Right off the bat, I need to say that in no way am I ever going to pretend homeschooling is easy -- no more than I'll pretend parenting, running a business while raising small children, and being a disciple of Jesus are easy endeavors. I'm just saying that, for me, homeschooling is a lot easier and much more attractive than the alternatives (which I could also say regarding parenting, running a home-based business, or following Jesus, but that's not the point of this post).
People are forever asking homeschool parents, "How do you do it? Isn't it hard?" They usually add, "I don't think I could ever do that!" Then they proceed to list all of the ways in which they are inadequate to homeschool their children: Perhaps they were not good students, don't think they could be disciplined enough, believe they don't have enough patience, or are scared half to death at the very thought of handling their children's education. Maybe they truly don't have the confidence or desire to homeschool, or maybe they just believe the education system that they have chosen for their children (public or private) is the best. I'm sure a lot of people believe, deep down, that homeschooling does not usually provide a "good enough" education, but most wouldn't say that out loud (at least not to a homeschooler's face . . . especially if that homeschooler's child happened to win the National Spelling Bee, got a full-ride scholarship to the best university in the state, and has surprisingly mature social skills). Overwhelmingly, though, what I hear is that people believe homeschooling is just plain hard -- too hard.
I beg to differ, so much so that while trying to squeeze in a few minutes to get dressed, brush my hair, and throw on a little makeup one morning, I came up with a mental list of my "Top 10 Reasons Homeschooling is Easier." Keep in mind that this is not my "Top 10 Reasons I Love Homeschooling," which I could easily write and may one day. I must also acknowledge that it wouldn't be difficult at all to come up with a "Top 10 Reasons Homeschooling is Harder" list. This is my list, and it's just for fun. So here it goes:
"Homework" means "clean up the mess you made in our home."
#10. When you homeschool, there's no such thing as that dreaded homework. School may start at 8:00 a.m., stop for several breaks or emergencies or interruptions throughout the day, and not get wrapped up until way too close to bedtime (or later), but the term "homework" means nothing to to the home-schooled student. You may say it's ALL homework, but I maintain that's not true because to the student, it's just "school." I pity the parent who sends a child to school for seven hours and then has to spend two or more hours that night helping the child with homework.
Field trip to SciWorks
#9. As a homeschool mom, I get to pick if and when we have field trips. We may join another group, or I may just organize a field trip for my own children, but I don't have to worry about getting dragged along on a boring field trip or wonder if my kids are OK, bored, or learning more than I want them to know at their age while touring the Museum of Natural History. And if you detest planned, organized "field trips," any little nature walk or trip to the park will suffice. The kids love getting out of the house, so to them even a trip to the bank or post office with Mom is a field trip!
Camping on a Wednesday in the middle of May
#8. We get to vacation while everyone else is in school! If we want to go camping, to Disney World, or visit family across the country, we don't have to wait for a break in the school schedule when everyone else in the country is doing that exact thing. We go during the middle of the week in only the optimal weather when we don't have to worry about crowded camp sites, long lines, or getting stuck in an airport all night on Christmas Eve. We can always make up our school work later, do it on the road, or plan ahead to fit our 180 days in whenever works for us.
Lunch boxes are for picnics.
#7. I don't have to pack lunches or worry about nasty cafeteria food. This may seem insignificant, but at 10:30 p.m. or 6:30 a.m. the last thing I want to think about is rushing around to fix nutritional lunches or find lunch money for, um, less-than-optimally-nutritious cafeteria food. (I'm usually making my husband's lunch at one of those times, and that is more than enough scrambling for me.)
He did it!
#6. Homeschool kids set the pace for their learning. I admit that this point could fit into either the "reasons homeschooling is easier" or "reasons homeschooling is harder" category. They may breeze through a section of work that comes easily to them or need twice as much time to learn a concept that just doesn't make sense to them. Fine; that's one of the best things about homeschooling! Just a few days ago my 6-year-old took much longer than necessary to print out the words for three-digit numbers such as 326. After nipping the whining in the bud, I assured him that I was happy to go do laundry, dishes, some work for my business, or play with his brothers for as long as it took, but he was not going to get out of it. The work was painstaking for him, but seeing "three hundred twenty-six" printed out by his own little hand made him proud, and he learned 1) that it wouldn't kill him and 2) that I didn't care how long it took so he'd better make the choice to get it done. Yes, I am a mean mom, aren't I? Not really; I made a game out of it, and a little bit of fun along with letting him know I meant business equaled the perfect ingredients for a recipe for success. Next week it may take a different approach to motivate him to do the things he doesn't feel like doing, but along the way I think he's learning the lost art of self-discipline.
