5 Reasons I Won’t Homeschool (and one reason I might)

5. I am a little bit lazy. The more I read about homeschooling and unschooling, I can’t believe those parents are accused of being lazy! Homeschooling and unschooling, done right, require a lot of planning and engagement from the parent. Oh sure there are the crazy cultish stories that make the headlines, but the average homeschooling/unschooling family actively creates a lot of wonderful opportunities for their students/children. I am a little bit lazy. I don’t find joy in teaching young children, and I would rather spend my time doing other things for my family or taking my kids on more big-picture outings than trudging through the daily school nitty-gritty.

4. In my personal experience, school was a place to practice social skills and it gave me opportunities to make good choices. I could use school as an incubator to practice the good life lessons I was learning at home in a different, but still relatively safe space with other kids near my age. It felt good to make a right choice even when my parents weren’t there. And as an only child, I used my peers’ social feedback to figure out my place and find confidence there.

3. I don’t want to pursue homeschooling out of Christian obligation or legalism. I’m not at all saying this is why all families homeschool. But since I know that homeschooling likely won’t be a good fit for our family, and that I don’t currently feel specifically called to it, I would hate to pursue it anyway just because it seemed the Christian thing to do. I have seen other moms do this and it just led to frustration and deep burnout.

2. I need space to be a good mom. I love creating a warm, safe, quality home for my kids and their friends to come home to, but even as a licensed teacher on hiatus, I prefer to leave my lesson planning to an actual classroom.

1. I view the roles of mom and teacher as very different and each very necessary. I believe that children need lots of quality adults speaking into their lives. When the roles of mom and teacher get combined, this complicates things for me. Grades and school discipline add a completely different dynamic. I will support at home what the teacher begins at school. I am more than happy to enhance the school experience with reading aloud and hands-on learning at home. But mostly, I just want to be their mom.

So for what reason might I consider homeschooling anyway? If my child needs it. The great thing about being my kids’ mom, is that I get to know them and pay attention to them and watch them change over time. I know their idiosyncrasies and their deep needs. I trust my gut with my children. If I sense that a particular school or teacher or set of classmates or personal learning challenge isn’t working in whatever school they are in, I am more than willing to bring my child home for a season. My children aren’t me, and it’s okay if they have a different school experience than I did.

At the moment, I feel called to pursue other things like writing books and this blog and creating courses online to support teachers and stay-at-home-parents. Our family seems to function better if we all go our separate ways during the day and come back to spend the evening together. I will use the time my children are at school to work and be better refreshed to meet them with full focus afterward. There are some great homeschooling systems and families out there, but unless it’s really what my child needs, I’m a pretty big fan of our public and private schools and teachers.

If you are a mom who is wrestling with how to educate your child, take a step back and look at what schedules work well for your family, what personalities your kiddos have, what school options are available to you, and make your decision from there. Don’t feel pressured by any type of culture or trend. Go with your gut. You got this.