When we decided to start homeschooling our kids five years ago, we got a variety of feedback from our family. Some were skeptical, while others worried that our kids would be missing out on the traditional school experience. Specifically, the fact that our kids would not have the opportunity to “socialize” with other kids. Also, is not very common for Latinos to homeschool their kids. So yeah, our choice to homeschool wasn’t necessarily welcomed with opened arms.
I won’t lie and say that I didn’t have my own set of doubts. What if I ruined their education? What if they grew up to be socially awkward? Today, I’m confident that we made the right choice for our family.
Why We Chose To Homeschool Our Kids
It enables us to have a flexible schedule
One of the perks of homeschooling is having flexibility in our daily schedule. If we decide to take a trip in the middle of the school year, we don’t have to ask anyone for permission. If we want to stop at the library in the middle of the day, we simply go. When my daughter has to work odd hours or participate in a school activity, she can easily flex her school schedule.
We can accommodate each child’s learning style
This is one of my favorite reasons for homeschooling. My son is very visual, but he also enjoys hands-on activities. When he was in a traditional school setting I could tell that he struggled with a few subjects because the instruction didn’t fit his learning style. I could tell he wasn’t excited about his school day. Now he’s thriving and looks forward to tackling each subject.
Our kids can advance (or slow down) when needed
There have been a few times that I’ve had to slow down the pace to ensure that my son could grasp a problem or subject. On the flip side, my daughter is very self-motivated and was typically bored at school. She was able to take on extra subjects the past few years and will be graduating a year early. She plans to take general courses at a local college before transferring to a traditional college setting. This will save her both time and money.
We can incorporate our faith
Yes, I know that it’s not necessary to homeschool in order to teach our children our faith. However, I find it’s much easier to do so when they are homeschooled. We can easily weave it into our lessons, and there’s no one here to tell us we can’t do it. Most importantly, I’m able to teach my kids how to serve others and teach them that their is a world beyond our small town that is in need. It has definitely sunk in because my daughter took a missionary trip to Guatemala last year and plans to take a trip to Ecuador early this summer.
We simply enjoy it
Do we really need a reason? 😉 My kids truly enjoy being homeschooled, and although I have doubted myself many times, I know it’s the best choice for our family. It’s definitely not an easy choice, and there are days when I just want to quit. But the good days always outweigh the hard ones. Watching my son get excited about science, a subject he once hated, assures me I’m doing the right thing. I get to see my kids thriving and watch them get excited about learning, that alone is worth it.
Have you considered homeschooling your kids? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!
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