#5. School can start at 9:00 instead of 7:50, and it ends whenever -- sometimes noon, other times 2:00. I just have little ones now, so we never end as late as regular school, which I believe is around 3:00 these days, unless we have an outing in the middle of the day and just take advantage of the flexibility homeschooling affords us. The point isn't the start or end times; it's that we can accomplish so much more in such a smaller amount of time, and it helps that I love having my kids with me all day, even when it's hard and that yellow school bus looks tempting.
The alarm clock is a decorative toy.
#4. My kids don't need to have an alarm clock or mommy wake-up call to get them out of bed, and we don't have to rush around to get ready for school, make it to the bus, or avoid getting stuck at the back of the carpool line. They get as much sleep as they need, and we start school generally around the same time, but if they need some extra rest I can delay school and go with the flow. Life is too short to spend every morning racing, panicking, and barking orders (which may not be what all or even most other moms do, but I know myself and am certain that would define me and my mornings if I had to get up and have so many things ready and done that early).
A trip to the grocery store can double as math practice or even a field trip!
#3. School is always in session. Having trouble with math? Let's get out of the classroom and count sticks in the forest, pay for groceries with cash and make the student add up the groceries as we go and give the correct change to the store clerk when we check out, or compare colors and makes of cars in the parking lot. Hate grammar? We can go outside and practice action verbs, find nouns, and experience the many adjectives and adverbs all around us. Need to memorize a passage? We can do that in the car on the way to a friend's house. You get the idea. We often play games while driving, watching out for letters on signs to make the whole alphabet in order or finding objects that start with each letter of the alphabet, and as my kids grow I'm sure we'll come up with many other ways to take school with us, either reinforcing what we've already learned or finding a more creative way to learn than the traditional lecture-and-textbook method. And since I have more than one child, I get the extra bonus of having the older kids read to and help the younger ones learn, which is always a fun change of pace for everyone.
4-cent notebook
#2. No back-to-school shopping! Of course this is on my mind because I am being careful to avoid places where people buy school supplies this week. It isn't that I don't need supplies, too, but I have the luxury of using up what we have left over from last year and waiting until after public schools start to purchase what I need for the rest of the year. It's an awesome feeling to purchase a 50-cent notebook for 4 cents the week after school starts for everyone else. As I witness the back-to-school shopping frenzy, retail stores' second-most wonderful time of the year, I am satisfied to know that I can wait until the post-chaos clearance commences.
Studying some Swahili -- in pajamas, of course!
#1. And my favorite reason that homeschooling is easier: My kids do school in their pajamas! It almost sounds like a cliche, but this is true at our house. My kids usually get dressed because we all need a few minutes' break from school and that's just the best excuse I can think of for a short recess: "Let's get dressed!" And whether it's 9:30 or we made it all the way to lunchtime before changing out of pajamas, I neither have to set out clothes the night before nor worry about whether the clothes match or meet a certain dress code. Perhaps even better, I am usually in my gym clothes or pajamas until after school is finished for the day, and the kids are so happy for a break to play or watch Wild Kratts on TV that I can take a shower, by myself, without interruptions -- and that is a wonderful thing.
Permit me to close by acknowledging that I understand homeschooling isn't for everyone and isn't even possible for everyone. I made the choice 7 years ago to start a home-based business that allows me to make a great full-time income working about 15 flexible hours per week. Sometimes it means only getting five hours of sleep per night during the week, but it is so worthwhile to me because I get to be the one loving, teaching, and pouring into my kids every day. And that's where I must admit that homeschooling is harder in ways that may be more important than all of the ways in which it is easier. Homeschooling isn't just about ABC's and 1-2-3's; it's about discipleship, and it does take discipline and overcoming my own flesh in more ways than I can count every day. It brings out my true colors, and they aren't pastels. I fight impatience, frustration, agitation, and the desire to tear my hair out on a daily basis, but I'm learning to conquer the things I least like about myself -- things I may not have even realized lurked beneath the surface if homeschooling hadn't brought them bubbling out. For that I am truly thankful.
Every day I am more aware that this is a very spiritual endeavor, both for me and for my children. Every day I see more ways I need to change and also spot specific ways my children are wired and what they need from me and their education. And every day I am increasingly aware that I can do all things through Christ and can't do anyhing worthwhile in and of myself alone. Whether we homeschool or send our kids to a private or public school, as Christian moms that should be our focus. I don't make a habit of examining what sets us apart but rather what unites us, no matter the education choices we make for our children. Ultimately we are in this together, and I appreciate and am thankful for the different decisions we have made because we can learn so much from each other. So if you don't agree that homeschooling is easier, that's OK. It's truly the best choice for our family, and I respect you whether that's the choice you've made for your family or not. If you're a fellow homeschool parent, let's encourage each other on this rewarding journey that is anything but easy. Thank you for reading!