The chatter of public school children drifts through my front window as they pass by on their first day back to school. My children pull back the curtain and wave to their friends walking down the street as we finish breakfast and begin our math. Their mother’s rejoice that school is back in session and so do I.
When school is in session we enjoy quieter libraries and fewer interruptions. As we head into a new school year I am reminded of the reasons I chose to homeschool.
The reasons I first chose to teach my children at home are different than the reasons I continue on. The taunting and teasing I experienced as a child in public school ignited my interest in the option to homeschool. Of course I wanted my children to be smart and talented too. This added fuel to my desire. But over years of educating my children at home I’ve added many reasons to these.
My children are happy. Do we have our moments? Certainly! They fight and whine and carry on. But the satisfaction they find in their lives is not pretentious. They are learning to experience the deep joy that can be found by understanding who they are and what is most important. I watch my teens beginning to find joy in simple activities like canning, crocheting or math.
Our family is strong. I see my seven-year-old enjoying precious time spent playing games and learning with her nine-year-old brother, her best friend. They build friendships stronger than those I have with my siblings. My teenage daughters pull each other along as they become involved with friends outside our family. The opposite of the jealousy I experienced with my own sister. They often choose family over friends, though they participate in many activities outside our home.
They have time to pursue their interests. It is amazing how much time is wasted in a public school classroom. It doesn’t take long to cover the subjects that are necessary, leaving time for my children to grow in ways that are individual to them. They memorize piano concertos, learn to build robots and cook.
Their education is grounded in the things that are important to us. Our study of history has let us travel to many eras. These studies have broadened our perspective of life. We’ve used the world around us (and our library card, of course) to understand the wonders of science. The wonders are real to my children, a very different approach than the textbooks I learn from. Even my hesitant readers are being won over in the area of literature as they discover the fantastic stories and learning that can be theirs as they devour book after book. I would never take all this away from them.
Recently a friend told me a story about a family who was moving. As they wandered through their house, recalling the memories from each room, they entered the room where they had done school. The daughter said, “This room is my favorite. This room was magic for me.” I’m not sure I’ve created magic in our school room. But we’ve approached it. I keep hoping that learning will be magic for my children. That is why I homeschool.
Melanie Skelton has educated her six children at home for eight years. She is the co-founder of Utah Families Teaching at Home and assists in teaching workshops to empower and help home educators. She is the web designer for the website, found at http: http://www.utahfamilies.net/ and is in the process of co-authoring a book about home education. This book will help home educators better understand learning styles, personality styles and levels of learning. It will teach the reader how to apply this information to their home school and plan out a curriculum that will meet the needs of their children.
