Five of the Best Reasons to Homeschool

Homeschooling–a word supercharged with all sorts of emotions. People tend to have either a very positive reaction to it, or a very negative reaction. Rightly so! Some have observed it being done well, and others have seen those who have made a mockery of the idea. They have seen it used as an opportunity to be lazy and not educate their children at all! No, I’m not referring to unschooling–I am referring to people I have known who literally did next to nothing to educate their children all in the name of “homeschool”! In this post, I would like to walk you through five reasons to homeschool that make sense for OUR family, and maybe–just maybe they will make sense for your family!

Homeschooling is certainly not for everyone. I would never pretend that it is! If you are considering it or are on the fence, I hope these reasons will help you make your decision with confidence!

Allow me to very quickly outline the story of how God changed our hearts and called us to homeschool! This is our main “why” we homeschool. I grew up homeschooled. Although I did not have a negative experience, it was just never something I wanted for my own family. I looked forward to the day when I could send my children off to school and have a little breathing room in my day. Also, my husband was originally very against homeschool for all the standard stereotypical reasons.

As our oldest began to approach school age, we began exploring our options. We found a wonderful, private Christian school about 30 minutes from our home. We began the process of enrolling him, and we had a wonderful experience his Kindergarten year. Nothing negative to say–we loved it. I was so grateful to have such a Christ-focused environment for him to be in daily!

Fast forward to the end of the school year, and we began the process of enrolling him in first grade. The problem arose when we went to apply for financial aid that year. As is common in private schools, tuition can be quite high! There had been some minute changes in our family finances that year, and it put us over the threshold to receive financial aid the following year.

We were then faced with a decision! Our family could potentially swing the tuition for him for that coming year, but, at the time, we had two other children. We also knew that our family was not complete. We had to decide! Were we willing, eventually, to put out tens of thousands of dollars each year for our children’s education? The answer to that question was that we knew we could not afford it.

I began to pray and agonize over the decision. I say “I” because, although my husband was very involved in the process, he knew that it would ultimately be me that would bear the brunt if we chose to homeschool. Therefore, he left the final decision up to me. I say “agonize” because I truly did! The fear was so real that I would screw my kids up for life if I made the wrong decision!

Then, something miraculous happened IN me and my husband! God changed our hearts! Those hearts that had never wanted to homeschool! He first gave us an open mind to the idea, then He gave me a new heart that really desired to do this! That is the only way I know how to explain the coming years! We made that decision based on logic and faith in what God had done in our own hearts. We have never looked back!

One of the number one reasons that our family homeschools is our faith! This is not to say that children cannot flourish in their faith in God in other educational environments! It is important that each family looks to the Lord for guidance in what HE wants for their family! I love that we have the ability to be the chief instructors in our children’s faith and doctrine!

We get to be daily present ALL day, presenting the gospel to our own children. We have full reign over the Biblical/ doctrinal materials that we present to our children each and every day! With homeschool, we get the opportunity to pray in the middle of our school day.

Again, I realize that this is not exclusive to homeschool! There are many opportunities for this in private Christian education as well, but again, we have relied on the Holy Spirit to guide us into what is right for OUR children at this time! The fact that we now get to instill our FAITH in our children all day every day is, for OUR family, one of the main reasons to homeschool!

As I look around me, I’m heartbroken by how little time families get to spend together–truly together! Many parents do the very best they can do, but by the time everyone works all day and the children are at school all day, there is nothing left to give to the family. Particularly, if the children have sports and extracurricular activities following school.

Now, let’s not sugar coat this thing, sometimes being together all day long can drive you crazy as well! Sometimes we get on each other’s nerves, but every day, I am grateful that we get to spend each day together, and that we aren’t like ships passing in the night! It is a gift to get to gather around the table and spend time together when so many do not have this privilege.

As the adage goes, “The days are long, but the years are short!” We have such a short time with our families, and the older my children get the more I realize this truth. I’m forever grateful that God changed my heart and gave us this extra time to spend as a FAMILY! Definitely, one of my top reasons to homeschool!

This one may surprise you, but another reason to homeschool is the FRIENDSHIPS that you make through your journey! One of the most common misconceptions surrounding homeschoolers is that we have no social life, and that our children will ultimately end up being so socially awkward that they won’t survive in society. To that I say two things, awkwardness does not come from WHERE you go to school! There are plenty of socially awkward children in every schooling environment! Some children are just more well-adjusted, and some are naturally more awkward in social situations! Secondly, I would say we have so many opportunities to socialize and cultivate relationships.

