The motivating factor I have for starting my blog is actually the answering to this question. With my girls still so young, it will take a while for the goal of my blog to really take hold, if it ever does, but the goals of my blog, aside from just writing about life in general, are honestly to write about my girls’ homeschool journey.
Before making the decision to homeschool, I did a lot of research into the subject. I was motivated by several factors. COVID. Mass school shootings. The politics around school subjects. The amount of history, economics, and life skills I learned after I left school that I felt should have been part of my basic schooling, along with the same history that I found out was downright incorrect that I was taught. The amount of people in classes versus the one on one attention needed to truly be successful. Teaching to tests and forgetting the material immediately versus actually learning. Flexibility to be able to to travel whenever we want and do things in the middle of the week without being a slave to a school schedule. Being actively involved in my children’s education. One of the careers I wanted while growing up was being a teacher.
I am hoping that writing a blog about the homeschooling journey my children experience will help destigmatize homeschooling. After all the research I did about the topic, I discovered that children that are homeschooled actually have better social skills, are more likely to get into and succeed in college, as well as succeed in life itself. Homeschoolers have a better sense of independence. But even with the research I did to back me up, whenever I told anyone I was planning to homeschool, I would immediately get hit with they will never have social skills and they will never learn enough. Every opinion was overwhelming negative from everyone. I have had to convince everyone, even my own husband, that this was truly the best option.
I will say, after presenting all my research, my husband was the first one to agree with me. His life is mostly following what he was raised and while he can absolutely think for himself and form his own opinions, he just…doesn’t. If it doesn’t affect him directly, he mostly follows the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” policy. Which is fine. I love to rock the boat. It’s made for some great debates in our house. On this particular issue, he still thinks they should just go to public school, but not in a resistant way, just in a I have never experienced homeschooling so I don’t really know what I’m looking at so I trust your judgement way.
I’ve slowly brought others in my family around. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter, as they are my children, and I make the decisions. But it’s nice not to have to listen to criticism and doubts constantly. But even if I tell others and they say nothing, I still get looks. And that is what I want to get out of this blog. I want parents to be able to say I am homeschooling my children and it is seen as just another option just as normal as anyone who sends their children to public school.
In my research journey I have discovered a lot of people that homeschool. I found an entire community on Facebook in different groups and I have found tons of resources on Amazon and in other areas. Curriculum can change so much. If something isn’t working, it can be changed so fast, with so much existing on the internet. Homeschooling is so flexible. There is no 8 hour day where multiple subjects have to be covered. With one on one education, schooling could be just a couple hours a day. Mental health can actually be focused on. If there is burn out or sick days, schooling can be skipped and picked up when everyone is feeling better. Children have a chance to advance faster in subjects because they do not have to wait for a class of 30 or so to all stay together. Baking cookies can be a lesson. There are so many extra curricular activities that exist and they don’t all have to exist on Saturday. I can find a gymnastics class on a Wednesday morning if I want for them to socialize. They won’t just socialize with kids their own age. When was the last time you spent a day only speaking to people your own age? They will have the opportunity to speak to adults at a grocery store, kids at a sport, the college kids working part time mid week at a restaurant, a retiree spending the morning at the beach on a Monday. Possibilities are endless.
I am not totally naive. I am thoroughly aware that there are the parents that exist that completely neglect their children through homeschool. They make sure they have no socialization. They don’t teach them anything. They stick workbooks or computer programs in front of them for hours every day and then disappear and the child is not actually learning anything. But there are public school kids who cheat on homework and tests. They are no longer allowed to fail kids in school. So they pass with Cs and Ds and get to the next grade and their parents don’t care what is happening with them. So it’s not a homeschool exclusive aspect, this neglect. Neglect happens everywhere, unfortunately. My goal is to demonstrate that all those preconceived notions everyone has about homeschooling are false.
So please, drop all your stereotypes about homeschooling, follow my blog, and learn how my children will be learning and become successful adults in this world. Be patient with me. They’re only 2 and 3 years old. We will eventually get there.
31BellaKei13 
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