Today I’m joined by Kimberly McNeely, who shares her thoughts about her family’s decision to homeschool. Thanks for taking time to chat with me, Kimberly. When did you start your homeschool, and what brought you to your decision?
We started homeschooling in 2003. I had always said it was something I could not do and wasn’t interested in trying, so our first child started school in a charter school some miles from home. When we subsequently bought our first home in an area even farther away from school, it became extremely time-consuming, and potentially dangerous during winter months, to transport her. I quickly looked into the local school only a few inviting blocks from our home, but after a few interviews with a teacher and parents, I realized a year there would simply be a repeat of our daughter’s previous year at the charter school. Disappointed, we came to the conclusion that homeschooling was the best choice if we wanted to cut out our lengthy commute and still maintain the level of academic excellence we desired.
Tell me some of your favorite things about homeschool and why you continue to do it.
While academic excellence continues to be a factor in our decision to homeschool, I have to say that a bigger factor now is the enjoyment we get from learning together–the “Ah-hah!” moments when the light goes on, the hair-brained projects, the beautiful literature we get to share, the help and encouragement the kids give each other–all of it is priceless!
Have you ever had difficulty with friends or family who oppose your decision to homeschool?
In general, family and friends have been supportive, or at least not combative. My husband’s mother once suggested that our kids would need to go to school to develop social skills, but she has never tried to argue the case. As for friends, I can tell some of them have strong feelings against homeschooling, but these days most people have the grace to overlook our decision and still see us as parents trying to do what is right for our kids.
Thanks, Kimberly!
Isn’t it great when we can agree to disagree? Even though we may choose a different path than our friends, it’s important that we remember that we’re all trying to get to the same place, and we can encourage each other along the journey rather than becoming adversaries.
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