So I’ve started, or rather I’ve really already been, homeschooling my oldest son who turned 6 in November. I’ve been doing a lot of research on homeschooling, how to home-school, home-school curriculum, etc…. for about a year or so now, but especially the last few months. 

Lately I’ve been reading about people who were homeschooled when they were kids and what their thoughts were about it. It really irritates me when someone who has a bad experience with something automatically blames homeschooling in general, and then they make it their mission in life to try to make homeschooling out to be evil!  I came across a website the other day that was just that! Oh of course they say that not all homeschoolers are bad, but from reading the things they wrote on thier website, it sure made it look as though homeschooling is an evil thing to do and that it isn’t at all good for children and they even refer to it as a “cult”.  Wow, what an accusation!  

So, I’d like to know, what happened before public schools were around?? People actually taught thier own kids. Mothers actually spent all day with thier children! Now I know that not all moms can do that today, not because they don’t want to spend so much time with thier kids but because they have to work to make a living,, but,, there are many women who can’t stand to be with thier children all day and they choose to work 8 hours a day 5 days a week or more because they don’t want to be home with their kids that much…. I think that is really, really sad.  I can understand having a part time job, but to have the opportunity to spend more time with your kids, teaching them and watching them grow, and not wanting to take that opportunity and to just let someone else raise your child for 8 hours a day,,, I just don’t understand it. I also realize that some may not feel adequate or comfortable homeschooling, and that’s fine, but it also takes alot of work to be involved with your children in public school, too.

It just amazes me how so many think that the government needs to teach our kids or they just won’t learn how  they should and they won’t be “socialized”.  Again, what happened for the thousands of years that there was no public schooling???  Seems that children overall were more mature and respectful 50 years ago and before that, than they are today.  It was only 1918 that all states had past the laws that all children must attend at least elementary school.. Let’s see, that was not even 100 years ago.  Now I believe that public schooling in the earlier days was very beneficial, but public schooling has evolved alot over the years and it is very, very different than what it used to be.

Now I’m not saying that sending your kids to public schools is completely bad,, I grew up in public school, except for 5-7th grade when I went to a private school.(which was very, very good for me) The thing is, though, that parents tend to send thier kids to school and expect the school to teach them everything and keep an eye on them, etc…  But, if you’re going to send your kids off to school, you’ve got to be extremely involved if you want your children to stay out of trouble and do well with thier grades.  Most parents are not that involved.  For me, even in grade school, I learned some things from my peers that I should not have known about at that age, and I didn’t even hang out with a bad crowd.  My husband will say the same thing. It’s amazing what some grade schoolers will talk about at that age.  That is one of the reasons for us wanting to home-school. 

Well, I’ve got to go for now, but this discussion will be continued………