Homeschooling: Questions

What initially caused you to decide to homeschool your children?

There are so many answers to this question that I'm sure to forget some.

We considered two education options for Morganne - homeschooling and the local Waldorf school.

When I observed Morganne in groups as a preschooler, I noticed that she got very little attention - the kids who got the attention were the ones who misbehaved or were very outgoing. Since Morganne was quiet and well behaved, adults could easily ignore her.

I'm very concerned about gender bias in education. When Morganne was 4, the newspapers will full of how boys got the lion's share of attention and funding throughout the school years. I want my daughter to have a first-rate education.

The quality and safety of public schools was a big push, especially the low quality of math and science education in American schools.

I waited a long time to have children and I didn't have my children to let other people raise them. Our daughters are 4 years apart (with number 3 due this fall) and we wanted to give them time to be sisters.

I believe strongly in learner-initiated education and in learning by doing. This happens naturally in homes and rarely in institutions of learning.

I also believe that a strong family is important for children. It's hard to have a strong family when all the family members spend their days in age-segregated institutions. Then there's the problem of age segregation itself....

Plus, I enjoy my children and don't want to send them away for 6 hours a day.

Do you have more than one child that you teach, or do you think that homeschooling would be as effective with only a single child?

Well, our daughters are currently 6 and 2. I do think that siblings add an important dimension to life, but I also think that one could homeschool an only child.

Although those of who enjoy children enough to homeschool rarely stop at one child....

Do you find that your child is lacking in social interactions, or do you find that you can compensate for this through church, or other activities?

If there were no other reason to homeschool, the social interactions that children have at school would be enough to make me consider it. Basically, the family is a far superior social environment to any age-segregated institutionalized setting. Children learn best how to get along from their parents and from people of all ages, not from fellow 6 year olds.

And yes, homeschooling doesn't mean we sit at home all the time and seclude ourselves from the real world. We're out and about, involved in activities of our choosing and engaged in our community. Garry and I do volunteer work and participate in the life of our town. I think this is valuable social education for our children - they learn that we care about the community and that we feel it's important to contribute to the well being of the community as a whole.