**Disclaimer** This article is to provide food for thought, not to start an argument! I purposefully didn't put references into this article, because I don't want to be throwing facts in your face, but instead my purpose is to give you some ideas on why homeschoolers (specifically myself) do what they do, and make the decision in the first place to homeschool their kids. Thank you for understanding, and I hope you enjoy it, and get some good hours of thought on the subject because of it!
My little one is just about 3 months old now. She is a spry, alert, and funny little thing. Who smiles, and laughs, all the time! She puts her hands in her mouth, and laughs at herself while she does it. She is just barely learning that toys are fun, and that she wants to hold onto things! (Especially mom's hair!)
The more I get into this mom thing, the more I realize that we are all homeschoolers. We all teach our babies how to walk, talk, eat, smile, laugh, hold things, roll over, etc. Everything we do, and show them is teaching them something.
Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't believe in a magic number. Where suddenly you are old enough to drive a car. Suddenly you are old enough to be tried as an adult. Suddenly you are too old for your parents to teach you things. It doesn't exist in my mind. I am not condemning anyone for sending their children to school. Nor am I saying that public schools are awful. They are not! In fact, I'm very thankful that we have the option to send our children to a school, for free, if needed! They are assets in our communities, and I am not opposed to them at all, nor am I saying that we should close all the schools, and everyone should keep their kids home. I am however saying that it should not be the norm. It should not be expected from people, or the state, that you should willingly send your precious little one into a classroom with absolutely no input on what is said or what goes on inside it. That you should ask no questions, and send them guns a-blazing into a mission field that they are not prepared for at 4 years old.
You've been doing a fine job teaching your child his/her colors, letters, and basic physics. Why does it suddenly stop when your child needs to go to Kindergarten, or Preschool, or whatever the law is in your state? It doesn't, because you are still having to teach your child. They come home with homework, and things they need to learn. You are still having to teach them how to add, and read, and explode a volcano in your living room. You just have less time to do it in, instead of the whole day, where they can ask you questions, and you can make sure they aren't coming home saying "Hey, mom! Hold your tongue and say 'Apple"! It will be funny!". You now only have about four hours before bed time.
Now, I know this is not the normal opinion. I also know that if many people get their hands on this who do not hold these same opinions, I will be openly mocked, and railed on. Nevertheless, they are my opinions. Thank God I live in America where I can share them.
Anyway, I digress. That is why I believe in homeschooling with every fiber of my being. Being homeschooled myself, I can tell you all the studies that show that homeschoolers normally hold a higher IQ than public schoolers( http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/201008030.asp ), and that we are entering and winning all the Spelling Bee's. But I won't because you've heard that all before. What you haven't heard, however is that I have reasons for wanting to keep my baby home. And that I am actually honestly glad my parents did the same for me. That I am not some well read, unsocial freak of nature who cannot converse with people in real life. And that my daughter will not be either.
My little one is just about 3 months old now. She is a spry, alert, and funny little thing. Who smiles, and laughs, all the time! She puts her hands in her mouth, and laughs at herself while she does it. She is just barely learning that toys are fun, and that she wants to hold onto things! (Especially mom's hair!)
The more I get into this mom thing, the more I realize that we are all homeschoolers. We all teach our babies how to walk, talk, eat, smile, laugh, hold things, roll over, etc. Everything we do, and show them is teaching them something.
Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't believe in a magic number. Where suddenly you are old enough to drive a car. Suddenly you are old enough to be tried as an adult. Suddenly you are too old for your parents to teach you things. It doesn't exist in my mind. I am not condemning anyone for sending their children to school. Nor am I saying that public schools are awful. They are not! In fact, I'm very thankful that we have the option to send our children to a school, for free, if needed! They are assets in our communities, and I am not opposed to them at all, nor am I saying that we should close all the schools, and everyone should keep their kids home. I am however saying that it should not be the norm. It should not be expected from people, or the state, that you should willingly send your precious little one into a classroom with absolutely no input on what is said or what goes on inside it. That you should ask no questions, and send them guns a-blazing into a mission field that they are not prepared for at 4 years old.
You've been doing a fine job teaching your child his/her colors, letters, and basic physics. Why does it suddenly stop when your child needs to go to Kindergarten, or Preschool, or whatever the law is in your state? It doesn't, because you are still having to teach your child. They come home with homework, and things they need to learn. You are still having to teach them how to add, and read, and explode a volcano in your living room. You just have less time to do it in, instead of the whole day, where they can ask you questions, and you can make sure they aren't coming home saying "Hey, mom! Hold your tongue and say 'Apple"! It will be funny!". You now only have about four hours before bed time.
Now, I know this is not the normal opinion. I also know that if many people get their hands on this who do not hold these same opinions, I will be openly mocked, and railed on. Nevertheless, they are my opinions. Thank God I live in America where I can share them.
Anyway, I digress. That is why I believe in homeschooling with every fiber of my being. Being homeschooled myself, I can tell you all the studies that show that homeschoolers normally hold a higher IQ than public schoolers( http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/201008030.asp ), and that we are entering and winning all the Spelling Bee's. But I won't because you've heard that all before. What you haven't heard, however is that I have reasons for wanting to keep my baby home. And that I am actually honestly glad my parents did the same for me. That I am not some well read, unsocial freak of nature who cannot converse with people in real life. And that my daughter will not be either.
I'm homeschooling my little baby already--why should I stop, and why am I actually encouraged to do so?
No comments:
Post a Comment