Celeste is already at kindergarten age! The time has certainly flew by and I could just cry thinking that my baby is ready for this stage in life. For the past couple years we have been trying to decide what we were going to do for her education. We try very hard for Christ to be the center of our home life and we want Christ to be at the center of her education as well. For our family, public school is not an option. The state has taken God out of every aspect and is now teaching our children that we evolved from monkeys. Children are being taught about sex younger and younger and instead of teaching abstinence they are being shown how to use a condom. Due to the economy, classroom size is getting larger, with some places having a student/teacher ratio of 28+ students and no helper.
We decided long ago that we would either send our kids to private school or homeschool them. So, after much prayer, thought and research our family has decided to homeschool for at least the first couple of years. I've shared our decision recently with a few people and have gotten different reactions. The most common "negative" reaction I get is "they won't be properly socialized". This comment makes me laugh because my kids are already VERY social. Celeste is the type of girl that will come into a room where she knows nobody and within 10 minutes she is in full swing with what everyone else is doing and sometimes taking over and bossing everyone around. She is not timid and reserved in any way, and I strongly believe that homeschool will not change that about her. In fact, I believe that homeschool can make a child more confident and there have been several studies that have shown that to be true. The socialization that kids get from public school is not the way I want my kids to be socialized. Kids can be very cruel and insensitive to each other. Clicks are quickly formed and if your not wearing the right clothes or looking just the right way you are picked on. I want my kids to grow up knowing that its whats in the inside that really matters and that we are to show compassion and kindness to others in all circumstances.
Recent studies have also shown that homeschoolers are doing considerably better academically than traditional schooled children. This is no surprise to me with the teacher to child ratio that schools are having to endure. Its very important to me that the kids get a great education and that they have fun doing it. With homeschooling they won't have to sit in a classroom for 6-7 hours a day. Because Celeste will be getting one on one attention, we will be done with "school" time in less than 3 hours.
Having said all that, I know that homeschooling is not for everyone. Which ever you do, public school, private school or homeschool, parents must do what is best for their children, and for us homeschooling is what we feel is best for our kids. We haven't decided how long we will school at home. We're planning on taking it one year at a time. Our church has an excellent Christian School that we may use in the future, but for now I am excited to start this new adventure and hope that friends and family will be supportive of the choice we have made.
