Why I Chose to Homeschool

Why I Chose to Homeschool

         In 2004, my family made to move to Texas, and we were faced with a serious dilemma. My son, Abe, had just finished his preschool, and was scheduled to start kindergarten. The problem was, here in Texas, he was too young because his birthday is at the end of September. He was so upset because he wanted to go to school.

        A few weeks later, I found the answer. We were at the public library, and the homeschool coalition was giving a presentation. I never even thought of homeschooling. My father was a math teacher, and he believed homeschooling should be illegal. My husband and I really did not believe we would homeschool our son, but we decided to watch the presentation.

        The presenter explained what it took to start homeschooling, where we could purchase books and resources, and what lessons were required. She also explained that homeschool students were doing as well, if not better on Standardized tests, and that the coalition offered band, drama, sports teams, and  co-op classes. We were really impressed with the presentation, and started thinking about homeschooling Abe.

         When we got home, my husband went online to verify the statistics that were presented to us, while I went online to research kindergarten curriculum. My husband found that the statistics were correct, and I found a highly recommended curriculum for my son. I went to the coalition, and took their course on the rules and regulations for homeschooling in Texas. We decided to start him off with homeschooling, and then putting him in public school when he was old enough. We thought this would be for the best, so we implemented it.

           Over the course of one year, Abe completed the curriculum for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. He was thriving with homeschooling. That summer, we enrolled Abe in summer camp, however, he only manage to attend for about a week. That was when he had his first panic attack. He started seeing a therapist, and was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and crowd phobia. This made us rethink sending him to public school. We decided to continue homeschooling. Here we are, ten years later, and one year from graduation. I think choosing to homeschool Abe was the smartest decision I've made.

         The technology that I had access to at the time, was essential to my choice to try homeschooling. We used it to find the statistics and curriculum. I wish I had the technology that is available now, back then. There are so many new technological advancement in curriculum and grading that would have been extremely useful.  

Reference:

COLLEGEATHOME.COM (N.D.). Some Fascinating Facts about Homeschool vs Public School Homeschool World Retrieve at: http://www.home-school.com/news/homeschool-vs-public-school.php

Whyihomeschool (2011). Why I Homeschool? Sir Ken Robinson - multiple intelligences.  Retrieve at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RumyGvl-vk