From the article: My Homeschool Fairy Tale
The decision to homeschool is a personal one and can be a difficult one. Families choose to homeschool for many different reasons. What made you decide to homeschool your children? Share Your Story
Why I Homeschool
- When I showed up to my son's first day of school (he started kindergarten) he cried as many children do. The principal of the school told me he could not stay because he was crying. I took him home and he's been homeschooling ever since. He is now in High School (still homeschooling). Boy did that school do me a favor!
- —Guest mimi
It's best for us.
- We decided to homeschool our 2 year old when she was first born. I was homeschooled my whole life, but my husband was not. The more we talked about it, the more sense it made. My husband's job keeps us on the road year-round, and while we are planning to settle down in the next few years we will still homeschool Delaney. I have already started teaching her basics, like numbers and the alphabet. She recognizes a lot already. She picks up on eveything very quickly. I love getting to be the one teaching her all the new things she learns everyday, and she does learn new things everyday! It surprises me sometimes how much she picks up on. As she gets older we are going to be sure and join activities and spend time letting her be kid with other kids. She loves other kids and plays very well with others. For now, it's a good experience and she's been more places already than a lot of adults. She's very healthy and active and an overall adorable child. But then, I am biased.
- —Guest Katie
Should Have Home Schooled Sooner
- Ever since my 13 year old was born, I wanted to home school, but being that he was so extremely shy, I was convinced by others that it would not be good for him and possibly hurt him socially. Boy do I regret it. I now have 4 children and am seriously considering homeschooling the 3 youngest. The four of them go to a private school and I am very involved. I feel they do a great job, however, they cannot control the distractions from other children and cannot individually help them. When I started to substitute teach at the school, I kept thinking how much more I could teach them in less time. So much time is spent lining up to go to bathroom, to go outside, to switch classes for other subjects, to line up for lunch and only get 20 minutes to eat. My children come home EVERYDAY cranky and starving because they didn't have enough time to eat. They spend more time with strangers and getting distracted by others than they do learning. Then homework. I feel like they are in jail.
- —Guest Me
Teachers that cannot handle kids
- My 10 year old was told he cold not go to the bathroom and wet his pants. The teachers will not allow me to get involved at school with his curriculum. Four times I went to school to discuss his assignments to no avail. Finally I blew up at the principal, which is not my nature, and pulled him out.
- —Guest April
Its been a whole three weeks:
- Since I took my son out of his grade 1 class.The teacher had a rule of not allowing the kids to use the washroom during class time. Other parents complained of that rule and other things to themselves. Then one night my son experienced terrible pain in the pelvic area. I took him to the doctor the next day. The doctor sent lab work in and told me to tell the teacher to let him use the washroom when he has to go and not make him wait. By the next week, she still wouldn't let him use the washroom after he asked. There were other issues that I would equate with abuse. Not only did I pull my son out at this time but also my 5 year old daughter. I live in British Columbia, Canada. Homeschooling has been going great other then the stress from the school. Kids are doing well. They are happy and healthy. I just wish I homeschooled from the start. Oh well:) Everything always seems to work out in the end.
- —Guest Heather Lavigne
Public School Was Deadly
- When my daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 4, her school said they "welcomed kids with diabetes." Welcome, yes, help them with blood sugar checks and insulin, no. I had to go to school every two hours to manage her care. Only two weeks into school, a well meaning teacher fed my child marshmallows and sent her to the playground on a 100+ degree heat. When I arrived my daughter was in a diabetic ketoacidosis and slipping into a coma. The school refused to help her except to call 911 in an emergency. Homeschool was the only way to go or I would have had to be at her public school all day every day. When her older sister developed kidney problems and a rare form of diabetes, we went straight to home school with her as well. Homeschool allows my kids to learn on days when they are feeling great, and go slower on days when they are not feeling so great. They are able to learn and I do not have to worry about them dying at school - a major homeschool plus!
- —Lahle.Wolfe
Adopted
- We adopted our two daughters several years ago and after some time in private school. We are "retired" and travel quite a bit. HS really works for us and has bonded us as a family.
- —mbradley0121
Giving up teaching to homeschool!
- I was a teacher for 3 years and didn't see anything really wrong with the school system until I had kids of my own. In my opinion, the problem isn't so much with the school system but with a society that promotes peer orientated children. Children replace their parents with peers as their primary attachments with very scary results. Homeschooling fosters the parent child bond and will usually result in children who have a love of learning and natural curiosity for it, who would otherwise be labeled as weird or geeky in the mainstream school system and who would quickly learn to become more like their peers. I am planning on quitting my job and homeschooling both my kids next year. They'll still have peer contact but it will be a lot less and it will likely be with friends children who are also family orientated. Kids need us - not their peers to direct them during their formative years.
