| Reasons Why & Testimonies of Homeschooling... |
| "I researched homeschooling for two years before finally deciding to put my oldest son in school. I was young and unsure if I could educate him better at home. A year and a half later and another son in public school I realized I could do a lot better but more than that I realized that homeschooling is what God was leading me to do. It has been 9 years and I have 2 more children at home that never entered the public school." |
| After allowing our daughter to attend a few years of elementary school, my wife and I realized a few things about the public school system and what we believed was important for our daughter to learn. The public school was undermining our Christian values and exposing our daughter to things that even some adults are never exposed to in their lifetime. We wanted our daughter to enjoy being a child, then a teenager, and then an adult. Because of the no child left behind requirement, our daughter was not being challenged enough, and was used to tutor other students. While helping others is something we wanted her to learn, we did not want her to learn this lesson at the expense of furthering her own intelligence. In Proverbs 22:6 it states, “Train up a child in the ways he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” In Ephesians 6:4 it states, “and you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” We decided to homeschool because we wanted to give our daughter a solid education that met her needs, and at the same time give her a strong foundation while learning how to uphold her Christian values in today’s world. |
| My daughter started school in the public school system. Kindergarten and first grade were wonderful experiences for her. I also have two step-daughters who have been through the public school system. The youngest one did great in school, she is the type of learner the flourishes in the school system. My oldest step-daughter however struggled for years. My daughter started having problems in the second grade. She was with two teachers who were team teaching. She cried almost every day of the first semester. When I send a note in her planner requesting a parent teacher conference I got no response. When I left messages I got no response. I had to call the principal to get a parent teacher conference. At the conference I was told that in daughter who was in the second grade had a problem with flirting with boys and her math skills were behind. This child’s math grades the two years before were always high and she was above grade level. Her reading level was also a bit low, but I had been aware of that and we had been working very hard on that. I was concerned about her penmanship and I was told not to worry about it because this is the computer age. I did not feel any more comfortable after the conference and she continued to cry every day. She would tell us that the teachers yelled at them all the time and they were mean. Her father called the school and told them to take her out of that class starting the second semester. The second semester she had a wonderful teacher and did great. Then it was on to the third grade. In the third grade she had to take the FCAT for the first time. At the same time my oldest step daughter was still struggling and was having a hard time with the FCAT at the high school level, she has test anxiety and she freezes on all test not just standardized test. Each time I got a progress report or a report card, the reading level was different. The kids were tested every few weeks on different test for their reading level. One time I would be told she’s doing great she’ll past FCAT and the next it was well she’s still behind she probably won’t pass the FCAT. In the third grade if you don’t pass the reading portion FCAT there is a strong possibility that you will not pass the third grade. I started to research homeschooling in October. I was not going to put another child through what my oldest step daughter has been through. The day before FCAT I got a call from my daughter’s teacher to come get her because she was so stressed out about the FCAT that she was an emotional wreck. I told her teacher that day that I was going to homeschool her the next year and she told me I was doing the right thing. I have never regretted for one moment my decision. My days are very long. I am a single mom and I have to work three jobs. I would not change what I do for my child’s education or what I do for this group. Our children are our future. It is worth all the sacrifices we have to make to give them the best education we can. Really homeschooling has never felt like a sacrifice I love it. It is a pleasure to be able to watch my child learn. |
| Vernon Brite A Homeschooling Dad |
| Deanna Seal A Homeschool Veteran of Ten Years |
| Patricia "Trish" Randall A Homeschooling Veteran and also Supervises Other Children |
| My children have always attended private schools. One evening after Christmas break while eating dinner, my eldest son blurted out...."Mom, Lyndra and I have talked...and we have decided we want you to home school us!" After collecting myself from choking on my food, I simply replied, "I'm gonna have to pray about that!" I've always had a blast with my children and have been very involved in their lives, schooling, and friends, and I wasn't afraid of this challenge. However, I knew our finances at the time and I was looking for a full-time job. The economy was declining rapidly causing a snowball effect on our bills. About a month later, my church started a new series entitled "Raising a G-rated Kid in an X-rated World!" After that service I realized why I have not been getting any call backs and employment doors have not been opening....because God was closing them! From that point, I embarrassed the scripture found in Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way they should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." After agreeing to this commitment to my children and husband, I received three full-time job offers! Isn't that just like Satan throwing bumps in the road to question your decisions and faith. None the less, God still prevails! Since my decision, God placed people in my life that has guided me in the right direction, have given me curriculum and resources to get me started, and He has guided me to this wonderful home school group! My journey has only been three years thus far but in that time, I have learned more about my children including their true strengths and weaknesses. I've learned more about myself including my imperfections. Nobody likes to see or admit they have them, but I, as well as my children, have grown from them. So my advice to anyone out there considering to home school....DO IT! The rewards out number the frustrations or imperfections. |
| Angela Davis The Journey has just begun! |
Why Homeschool?
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Homeschool Challenges
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