Many people wonder why I chose to homeschool. I'll tell you why. :) Some think it's because my boys have forms of autism, but I made the decision to homeschool long before I had kids.
My sister was the first person I knew that decided to homeschool. Her daughter was in Jr. High and was starting to get in with the wrong crowd. She pulled her out and began teaching her at home. I spent some time with her during the first summer that she started home teaching, and I was impressed. I knew right away that I wanted to teach my kids, and wished I had known about homeschooling when I was in school.
One of my main reasons for wanting to teach my kids is to have more time to teach them about God. The only 'religion' taught in schools, or should I say forced, is evolution. That's not what I wanted for my children. I knew from when I was in school that the teachers and fellow students have a much bigger influence on children than parents, and didn't want to gamble on the fact that the few hours a day I would see my kids would be enough to instill Christ in them. Yes, it does work for many, but I didn't want to take the chance and find out it didn't work for mine. My kids' souls are too important.
Another important reason (I have many reasons, but I'm trying not to write a book!) is their education. When you have children with special needs, you hear story after story detailing how neglectful public schools can be. There are some that really have the child's interests at heart, but they are few and far between. It isn't just kids with needs that suffer, either. It seems more and more that public schools are more about money rather than giving kids a well balanced education. Test scores are the focus, not retention or actual knowledge. I wanted my kids to be able to focus on the material and not the friends. That has only been confirmed since I started driving a school bus. I also wanted them to learn to REALLY socialize with people. Real life involves getting along with people of all ages and in various situations, not just kids their own age in a classroom environment.
The third most important reason I homeschool is to really enforce the idea of family. I want my kids to learn to appreciate EACH OTHER more than peers. I want them to learn to be responsible for each other, because they will have to take care of each other when Rick and I are gone. I want to enjoy them while they are children, before they go off into the world on their own. I love watching them learn new things, and knowing that I helped them. I love the quality time we have together. I love giving them the opportunity to explore their interests, letting them have a say in what and how they learn... just like real life.
