I Wish My Kids Were Homeschooled

I’ve always admired educators and their dedication to our children. Although it has never been a personal desire of mine, I’ve always admired parents who desire to homeschool their children as well.  It takes a particular amount of patience and determination to teach our children fundamentals, such as reading, writing, and arithmetic.  However, in my opinion, parents should teach some fundamentals like the alphabet, numbers, sharing, respecting others, and following directions before their children go off to school.  I believe these skills are the foundation for good learning. 

My Daughters’ Public School Education

I am speaking from the perspective of a parent who now has two adult daughters who successfully completed their education in the Baltimore City and County public school systems.  I taught them fundamentals at home and did as much as I could to prepare them for school. I also assisted in areas they needed when completing their home assignments.

There were some obstacles that I faced while assisting them.  For example, if I didn’t understand the ‘new age’ teaching/learning techniques, I would encourage my girls to study the instructor’s method. At the same time, I attempted to learn the method myself in order to provide some additional guidance and understanding. 

There were several occasions during their school careers that I was determined to expose them to a variety of interests outside of the classroom, such as music, dance, and sports.  I hoped that they would have a well-rounded learning experience early in life to help guide them to their future.  I found that these exposures did help them as young adults and into adulthood.  I witnessed them make good decisions based upon their public schooling experiences because they were exposed to many different activities, cultures, people, and personalities.

Why Do I Wish They Were Homeschooled?

I can imagine by now the question remains as to why I wished my girls could have gone to homeschool.  Well, this was truly my desire early on.   My twin sister decided many years before she was married or had children that she would homeschool.  She had a particular view of the public education system that she didn’t want her children exposed to daily. She desired to instill in them values that certain atmospheres may contradict.

Additionally, she wanted to have an impact on her children that she knew only she could offer.  My sister and I have children around the same age. She created an excellent atmosphere for learning.  She was more than capable and was undoubtedly dedicated to teaching and even more dedicated to their education. 

Hands down, it takes a special person to homeschool their children. More than anything, I wished my sister could have taught my girls. Unfortunately, that option was reserved for her biological children, to my dismay. 

My Final Thoughts

So, that brings me back to my trust in the public school system.  I genuinely believe that there are many dedicated educators. The success of our children does not rest on the educators alone.  It depends on a strong partnership with parents to ensure that any gaps in learning are filled.  Parents need to reinforce the information taught in school, and in some cases, challenge those things that are not beneficial to our children and demand change. 

I think that parents have an essential role in shaping our children. We should ensure that we are intimately involved in the environments that facilitate their learning and education.  We are responsible for determining the best learning environments for our children to help guarantee successful learning and, eventually, life experience.