"Why Homeschool?" Guest Post Series~ Sundy

 

It's Monday!  That means we get to hear from another amazing homeschool family in our "Why Homeschool?" guest post series.  I would love to hear from you, too.  If you are interested in participating in this guest post series, see the info here.   Today we are hearing from Sundy~ enjoy her story.

Hi, ya’ll!  (That’s how everyone greets you in Kentucky.)  I’m Sundy and I have two beautiful girls, ages 14 and 12 and a wonderfully, supportive husband.  We are currently in our second year of homeschooling, and we LOVE it!  I blog about my family’s life and adventures at Sunshine Sentiments.

I come from a long line of educators.  My grandparents were teachers, my mother taught 3^rd grade for 30 years and my father is a college professor.  It was only natural for me to go into education also.  I graduated with a BA in music education, and I taught in the public schools for 10 years.  My girls attended the schools that I taught at.  And they loved learning.  The idea of homeschooling wasn’t on my radar, until….

My brother. He and his wife homeschool their six children and he recommended that I read A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century by Oliver DeMille.    At this time, my daughters also started complaining about their education.  They were no longer at the same school as I taught because they had moved on to middle school.  The girls came home daily complaining about the bullying, and they didn’t like the bad language.  Between my daughters observations and Oliver DeMille, I began thinking that maybe I could be a homeschool mother/teacher.  I began researching the subject quite extensively with a friend who also was considering homeschooling her children.

The following year, I pulled my girls out of the public school system, and we have never looked back.  We LOVE homeschooling!  I just wish I could have started it sooner. 

We are often asked why we chose to homeschool our kids.  Here are the reasons my daughters and I came up with in 15 minutes:

·         We homeschool because we can focus more on our spiritual education as well as our values.

·         We homeschool because relationships within our home have grown stronger.  Our family has become closer and as my youngest daughter says, “Family is better than friends!”

·         We have made better friends through homeschooling.  We have found that friendship shouldn’t be “forced” by class, grade or age like they do in public school.  The friends we have made though homeschooling have been true friends.

·         We pray in school and we say the “Pledge of Allegiance.”  Take that, public school!

·         We love how homeschooling takes less time than public schooling.  My daughters have more free time for fun.  They usually use their free time to read, do their personal progress, play, craft or create art, etc.

·         The freedom from a set school schedule is also a benefit.  We can “do” school in the morning or in the evening.  We can “do” school on the weekends or during the summer if we want.  It’s nice to take spring break when we WANT to take spring break.

·         In public school you are limited in your studies to what they offer – not in homeschooling.  There are more school subjects to choose from because the sky is the limit!  For example, the girls are currently learning to speak Portuguese.

·         We homeschool because we do not like bureaucracy or politics.  Enough said.

·         There are more field trips and more field trip choices.  YAHOO!  We love field trips!

·         We love homeschooling because there are no lectures or busy work.

·         My eldest daughter said that one of her favorite reasons to homeschool is the fact that there is no foul language, bad behavior, drugs or immodest clothing at our school.  J

·         Both daughters love the personal responsibility and the independence that homeschooling fosters.

·         One funny benefit?  No head lice epidemic!  J

·         And finally, we believe that public schools are failing.  (I know we are not the only people who believe that.)

So those are a few of the reasons we have chosen to homeschool our daughters.  They love it!  We love it!  Will we ever go back to public school?  Heck no!  This is what we feel is right for our family.  Hope this short list will help others who are also on the fence about homeschooling.