To begin, there are many reasons people in the US choose to home school, and the right to do so is protected by the US Constitution under (1) freedom of speech, (2) the freedom of religion, and (3) the right to privacy as well as by the Ninth and Tenth Articles of the Bill of Rights. Now, that being said, they do still have some oversight in creating laws and guidelines by which those homeschooling must abide.
So that we are all on the same page, I was raised in public school; I never once
considered homeschooling my children :) Never.
Here's how it all started....
Before I became pregnant, a friend of mine had enrolled her children at a local private Waldorf school. I had never heard of "Waldorf Education". As I started to inquire and learn about the Waldorf Philosophy of educating children in a well rounded manner (head, heart and hands) as well the fact that academics are delayed until age 7 when children are more developmentally ready to learn, understand and apply that knowledge, I was intrigued. Public schools in the US begin kindergarten as early as age 5 and pre-Kindie as early 4 and you can enroll your children in a preschool at age 3. And that's not just for a nursery play based time away from mom and dad, it's introduction of letters, numbers, math, language, etc. For a child attending a Waldorf school there is more a focus on nature, nurture, play, story telling, handwork etc. Around the same time I was diving into learning more about early education was around the same time new studies were coming out showing how delayed academics would actually IMPROVE a child's success in life and school.
A couple years pass....
When my oldest son was 2 we attended a mommy and me Waldorf toddler program just to get an idea of what it was like. It was beautiful! I imagined it was like being in a home before phone, TV and technology had taken over lives. There were handmade toys, lots of story and imaginative play and a shared meal. I remember coming home from our first class and declaring that we HAD to enroll our children in a private Waldorf school. My husband smiled and nodded. But when I started looking at cost and location, reality set in. The closest one to us is 30-35 miles away and it wasn't cheap. I would have to pack up the baby for drop off and pick up, adding nearly an hour + of commuting time to our lives. And the cost. Well, honestly on one income, it isn't affordable, or at least wasn't for us. There are scholarships and financial aide you can apply for to help share the cost but the commute was an issue we couldn't overcome.
I was disappointed that we couldn't choose what I thought to be a great environment to learn for my kids. It was after I starting staying home when my daughter was born that my Aunt suggested I could consider homeschooling. This led to me to a ton of research. The first was rather or not I could implement a Waldorf style of education at home and if there was such a thing. Good news was, I could. There are many home school curriculum's for a fraction of the cost of private school that would grant me access to age appropriate learning, provide lesson plans, guides, teacher assistance, etc. Second I started looking at the statistics of public school in the US. Before I continue here, I want to make sure I don’t discount the amazing work our teachers do, for really little to nothing. Our teachers make great sacrifices to do the very best they can. Many schools, and teachers and administrators work tirelessly their entire lives to enrich the lives of our children. My opinions on public school and my personal desire to home school are not in any way to diminish their hard work and sacrifices.
With all that being said, there are some stark statistics; In 2015 the US was rated 14th in the world in education, behind Russia. the latest finding from the Pew Research Center states the US now in 38th place. in Math, and 27th in Science. Shocking. As proud as the US can be, I thought surely we should be leading the world in education. But the reality is that the research shows otherwise. And yet we spend more on education then other leading nation. The fact that standardized testing in the US is now the main focus of what students work toward, where, music, physical education, art, languages are first to be removed so students can focus on "the important stuff". In my opinion the US is missing the mark in educating it's children well and to their full potential. Clearly, I am not a teacher in the official sense, I didn't go to college to learn to teach, but my desire to see my children succeed is greater then any government run institution. And my goal to have them be more then a number on a test is greater still.
In many ways I want my children to learn by living life. There is math, and science, reading and language in EVERYTHING they do. They are learning how to do math by learning how many quarters it takes to buy that Lego set they want and what it takes to earn those quarters, and what it costs to replace the toy they broke that didn't belong to them. They learn how to divide by sharing the last muffin when there are three of them and 1 muffin :) They are learning practical skills like baking and cooking but also learning fractions and measurement as we explain 3/4 of a cup, 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon. They are learning when to plant a garden, how many seeds to plant, how much space it takes up and when to harvest. About what needs to go into the soil to get strong healthy plants. How to prune the raspberries so we get the most out of the plants next year. They are learning why we care for the bugs and insects in our backyard, why some are helpful and some are pests. They are learning what plants they shouldn't touch, and which flowers smell the best and which ones cause them to sneeze ;) Of course there are some things we have to sit and teach. Letter form and penmanship for one. These have been struggles since day one. Two years ago, I did a focused block on math and I got the awesome task of teaching him about addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. I was there to see my little guy put the pieces together and learn the math functions. It is an awesome thing to see your kids learn and to know you had a hand in it. Granted, it isn't always roses. Homeschooling can be rough. There is a ton of planning, plenty of frustration, and times when both of us just need a break. But in that we learn too, how to negotiate, how to learn better communication when we've had enough or need something more. And when to just walk away and come back to it.
I think it's important to at least touch on the fact that in the last 10 years the US has had over 180 school shootings. 180. That averages out to 1 every 8 days. Every week a shooting occurs in our country leaving parents childless, and families traumatized. Some may say I worry to much, and maybe I do. I certainly believe that God is in everything, that these are things I cannot control, but I can control putting my children in THAT situation. As far as I can tell our government has not "solved" or even found a way to "reduce" this problem. So while this is not the leading reason, it's only fair to say it does enter in as one of the reasons I seriously considered homeschooling.
And last but not least, I like having my children home. I like being with them. Like all parents, I get tired, I get burnt out, I feel like I need a vacation, but in general I like having them close. I like knowing what they are learning, reading, what challenges they are having with friends, what weaknesses we need to work on. Call it control, call it co-dependence (I sometimes do, LOL). But I understand that these moments with them are precious, and I don't want to loose out on a single one.
Some will say this is a luxury to home school, and I agree. For us, it's the right choice, and for now it's a choice that works.
~Kristie
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