" I wanted my kids integrated and socialized. I wanted their eyes opened to the realities of the world. I wanted the values we taught at home put to the test in the real world. But necessity drove me to consider homeschooling for my 2nd and 4th graders, and so I timidly attended a home school parent meeting last spring. Surprisingly it was full of doctors, lawyers, former public school teachers, and other professionals. These were not the stay-at-home-moms in long skirts that I expected. The face of homeschooling is changing. We are not all religious extremists or farmers, and our kids are not all overachieving academic nerds without social skills.... experts are predicting an exponential boom in homeschooling in the next 5-10 years. ...
Here are 18 reasons why we have joined Americas fastest growing educational trend:
1. We spend less time homeschooling each day than we used to spend driving. With four kids in four locations last year (including a newborn at home), school drop-off and pick-up took four hours, on a good day... Now we spend about four hours per day homeschooling, instead of four hours in the car.
2. We cant afford private education. Even on a doctors salary, private education has become unaffordable, especially for larger families.
3. Our kids are excelling academically as homeschoolers. Homeschooling allows us to enrich our childrens strengths and supplement their weaknesses.
4. Homeschooling is not hard, and its fun! We bought a box curriculum from a major homeschool vendor, and all the books and the day-by-day curriculum checklist came in the mail. We have a lot of fun supplementing material through YouTube and online educational sites...
5. Use whatever public school services you like. Need speech therapy, the gifted program, or remedial academics? Homeschooled kids are still eligible for all these services.
6. I like parenting more, by far.
7. Our family spends our best hours of each day together. We were giving away our kids during their best hours, when they were rested and happy, and getting them back when they were tired, grumpy and hungry... Now, our kids have happy time together each day. At recess time, the kids are actually excited about playing with each other!
8. We yell at our kids less. Homeschooling forces us as parents to maintain a loving authority in the household.
9. Our kids have time for creative play and unique interests. Once my kids entered school, they seemed to stop making up their owncreative play together. They didnt have time for creative play during their busy evenings. Now they build forts and crazy contraptions, play dance parties, and pursue their own unique interests.
10. We are able to work on the kids behavior and work ethic throughout the day.
11. Get rid of bad habits, fast.
12. Be the master of your own schedule. Homeschooling provides a great deal of family flexibility, which is a tremendous asset for our busy family. For example, we save a lot of money on plane tickets because we have the flexibility to fly almost any day of the week. Zoos, childrens museums, libraries, parks, etc., are far less busy on weekdays as they are on weekends. Scheduling anything is eons easierdoctors appointments, piano lessons, vacations, etc.
13. Younger children learn from older siblings.
14. Save money. Committing to homeschooling requires at least one parent at home for most of each day. Although you may lose an income with this commitment, you save (a lot) of money since younger children dont need daycare and older children dont need private school. We also save a lot of money on gas now that we drive less.
15) Teach your kids practical life skills. Homeschooled kids learn parenting skills, cooking, budgeting, home maintenance, and time management every day. Time management skills are learned out of necessity. Our kids have to keep their own schedules and budget their own time.
16) Better socialization, less unhealthy peer pressure and bullying. Our kids no longer beg for video games we dont want them to have or clothes we dont like, or junky snacks they saw at school.
17) Sleep! A research study by National Jewish Health released in March, 2013 showed that homeschooled students get more sleep than their peers who attend school. The result may be that homeschooled kids are better prepared to learn. Parents get more sleep, too! Now we dont have to get up early to meet a bus schedule, prepare sack lunches, etc. Our mornings are great times together to snuggle with our children and talk about our plans for the day. No more Hurry up and get your shoes on or youll be late for school!
18) Teach kids your own values. According to the national center for education statistics, 36% of homeschooling families were primarily motivated by a desire to provide religious or moral instruction. Our family is not part of this 36% we never objected to any values taught in either our public or private schools. Nevertheless, weve really enjoyed building our own traditions and living out our family values in a way that wasnt possible before homeschooling."
18 Reasons Why Doctors and Lawyers Homeschool Their Children ? ChildrensMD
Here are 18 reasons why we have joined Americas fastest growing educational trend:
1. We spend less time homeschooling each day than we used to spend driving. With four kids in four locations last year (including a newborn at home), school drop-off and pick-up took four hours, on a good day... Now we spend about four hours per day homeschooling, instead of four hours in the car.
2. We cant afford private education. Even on a doctors salary, private education has become unaffordable, especially for larger families.
3. Our kids are excelling academically as homeschoolers. Homeschooling allows us to enrich our childrens strengths and supplement their weaknesses.
4. Homeschooling is not hard, and its fun! We bought a box curriculum from a major homeschool vendor, and all the books and the day-by-day curriculum checklist came in the mail. We have a lot of fun supplementing material through YouTube and online educational sites...
5. Use whatever public school services you like. Need speech therapy, the gifted program, or remedial academics? Homeschooled kids are still eligible for all these services.
6. I like parenting more, by far.
7. Our family spends our best hours of each day together. We were giving away our kids during their best hours, when they were rested and happy, and getting them back when they were tired, grumpy and hungry... Now, our kids have happy time together each day. At recess time, the kids are actually excited about playing with each other!
8. We yell at our kids less. Homeschooling forces us as parents to maintain a loving authority in the household.
9. Our kids have time for creative play and unique interests. Once my kids entered school, they seemed to stop making up their owncreative play together. They didnt have time for creative play during their busy evenings. Now they build forts and crazy contraptions, play dance parties, and pursue their own unique interests.
10. We are able to work on the kids behavior and work ethic throughout the day.
11. Get rid of bad habits, fast.
12. Be the master of your own schedule. Homeschooling provides a great deal of family flexibility, which is a tremendous asset for our busy family. For example, we save a lot of money on plane tickets because we have the flexibility to fly almost any day of the week. Zoos, childrens museums, libraries, parks, etc., are far less busy on weekdays as they are on weekends. Scheduling anything is eons easierdoctors appointments, piano lessons, vacations, etc.
13. Younger children learn from older siblings.
14. Save money. Committing to homeschooling requires at least one parent at home for most of each day. Although you may lose an income with this commitment, you save (a lot) of money since younger children dont need daycare and older children dont need private school. We also save a lot of money on gas now that we drive less.
15) Teach your kids practical life skills. Homeschooled kids learn parenting skills, cooking, budgeting, home maintenance, and time management every day. Time management skills are learned out of necessity. Our kids have to keep their own schedules and budget their own time.
16) Better socialization, less unhealthy peer pressure and bullying. Our kids no longer beg for video games we dont want them to have or clothes we dont like, or junky snacks they saw at school.
17) Sleep! A research study by National Jewish Health released in March, 2013 showed that homeschooled students get more sleep than their peers who attend school. The result may be that homeschooled kids are better prepared to learn. Parents get more sleep, too! Now we dont have to get up early to meet a bus schedule, prepare sack lunches, etc. Our mornings are great times together to snuggle with our children and talk about our plans for the day. No more Hurry up and get your shoes on or youll be late for school!
18) Teach kids your own values. According to the national center for education statistics, 36% of homeschooling families were primarily motivated by a desire to provide religious or moral instruction. Our family is not part of this 36% we never objected to any values taught in either our public or private schools. Nevertheless, weve really enjoyed building our own traditions and living out our family values in a way that wasnt possible before homeschooling."
18 Reasons Why Doctors and Lawyers Homeschool Their Children ? ChildrensMD
