Why Do I Homeschool?

So... Why do I homeschool?

Most people I know have many reasons why they homeschool. I'm included in this group. My reasons for homeschooling are varied, and numerous.

Our history:
My two oldest children started out in a Christian Academy. The school was great, but it closed down after 3 years of operation. My son went to Kindergarten and 1st grade there. My daughter went to pre-k at that school. They decided to close just before the school was to open for its 4th year, but unfortunately, enrollment in other Christian schools in the area had already closed. So, because I was working away from the home at the time, I enrolled my two oldest children (3rd grader and Kindergartner at the time) in Public School.

Education... on the bus:
I despised putting them on the bus each day. Yes, it was painful to wake them up from a deep sleep at the crack of dawn and put them on the bus, often while it was still dark outside. But that's not why I disliked the bus. I really disliked the things they were "learning" on the bus. I knew the moment the bus doors closed, it was a child-induced free-for-all with very little supervision. There were stories of bratty older boys shoving my son out of a chair (even though it was his assigned seat), because two friends decided they wanted to sit together. Because my son is totally non-confrontational, he never fought back. I'm working on that.

They also learned a few new words on the bus. I'm not talking about a friendly vocabulary lesson. I had no idea they had picked these things up, until the news was on TV one night. Someone made a strong "situational reference" in a news story. Because it made me uncomfortable with the kids in the room, I changed the channel. My son piped up and said, "Mom, I know what that means, thanks to 'X' on the bus, who enjoys talking about it." (I'm replacing the boy's name with the letter "X" here.) My jaw almost hit the floor. Here was an 8 year old boy who had already been taught something that I probably learned about when I was 15- and I wasn't ready to hear about it then! Thank GOD that my son is as mature as he is. He handled himself perfectly in those situations, and never made jokes, or "spread the word" as others were doing. I always got comments from his teachers about how they loved having him in class, because of his self-discipline.

School subjects:
In our area, foreign language classes are chosen based on district. My children's school was studying French. My husband and I believe it will be more financially beneficial for them to be fluent in Japanese. Therefore, both my oldest son and daughter can write some Japanese characters, and can speak sentences in Japanese, thanks to Rosetta Stone.

School situations:
Were there teacher-related reasons why I began homeschooling?
Yes.
The Clif's Notes versions- my son was told at one point, "Maybe you are just bad at math. Maybe it just takes you longer to 'get it.'" This was told to a boy who always scored in the top 95% of all subjects on his tests. Since he has been doing school at home, he has completed 4 grades of math in 2 years. Yep, sounds like he's "bad at math" to me. (???)

My daughter (as a Kindergartner in Public School) was asked to draw a picture of a historical figure, and write a sentence at the top about why she would love to meet this person one day, even though they may already be deceased. She drew Jesus (or what she believes He might look like!). Sandals and all. At the top, she wrote, "I want to meet Jesus one day because he is my Savior." (Do you have chill bumps too?) Know what she got on that project? A 1 out of 3 possible points. She got a 1 for drawing a picture and writing a sentence.
But the teacher told me, "We've been talking about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and the answer key says that the children should recall the information they learned about them, and draw one of them."
I said, "Did you say it was to be someone you studied?"
Teacher: "No."
Me: "Did you say it should be a President?"
Teacher: "No."
Me: "So, it sounds to me like she followed directions perfectly."
Teacher: "Yes, but 'Jesus' isn't in my answer key."

So there you have it folks. This leads us to my #1 reason for homeschooling.

Jesus just isn't in the Public School's answer key.

Since I've pulled my children out of Public School, we have together memorized probably 30 Bible verses or more. My kids can recall a memory verse in an appropriate situation. When they are afraid, they can pull a Bible verse from memory about not being afraid. When they don't feel like working, they remember that they are always to work as if doing their work for God- not man.

Our science curriculum is based upon truth- Creationism. Adam and Eve are on our timeline. Our history timeline begins at Creation. As we study Roman culture, we also study Christ. Does your public school teach history this way? Nope.

I believe homeschooling is the absolute perfect choice for my family. I feel blessed to watch my kids become more and more knowledgeable each and every day. And I am now in control of what information is learned... and is NOT learned... every day.

Oh, and that picture of Jesus, that my daughter received the "1" on? It hung on my refrigerator for an entire year. I'm very proud of that "1."

Helpful Documents

I decided to get a little bit more organized this year in our Bible verse memorization. I printed all our Bible verses on business cards, and then loaded them into business card holders (the large plastic ones that have holes for 3-ring binders). I wanted to share the cards with you, in case you would like to print them as well. It would not be necessary to purchase business card paper- you could print these on regular typing paper or card stock, and load them into the holders!

verses3
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AerpIiWcQiXNZGNqOWZjdHNfMmQ1eGNtM2tt&hl=en&invite=CO3lsN8H

verses2
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AerpIiWcQiXNZGNqOWZjdHNfMWhjNHd3NGZj&hl=en&invite=CJDYhVo

verses1
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AerpIiWcQiXNZGNqOWZjdHNfMGdqbXNwNWhm&hl=en&invite=CIytoZ4G

They're not attachments -- they're stored online at Google Docs. To open these documents, just click the links above.

Good luck, and enjoy!

College Prep for Homeschool: Transcripts and Portfolios

Although my children are young, I have learned that they grow up FAST!!!!
Something that has been weighing on me is the fact that I haven't kept organized transcripts or portfolios for my children. So now, I will be going back and compiling information I have saved into an organized system.

If you would like to see a sample homeschool transcript: CLICK HERE

And here are some great tips (from 4 different sources) on creating a homeschool portfolio:
CLICK HERE or HERE or HERE or HERE