- —Guest me
Frustrated in Mo.
- I want the best education for my 7yr.old Autistic little boy. I'm a single mother and have to work all day so I don't know how I could homeschool him, but I would like to try if there is any way to. The school he attends doesn't seem to understand what he needs and wants me to put him on med. and I really don't want to. If there is any single mothers out there who have found a way to homeschool please respond.
- —Guest Linda
Mom of five, considering homeschooling
- Currently, I am looking into homeschooling and I really think this would be best for my kids and for us as a family. We are now living abroad, my children attend a British private school and I am officially non-native. My worries concerning homeschooling are: Can I do it (in English) as a non-native speaker; I have five children (8,6,4,2,0), 4 active boys and one very emotional girl: a handful! Will I be able to manage them while homeschooling? Last but not least; I still have to convince my husband. So, if anyone can give me any advice on any of these points, please do! Thank you! The reason why I want to homeschool is that my kids are always tired and grumpy because of the long school days. My daughter cannot keep up with the pace of learning and my oldest son is very intense and could use a quiet environment. Also,I feel that I do not see my children enough and I would love to not only raise but also educate them!
- —Guest Milly
home school
- I hated waking up for school so early. I didn't like that the kids and I were always sick in the mornings. I didn't like that either because I just was always sick nonstop.
- —Guest John Doe
WV wont allow my child to attend PS
- I never imagined that I'd homeschool because I suffered from ADD as a child. They couldn't figure me out in PS so I was treated with contempt by most teachers. I'm an intelligent person with a high IQ and would have thrived in the proper environment. My reasons for homeschooling however began with not wanting my perfect newborn babies injected with "potentially" dangerous vaccines. I know not all people agree with my choice but most states recognize parents rights to make the decision except two, WV and Mississippi. So, here I am getting ready to homeschool my kindergartner. Do I feel unprepared? Yes and no. Do I think I should have the right to make medical decisions for my children? YES. I wish she could attend school here but I have come to see this as a blessing. It will be wonderful having her home with me and she's happy about it as well.
- —Guest sarismom
Life changes your mind
- I have 4 kids and a wonderful husband.In 2007 I got diagnosed with breast cancer. After a year and a half of surgeries and chemo and more surgeries, I had been looking into homeschool even though I had never considered it before. My 2nd daughter,who went into 5th grade while I was down, had always talked about doing homeschooling. After research (why I don't know) I thought I would give it a try for her going into 6th grade. We have done well for the year and enjoyed it so much that I am going to have my going into 1st and going into K as well as my going into 7th grader. Looking back I can see how my health took it's toll on more than myself but my children too. So this is a wonderful way to be close as well as see daddy as he is shift worker. Oh, and I am in remission and only pray to continue on with my kids as long as they want to.
- —Guest silvakitten
School Left No Time For Childhood!
- My daughter was at the end of 3rd grade in public school when I had enough and pulled her out to be homeschooled. Since Kindergarten she'd been bringing home homework, spending all day at a desk, losing what little recess they had if morning work wasn't finished or if she was talking too much. Teachers were "teaching the test," the entire focus was on PSSA tests, and she was getting stressed out. I hated how little focus was put on music and art and gym and how much was put on testing, testing, testing. I hated how long homework took her, how she'd go from school, to homework, to dinner, to bed, with barely anytime in between to be a kid, or be an individual, and the next day, it would start all over again. And the next day. And the next. I started thinking, there has to be more to life than this. And so there is :) Another benefit is more time with her dad, who works hours that weren't so family-friendly when a kid was in school. It's been great. So much better than things used to be!
- —sahmiam3
Grandson living with us and travel
- I am getting a grandchild that is going to enter 9th grade as a dependent full time. He will be living with us full time. We travel a lot and I want to be able to take him with us on all of our trips. The trips we take can be very educational for him. I believe he has the ability to learn whatever the criteria requires with home schooling. He is a smart child (young man) of 14. He shows interest in many areas of education. He is an Asthmatic so he is always left out of the extra activities. This fact makes him feel left out and the other kids tease him that he is just trying to get out of P.E. Exercise will be part of our travels, which contain exercise and whatever else they teach in Gym.
- —Guest Maria
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