jennifer-roberts There are endless benefits to homeschooling our children including enjoying them opposed to merely surviving from one day to the next. Homeschooling children can strengthen the bonds between parents/guardians, children and community members. It can also expose children to resources and learning opportunities that extend far beyond the walls of a traditional school. It also allows children and parents the flexibility to infuse exploration and investigation into every day and to experience organic learning instead of processed learning. Homeschooling is fertile ground for the seeds of curiosity, inquiry and problem solving to nurtured and for our children to become the people God created them to be. In addition to all these advantages, one of my favorite benefits of homeschooling is the gift of time.
How many times has your child engaged in an activity that they wanted to keep doing but couldn’t because there wasn’t enough time? If you have been a parent for at least four years, you may have heard, “Please just one more book.” “Please, just one more chapter.” “Please just a few more minutes.” “Please, may I do down the slide one more time?” Perhaps your child likes making creations with Play Doh, writing or painting. Maybe he or she is a nature enthusiast who loves trapsing through the woods or playing on the playground. Or maybe your child loves solving math problems or telling jokes. Your child is learning in every experience and a homeschool lifestyle can be a wonderful incubator free of arbitrary interruptions.
Now don’t get me wrong. I completely understand and respect the boundaries of time. I thrive on schedules and routines. They have their place. However, consider how much deeper and fuller your son or daughter’s childhood might be if only he or she had more time to freely explore interests or potential interests. After all, how will she discover that she loves to bake banana bread if she never has time to bake? How will your son learn that he loves curling up with the family dog reading biographies if he doesn’t have uninterrupted time to read? The same is true of subjects and experiences that may not be of interest to children or may be more challenging. For instance, it may take your son a week to consistently and confidently read a passage and identify the main idea or it may take two weeks for your daughter to consistently and confidently do long division. Homeschooling allows children and parents the time to enjoy interests and to navigate challenges.
In a traditional public school, principals, teachers and students are always racing against and beholden to an ever-ticking clock. Whether it is the clock that dictates the bus schedule, the school schedule, the lunch schedule or how many minutes can be spent on a particular subject, students and staff members are always constrained by time. Not to mention the time constraint of public-school calendars. English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, Music, Physical Education, Art, lunch and recess are crammed into a 6.5- or 7-hour daily schedule with constant transitions and interruptions. Imagine if your daughter was conducting a science experiment combining hydrogen peroxide with potassium iodide to create a toothpaste like foam that had really captured her interest and her imagination. She had two more steps until she completed the experiment but was forced to stop because the bell rang signaling the end of class. When she asked her teacher if she could have a few more minutes to finish and record her observations, her teacher told her, “I’m sorry. There’s no more time to finish. Just do the best you can on the lab report.” Or your son was writing an essay in English about the gains that African Americans made during Reconstruction and not only were his ideas flowing, but he was also fully engaged learning about Black political leaders like Senators Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce and Congressman Robert Smalls. Mid-essay, mid-thought, the bell rings as the teacher tells the class, “Close your laptops. You can pick up where you left off tomorrow.” Your son’s shoulders slump as his thoughts that seconds ago were flowing freely, quickly flutter away.
Time is precious. Our children’s childhood is precious. They only get one. Homeschooling allows us to spend more of those irrecoverable moments immersed in relationship building and learning that promotes growth and best serves the child. Some of my fondest memories with my children are the ones of leisurely time spent together. We conversed, played, cooked, baked, read and took countless field trips without the pressure of cramming everything into a time block. Time is a gift that we get to open each morning. We get to decide how the gift is used. I hope that you use your gift of time with your child wisely.
