Everyone should home school. Pretty bold and opinionated, I know. I firmly believe that good, diligent parents who teach their children at home will have better educated and more well-rounded children.
This idea grew when school started this fall and I began asking the question to friends and neighbors, “What do you do after school?” I’ve heard from many about the hours of home work taking place. Twenty-six spelling words practiced three times each evening. History readings and questions to answer. Math worksheets that dad is required to help with. Reading assignments in various books. Then add violin practice, after school snacks, football practice, dinner, fifteen minutes outside, baths, and science projects that the parents do most of the work on, and the four precious hours after school are gone. And this is just with elementary aged students!
After talking in the yard with neighbors a few nights ago about the heavy home work load, I candidly announced that they were home schooling and not evening knowing it!
My school day consists of a Bible story, spelling words, read alouds, a math assignment, grammar work book pages, hand writing pages, an occasional art project, a history text, and either a science text or experiment. We are finished well before lunch. An hour of rest time each afternoon allows for independent reading. During the week the kids are in a study group while I attend a woman’s Bible Study, they take gymnastics during the day, and we have weekly field trips.
My morning doesn’t look very different from public school evenings.
So when I hear people say, “I could never Home School,” I have to think that yes, they could. That doesn’t mean they should or would ever want to, but in reality, if they’re helping in the evening, they probably already are.
