September 13 – What do you think about our current educational system?
We Homeschool
I guess that sums it up well? Maybe not. I think that the public school system is doing what it was intended to do when it was created in this country, to make a malleable workforce that will not strike and will do as told. Our country is not growing in any helpful work force for the planet. Walmart and retail work is going up and yet we have the most lawyers per person in our country than any other on the planet. We also have the highest percentage of people in our prison system. Can you see the issue? There are too many.
Not everything can be blamed on the school system of course, there are some great ones. There are some amazing private schools as well. Alternative schools are growing and my family would consider some of them if we lived closer and could afford it. They tend to be very very costly, specially for multiple children.
I believe that a cookie cutter education is failing our children, too many are out of work, too many are in jail, too make drop out. We have failed them though our society wants us to simply blame them, forget them, and look up to authority to tell us what to believe next. Your free to disagree of course. Do you know of anyone who you think the system failed?
Why we Homeschool
While homeschooling is something many who follow crunchy parenting do, for us it is very practical. We are a military family that has moved more times in 14 years than I have fingers. Can you picture what that would do to a child’s education? Homeschooling provides a stability for our children that public school would not be able to provide. While Daddy might go away for a long time (15 months in one case) Mommy is here for them all the time. I bring the stability for our home. My job is to empower our children to learn, follow their interests, focus on being good people and building character, and having fun.
I do not want them to be sheeple! While we try to instill hard work and self discipline we also want the children to follow their hearts and passions. Sometimes that means playing video games with one till the wee hours of the morning or reading yet another penguin book, or going on monster checks. They have friends and freedoms that many children don’t.
I think the very basic reason we homeschool though is that both my husband and I love to learn and we love our kids and spending time with them. Life is short and we want to enjoy as much of us as we can together when ever possible. I think we are naturally attached parents.
You have some of the best reasons for homeschooling that I have seen!!
Homeschooling seems better and better to me after hearing last week our local high school had almost 20% non graduates last year. It sounds like it works great for your family!
I wish I could homeschool! I don’t think I have enough patience to home school. I have been looking into it.
NO SHEEPLE 😉
those really are great reasons…love this post =]
Your reasons are valid and it seems to be working for you all- that’s awesome! 🙂
Thank you all for your comments! Amy I agree, parents should be #1 but as you mentioned, many parents work. Given two parents working, homework, sports and music lessons, Dinner, I have read that many families get less than an hour a day together. Our 2 income society with all the added pushes on children has taken a lot away from parents in my opinion and many have no choice in the matter. I know my husband grew up with a single mom who worked nights, he saw her maybe two evenings a week and two mornings a week when they had to do chores and shopping. He hardly saw her sadly.
I also am a believer that PARENTS are the #1 influence on children, And that education does not end, at the end of the school day. Parents should spend more time teaching kids values, and the fact that they NEED to work for a $1…too many fail to do this-As a former teacher and parent I see both sides..I could go on and on too!!