Guest Post~ How Could Your Child Benefit From Home-Schooling?
Posted By: Missy // Category: guest post, homeschoolAs you all know, I am not homeschooling at this time. However, I am still a very strong supporter of homeschooling and I believe that each family should do what is best for their family, regardless of what the popular opinion is. My friend Anne, over at Homeschooling 911, has been homeschooling her children for over 20 years. Because of that, I asked her to guest post on what some of the benefits are for a child who is being homeschooled. Thank you Anne!
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When parents begin to consider whether or not to home-school their children they understandably have a lot of questions. My website, www.homeschooling911.com, is devoted to helping prospective and current home-schoolers find answers to their questions about home education.
One of those questions might be: what are the long-term benefits of home-schooling? Having home-schooled for over 20 years I may be considered uniquely qualified to answer that question! So here are just some of the many benefits I have found as I have home-schooled my children:
- Imparting my values: Home-schooling has allowed me to ensure that my children are soaking up my values. Children are like sponges and if parents think that they are not being taught values at school, whether in the classroom or in the hallways or on the playground, they are sorely mistaken. And yes, you can spend time after school attempting to undo or un-teach the values which are contrary to your own but I would rather spend my time teaching my values rather than undoing the work of others. To those who would say, “why not expose your children to other people’s values?” I would say simply, “Because they are my kids.” God did not give me these kids in order that I would raise them according to someone else’s standards and frankly, according to the Bible – which is my standard for parenting – God holds me accountable for what I allow my children’s tender hearts to be exposed to. They are not some kind of social experiment, they are MY CHILDREN.
- Family bonding: Home-schooling offers an opportunity quite unlike any other in its ability to forge bonds, not only between parent and child, but also between our children. When children go off and spend the better part of their waking hours for virtually their entire childhood outside of the family unit, it is only natural that the family becomes less and less important. And that is a sad fact of our modern life. On the other hand, when we keep our children at home it gives them the opportunity to be deeply involved in one another’s lives and that is a very happy result of home-schooling. To give just one example from my own life: my youngest child was born when my three other children were 17, 14, and 8. My daughter (my oldest) lived at home while attending college and she and my oldest son are basically my youngest’s second mom and dad. The impact they have had on his life is immeasurable. In addition, they had valuable experience that will help them when they start their own families. The benefits of home-schooling just keep adding up.
- Time: There are lots of ways that home-schooling benefits you and your child in regards to time (as in, if you don’t want to get up at 6 a.m. – then don’t!) But in regards to long-term benefits: home-schooling allows your child to have the time to pursue interests he would not otherwise have time for. It’s not unusual for 16-year old home-schooled students to already own their own businesses. There is simply a lot of time that is wasted in the typical child’s day, whether that is the time spent getting back and forth to school or the time that is spent while teachers deal with disruptive students (not yours of course!) Home-schooling allows for an efficient use of your child’s time, especially as they get older, which then allows them to actually invest their time in activities that interest them and can lead to a variety of opportunities.
- Socialization: Yes I said it! Socialization. The one “silver bullet” that people always think they can derail home-schoolers with. The fact is, there is nothing natural about children spending 13 years (at least) confined in a space (often called a “school”) with people who are exactly the same age as they are! Where else in life do you find this? I rest my case. My children have learned, through being home-schooled, how to interact with anyone from birth to 100. I’m sure they could interact with someone over 100 but they have, as yet, to actually meet someone who has made it to that milestone. But seriously, my 8-year old will talk to anyone…and frankly he loves senior citizens (didn’t want to be politically incorrect by saying “old people”). He makes friends everywhere he goes, regardless of their age. THAT is socialization.
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