But 3 years ago, I had just had enough. Enough of my kids coming home from school in tears because they were bullied on the playground and the teacher wouldn't address the bully. Enough of calling the school, only to be told they didn't consider the bullying to be "THAT" serious. Enough of being told that my oldest wasn't "getting" multiplication so they were just going to fail him and move on to division, a mathematical equation which requires the knowledge of multiplication. I pointed out what I thought was the obvious; that division and algebra would depend on him knowing multiplication. I tried sharing some of the ways we were already working on multiplication facts with him at home, only to be told they didn't have time to do anything else; the standards in public school now required the teachers to move on, regardless of whether my child (and a few others, I found out later) didn't "GET IT".
Enough.
So after much prayer and even MORE prayer, my husband and I made the decision together for me to leave my job at a local church, and stay home to teach our children. At THEIR pace. In THEIR time. No bullying to be seen (except for the inevitable sibling rivalry).
While homeschooling is not made for everyone - not for the faint of heart - it has been one of the best decisions we've ever made for our family. Not only have our children excelled academically since being home and learning at their own natural pace, they have blossomed as young people in a real world. Instead of being in a classroom of 20 other kids their age, from the same neighborhood & same background, they now have the joy of interacting with people of ALL ages, from ALL backgrounds, from ALL neighborhoods. They've begun Bible quizzing via our local church where they compete at several other churches; the girls have joined the church choir recently; they are enrolled in a Homeschool Music Program at our local state university.
Yup.... these are just some of the reasons why we homeschool. And not one of us can imagine it any other way.
