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To reiterate: I am posting merely the reasons that I am choosing to homeschool. They may or may not apply to other people, and at NO time do I ever want to sound preachy that everyone should do this. :-)
Reason #5 is my support network. Of course, no homeschooling Mom can do this without love and support from a Dad. (and vice versa, at least one of my good friends is the stay-at-home homeschooling Dad while the Mom is the breadwinner). But the larger circle of friends and family are not to be discounted. It's hard to maintain you're doing the right thing if you're surrounded by doubters and attitudes of "Oh. I see. You're homeschooling."
So far, I have not met with any of that. I'm surrounded with awesome people that are supportive or at the very least, non-judgmental. Case in point: just today I had to drive a half hour to meet with one of our racing friends, and the conversation turned to Shannon (as conversations with a Mom often do). I mentioned in passing that I would be homeschooling. She got very excited and gave me a high-five. "I am ALL about homeschooling, that's AWESOME! I have a degree in education, and though my life called me in a different direction, I LOVE anyone who'd choose to do that." Ain't my friends great? :) But I'm completely surrounded by that: friends, family, anyone I've mentioned my plans to has unanimously helped me feel it was a good choice. "How can I help?" and "Keep me posted," are the things I've heard over and over. My Mom and my brother especially want to be as involved as they can.
This state, and this region particularly, have a very strong homeschooling presence. Email lists, meetings, co-ops, seminars, you name it, I've joined a few, and will probably dabble in others. In fact, it's nearly TOO prevalent, you could, if you were so inclined, spend more time meeting and talking about homeschooling than actually doing it. :)
Reason #5 is my support network. Of course, no homeschooling Mom can do this without love and support from a Dad. (and vice versa, at least one of my good friends is the stay-at-home homeschooling Dad while the Mom is the breadwinner). But the larger circle of friends and family are not to be discounted. It's hard to maintain you're doing the right thing if you're surrounded by doubters and attitudes of "Oh. I see. You're homeschooling."
So far, I have not met with any of that. I'm surrounded with awesome people that are supportive or at the very least, non-judgmental. Case in point: just today I had to drive a half hour to meet with one of our racing friends, and the conversation turned to Shannon (as conversations with a Mom often do). I mentioned in passing that I would be homeschooling. She got very excited and gave me a high-five. "I am ALL about homeschooling, that's AWESOME! I have a degree in education, and though my life called me in a different direction, I LOVE anyone who'd choose to do that." Ain't my friends great? :) But I'm completely surrounded by that: friends, family, anyone I've mentioned my plans to has unanimously helped me feel it was a good choice. "How can I help?" and "Keep me posted," are the things I've heard over and over. My Mom and my brother especially want to be as involved as they can.
This state, and this region particularly, have a very strong homeschooling presence. Email lists, meetings, co-ops, seminars, you name it, I've joined a few, and will probably dabble in others. In fact, it's nearly TOO prevalent, you could, if you were so inclined, spend more time meeting and talking about homeschooling than actually doing it. :)
Comments
Now for the problems I encounter. I hope these can assist you in planning.
1. Children who never attend organized school frequently operate under less structured conditions and can sometimes find it difficult to adjust to the rigidity of a college classroom. The good news is that most overcome this setback after a single term in college.
2. Children who never attend organized school frequently miss out on physical education. Popular reasons for keeping a child at home typically revolve around quality of learning environment, increased academic performance, and safety. They seldom include fitness. The difficulty of leaping this hurdle depends on the fitness of the child in the teen years, of course.
3. Children who never attend organized school sometimes lack social skills. They display more timidity in a crowded classroom when they know an answer or want clarification. They often feel awkward in trying to form social bonds. Each person has a different tool set that helps to fix this problem.
Keep 'em coming. I like your enthusiasm and know you'll do a great job.