Why Home School?

Occasionally, we are asked why our family has chosen to home educate our children.

• There are many reasons, but the main reason is because we believe that it is God's will for our family. This decision was based on loads of prayer, research, and in talking to friends who have decided to enroll their children in school and also home schooling friends.
•  I do NOT believe that God calls everyone to home school. Each family is unique in their calling.
• We don't home school because we think the school system would fail us, or because teachers aren't good enough. I have always LOVED teachers, and I have even MORE respect for them now.
•  I don't look at it as us verses them. WE are all working toward the same goal...Heaven. It's been a wonderful blessing to be able to work closely with our parish school, St. Pat's. I am so impressed with the AWESOME teachers we have met who dedicate their time, efforts, and make daily sacrifices to give the children of the diocese a solid education.
• We get to practice and learn about our Faith together as a family....I am learning SO much!
• We don't vaccinate our children and that is definitely not very helpful with the current diocesan policy, but that isn't the reason we home school.
• Yes, I would consider enrolling our children, if circumstances changed or I felt the children weren't thriving.
• I do enjoy the relationships my children have with each other, they truly are best friends with each other. Of course, they fight and disagree, but they learn to work it out.
• In a home school setting, the kids enjoy playing with all children, regardless of age/grade.
• We like having control over curriculum content.
• Traveling off season is a definite perk.
• We have learned to work together as a family...not always perfectly, it's a journey.
• I feel that children need unstructured play time...lots of it.
• We feel that home schooling helps maintain our children's innocence and purity.
• In the Catechism, it states that parents are solely responsible for their child's education. Obviously, that doesn't mean we can't send them to school, but it IS our responsibility, no matter which path we travel.
• Although some days, I get totally stressed out and overwhelmed, I wouldn't trade the time I have been able to spend with my kids...for anything...

Lastly, I wish to share a poem that I feel expresses my experience with home schooling.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

...Robert Frost