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Deborah's story

Why Do You Homeschool? Additional Reasons

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Over the last several weeks we’ve shared with you some of the reasons Deborah chose to homeschool her kids. As we wrap up this blog series, consider these additional factors that prompted her decision.

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  • Eliminating negative peer pressure—Although you might think that homeschooling would limit your child’s interaction with other kids his age, in actuality, it limits the amount of negative peer pressure your child receives. Homeschooling has changed drastically in just the last decade, and there are so many opportunities now for parents of homeschool kids to be selective about the kinds of social interaction their children participate in—cutting down on the bullying and the peer pressure to make poor choices.
  • Interacting with people of all ages—Another boon of homeschool education is that, not only do you get to tailor your child’s interaction with other children their age, but you can also choose to expose them to various age groups as well. Bring them along with you when you meet with other adults. Each generation has its own stories and wisdom to share, and the ability to converse with people outside of one’s age group is quickly becoming a lost art that needs to be revived.
  • Teaching a good work ethic and practical life skills—This goes along with other areas already covered in this blog series. When you can supervise what your child is learning and you have the extra time to spend together as a family, you can teach your child that “whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23)—not just the what but also the why.

There are so many other good reasons why homeschooling is a terrific option! Deborah definitely doesn’t regret it, and many other homeschool parents are thankful that they chose this path for their family.

What reason for homeschooling would you add to this list? Please let us know in a comment below—we want to hear from you!

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A Creative Writing graduate of Bob Jones University, Hannah worked for BJU Press for almost nine years as a writer and proofreader. Currently a coffee barista and freelance writer, she also tutors one student in French. While Hannah herself was not homeschooled, her experience in tutoring and teaching violin have shown her how beneficial one-on-one education can be. She hopes to homeschool her own kids someday.

Why Do You Homeschool? Spending Time with Family

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Over the last few weeks, we have introduced you to Deborah, a homeschool mom of four, and have explored with you some of her reasons for homeschooling her children.

What’s another important reason Deborah chose to homeschool? Spending time with family.

This reason became especially apparent to her through one subject in particular. She says, “Our favorite subject was (and still is) reading. All of us are avid readers to this day over twenty years later.” Being able to read together as a family brought them together and encouraged a passion for the written word in each of them.

When you have that extra time to spend with your family, you also gain the opportunity to be there for all of those special little moments in the lives of your children. You can be there as they read their first book all by themselves. When they have questions or concerns, they can come to you, your spouse, and their siblings. You’ll probably notice your children working together as a team. I’m sure you’ve witnessed already that the younger ones are always watching and learning from the older ones.

Extended family time benefited Deborah’s family, but their homeschool journey took another turn. As Deborah puts it, “The need [for me] to work reared its head, but the Lord showed Himself faithful. I had not worked outside the home in twenty-two years, and He gave me a temp job to assist the homeschool consultant at BJU Press. That later turned into a full-time job in customer service helping other homeschool moms—icing on the cake as far as I was concerned.”

She went on, “There was no Distance Learning back then. If there had been, I might have considered ‘part-time homeschooling’ as the kids got older. [But instead] all the kids went to a Christian school that used BJU Press curriculum—no adjustments needed.”

If you’re considering homeschooling, Deborah hopes these reasons will help you in the decision-making process. And remember, you’re not alone. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or stories of your own. Experienced homeschool moms like Deborah are just a phone call away.

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A Creative Writing graduate of Bob Jones University, Hannah worked for BJU Press for almost nine years as a writer and proofreader. Currently a coffee barista and freelance writer, she also tutors one student in French. While Hannah herself was not homeschooled, her experience in tutoring and teaching violin have shown her how beneficial one-on-one education can be. She hopes to homeschool her own kids someday.

Why Do You Homeschool? Making Time for Journaling

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We’re now on the fourth post in our series titled “Why Do You Homeschool?” We’ve been talking with Deborah, a mom who homeschooled four children, about some of the advantages of homeschooling.

Deborah mentioned what a blessing it was that homeschooling allowed her family time to journal regularly, so I asked her to tell us more about that. Here’s what she said:

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“Journaling is such a wonderful tool if used properly. It teaches a number of skills that are needed in any child’s education—from handwriting, spelling, and punctuation to thoughtful creative skills.

“Because we were fairly structured in our homeschooling, journaling was simply part of our ‘school day’ once a week.

“This all got started because of the journal entry section in the BJU Press spelling curriculum. The purpose was to have the child use some of the spelling words in the suggested topic. These entries were never graded, but I would always answer their journals briefly, using any words that they might have misspelled. It was never meant to critique their writing or thought processes.

“The journal entry does not have to be more than a couple of sentences sometimes. I required at least five sentences from my kids while in school. If the suggested topic (in the spelling text) did not seem to fit, I chose the question/topic. On occasion the kids would suggest something to write about. Some topics were simply fun ones; others were more serious in nature. Because it was accepted simply as part of the lesson and was not a long assignment, there was never an argument from any of them when it came time to write.

