Detailed Look at the Top Reasons To Homeschool

Enjoy this list of the top reasons to homeschool provided for us by the Shami family:

top reasons to homeschool

1) Parent-Directed Curriculum

A) We will be able to teach Creationism as Truth & evolution as theory.

B) We can incorporate Bible stories & verses into lessons.

C) We can begin each day with prayer.

D) We can monitor sex education, the teaching of alternative lifestyles, & political indoctrination.

E) We can include extra subjects that may not be available in traditional schools.

F) We can incorporate life lessons & practical information that will be used in real life, some through lessons & some just through observation of us doing daily things like balancing the checkbook, clipping coupons & buying groceries, & mailing a package at the post office.

G) We can choose different curricula for different subjects from different companies or create our own.

H) We will be able to change the curricula & try others if they aren’t effective.

I) We can choose our children’s teachers (whether it’s only us or we supplement with other teachers), something parents are unable to do in traditional schools.

J) Our children won’t have to participate in disturbing activities such as dissecting animals.

K) We can homeschool 24/7, taking advantage of all the “teachable moments” along the way.

L) We can include manners & morals in our daily teaching.

M) We can give our gifted child a gifted education all day every day, not just the hour each day or the day each week that the traditional school pulls out the gifted children for their special classes, & we don’t have to wait for school testing to find out if they are both gifted.

2) More Quality Family Time

A) We can schedule family vacations & visits to attractions during off-season times, so we’ll get better prices & shorter lines.

B) We’ll have more meals together as a family, which has been proven to keep children happier & out of trouble more.

C) We’ll get to watch first-hand all the stages & triumphs of our children as they grow.

D) Homeschooling will strengthen our family ties & teach our children the value of a strong family unit.

E) Our children’s time together will strengthen their sibling relationship, so that they’ll have a better chance of remaining close to each other as they grow older.

F) Our children are more likely to have the same friends (because they won’t be segregated by age) and will therefore probably be invited to the same parties and get-togethers, and they’ll be able to take care of each other when playing with friends.

3) Child-Directed Pace

A) Our children won’t risk being held back in all subjects if they are behind in one.

B) Our children won’t be denied the chance to progress in subjects in which they excel, just because the rest of the class isn’t ready to progress.

C) We can make sure they understand the material thoroughly before moving on.

4) Flexible Scheduling

A) We can coordinate our breaks with my husband's breaks.

B) We can plan family vacations without worrying about unexcused absences, missed work, & make-up work.

C) If someone is sick, we can take the day off & make it up another day.

D) We can spread the 180 days out throughout the year with longer breaks and shorter summers for less burn-out.

E) If we are out late one night, we can sleep a little later the next day.

F) We won’t have to arrange our days around drop-off & pick-up times.

Even more top reasons to homeschool:

5) More Effective Time Management

A) Our children won’t waste as much time (traveling to & from school, taking role, lining up, changing classes, waiting for the rest of the class or other classes to use the bathroom, waiting while others are disciplined, waiting until the rest of the class is ready to progress,testing what they already know, etc.).

B) Less wasted time means a shorter school-day, which means less burn-out & more time for playing, resting, reading, music, art, sports, & helping around the house.

C) We can schedule doctor & dentist appointments during times that other children are in school, so we’ll be able to get appointments quicker & we’ll be able to get in & out faster.

D) We won’t be bothered any more with PTA meetings & constant fund-raisers for things we don’t want.

6) Flexible Location

A) If we go on vacation, we can take our work with us.

B) If the weather is nice, we can work outside.

C) If the children are antsy or sleepy or bored, we can add variety by moving to a different location in the house or somewhere else completely.

7) Parent-Directed Discipline

A) We can choose the appropriate discipline for our children, instead of allowing someone else to decide what’s best for them.

B) We can insure that our children’s play time will not be taken away for disciplinary reasons, because we know they need play time every day.

