Reasons for our Decision

In no particular order here are the top reasons Craig and I have decided to homeschool our boys:

* They will each get more one on one time than they would in any traditional classroom setting, regardless if they were attending a public or private school.  I feel very strongly about this one because Craig and I both had learning difficulties growing up.  If my Mom hadn't spent countless hours reteaching me the material I should have been learning in school each evening I would have been completely lost!  In many ways I wasn't only attending private school but was homeschooled, my Mom even had material for me to use during the summer months so I wouldn't get behind.  It wasn't until Jr high and high school that I adjusted to how I needed to learn material and by college I barely noticed that I learned differently from those around me.

* The boys will be able to learn at their own pace.  I know already that Josh is going to need more time to grasp concepts than Nathan.  If you've been following me on Facebook you know that Josh suddenly started to spark an interest for mastering the alphabet in October/ November and a short month and a half later started reading.  He has always been strong willed and unless he is ready and willing to learn to do something (potty train, try new foods, etc.) he just refuses.  Nathan, on the other hand, has been quick to learn new things because he needs to do exactly the same things his brother does.  Since we started homeschooling full time he began joining us every day instead of on occasion and is doing a fantastic job (to the point that he is trying to learn to read right along with his big brother)!  The beauty of the homeschooling situation is that Josh can be right on target with his peers and their grade level and Nathan can keep chugging right along with him.  I have a feeling that if we put Nathan in a traditional classroom setting we would get notes home because he would be the kid who finished his work before everyone else and proceeded to get himself into trouble.

* We can be as flexible as we need/want to be.  With so many family members living out of state we have visitors come our way at all times of the year.  Since our kids won't be in traditional school we can work around those special occasions.  I won't have to pull them out of school for dentist and doctor appointments either which will be really nice!

* One of the many things we knew we weren't going to be able to do a lot of if we sent the kids to a Christian school would be traveling, simply because of the cost.  We love to travel and as we got closer and closer to those impending years of private education I could see that part of our lives ending for awhile.  This made me very sad.  Except for the occasional weekend trip away we aren't ones to take big trips without our kids, I'm talking family trips to visit those that live out of state.  As I was planning a weekend trip to visit my sister in Colorado this past November my Mom made a comment about how I better do it now because once Kindergarten starts that's it, our lives will revolve around the kid's school schedules until the youngest graduates (more or less).  I knew this all along but hearing those words aloud really struck me!  Our boys are really close to their Aunts and Uncles that live out of state because we've been able to visit them on a regular basis and I hope to continue that in the years to come.

* We can travel during the off season when prices are, on average, lower :)

* Our boys will have a much closer relationship having learned together over the years, they'll be much closer than if they were each attending school in separate classrooms.

* I will get to be there for all of their AHA! moments :)  I loved this as a teacher and I am enjoying it even more with my own children.  There is nothing more fulfilling and exciting than watching a child grasp a concept for the first time!

* One thing that really struck me when I began doing more research about homeschooling is how well behaved so many homeschooled kids are (on average, I'm not saying they're perfect).  I think this is due, in large part, to learning from the example of their parents instead of from the behavior of peers their age.  I've seen it first hand in a classroom, and even if you've never taught a day in your life I'm sure you remember the class clown that got even the well behaved kids to giggle during a lesson on several occasions over the years.  Peer pressure is a powerful thing, even for adults.  

* We will be able to accomplish their "schoolwork" in the morning and early afternoon when they are at their best, no late night homework assignments/ projects.  This will be SO nice once they start playing sports, we won't have to come home from a long day and still have hours of homework to accomplish.  A lot of those nights working with my Mom when I was growing up were torture, for both of us.  I was tired from being at school all day and we would both get extremely frustrated.  (Not that I won't get frustrated with the boys over the days/ weeks/ months/ years ahead... just saying at least we won't be trying to do all of this in the evenings or late at night.)

* If we sent the kids to a private school I would have to get a full time job.  I would then be spending countless hours each school year teaching a classroom of up to 35 students, coming home each day exhausted.  I wouldn't have any energy for my own kids and that thought alone makes me sad.

* We can do unit studies on subjects the kids are most interested in.  If they are really enjoying a topic we can go more in-depth, there's no hurry... no "teaching to a test".  Along that same line, my hope is that learning will become apart of life for them, that they'll enjoy learning if they can expand their knowledge on topics that they are most interested in.

* I can use different curriculums for each child if I need to, every child learns differently.

* We won't need to spend more on uniforms for school (on top of tuition costs).

* We won't have to worry about them missing too much school if/when they get sick.  For just this school year alone Josh would have already missed two full weeks of school because of health issues (and it's only January!).  When these issues arise we can adjust our schedule and continue at any given time.

As I said before, these are just some of the many reasons we have chosen to homeschool our boys.  I honestly think of more each day.