Is Homeschool Right For You?

By Kris Bush

This is a photo of our small homeschool classroom. Right now it’s set to fit one maybe two children. Our daughter uses it mostly, however our son will join in every so often for art activities.

Homeschooling. Many people that I know tend to give our family the side eye because we home school our daughter and will home school our son when it’s his time.

So why do we homeschool? Well for two reasons, it is what works best for our daughter and more importantly we believe it is what God has led our family to do. I'll be honest I like having a job and being able to soundly contribute to our family financially, however since our daughter turned five, working outside the home has NOT been an option for me. And Lord knows that I have tried.

When it comes to following the prompts God gives us, we try to always adhere to what God tells us. So, one thing that has definitely been on this list is me being home; taking care of our family, our home, and homeschooling our children. I am quite aware that this arrangement cannot work for every family, I'm just thankful that it does work for our family. I'm aware of the families that need both mom and dad to work so the family stays afloat. I write this to the families who CAN afford to home school or have thought about it. I promise you, it is WORTH the headache, the constant answering of questions and becoming your children's teacher.

Now the great part about home schooling is the fact that when my daughter excels, guess who is front row and center to see and cheer her on? ME. And that is an awesome feeling to know that I am the person who got to help her learn to read, add and subtract. I enjoy watching my daughter flourish. I also homeschool her because there was a time when we suspected that she have ADHD/ADD because of how hyperactive she could be, but instead of going off the deep end, we just endeavored to really learn her and what works best for her. One thing we have done is cut down on sugar drastically, which has helped with how hyper she is. We've also given her a daily routine where she knows what's coming next so she doesn't put up too much of a fuss.

The program we use with homeschooling Kaylee, is Florida Virtual School Full Time. It’s probably not your "traditional" method of homeschooling, but it works for us. It allows us to keep Kaylee on track with state standards and still allows me to have an active hand in her education. I am able to add in bible devotion every morning and I try to do a person profile or family profile at least once a month. For example last month we learned about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's family. I have heard of programs like Abeka, Charlotte Mason, etc… and I think they are probably really nice. I just know those can be expensive and when you don't particularly have a lot of money to shell out on a curriculum; it doesn't hurt to check to see if your state has a K-12 virtual online school since its FREE and they send out ALL of the materials your child will need...including a computer if you qualify.

Now if you choose to come up with your own curriculum or want to do it at your own pace picking what curriculum you use, I can definitely recommend a couple different websites; you can find free worksheets and workbooks. Of course, you will need to print them out, but other than that they're FREE.

• CurrClick
• Education.com
• KISS Grammar
• The Crafty Classroom
• Spanish Lessons
• Free Homeschool Deals 

If you are thinking of homeschooling, I hope this helps you understand. Remember that homeschooling is about what’s best for your child, in regards to how they learn. Take the time to study your child(ren) and see what their best mode of learning is, or ask them if they’re old enough.