April, I want to thank you for allowing me to share my heart on home schooling. I feel that a lot of the time due to misinformed people or negative media coverage home schooling families get a bad rep in the general public. I hope to be able to show that the majority of homeschoolers are God fearing, law abiding citizens who chose home schooling as a way of life. ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
- When and why did you decide to home school?
In the spring of 2004, our family went through a tough experience as a result of misinformed teachers in the public school system. It was through that situation that I became a born again Christian. It is important to now those two statements in order to understand the "why" I homeschool my children.
Through that negative experience, I began to question certain things about the public system—not the people-just the system. In conversation with a family member one day, homeschooling was brought up as a possibility for our family. Now, at this time I was a stay at home mom. Previously, though, I had always had some sort of job and I had attended college for two years studying Early Childhood Education. I was used to having all the quite, "me" time that I wanted. I also thought, "Well, do I really have the patience to be at home with my children 24/7?" That was the humanistic, femininity that I was raised up in coming out.
I began to pray about the direction I should take. Homeschooling is not for every family but I needed to see if this was the direction to go for us. I also searched the Bible for answers as well. Two of the verses I found that stood out to me were, Deuteronomy 11:19 which says, "Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." The other being Ephesians 6:4 which says, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." These verses really spoke to me as well as others in the Bible concerning teaching our children. I would send my children to school for 8 hours a day then get, on average, 4 hours to "bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Then, send them back out the next day to be indoctrinated in a world view of life by their peers of the same age only to have to try to re-teach them in 4 hours what I had only had 4 hours the day before to teach them.
I began to feel and see God's plan for myself and our children at this point.
We began our homeschooling journey the 2004-2005 school year with a second grader and a kindergartner as well as a toddler.
- Describe what it took for you to be able to homeschool your five
girls, also give their ages please. Were you a teacher before?
Before I began homeschooling I researched the homeschooling laws for ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Illinois through Home School Legal Defense Association. I sent letters of intent to homeschool to the public school, requested the records for the two girls I was to begin teaching, and began purchasing curriculum for the coming school year. As a parent, we are our children's first teacher. I read somewhere that we teach our children to walk, talk, potty train, all the rest is the icing. I mentioned previously that I went to college for Early Childhood Education—that was the base that I built our homeschool on. We have added two children to our family since we began homeschooling. The ages of the children are 10, 8, 5, 2, and 1. They are all girls, all ours, and we love each of them. Our children, all children, are a blessing form the Lord, as stated in Psalm 127:3-5.
3. Describe a typical day, how does your children's schedule work, what
do they study.
A typical day for me begins at 6 a.m. I wake up dress and usually fit in Bible study and prayer before the children wake up. The 1 year old wakes up around 7 a.m. and the rest are usually up by 7:30 or 8. We all have breakfast, the children dress, help with chores—yes our children are expected to their share to help with the upkeep of our home. We are usually sitting down to do a Bible lesson, Math (we use Saxon) and some form of language arts (writing, reading, spelling, etc.). We break for Lunch/chores at noon until 1:30 p.m. We do Konos Unit Studies for the remainder of the school day. Konos is a hands on all inclusive curriculum (art, social studies, life skills, science, history, physical skills, creative expression, language skills, practical living, and literature). We break again at 2:45 p.m. to do a quick clean of the house so Daddy comes home to a clean home (we are able to accomplish this on most days—if Daddy is working late we keep working). On occasion we take field trips with others homeschoolers (we have been to Kroger, Mitchell Museum's Art center). We also get together with other homeschoolers for play days, Art/P.E. days. My girls are also involved in AWANA with church, Girl Scouts, and 4H.
4. What do you believe the benefits of home schooling are? What
disadvantages do you see in attending public schools?
As a homeschool parent, I am able to teach my children from a Biblical view point. I am able to instill daily the importance of Godly character and the importance of it. I am able to address each child's individual needs on the spot, to correct misbehavior immediately. I am able to teach them every day and be right there when they finally grasp each new concept. I am able to give each child so much one-on-one instruction (sometimes more than they want ;) ) than I believe they would get in a public school setting.
