This post is the seventh of 7 posts that I’ll be writing this week, as my response to Jen @ Conversion Diary’s 2nd Epic Blogging Challenge. To God be all the glory!
{Update re: my grandfather: He is now in the ICU. I’m still waiting for word from my mom about his condition. The last update she sent, she said his blood pressure was improving so they’re (we’re) hoping for a miracle, i.e. he’ll recover. Still, we surrender to God’s will! Thank you for praying with us!}
Now, back to ‘regular’ programming…
I didn’t think I would be able to do it but here we are, on the last post for this special series. You’ve probably already read about the ‘heart’ of our homeschooling so let me share with you my top 5 reasons for teaching our children at home — maybe you have the same reasons; or maybe these will help you clarify your own reasons, especially if you’re just exploring homeschooling.
#1: Our kids learn from life.
After our youngest was born and got sick last year, not much was done on the ‘formal academics’ side of our homeschooling. Despite this, I believe that the kids learned more important lessons — LIFE lessons. I could write a whole new post about homeschooling with a baby and other kids, but my friend Stef of And These Thy Gifts has already done a very good one here.
The point is formal academics isn’t the only point of education. I love that my kids learn important life lessons as we go about our daily routines… at home. (I’m not saying that kids who go to conventional school don’t learn them too, OK? I’m just saying that homeschooling helps provide more opportunities for such lessons.)
#2: We can be more ‘mobile’ as a family.
We first discovered homeschooling when we were still missionaries based abroad. I loved that our preschooler back then (who’s already 7 now! *sniffs*) could learn ‘on the go.’ I love that our other kids have the same opportunity too. We can take our books with us anywhere and learn in the car, in a hotel room, in Lolo/Lola’s house, etc. If we were to take a trip now to Timbuktu, we could still homeschool! 🙂
#3: We save money.
I know some families consider this one of their reasons to homeschool and we are no different. Of course, this isn’t our MAIN reason for homeschooling… but I must admit it’s a good one! We all know that tuition fees in conventional schools are rising exorbitantly yet our kids sometimes don’t receive quality education. With homeschooling, we save money and are able to customize our children’s education. At the same time, they receive more individualized attention. Since my husband is more into ministry work and I’m a freelancer, every peso and centavo saved counts! 😉
#4: We get to see our children’s “a-ha!” moments.
I love this part of homeschooling! When your child suddenly ‘gets it’ or has an “a-ha!” moment — when phonics makes sense and he starts reading more complicated words, ones that you never even taught him… when she suddenly says, “Mama, look, I can write the number 2!” without you even teaching her… etcetera… I love that I am in the “front row seat” of my children’s learning stages. And that I am also there to guide them, to answer their questions, to teach them what’s right and wrong right away.
#5: We learn together.
One of the things I’ve learned from homeschooling our kids is this: I still have A LOT to learn! About being a good and Godly wife and mother (I’m still oh-so-far from being one!); about how to learn and what to learn; about being a good teacher and ‘discipler;’ about many, many other things. I love that as I teach our children, I also learn a lot and we’re learning together.
Of course, these are not our only reasons for homeschooling. I’d love to know what YOUR reasons are, so if you’re reading this, please do comment if you want to! If you’re exploring homeschooling, why are you doing so? If you’re already homeschooling, what are your top reasons?
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And that ends this 7 posts in 7 days series! Thanks for following along! 🙂 Do you have other topics you want me to write about? Leave a comment and let me know. 🙂
**Don’t miss the first six posts in my 7 in 7 series (plus a BONUS one!):
Homeschooling in the Philippines — Answers to some FAQs
The Week and Day That Was: A Peek at Our Homeschool Days
Independent Homeschoolers in the Philippines
Word-Filled Wednesdays: Encouraging Bible Verses for Homeschoolers
Homeschooling in the Philippines: Where to Get Support
Freebie Fridays: Free Catholic Homeschool Curriculum
Homeschooling in the Philippines: Where to Enroll Your Child Locally
Wonderful reasons, and I concur with the whole list! 🙂
Hi Karen! 🙂 Wow, I am SO honored that you dropped by! Thanks for leaving a comment. I really need to read this post every now and then. 🙂 God bless always!
You’re very sweet! I’m just another homeschooling mom, and we’re all in this together! 🙂 God bless you, too!
God bless US indeed! I’d love to learn more from you, especially how to unschool!
Ask away!
Nice post Sis Tina! Im ur #1 follower! Learning a lot from you..Your such an inspiration to me..God bless u more!
Hi sis! 🙂 Wow, praise God for your comment! I’m so happy that He is using my posts to inspire others like you! God bless you and your family always!
I was thinking about homeschooling but do homeschoolers also have vacations and if classes are suspended due to rain is our classes also suspended?
Hi Andrea! 🙂 Thanks for connecting with me via my blog. Regarding your questions, yes, homeschoolers have vacations (you can be flexible with your schedule, which is part of the beauty of homeschooling)… you can even do “hotelschooling,” i.e. homeschool even when in a place that is usually for vacations, like hotels and resorts! Re: suspension of classes, that is up to you, too. We usually still have “classes” if there are class suspensions in brick-and-mortar schools due to floods. 🙂