - I don't want to raise my children just to be Sunday Christians, I want them to be warriors for Christ in this tough world.  The Lord entrusts us with them but a short time and we have our work cut out for us to pave the path for them to follow Him.  If they are in an institutional setting all day being shaped by a flawed school system then what are they really learning?  We are called to live radically and people will sneer and that is fine, but I want my children to be warriors not faithless refugees wondering around trying to find themselves while causing harm to others.  I'm not talking about raising my children with real swords and teaching physical ninja attack moves (ok maybe we will spend some time on taekwondo as wouldn't that be cool?!?!), but I am talking about equipping them for a spiritual war.  By homeschooling I am able to help them find and tune their God-give strengths and talents to be a change to this world.  I want them to battle not flee when opposition is at their door.  I want to empower them and form them to be courageous and to never back down.  These warriors will sacrifice and speak and protect the lowly.  They will not fear the world, but will be equipped with the tools to bring change and make a positive impact as citizens.  I want to teach them from a young age to be self-sufficient, self-motivated, selfless, and compassionate towards others which the youth of today surely are missing these key characteristics.  Teach them to be open minded but to protect their morals and not just conform to the status quo.  We are raising these warriors from babies/toddlers to boys/girls to become men/women to then become husbands/wives and to become fathers/mothers, but above all to be followers of Christ and be the light in this dark world.  By homeschooling I won't just have weekends and weeknights to invest in my children, but I will have each and every day to help them find their purpose and become the best person possible.         

As a side-note several people have asked if we plan to homeschool our foster children and that answer is very easy....nope!  The reason being is we are not permitted to first off by the state without permission which is near impossible to get unless they are with us for a very long placement (those are usually only kinship relative long term placements would the situation be allowed).  Secondly, chances are the child will not be with us for a lengthy period of time so right as we would get curriculum set up chances are they would be leaving.  Thirdly, there is a high probability that a foster child we take in came from a source of neglect and chances are high they will need special services (emotionally, physically, and mentally) to catch up to their peers.  In the school system, there are special certified individuals that can work with them one-on-one that specialize in working with children that come from hard places so they will be able to get all the specialized care they will need.  Now if permanency comes into play and we choose to adopt a child then likely we would pray and consider transitioning them to being homeschooled, but while they are in our temporary care, off to school they go....sorry no school bus experience as it isn't far seeing that it is next door/behind our house!