Homeschooling: What We Wish You Knew (Part 2)

By now, you may be thinking, "Amiee, that sounds great! But, one question....is homeschooling legal?"

Yes, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. We wish you knew that we are NOT doing something illegal by teaching our kids at home. Since education is not regulated by the national government, each individual state has their own set of laws that homeschoolers must follow. If you would like to see exactly what those laws are, you can go here, and click on your state, for a detailed explanation of what is required to educate your children at home. While you are there, take a look around the site. There is a lot of helpful information about homeschooling.

We wish you knew that our kids are not being homeschooled because they are "trouble makers". There seems to be a misconception that homeschoolers are not attending public school because they have been expelled. Or, that they don't get along well with other children, and therefore, are not welcome there. That is wrong! Most homeschool children I know are polite, and relatively well-behaved. After all....they ARE kids. Just because they are homeschooled does not make them perfect little angels.

I can't think of even one of my homeschool friends whose child has been expelled from public school, and they are being forced to homeschool them, because they didn't have any other option.

We homeschool because we WANT to, not because we HAVE to. Most of us enjoy homeschooling our children. We enjoy having them at home and learning along with them. There is nothing quite like seeing your child read for the first time, and knowing that YOU are the one who taught them how to. Or, seeing your child finally understand a concept that they have been struggling to learn. We have a front row seat in our children's education. You can't put a price on that!

We wish you knew that we are not all homeschooling for the same reasons. If you were to ask me why I homeschool, my answer might be different than if you were to ask your neighbor who homeschools. We all do have one thing in common though. We feel that our children can be best educated at home. For whatever reason.

What are a few reasons that you might choose to homeschool your children? Here are just a few:

*Religious reasons

*Moral reasons

*Being able to tailor your child's education to their learning style (more on that later)

*Freedom to set up your school schedule so it is more convenient for your family's situation (go here for more info)

*Ability to travel

*You don't feel like your child's needs are being met by the public school system

*You want more "say" over what your child is learning

These are just a few reasons that I could think of. There are many more.

We wish you knew that even though most of us do not possess teaching degrees, some of us do. If we don't have a teaching degree, we may have some other kind of degree. Some of us even have Master's degrees!

But, it is NOT a requirement to have a teaching degree, or any other degree, to teach your children. Just because you did not go to college, does not mean that you are not qualified to teach your children! You know your children better than anyone else. Who else could be more qualified?

We are not all stay-at-home Moms either. Some of us work another job, AND educate our children at the same time. It can be done. Sometimes, it is not even the Mom who is the main educator. There are Dads that, for whatever reason, are the ones who actually teach their children. It can work well either way.

So many things we wish you knew...