Homeschool
A Journey of Learning at Home
Homeschooling is more than just an educational choice—it’s a lifestyle that fosters creativity, connection, and individualized learning. With the flexibility to tailor lessons to a child’s unique needs, homeschooling has become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional schooling for families worldwide.
My Education Experience
While I would like to say this was not the obvious choice for our family, looking back on the path of our life it actually is. My husband and I both have home education experience in our childhood. However, growing up, I heard the world talk about how “unprepared” and “socially awkward” homeschooled children were/are (this topic will have its own post). This made me self-conscious going into college at 16/17 years old. *Yes, due to my homeschooling experience I started college early. And, due to my homeschooling experience I loved learning and being able to achieve new levels of success at my own pace. I did not have to wait to advance, and if I was struggling, I could spend more time mastering a topic or skill set without the stress and anxiety of “time to move on.”
At 21 years old, I had my own classroom teaching in a small private school making literally pennies. My husband and I no children, and I was in grad school. With very limited resources, my stress level was low, and my class thrived. Drawn away by academia and the truest love for learning, I soon finished my master’s degree in educational counseling. The following years were spent working with children and families through a local psychiatric hospital, then emotional and behavioral support classroom, inner city, and then I finally settled down in suburbia. I was well on my way to climb the educational ladder, until I had my own child. And then, my perspective shifted.
Why Choose Homeschooling?
Through this time and in all the different roles held, I constantly saw the downfalls of the system. I came to believe that an engaged parent with the proper resources can do the job very well, perhaps even better. Here are a few of the reasons we choose to be “at home.”
Parents only spending 2-4 hours with their children per day.
I wanted more time with my children. We spend about 2-3 hours a day on schoolwork and then go on adventures. We grow together and truly enjoy each other’s company.
My kids work along slide me to learn life skills like-
– cooking and baking
– shopping/meal planning
– importance of exercising
– basic business skills
– time management for school/activities
– enjoyment of reading/crafting/hobbies
– home projects from small organizing tasks to remodeling a kitchen
Less stress about testing and mastering skills within a set period of time.
All children are on their own path. As a parent and teacher, I can honestly tell you that there is no difference between your children learning to read at 4 or 6. When in a classroom, it’s probably no surprise to you that there is a time-bound curriculum map to follow. If a child is not ready to learn what is being taught on that given week and it is not circulated back to (or it’s circulated back to when they still aren’t ready) and the class moves on- the child is now behind. Being “behind” on just one or two foundational pieces of reading skills during these years can make a huge difference in the rest of their education.
However, some research shows that children tend to even out and catch up to each other around 7/8 years old. As a mother, I had a child start to read naturally on their own at 4 years old, but another child who started reading just prior to 6 years old. We spent most of kindergarten still mastering letters. It took far longer than what the system would say it should take for letter mastery, but that was okay. There was no stress or anxiousness, only fun around reading. And soon after, we were soaring. Every child starts and continues at their own unique pace with their own interests that home education allows for more support.
Even deeper customization.
I love being about to honor my children’s interests, whether that’s with the extra time to explore their extracurricular hobbies, or it’s focusing more time on an academic area.
Flexibility to travel.
Since 2020 one of our family goals was to move toward having the ability to pick up and live/work anywhere. Some years we have done more exploring than others, but the flexibility is there.
Safety
Once I had some very angry adults on the internet tell me that because my children were sheltered from bullying and harassment, they would not be able to function in the real world. Looking at the world now, I see very soft and easily offended people. Many people are very lost and have not found themselves. I’m not sure this argument is valid. Bullying and trauma never created a “whole” experience. It never creates better people. And most kids do not have the proper tools to navigate it. Add in all the other “safety” variables public school systems face, we are happy at home (for now).
The reasons families choose homeschooling are as varied as the families themselves. Some parents want to provide a customized education that aligns with their child’s learning style. Others are seeking a safer environment, more time for family bonding, or the freedom to explore subjects beyond the traditional curriculum. Homeschooling also allows families to integrate values, beliefs, and cultural traditions into the learning process.
