My Interview

Sunday, I was interviewed by a college student about my experiences as a Homeschool Mom.  I thought I'd post it today.

Stacy (age 33)

What are some main reasons you chose homeschool over public schools?

I had always wanted to homeschool, but when our oldest son was 5, it just wasn’t feasible at the time. I've always read and researched about homeschooling, and before making the final decision, I came to the conclusion that this was the best decision for our family.  When the opportunity finally presented itself, I went for it and never looked back! My children can learn quicker, if they wish or if I feel they need more time on a specific subject, we can spend more time on it.

There are as many reason to homeschool as there are homeschoolers! Every family has there own reasons. Because school is where our children spend the most of their time (at least while they’re awake) we wanted to be the main influence in our boys lives. I wanted our children to love learning and not “because we have too”.  

And look at this list of “former homeschoolers”...

ARTISTS: 
Leonardo da Vinci 
Claude Monet 
John Singleton Copley 
Andrew Wyeth  
Jamie Wyeth

COMPOSERS: 
Irving Berlin
Anton Bruckner 
Felix Mendelssohn 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Francis Poulenc 

EDUCATORS: 
Frederick Terman (Stanford University President)  
William Samuel Johnson (Columbia University President)
Frank Vandiver (Texas A&M University President) 
John Witherspoon (Princeton University President)

GENERALS: 
Stonewall Jackson 
Robert E. Lee  
Douglas MacArthur 
George Patton  

INVENTORS: 
Alexander Graham Bell
Thomas Edison
Cyrus McCormick 
Wright Brothers: Orville and Wilbur Wright

PRESIDENTS: 
John Quincy Adams 
William Henry Harrison 
Thomas Jefferson 
Abraham Lincoln 
James Madison 
Franklin Delano Roosevelt 
Theodore Roosevelt 
John Tyler 
George Washington 
Woodrow Wilson 

SCIENTISTS: 
George Washington Carver 
Pierre Curie 
Albert Einstein 
Blaise Pascal 
Booker T. Washington 

STATESMEN: 
Konrad Adenauer 
Winston Churchill 
Benjamin Franklin 
Patrick Henry 
William Penn 
Henry Clay 

U.S SUPPREME COURT JUDGES: 
John Jay 
John Marshall 
John Rutledge 

WRITERS: 
Hans Christian Andersen 
Pearl S. Buck 
Agatha Christie 
Charles Dickens 
Bret Harte 
C.S. Lewis 
Sean O'Casey 
George Bernard Shaw 
Mark Twain 
Mercy Warren 
Daniel Webster 
Phillis Wheatley 

OTHERS: 
Ansel Adams (Photographer) 
Clara Barton (Started the Red Cross) 
John Burroughs (Naturalist) 
Andrew Carnegie (Industrialist) 
Charles Chaplin (Actor) 
George Rogers Clark - (Explorer) 
Noel Coward (Playwright) 
John Paul Jones (Father of the American Navy) 
Sandra Day O'Connor 
Tamara McKinney (World Cup Skier) 
John Stuart Mill (Economist) 
Charles Louis Montesquieu (Philosopher) 
Florence Nightingale (Nurse) 
Sally Ride (Astronaut) 
Bill Ridell (Newspaperman) 
George Rogers Clark (Explorer) 
Will Rogers (Humorist) 
Jim Ryan (World Runner) 
Albert Schweitzer (Physician)

How many more reasons do I need? My boys love reading about famous people who were homeschooled!
  
If Thomas Edison was around today, he would probably be diagnosed with ADD. He left public school after only three months because his mind wouldn’t stop wandering. His mom homeschooled him after that, and he credited her with the success of his education: “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had something to live for, someone I must not disappoint.”

After my youngest heard that, he said, “Mommy he had what I have!” You can’t get more encouraging than that!

What are some of the benefits to homeschooling? 

Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility! My husband is a pastor, so our schedule is anything but “normal”. We pretty much stay on a regular schedule, but if travel plans come up, I don’t have to worry that my children are missing out. If I know that the boys need a day or two off, we will work through the days that public schools have off. Oh, and snow days...what are snow days??

Our family has grown closer since we chose to homeschool. My children are not just brothers, but are friends. I love to see them help each other, and they get along!! It’s been a true blessing.

Are there any disadvantages to homeschooling?

Well, when we first started telling people what our plans were, we were met with much hesitation. But, if you really seek out the “truths and myths”, you will learn whether or not homeschool will work for your family. The one on one attention that I can provide is wonderful. I would never tell a family that this is the “only way to go” in providing your child with an excellent education. I have tried both public schools and now homeschool, and this is the one that works for us! 

Of course, it’s not all roses and daises!! There are days that wish I could send them off with their backpacks and pick them up at 3:00! But those are the days that we switch the day around, try something new, or just take a break!  

Oh, and I have to be the “lunch lady”... that’s not always fun! It took me a while to get used to fixing three meals a day for my guys, but now Caleb is a great help in the kitchen!

How did you go about finding the right curriculum?

I’m not sure I have! I have homeschooled the boys for three years and I have used three different curriculum sets! We always cover the basics: Bible, Math, Language/Spelling, History, Science, and Health. The boys play sports, and we are very good members at the local YMCA. Caleb has a guitar lesson once a week. And the of course, church is a staple around here, so we stay busy. 

This year I chose a curriculum set for Caleb (6th grade) and Cameron (4th grade) that I am really pleased with. In homeschooling, it’s all about trial and error. Unfortunately, there no one way to homeschool. There are several popular methods, but you must decide what is best for you and your individual child. What works for Caleb, may not work for Cameron. (And it usually doesn’t!)


Now on to the boys:

What do you like about being homeschooled?

Caleb (age 12)
You don’t have to get up really early, even though my mom still keeps us on a schedule. I like to work at my own pace. That means if I want to go ahead in something I can, and I don’t have to wait for a whole class to move along. My day is not as long, so when I’m finished I can do things that I’m really interested in, like playing my guitar.

Cameron (age 9)
Well, I don’t have to walk to school anymore when it’s cold or rainy outside. When my daddy has off on Tuesdays we get to go on field trips.

What don’t you like about homeschool?

Caleb - I don’t like when the public schools are out for snow days. We still have to work. Even when I’m sick and I would normally stay home, I still have to do my lessons.

Cameron - Sometimes if I start school late, I have to finish school after dinner.

Would you ever like to go back to public school?

Caleb - I’m not really sure. It’s fun being homeschooled. Right now, I don’t have a reason to go to a public school.

Cameron - No, I like homeschool. It makes me love school!