My motivation for homeschooling is many-layered. When I first heard about homeschooling back when dh's boss's wife was doing it with their kids after a bad teacher experience (like, really bad, traumatized her son kind of bad) and my immediate response was the ol' socialization argument. Thought homeschooling was a really bad idea. Then as we had a front-row seat to them homeschooling for several years, I saw more of what it was really about. I realized that as worried as I was about kids learning to "socialize" correctly, I wasn't actually much of a fan of the results of that socialization, so what was the big deal if they missed it?

Fast forward to having Tex for a kid, and you'll see my main motivation! lol This kid is just barely comfortable in his own skin, much less in situations where he has to be one of 20 kids all expected to live up to some relatively arbitrary expectations. I think that if *this kid* went to our (admittedly pretty dang good) public elementary school that in the long run he would either fall through the cracks as he didn't learn some things he was expected to, or come up with unhealthy coping skills in order to function emotionally and be unhappy with himself for much of the time. So the overriding factor, the one that keeps me in the homeschool mindset even when I WANT, desperately, to have 7 hours away from this squeaky wheel of a kid, is that I really think it is what is best for HIM.

The next thing, though, and the stickier wicket when it comes to discussing this with others sometimes, is that I think he has a good chance of getting a better education as a homeschooler. "Better" being subjective, of course. Heck, I was public schooled and I had some fabulous teachers, I mean so good that I still remember lectures they gave 15 years after I graduated! And I am not opposed to my kids entering the public school system at a later date if I think THAT is what is best for them. Since Noodle's turning 5 soon, this is actually my trial year with him to see if he thrives with homeschooling, because I'm not comfortable making the assumption that he will. He may turn out to be a kid who needs to be at school surrounded by 20 classmates and learning with them in order to feel fulfilled, and if we continue to live in areas with good schools then I'll certainly consider public school an option.

But really, these days I think it makes even more sense to homeschool than it did when I was growing up. With all the cuts taking away elective programs like music, drama, art, sports, etc. (depending on the school and its priorities), and so many community resources where you CAN get quality exposure to those subjects, it's just no longer necessary to have your child attend school in order to gain that exposure. A perfectly normal and viable option, yes, but not necessary the way it was 150 years ago when rural children were going to institutional schools in order to better themselves.

Also, with all the emphasis on standardized testing, I don't think kids are really getting what they need in school, which is a THIRST for learning! I feel really horrible for teachers because I imagine that to some extent they have to make the choice whether to teach to the test or to teach in a way that is interesting and engaging but may not be absorbed in the exact same way by each child, therefor resulting in them each spouting different ideas rather than a series of testable facts. I read Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto, a Teacher of the Year or something in NYC, and he said that he spent most of his time trying to get his students to think the SAME, instead of trying to nurture each of their special God-given talents in a way that would bring out the best individuals. He also pointed out the uselessness of having classes of a predetermined length. If a child is absorbed in an art project, so in his groove that he's gaining wonderful experience and feeling joy in his accomplishment, then what on earth is served by him having to stop because in 5 minutes he's going to have to leave to go pay attention in science class while his brain will still be half in art class thinking of what he would have done next? Let him continue the project to an end determined by him according to his own priorities, just as we adults do.

And speaking about adult learning pretty much leads me into Unschooling. In its purest form, Unschooling is basically about having the attitude that "people learn what they need to learn, when they need to learn it". Period. If your child needs to learn to draw, she will; if she needs to learn to read, she will; if she wants to learn to build a robot, she will do that, too. Just like adults choose what skills we want to acquire, children should have some say in what subjects they learn about, and they should not be forced to sit still and learn something for which they have neither interest nor use. Now me, personally, I cannot let loose well enough to get with the Pure Unschooling. I am conscious of the idea that my children may want to go to school one day, and I do not want them to be so far off the pace of their peers so as to be unprepared. I want to make sure that, even if they don't know any of Aesop's Fables (a big part of the 1st Grade curriculum, apparently), that they understand how some stories illustrate life lessons, and that we read folk stories from other cultures like Anansi the Spider that have the same structure. Or we may not sit and study the different cloud formations by rote memorization, but my kids understand how clouds are formed and how weather "works" to some degree, and we look at the radar and listen to the weather radio and sit on the porch and watch the stormclouds roll in. I don't want them to be SO very off the "normal" track, at least at this point in my journey, that they can't get back into a classroom of their peers and have the same building blocks in common. But I very much appreciate that homeschooling gives me the opportunity to influence the information they receive so that it is most suited to THEM, and to sparking their interest in learning more.

Ok, obviously this is a topic I love to talk about, and will do so at length. I realize homeschooling is not appropriate for every family but I have no doubt in my mind that it's right for ours right now, so I'm not threatened by honest questions and will do my best to answer them. Hope you're all still awake!