I put this on my babysite but wanted to put it here and see what my great co-bloggers think about it.  Please, tell me what you think.  The good, bad and even the oogly.

I have been seriously researching homeschooling every since Jackson was an infant. Through talking with Jim and his experiences in school and my own experiences, I thought it was a great option to look into. I went into it with a completely open mind. I wasn’t leaning one way or the other - I take that back, I actually was leaning towards NOT homeschooling when I began researching it. I had the same thoughts and objections that I hear many people have.

• Kids need to be socialized.
• Kids can’t just stay at home with Mom and Dad all the time or they won’t learn what the real world is all about.
• They need to learn the playground rules because that is essentially how you learn about life (Don’t say anything unless you are SURE everyone agrees with you. Pick on those smaller and different to deflect people picking on you. etc).
• They need to be around kids their own age.

(I had others but I had to limit them or this post would be entirely too long)

What I’ve found is that these objections and many others don’t stand up to scrutiny. There are many places where children can interact with other children. My problem is going to be limiting them so that I’m not going broke putting gas in the Excursion. There are soccer, gymnastics, boy/girl scouts, library, swimming, church, play dates, the park, music classes, and the list goes on and on. So, that one was debunked strait away.

Plus, what I don’t get is when people say kids need to go to school to be socialized but then in the next breath talk about how the public school system is in need of money and the teachers are stretched too thin. That there has been a noticeable increase in the violence in schools. That oral sex parties are a “common” thing even among middle school aged kids because they don’t think it’s technically “sex” (thank you Bill Clinton). So, which is it? Is it the quintessential place for learning about interacting with people (so important that without it the child is withdrawn) or is it a place where children are hurt and corrupted?  It just gets me when people say, “Kids should be in school.”  like every child that comes out of a “government” school is just so great, well adjusted and successful.  Our government school system is failing us.  Period.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think its possible or healthy for a parent to try to shield their child from all the sins of the world. It’s impossible. I just want a little bit more control over when my children learn certain things and how they see and value themselves. Then, once they are older, they will have the foundations in place to keep them from falling into the wrong crowd. That’s my prayer anyway!

The argument about the playground rules broke down before I even began to look at it. I want my children to be brave. Go against the grain. Think outside the boxes of society. If you have an idea go for it. I also want them to be considerate of other peoples feelings. I know that not every child in school gets picked on but most do at some point or another. Is it because all the children picking on other kids are bad kids? Of course not. They do it so that no one is noticing the things they themselves feel self continuous about. A get-them-before-they- can-get-me” attitude. That’s something I very much want to make sure my kids do not develop. If I can prepare them and give them the confidence they need, when they go out in the world and are tore down (as they will be-it is a fact of life) they can dust themselves off and go on. As a child, it is much harder to do that. You think if everyone is picking on you there must be something wrong with you. You internalize that and for the rest of your life you carry that with you.

Also, I thought kids needed to be around kids their own age. After thinking about it I had to ask myself, “Why?” When you get out in the real world (college, careers, even the grocery store) you are surrounded by people of all ages, races, sexes, and beliefs. I personally find that I “mesh” better with those older than myself. Just how I am. But, I did not learn that until much later in my life because I WAS with people my own age. How great it will be for me to be able to get the kids to socialize and learn how to interact with people who are older, younger, and different from themselves. What a great tool that will be for succeeding in life.

Something else that made me decide to home school was thinking about how much of a crap shoot it is for kids at school…how totally random it all is. Alex and Jackson could be placed in wonderful classrooms where the teacher genuinely cares about the children’s education and wellbeing. One in which the environment is welcoming, safe and fun. Or, they could be placed with a teacher who has realized too late that she has chosen the wrong profession and hates every minute of it. But, she continues because she needs to make a living. Saying hurtful things to the children that will forever scar them and write on the slate of who they are in a negative way (something I personally experienced).

Then there are the classmates. What if there is a child or children in the classroom that are so disruptive that teacher (even if she wants to) can’t really do her job and focus on the rest of the children. It’s not like these examples are few and far between. Talk to anyone who went to school and you will hear examples of this. I know several teachers who have used the phrase “damage control” repeatedly in a description as to how their days go. 

What really sealed the deal for me was thinking of the freedom we would have. I know some Mom’s who think I’m crazy for looking at having my kids with me 24/7 as freedom but stay with me on this one. We can vacation on the “off seasons” when everyone else is in school. Less crowds + less expensive = more fun for us! We can travel and actually SEE the things we are learning about. If we are learning about the democratic system that is our government we could take a trip to our state capitol and tour the State House. Or even go to Washington, D.C. and see a session of Congress! I will be learning right along side of them. My family gets to experience this wonderful country together. If Alex gets extremely intrigued with The Titanic, for instance, we can take a trip to Branson, MO to the worlds largest Titanic museum. She can use that for a reference point for other things when I’m teaching history. Instead of using BC or AD we can use BT and AT (Before and After Titanic LOL). I am free to do whatever I see fit for my children as individuals to help them learn.

I want to infuse learning into everything around us. Learning is not something that just happens between the walls of a school between the hours of 8am and 3pm. I want them to look at there entire world as a “school.” I want them to see every thing around them with the idea of “what can I learn from this?” Jim will be great at helping them develop this skill. He does that all the time. I’ve learned so much by being married to him. He is constantly pointing out things I would have otherwise missed out on.

I know homeschooling is not for everyone. I know there are children who go to “regular” school who do just fine and get a great education. There are parents who do not possess the patience to home school. Or they have full time jobs. Or the parents’ personalities completely clashes with the child. These and many others are perfectly good reasons for sending your child to school. I just think, for me, my kids, and my family homeschooling is a perfect fit.