"Why do you homeschool?" I cringe when I hear this mainly because in all my years I have never once asked "Why do you send your kids to public school?" It is silly that this question even exists but it does so I must answer.
This is a surprisingly difficult question to answer because there is no one reason it really depends on the day I am asked and the mood I am in. If its been a difficult day teaching then I might answer "because the public school would label her ADHD when she really just needs to run around with the dogs for an hour", if its been a funny day then I might say "She would drive the teachers insane with her questions about belly buttons and ear wax"
Trying to pick one answer out of hundreds is frustrating and sometimes I feel like a dork for not having that one perfect answer. However one reason is consistent; me!
I want to be the one to see her milestones; hearing her excitement when she read a Clifford book all by herself for the first time.
I want to be there the light bulb goes off; seeing her roll her eyes and shake her head when she figures out trick to long multiplication.
I want to help her discover her passions; watching her use a map to plot locations while watching movies or running errands.
Is it selfish for me to be her teacher? Nope because I am also be guilty of being a mother. Remember there was a time in our world when it was strange if not horrifying to send your child to a school house and let someone else teach your child the life skills and morals they would need in life. Families taught children everything they needed to know and our country didn't suffer from it. Examples; John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, both Roosevelt Presidents, Frank Lloyd Wright and Ansel Adams. Their mothers all saw potential in their children as do most moms so when it came time to start school homeschooling was the most natural thing to do.
Being a single parent was nearly a con but God heard my prayers and has allowed me to work from home so I know that this is right for our family. It hasn't been easy and I am grateful that I don't have to worry about school uniforms, getting her to school on time, lost permission slips and parent teacher meetings. On the subject of parent teacher meetings that proves comical at times since I am both; teacher "Did you know that your child has been asking for the answers to her math problems rather then working them out herself", me "Yes I did, I admit I am guilty of indulging her once in a while", teacher "Well stop it!"
Where our children learn isn't half as important as the time we spend with them. I can remember before my mom began homeschooling me and my siblings she was always dragging us kids to hiking trails, museums and libraries encouraging us to read about the things we loved, she called it after-schooling and we enjoyed it. Learning never stops and I love to point out to people that ask me why I homeschool, Hey you do too. When a friend took her daughters fishing I reminded her that she was teaching them ichthyology (study of fish) and showing them how the settlers caught their meals. The more we talked the more she saw that she was in fact teaching them just as much as their school teacher simply by being an interactive family.
The next time you think of asking someone why they homeschool remember that you most likely do it too.
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