For our family, we participate in a once-weekly homeschool co-op that has been a HUGE blessing in our lives. Every Monday, we load everyone in the car, and head to “school.” They have an opportunity to take a variety of classes each school year and be with whole classes of other children the entire time. It also gives them the opportunity to sit under the teaching of someone besides me and to learn to relate to adults who aren’t mom or dad.

I also have the opportunity to teach other children and to serve others in a way that I might not otherwise have the chance! I have also made sweet friendships with some of the other moms that will last a lifetime all because of our homeschool co-op!

We also have the opportunity to join others in field trips, just as children who are in a more traditional school setting.

There are also unlimited opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities and cultivate friendships there–as many as your family is comfortable doing! Music, sports, dance, gymnastics–the sky is the limit! You can involve your children in as many as is your family’s preference! One thing is for certain, you do not have to sacrifice FRIENDSHIP to homeschool, and because of this, it is in my top reasons to homeschool!

This is a huge one in our family! With the increase of ideologies and concepts being presented in the school systems that our family is diametrically opposed to, I am increasingly very grateful for the opportunity to opt out of those things that do not fit into the value system of our family. In our state, we have great freedom in what we choose to make priority in our homeschool. We can choose to focus on the core subjects and fill in with the interests or mission of our family rather than worry about our children being indoctrinated by things that go against our family’s faith and values! This is true FREEDOM of choice for our children and yet another of our top reasons to homeschool.

I’ve saved one of my favorites for last! The flexibility of homeschooling is the thing that keeps me going even on the tough days. In our state, our requirements are very simple. You must provide an education equivalent to that provided in the school system and you must school the same number of days as your local district. For us, that is 180 days that must be fit in from July 1 to June 30th the following year.

You have the crazy flexibility to fit these 180 days in however you see fit. Is it a co-op day? Of course, that is a school day- they learn so much! Do you have appointments all morning? School in the afternoon and evening! Did you have a rough week, and didn’t get to have school one day? Make up that day by schooling on Saturday! Do you make an impromptu decision to go to Florida for two weeks in the middle of February as our family did this past year? No problem! Just adjust your school calendar accordingly!

My husband works a Monday through Thursday schedule, so he is off nearly every Friday. With homeschool, we have the flexibility to also take a couple Fridays off each month to spend all day together! I cherish these days that we would never have without homeschooling! Sometimes, we will leave on a Thursday evening on a trip or to go camping, and spend the whole weekend free from school. Sometimes though, we have needed to get a school day in even though we are camping. No problem! Throw your school things in your backpack and school around the campfire!

It is all in your control as long as you are meeting your state’s legal requirements! We have moved to a close to year-round schedule only taking around 1 month off for “summer break” in order to fulfill the laws of our state, but obviously, although our summer is considered super short, we take those extra days off to live our lives on our terms during the rest of the school year! Hands down, the FLEXIBILITY is the most fun part of homeschool–therefore, it’s one of my favorite reasons to homeschool!

I hope you are hearing my heart in this post! I am in no way trying to convince you that homeschooling is the way to go for your family if you are firmly satisfied that a different educational option is what God has led your family into! That is the beauty about being Spirit-led! It is so individual and personal! As you heard from our story, there was a period of time that that was true for our family, as we chose private school for a short time!

What I have tried to do is present a case for those who may be considering homeschool, but are unsure or those who are praying and seeking God’s direction for your family’s education! Let me assure you that if you are feeling the nudge to homeschool your brood, God will give the grace and strength (yes, even on the days you want to scream and pull out your hair in frustration) to do so! He can align your heart with His plan, just as He did mine, and you too can homeschool without regrets!

I would love to hear from you what your thoughts are on this topic! Is homeschool something you would ever consider? Have you ever felt the call of God in this direction? Maybe you already homeschool and have some things you would add to the list! I’d love to hear that too!

If you are looking into the legal requirements for homeschooling in your state, I highly recommend checking out the Home School Legal Defense Association! They are an invaluable, trusted resource for correct information, since homeschooling without adhering to your state’s laws can have disastrous consequences for your family! Stay safe and legal by checking out HSLDA!