There are good things with home school and good things with public school, so every family needs to weigh priorities and what they want for themselves. These are some of the reasons I chose to home school.
1- Time. Kids grow so fast, but time is needed to establish relationships and teach values. When going to public school, we rushed in the morning to get there on time and then in the afternoon we hurried from one activity to the next (at least I did as chauffeur). Our most precious time became bedtime when we could talk a few minutes about the day, even though exhausted. Limited time created limited conversations. When home schooling, we have the entire day. We do not need to rush to be on time very often, we can include lessons to discuss values, and the children are relaxed to have a conversation almost any time of the day. We still enjoy a bedtime chat, but it is not our only time together. Because of this extended time together, we really get to know one another and gain a strong relationship instead of slowly drifting a part.
2-Self-esteem. Twice now in the public school setting, two different grades and two different schools, we have dealt with damaging self-esteem situations. Degrading critiques from teachers, bullying situations from other kids, and harmful analysis tests are some of the harsh confidence smashers we have encountered at the public school. When children are told "this is your level," they start to believe it. At home, we tell them the truth. There is no "level." They can achieve anything they want through determination, study, and practice. What a child believes is the biggest obstacle to success.
3-Learning. Statistically, home schoolers usually score higher than the average public schooler. Not all do and some score below the average. The difference is that home school is not trying to fit a child into a certain mold matching everyone else. The child is allowed to be an individual and to develop as an individual. There is no yardstick selecting children for labels, such as: invention, IEP, special ed, gifted, straight A, trouble maker. These labels are simply based on how well the child fits into the mold the school desires for them and not on real learning. At home the child can often choose a subject of personal interest, which increases the self-motivation, and learn at their own pace. No one tells them to do more busy work waiting for the rest of the class to catch up. No one tells them to find additional help because the class is waiting for them to understand. They learn step-by-step and usually master it as they go.
4-Fun. Learning is fun. Going on field trips, doing experiments, reading stories together, and having deep discussions about things of value are just a few of the fun involved with home schooling. When they went to public school, I tried to find "fun" having my own time while they were gone. This seldom happened as I usually felt rushed to get things done before school ended. I also spent a lot of time just driving back and forth to the school. Not fun. The children did have fun at recess, but public school is seldom associated with fun. There are the rules, the have-to's, and the constant order that must be maintained. At home, learning includes some have-to's, but there is a lot more flexibility to include the fun as well .... and Mom can join in it too.
5-Flexibility. Public school determines your entire calendar for the year. They also give you homework to fill your afternoon or evening. Your days are not your own. Home schooling changes all of that. We can have "school" when doing chores, at a picnic lunch, or during a guided tour at a museum in the evening. We don't have a bell schedule to worry about like a public school or a time frame to keep to. During interviews with teachers at the public school, they admitted to running out of time. The kindergarten teacher said she has to usually choose whether to teach math or reading, because there isn't enough time to teach both. She said out of the 2.5 hours of school time, there is only about a half hour of real teaching time. The rest is given to administration have to's like computer time, calendar, and recess. At home, the only administration and calendar creator is the parents.