For me, the disadvantages of public schools lie with the peers of the same age in the schools. I remember all to well the things that I picked up in the public schools as a young child from other children of the same age group. I loved my teachers—as did my daughters love theirs as well. As a Christian parent, it is my goal that my children be raised to have godly character. As I mentioned before, it is hard to do so when you only have an average of four hours a day to work with. Having my children home I have all day. My children, in particular my oldest, would go to school and come home with some new found "social skill" that she picked up at school from her "peers" that were not God honoring. Having them at home I have removed those not wanted bits of information before they ever had a chance penetrate the sponge like minds. The younger years are so important when raising children because that is when, as a parent, you are laying the foundation on which the rest of their lives will be built.
5. Do you know other families that home school? Is there a support
system for that in this area?
I know a lot of families in Jefferson county that homeschool their children. The majority of us are members of the local homeschool support group, Jefferson County Christian Home Educators. It is a wonderful group that supports each family in the homeschool journey and way of life.
6. What do you believe your children are getting by being home
schooled that they would not be getting in a public school?
I believe my children are getting so much more by being at home than in a public school setting. I am able to provide for the whole child, not just the academics. They are able to explore their interests and take more time to explore what they are learning than they would in public school. I am able to prepare them to be all that God wants them to be. I am able to show them what real life really is about. I think Bill Gates said it best in his "sage advice" to a group of high schoolers. He told them the following, "Life is not fair... Get used to it! The world doesn't care about your self esteem. The world expects you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school, and you
won't be a vice-president with a company car until you earn both.
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents
had a different word for burger flipping. They called it... opportunity.
If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault. So don't whine about
your mistakes. Learn from them. Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and
listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you
save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try
delousing the closet in your own room. Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as
MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the
slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life. Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on
your own time. Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to
leave the coffee shop and go to work."
7. Do you think your children will face any disadvantages in the
future because they were home schooled? Do you plan on them attending
college?
I do not believe my children will be at disadvantage as adults when they enter into society. They will have lived real life situations daily. They will know how to communicate with all age levels, how to respect and respond to their boss (should they enter they work force), how to care for a home and a family, and how serve God and their community by the time they reach adulthood. Should they plan to or wish to attend college, they will be prepared to do so.
8. What is the hardest part, and most rewarding part, for you
regarding home schooling your children.
The hardest part for me in the beginning was the realization that homeschooling does take sacrifice. It takes time, energy, and self sacrifice.
It is a hard yet rewarding job to have. When we go to the store and the 8 year old stops to help an elderly gentleman with his groceries that have fallen on the ground on her own accord or when I witness the light go off when a new concept is grasped or when the two year old counts to 14 out of the blue or the smiles from the baby and the many times I am hugged and told, "I love you!" when I am feeling like pulling my hair out—those are the moments that keep me going. Those are my rewards and my motivation. I get to see the fruits of my labor blossom before my eyes. There is no other job that I would find or have ever had that could be as rewarding.
9...Finally, if you could get a few quotes from some of your children.
What do they like about being home schooled, do they feel like they
are missing out on anything, what are their favorite subjects?
Brooke, 10
(What do you like about being homeschooled?)
Not having to put up with bullies.
Being able to use Girl Scout and 4H goals as part of my school work.
(Do you feel like you are missing out on anything?)
Not really because I get to do practically everything public schooled kids do but in a different way.
(What are your favorite subjects?)
Math, spelling, health, history, and Konos.
Crystal, 8
(What do you like about being homeschooled?)
I like having a different schedule than public school. I like being able to learn at home.
(Do you feel like you are missing out on anything?)
No
(What are your favorite subjects?)
Konos; learning about horses. Math.
Megan, 5
(What do you like about being homeschooled?)
That I can show Grandma what we have been doing. I love to cut and glue.
(What are your favorite subjects?)
Everything