Heather

As a parent, we are faced with a myriad of difficult decisions.  Should we bottle feed or breast feed?  Should we use cloth or disposable?  Should we join a play group, send them to preschool, join Mommy and Me classes?  The list is never ending!  Unfortunately too many parents never get around to asking themselves what is best for their child when it comes to school.

Most Americans simply assume that their children will go to a public school.  A small minority will struggle with which private school to send them to, but most will never really sit down and discuss the options at all.  When it comes to sending your precious little ones away to be taught and guided for 8 hours a day (or more) by adults you don’t know, shouldn’t this decision warrant a little more consideration?

My Hardest Decision

I personally found this to be the hardest decision I have yet made as a parent.  For me, it began long before my first baby was born.  You see, I was six months pregnant when I graduated from college with a degree in elementary education.  Although I loved my college experience, I was certain as I walked across the stage that day to receive my diploma of two things:

1. I could not wait to be a mother
2. my daughter should not have to go to a public school

Becoming a teacher was all it took for me to see every flaw in our current educational system.  Student/teacher ratios are sky high in most public schools which keeps our children from having the precious time and attention they need from their teachers as they learn.  Individualized instruction is a myth that simply can’t happen for most of our students, only those with severe disabilities who are assigned specific learning plans and personal aides.

No Child Left Behind has brought our schools to a new low, solidifying an already crumbling educational system where every learner is now brought down to the lowest common denominator as we focus on helping those who are performing worst.  Other than an occasional attempt in schools to allow students to work on thier own level in reading through programs like accelerated reading, most students will never be able to work at their own pace or on their own level, instead having to slow down for the rest of the group or being pushed on without success if they are struggling.

I personally wanted more for my children than to have to be put through that failing system.  I began researching alternatives before my daughter was even born.  That’s when I began to consider home schooling.

The Merits of Home School

At home, the student teacher ratio is phenomenal!  Even if you had a very large family, you would still be doing better than almost every private school in the country.  This means the teacher can focus on each student instead of seeing them always as a whole group.

Homeschooling allows us to begin with individualized instruction.  I can look at my child as a unique individual who has her own strengths and weaknesses, her own learning style, her own interests, and work from that point forward.  She doesn’t have to conform to a standard set for a class of 20-30 kids.

As a parent, we know our children best, so we are better suited for their education than any other professional.  We don’t have to wait months to learn their habits, learning styles, or interests.  We already know our students intimately!  And at home, our students have the freedom to do what works for them.  If she works best sprawled on her bed, then she doesn’t have to sit at the desk.  If she memorizes facts easiest by jumping rope while reciting them, then she has the freedom and encouragement to do just that.

Our goal is her success.  We’ll use whatever means necessary to help her succeed and she gets to work at her own pace.  As a teacher, I can focus on each student, giving them just what they need and moving them at their own pace toward success.

Student-Led Learning

I believe strongly in student-led learning.  This is a concept that is taught in many teacher education programs, but not free to be used in our public school system due to the extreme regulation of a teacher’s work time and environment.  They simply don’t have time for such pursuits when “teaching to the test.”  At home, however, we find it best to let the student lead the learning experience at times, so that they are pursuing their own interests in an educational and meaningful way.

This method of learning creates an internal motivation for the student that is unequivocally effective.  No amount of coercion by the teacher could ever create such a powerful motivation in students to move forward in their pursuit of knowledge.  Although we have a steady framework for learning in our home, complete with a school day schedule and store-bought curriculum, we still have freedom to allow our learners to seek out their own interests.

For instance, right now we are learning about medieval history in our school, but my son has become fascinated with Vikings.  His interest has become insatiable.  So we began buying books, looking up facts on the internet, even learning how to write runes in Old Norse.  In the public school he would be in second grade, and I can guarantee they would not be studying medieval history in second grade, much less allowing him time to take his study further into the history of Vikings.

Here he has the freedom to take control — albeit limited at this time — of his education.  He can work ahead in math (he’s halfway through his third grade book) and slow down in spelling.  This freedom benefits him not only because he loves school more than he did when he was in public school, but because it allows him more opportunity to succeed.

Because we allowed him to explore his interests, he went from being almost a year behind in reading to two grade levels ahead!  His assigned reading material is on grade level, but the extra reading he has done this year as he studies Vikings has propelled him forward since those books are all written at a higher reading level.  His internal motivation took him much farther than my (or any other teacher’s) external motivation would have gotten him.

Success Is Our Goal

We want our children to succeed at school – to excel even — and homeschooling gives them the best environment for doing just that.  Statistics continually show that homeschooled children perform better than their public school counterparts.  They do better on standardized testing in elementary school, on the ACT and SAT.  They do better because they have more motivation, more freedom to learn in an environment best suited for them and most of all, because they have teachers who are so willing to have them succeed that they are willing to go against the cultural grain, give up careers and sometimes even social connections in order to help them succeed.

Although some argue that a parent without an education degree is not really qualified to teach their children, I completely disagree.  Parents make the best teachers because they know their students better and love them more deeply.  Parents are more willing to sacrifice for their students, seek out the best methods and materials, and persevere with their students through subjects that challenge the child until they succeed (as opposed to the practice of moving a child on to the next grade level despite failure as is the habit of our schools today).

I realize that not everyone can, or should, homeschool.  But, if you are considering this monumental transition, I encourage you to prayerfully research homeschooling.  It took me 10 years to finally fulfill this desire of my heart and bring our children home again from the public school.  Fear and doubt kept me from doing what I knew to be best for my children.  Our home is healthier and happier than it has ever been and though I think I appreciate it more now than I would have if we had never sent them away to school.  I sincerely hope we never go back!