“The kids loved reading journals from years past. Often it generated laughter and discussion of family trips, events, and situations. It gave great opportunity to talk about God’s active presence in our lives individually and as a family. Many truths were fleshed out over time as the family bonded.

“Of course, the most vivid memory for them is sharing favorite times with their dad—our hikes and camping trips, his jokes and all the fun times he brought to our home. Often we talked about the topic, and the older kids would share something their youngest sibling did not remember about her dad. It brought healing to our broken hearts and cemented precious memories.

“Today my kids are better than I am when it comes to journaling because they were taught from the get-go how important it is to put your thoughts into writing and to do so clearly. They learned that discipline early on. I can’t emphasize enough how life-changing this practice can be if nurtured. The memories chronicled, the joys and heartaches revealed, and the lessons from the Lord written down to revisit years later are all invaluable.”

Has homeschooling made a blessing like this possible for your family? Let us know in the comments below!

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Why Do You Homeschool? Customizing to Fit Your Child

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Why do you homeschool? Part 2Why should you homeschool your child? At the beginning of this blog series, you met Deborah, a homeschool mom of four. Through these posts, we’ve been exploring the five reasons she had for taking charge of her kids’ education. This week we’ll look at her second reason: customizing to fit your child.

Every child learns differently. The learning method that works for one student may not work for another. If you have children, you probably know this. One child might sit and complete his schoolwork without having to be asked twice, while another might be constantly distracted.

As a parent, you know your child’s learning needs better than anyone. You know his favorite subjects, which ones he struggles with, and what teaching style he responds to the best. That’s where homeschooling comes in. Suddenly, there are no longer the fifty- to sixty-minute daily time-slots that bind you to a particular subject.

Deborah sums it up this way: “Homeschooling made more in-depth studies of certain areas much easier.” You have the power to customize the learning to support your child’s strengths and coach him through his weaknesses. If he’s a Civil War buff, spend a little more time on the Civil War. If he wants to take on more subjects, empower him to do that.

Likewise, if he’s having trouble grasping the fundamentals of a subject, you can hone in on problem spots before moving on to more challenging concepts. One of Deborah’s favorite parts of homeschooling was seeing the “light come on” in her kids’ eyes when they finally understood a concept they had struggled with.

Deborah also notes that homeschooling “stretches the parents as well to grow, mature, and be more disciplined.” Even if you’re not a teacher by trade, there are worlds of resources available to you today. You can easily get teaching tips, diagrams, and activities to help you in your quest to enhance your child’s learning.

What are your thoughts on or experiences with homeschooling? Let us know!

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A Creative Writing graduate of Bob Jones University, Hannah worked for BJU Press for almost nine years as a writer and proofreader. Currently a coffee barista and freelance writer, she also tutors one student in French. While Hannah herself was not homeschooled, her experience in tutoring and teaching violin have shown her how beneficial one-on-one education can be. She hopes to homeschool her own kids someday.

Why Do You Homeschool? Teaching from the Heart

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Why do you homeschool? Part 1Last week we introduced you to homeschool mom Deborah and told you that in the coming weeks we would be revealing her top five reasons to homeschool. Today, let’s take a look at the first of those reasons—teaching from the heart.

Think back to when you were a student, however close or far away that might seem. If I asked you to give me the name of a teacher who really taught from the heart, could you do it?

What are some qualities that teacher possessed? Did he really make learning “come alive”? Did she inspire you to be what you are today? Did he encourage you to follow God? No matter what your reasons are, I think we could probably all agree on one thing in particular: that teacher cared.

As a parent, you know more about your children than any other teacher could. Not only do you care about their education, but you also care about their hearts, their futures, and their walk with the Lord. In Deborah’s words, “The ability to guide a child’s heart is precious. I looked at homeschooling not just as a time of learning academics but a time of teaching life skills and strong character traits based on biblical truths.”

It’s no secret that secular ideas have pushed the Bible out of many schools. As a result, spirituality is no longer a goal worth striving for; morality will do. In some cases, “what is best for me” is even substituted for what’s moral. As a parent, you want your kids to do the right thing, but more than that, you want them to do it for the right reasons. All parents hope their children will become productive members of society, but as Christians, that’s not enough. We should pray for them and guide them to become champions for God’s kingdom.

Homeschooling your children allows you to address issues of the heart on your own terms. There’s no competition between what you teach at home and what’s taught in the classroom since they are one and the same.

As a parent, you are the ultimate caring teacher.

What are your reasons for homeschooling? We would love to hear from you!

Read more of Deborah’s motivations for homeschooling.

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A Creative Writing graduate of Bob Jones University, Hannah worked for BJU Press for almost nine years as a writer and proofreader. Currently a coffee barista and freelance writer, she also tutors one student in French. While Hannah herself was not homeschooled, her experience in tutoring and teaching violin have shown her how beneficial one-on-one education can be. She hopes to homeschool her own kids someday.