C) Because we are only teaching two children, rather than the 20 – 30 that traditional school teachers teach, instruction will be more individualized & our children will get more one-on-one attention, which should lead to fewer disciplinary problems.

D) We won’t have to worry about extreme punishments, such as in-school suspension, detention, or alternative schools.

E) We can eliminate the self-esteem issues that have come in the past when school discipline is too strict for little boys who can’t sit still that long.

8) More Extracurricular Opportunities

A) A shorter school-day means more time for sports, music, clubs, etc.

B) We won’t have to limit our children to only one extracurricular activity, as other families often do.

C) Flexible scheduling means our children can get music, tutoring, etc., during school hours when there is less demand & shorter waiting lists for time slots.

D) Extracurricular activities can be scheduled earlier in the day to ensure that we can still have family dinners & go to bed at a reasonable time.

9) No Homework

A) Because we will already know what our children have learned, we won’t have to assign homework.

B) We won’t have the nightly “homework battles” our friends describe.

C) Our children will have less exhaustion & burn-out, because they will know when their work-day is over.

D) Homework won’t interfere with extracurricular & other family activities.

E) Our children won’t waste their time (or our time) doing “busy work,” stupid assignments, & costly projects, & we won’t stress over trying to figure out what the teacher really wants.

10) Less Stress - one more of the top reasons to homeschool

top reasons for homeschooling

A) We won’t have homework stress.

B) We won’t have to worry about disciplinary meetings or notes home.

C) We will eliminate the stress (& occasional battles) of getting ready & getting to school on time.

D) We won’t have to wait in a carpool lane.

E) We won’t worry while they are on field trips without us, driven & supervised by strangers.

F) We won’t have to worry about predators lurking around the school (including the one who lives only a few blocks away from the elementary school).

G) We won’t have to worry about whether they will have an accident or get hurt while at school.

H) Our children won’t have to be scared of bullies.

I) Our children won’t have the stress of testing, except every 3 years (or as often as we choose).

J) Our children won’t have to be scared to use the school restroom (as we were in junior high & high school) & won’t have to “hold it” all day.

K) Our children won’t be pressured to sell the PTA’s fundraiser items & won’t be made to feel bad when they don’t.

L) Our children won’t have to suffer the damage done by that one “really bad teacher who hated me.” (We’ve all had one of those!).

11) Less Peer Pressure

A) Our children will experience less peer pressure to participate in activities such as drugs, sex, alcohol, cursing, rebellious clothing & hairstyles, body piercing & tattoos, etc.

B) We will have more influence over who they befriend & where they spend their time.

12) Fewer Safety & Health Concerns

A) We will be with our children almost all the time, so we will be there if they get sick or have an accident, & we (not strangers) will be able to make immediate medical decisions if there is a problem.

B) Because of our constant presence, there will be less chance for a predator to target them.

C) We will drive them to field trips ourselves, instead of allowing them to ride a bus driven by a stranger on a trip supervised by others we may not know.

D) They will have less exposure to the germs that are passed around in classrooms, school restrooms, & cafeterias.

E) They will spend more time in the sunshine.

F) There is less chance that they will be beaten up by bullies.

G) There is less chance that our youngest child, who is allergic to dairy, will have a food allergy issue, because we can monitor most of his meals.

H) We won’t have to leave the house during nasty weather if we don’t want to go out.

I) We can monitor how much time our children spend in front of computers & televisions, both of which are being used more & more frequently in traditional schools.

13) Parent-Directed Socialization Opportunities

A) Our children will not be segregated by age or grade, so they will naturally learn to communicate with all ages & not be limited to communicating with only other children their own age (as so many children today are).

B) We can provide daily opportunities for our children to communicate with adults, so they will be comfortable doing so & will learn how to be polite, respectful, & articulate (qualities which will help them succeed throughout their lives).

Thanks to the Shami family for providing this list of the top reasons to homeschool. Each family will probably have their own list, but I'm sure that many of these items would be on most people's top reasons to homeschool.