The Genius of Homeschooling

There are so many amazing benefits of homeschooling. Today there was a wonderful live Facebook discussion that Dr. V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai hosted on his Facebook page entitled, The Genius of Homeschooling. He was talking about vital skill that children need. He had two homeschool parents in the discussion. Concerning homeschooled children, how do we has parents ensure that vital skills are taught and how do homeschool children differ from their peers in the school system. I loved this part of the discussion. I would have loved to have jumped in! As a homeschool parents of 21 years I see the amazing benefits of homeschooling. Here is a list of what I see as the benefits and skills that I see many homeschooled gain as a result of home education.

1. I have my children's hearts. What does this mean? Because they are not in school 8 hours a day I was able to deal with the heart issues of my children from an early age. Each of my six children are so very different. For example, some of my kiddos are very strong willed and needed firm boundaries and limits. Consistency is so very important. Having them at home enabled me to deal with the being consistent in discipline. Children crave boundaries and discipline. I am not talking about using corporal punishment. I am talking about age appropriate punishments and/or using currency that will get your child's attention (taking away something they enjoy doing or have). This also means helping your child to learn appropriate and positive ways to express their emotions. It is also so very important to keep open lines of communication open with your children as they grow up. I am proud to say that as my children entered the teen years they have come to both my husband and I for advice. We have wonderful relationships with all of our teenagers and adult children. We have not dealt with rebellion. 
2. Homeschooled children, because they are around adults more than their school peers tend to have more respect and the ability for conversing with adults. They also tend to have more tolerance for younger children because of younger sibling in the household or because they are around younger children in homeschool groups or co-ops. 
3. Homeschoolers tend to be able to work independently at a younger age. Personally, by the time my children were in the 3 grade they were doing a lot of their work independently. By this time they were all very strong readers. I would, of course teach new concepts. But honestly some of my kiddos did not even need me to do that. They read through the examples and instructions and did the work and I graded it. My philosophy was, we did not move on until the work was completed to 100%. They were able to work at their own pace. Some moved through the curriculum faster than others. It should be pointed out, not one specific curriculum works for all children. I found this out early on. What works for one child may total not work for the next. That is the BEAUTY of homeschooling. You CANNOT put all children into the same box and teach them! In my opinion, that is a set-up for disaster. 
4. I have a quote in the header of my blog by John Dewey that says, "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." I absolutely love this quote. I think that our modern day education system has total failed children. Again, homeschooler learn very early that LIFE HAPPENS! Yes, education is very important but what we learn in life in our daily living and how we respond and react to it is so very important to. Our family deals with a huge amount of complicated medical issues. Several of our children have been and continue to be in and out of the hospital. Multiple times we have almost lost them. Over the years our children have learned that when one of the sibling are in the hospital they have to pick up some slack at home since I am gone. That means helping with cooking, cleaning, laundry, helping with younger sibling, and making sure that they prioritize and schedule out their school work. Daddy is home and his way of doing things are different from mine. Everyone has to work together. My children have learned how fragile life really is. Education is all around us. It is going to the zoo or botanical gardens. It is sending the kiddos outside because they are restless and cannot concentrate. The day is too beautiful. Instead you choose to spend an hour taking a walk. The kiddos play with rolly pollys, collect leaves and then come home and look up what each leave is. By then the kiddos are focused to get back to schoolwork. Maybe your child is interested in carving and woodwork and so you find a neighbor or friend who can work with your child during the week. My son, at the age of 15 decided that he wanted to learn to play the violin. Well, we had a next door neighbor that was a retired orchestra teacher. He offered to teach my son violin for free. Having your children help prepare lunch while you chat about life or something they are interested in. My oldest daughter dances. By the time she was 14 she was an apprentice at her studio. She assisted dance classes for the 2-5 year olds during the day. If she were in school she would not have been able to do that. She loved it! Because she did that she got to take classes for free in exchange for helping out. By the time she was 17 she was teaching her own classes. She is now 24 and married. She still teaches ballet and tap. She is doing what she loves. There was a period of time when my kiddos were younger that we went to a retirement home to just "be" with the residents. What a healthy experience not only for my kiddos but also for them. The opportunities are so great and vast when you as a parent have your children at home. You CHOOSE what your children do. 
5. I can tell you that it DOES NOT TAKE 8 HOURS TO ACCOMPLISH A HOMESCHOOL DAY! Of course as your children get older the work load get more intense and the time that they spend is substantial. But in the younger years it is not. All of the wasted hours that children spend in a typical school day, wow. This is time that homeschool children can hone into their talents and personal interests. They can also just BE KIDS! My children spent hours; building with blocks, playing with Legos, making houses with Lincoln Logs, putting puzzles together, playing with Schleich animals, playing with Playmobil sets, playing with their child size kitchen and play food/kitchen stuff, etc. I read to my children a lot! We have a HUGE library of books. When they were little I would read stacks of books at a time. Many of my children are avid readers. They would spend hours reading. It would be nothing for some of my children to read a novel in a couple of days. 
6. I will add more as time permits and it comes to mind...