It's almost February and we're also almost done with the current school year we are enrolled in. Homeschooling, definitely has its perks, time freedom especially. I'm happy that I gave in to something I have been wanting for so long. I first learned about homeschooling from the book that I got hooked on in 2004, "Eragon". The author Christopher Paolini was homeschooled all his life and became a best-selling author at 19 years old. At that time, my daughter was 4 years old and enrolled in a fantastic progressive pre-school, and I couldn't imagine the homeschool set-up just yet. Nobody in my circle does it. So, it's just an amusing thought that crosses my mind from time to time; and I really liked the idea of teaching your own kids at the comfort of your home.
My kids are brilliant, they are both gifted in various ways. My daughter is very musically-gifted and blessed with the ability to grasp technology very easily. She always had high grades in both academic and non-academic subjects, so "isolating" her so she could learn better was not the reason I considered homeschooling. My son can build 100-piece puzzles at 2 years old, blessed with agility, and was always commended for his mathematical ability. Both of them excelled in school. They are my pride and joy, so to speak; but is my parenting limited to being proud of their gifts? No. I want to be more than that. I want to be an intentional parent.
Intentional parenting is deliberately planning to be a good parent. It does not happen by chance or by accident. You carefully plan to be directly involved in your children's life. It is not an issue whether I can afford to do it or not. I wanted to be intentional. I desire to be an intentional parent. It's not about me hovering around my children in all their activities, but, it is knowing them from the inside-out, their needs and wants, and to loosen up a bit when needed. As a family, we definitely need to earn a living. We are not financially free yet. I need to work; but, I want to put my priorities in proper order, in a Biblical perspective. After all, I am not here on earth to impress men, but to give glory to God.
So, homeschooling happens in the morning, with all learning activities happening anytime of the day; then, afternoons are reserved for either my fitness regimen or work. The great thing about homeschooling is that I can take my kids with me to my workplace if I need to work from morning until nighttime. Then, we'll study at my workplace, or in the car!
I agree, this is not for everybody. There are various reasons why you can't or won't choose homeschooling and it's fine. To each his own, I believe. I have other reasons why I chose to do this. One reason is that I found out that my daughter was offered illegal drugs twice in school by one of her schoolmates. You see, my daughter was 14 at that time and the one who offered the drugs is of the same age. Another reason is that I want to be ready for opportunities to migrate somewhere as a family. My kids have big dreams, and it's fine by me if they want to chase them. If opportunities overseas become available, we will grab it. Lastly, I really want to make sure to prepare my children for real-life happenings. Life skills are important to survive and thrive.
When he was still in a regular school, my son always went home with tons of homework to do. I always wondered what happens to all the time spent in school. Weren't they supposed to "learn everything" in school and rest their brains when they go home? I have read in one article that only 2 hours are actually spent learning in a school set-up. So, where do all the other hours go? Play? That was it. I decided I won't pay heaps of money to a structured "playground" anymore. The past two years of homeschooling, I took them to a lot of playgrounds and out on field-trips, too!
More than anything, I am ultimately concerned of my children's eternal destination. I pray that they will make the right decisions, to adhere to the Biblical values that we continuously expose them to, and to never depart from it. In the curricula that I use, all subjects are integrated with the best subject of all: God. He is the Center of it all.
It's only been two years and I feel that they've become better learners and better human beings. I am a proud to be their mother and I am a proud homeschool mom!