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Today we are lucky to hear from Selena sharing her thoughts about why she is homeschooling her children. If you are interested in writing a post for this series, check out the Guest Post page for more details & a submission form. You do not have to be a blogger to participate.
Passing Along a Homeschooling Legacy
The most valuable reason to homeschool (for me) is to pass on an educational legacy to my children. I’m a homeschooling graduate myself and I’ve seen firsthand how the personal attention and time I received during my schooling has served me well in my family and career. I can think of no better reason to homeschool my children than to give them the same opportunity. When I think of the value of a homeschooling tradition, one advantage stands out to me more than all others:
A homeschooling legacy helps children feel proud of their education.
One of the biggest problems that plagues homeschooled children is the feeling that there’s something strange about their lives. Many kids who aren’t educated in public school feel that they’re misfits who don’t fit in. Comments from family members or friends who don’t support our decision to homeschool can easily make our children feel like they’re missing out on what “normal” kids are doing. Over time, this can cause them to lose interest in their schoolwork, resent our efforts to teach them, and eventually rebel against our decision to educate them at home.
If kids are part of a family that values a homeschooling tradition, though, this feeling rarely affects them. Instead of feeling out of place, they can come to appreciate their unique education and the opportunities it offers. How can we encourage our children to value their homeschooling legacy?
We can do this by helping them understand the advantages of their education. I’m not talking about the fact that they don’t have to sit at a desk for six hours a day or the fact that they probably get unlimited recess. I’m talking about helping our kids truly understand the high quality of their home education. To do this, we have to make learning interesting and meaningful to them by showing them why their lessons matter and how they can use them in their lives.
Why do we homeschool? There are several reasons that factor into our decision, but our overall desire to give our children an educational experience they can value for life is what helps us stick to our choice to be a homeschooling family.
Selena blogs about her family’s homeschooling adventures at Look! We’re Learning! every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You can subscribe by email or follow along with Look! We’re Learning! on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
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