Why, oh why.

I'm often asked how I came to the decision to school my children at home.   Truth be told, there isn't a simple answer to that question.  I try to sum it up in as few words as possible, but somehow the reasons just can't be contained in a simple paragraph.  So, as I begin to recount the journey that led me to this decision, please understand that it won't be a short one.

I was educated in public schools...good ones.  I was a bright child that succeeded easily, sometimes too easily in school.  I participated in programs designed for accelerated learning and to challenge students who might otherwise be bored.  I performed well and headed to a liberal arts university for an expensive education, touted to instruct beyond mere career training.  I suppose that was true in many ways.  Though I loved my college years and value the breadth of education I received, I question the wisdom of borrowing gobs of money only to pursue a short-term career in a profession reputed as the lowest paid.

Somehow, during this education, after an equal number of positive and negative experiences with students educated at home, I took a stance against home schooling.  I had only a cursory understanding of some of the reasons behind alternative education:  1. Religious convictions that lead parents to protect their children from the influences of other students.  2.  Avoiding the pitfalls of a school system run by politicians rather than educators.  3. A dearth of resources, engaged parents, qualified administration and/or teachers.  These seemed to be the main "excuses" I heard for avoiding traditional school.

While I earned my degree in "Interdisciplinary Studies" (Education) and a Texas Teaching Certificate, I realized how important it was that parents be involved in their child's education.  I saw how influential the parents' priorities can be in motivating a student to strive for excellence, especially in school.  I witnessed the consequences of "curbside"parenting opposite the benefits of involved parenting.  I watched as the parent volunteers continually lifted up the students whose own parents' involvement at the school consisted of waiting in the line of cars to drop off and pick up.

It drove me to the conclusion that parents who remove their children from the community schools, rob the system of any hope of improving.  After all, if every parent who truly cares about their child's education decided to school them at home, who would be left at the school fighting for necessary change?  Who would keep the focus of legislation to the good of the students?  Who would be there to remind the teachers at the end of a hard day that what they do matters?  And further, who will be a positive witness to the students if all of their Christian peers are at home?

In this fantasy of extremes, imagine a desolate wasteland of hooligans and burned-out teachers, with nary an honest administrator to be found.  The giant void of responsibility only makes it easier for the remaining parents to fling open the door of their moving car as their child runs along side to jump in.  What a sad world these homeschoolers have created.  ;-)  As a public school teacher, I could only do so much.  I needed those committed parents helping in my classroom, for their own children's sakes and for others' as well.

As all things did when my first child arrived, everything I thought I knew changed.  I became keenly aware of my responsibility to my child.   By the time my second came along, I'd changed my tune altogether.  The conclusion I finally reached was that as parents, it is Doug's and my responsibility to ensure that our children receive the best education available to them.   Public and private schools in our area would very likely provide a good education.  It's simply a matter of choosing the best among the options available.   I'm capable of providing better, so why wouldn't I?  I choose to make myself available to the end of offering my children an education tailor-fit for them.

Is homeschooling better for my kids because the school system is so messed up?  A little, but mainly, learning at home suits my children because they learn at their own pace, something near impossible in traditional school.  It's not so much about avoiding traditional school as it is providing a fantastic environment for learning.  As much as a Kindergarten teacher would adore my children, no one knows them as well as I do.  There is no better teacher than one who knows her students.  "Know your dogs," as my college professor used to say.  I began kindergarten when their interest and abilities arose and we didn't have to wait for a birthday deadline or worry that they weren't ready to be gone all day.  Nor did I have to rush through kindergarten in precisely 9 months to prepare for 1st grade.  We progress quickly, but don't have to rush when my students aren't ready.

Am I afraid of what they'll learn in public school?  Yeah, and any parent who isn't hasn't thought very  seriously about what goes on in schools.  Schooling at home does have the advantage of keeping students at a safe distance from peer pressure, negative attitudes, bullies, political agendas, and a whole host of pressures to which to conform.  Still, I would not say that is the main reason I choose to  homeschool.

The reasons I choose to homeschool amount to a long list of little things, but overall it boils down to this:  I love my children and want the absolute best for them in every area of their lives.  I have been blessed with the ability and willingness to teach.  Why, oh why wouldn't I use that blessing to benefit my own  children?  I choose to homeschool now and will continue in the future as long as the education they receive from me is superior to that in any other form of schooling.  When and if that is no longer the case, I will happily relinquish that role to the superior educator in order to fulfill my ultimate responsibility to my children.