{"id":1646,"date":"2013-08-09T06:30:07","date_gmt":"2013-08-09T13:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arkansashomeschool.org\/?p=1646"},"modified":"2013-08-08T08:28:10","modified_gmt":"2013-08-08T15:28:10","slug":"5-things-i-love-about-homeschooling-how-i-embrace-them-see-more-at-httpsimplehomeschool-netlove-about-homeschoolingsthash-rbwr02id-dpuf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arkansashomeschool.org\/index.php\/2013\/08\/09\/5-things-i-love-about-homeschooling-how-i-embrace-them-see-more-at-httpsimplehomeschool-netlove-about-homeschoolingsthash-rbwr02id-dpuf\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things I love about homeschooling (&#038; how I embrace them) &#8211; See more at: http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/love-about-homeschooling\/#sthash.RBwR02ID.dpuf"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/5-things-I-love-about-homeschooling.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/5-things-I-love-about-homeschooling.png\" alt=\"5 things I love about homeschooling\" width=\"522\" height=\"348\" \/><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/steadymom.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Steady Mom<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Recently we discussed the tough stuff\u2013<a href=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/5-things-i-hate\/\" target=\"_blank\">the hard side of home education<\/a>\u00a0that gives us a run for our money. But thankfully, that\u2019s only one side of the story. There is another\u2013the one that keeps us going through the challenges and reminds us why we do what we do.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Because it\u2019s also a fact that there are also many pleasures involved in this homeschooling lifestyle we\u2019ve chosen! The benefits for our children are often written about\u2013increased self-confidence, ability to focus on interests, and the freedom to move at their own pace, to name a few.<\/p>\n<p><strong>But in today\u2019s post, I want to dwell on the benefits to\u00a0<em>us<\/em>\u00a0as homeschooling parents.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In all of life there is a dark and a light side. We get to choose which one we notice most.<\/p>\n<p>Today, we\u2019re walking in the light. So allow me to share what I love about our family\u2019s lifestyle of home education.<\/p>\n<h3>1. The books &amp; read-alouds<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/IMG_9808.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"life of fred\" src=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/IMG_9808.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Classics and living books change lives, and as homeschooling parents we have the awesome chance to spend our days with them.\u00a0<strong>We read and watch in wonder as their messages slowly influence those who live within the walls of our homes\u2013ourselves included.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t grow up being read to regularly as a child. This means I now get to discover so many incredible childhood titles right alongside my kiddos!<\/p>\n<h4>What this looks like in our home:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Reading aloud is the major structured learning activity of our day. We rarely skip it.<\/li>\n<li>We read at times when nourishment is required: Breakfast, Snacks, and Lunch times (I eat at other times, or will eat first with the kids, then read.)<\/li>\n<li>I choose books to purchase from these lists:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sonlight.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Sonlight<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/simplycharlottemason.com\/planning\/scmguide\/literature\/\" target=\"_blank\">Simply Charlotte Mason<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/amblesideonline.org\/curriculum.shtml#years\" target=\"_blank\">Ambleside Online<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. A do-over for me<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/beatrix.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"beatrix\" src=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/beatrix.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I excelled while climbing the grade ladder of the traditional schooling system. A people-pleaser by nature with a sincere desire to learn, I desperately wanted to be successful.<\/p>\n<p>I was good at test-taking, studying, getting the grade, and then forgetting the material. This bothered my contemplative self\u2013<strong>I remember being troubled that I didn\u2019t have more time to learn because I had to spend time proving that I\u00a0<em>had<\/em>\u00a0learned.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For a few years of middle and high school, I begged my parents to homeschool me. A prophecy of what was to come, perhaps?<\/p>\n<p>Now I am falling in love with learning again\u2013through the eyes of my children. As we discover the world together, I feel deeply thankful to have this magical opportunity to spend hours relearning and getting excited about life and all it has to offer.<\/p>\n<h4>What this looks like in our home:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Our homeschool isn\u2019t based on the traditional style of schooling. It\u2019s based on life learning that happens all day, every day.<\/li>\n<li>I want to model a love of learning to my kids\u2013so my own studying and reading is important. Homeschooling isn\u2019t just about my kids and their education.<\/li>\n<li>We follow the principles of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0967124646\/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0967124646&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=simplehomeschoolnet-20\" target=\"_blank\">Leadership Education<\/a>, preparing to fulfill our unique missions in life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. The time<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/IMG_0125.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"forest trail\" src=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/IMG_0125.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"373\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Busyness and rushing characterize modern-day life. We wake to an alarm\u2013our signal to get kids up and out of the door, head to our own jobs, back again to pick them up, home for homework, cleaning, and dinner before doing it all again tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p>Not this mama.\u00a0<strong>We show our priorities by how we live, and I live SLOW. And I love slow.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Homeschooling, the way we do it, means time. Time for\u2026whatever we want time for! Just by having several more hours in the day together, we have time to focus on what matters. Each and every day, I offer my kids the gift of time.<\/p>\n<h4>What this looks like in our home:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>We stay home! Activities are carefully chosen and scrutinized to make sure they fit our ideals before being added to our schedule.<\/li>\n<li>We focus on what matters to us. Some of these priorities include: eating well, learning about God, developing our characters, living simply, influencing and changing the world.<\/li>\n<li>I believe boredom is an asset to a child\u2019s life, so I leave plenty of unstructured \u201cnothing\u201d time in our days.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. The freedom and flexibility<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/airplane.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"airplane\" src=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/airplane.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Freedom is one of our family\u2019s core values. It influences much of the what and why of our daily lives.\u00a0<strong>Our decision to homeschool means our family is not bound by anyone\u2019s schedule but the one we choose.\u00a0<\/strong><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We are in the driver\u2019s seat of our own adventure. I am my own boss, CEO, teacher, and principal rolled into one, free to structure our days according to what we need, want and love. What could be better?<\/p>\n<h4>What this looks like in our home:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Our\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/uninvolved-unschooler\/\">educational philosophy<\/a>\u00a0centers around freedom.<\/li>\n<li>We have the flexibility to take vacations when it suits us, to take breaks when we need them, or to jet across the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/family\/\">ocean for a month<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>We school year-round\u2013because learning happens around the clock and around the calendar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5. I haven\u2019t missed a thing.<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/swing.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"swing\" src=\"http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/swing.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll never get back these days, and maybe on some days, that is a very good thing!<\/p>\n<p><strong>But whether days have been good, incredible, or awful\u2013I\u2019ve seen it all.<\/strong>\u00a0And I love that.<\/p>\n<p>I heard a radio story on NPR recently about 24 hour daycares, the newest development in childcare services. It mentioned children not able to sleep in their own beds due to their parents\u2019 work schedules. And my heart grieved for those children, for the hard choices parents feel forced to make.<\/p>\n<p>And I also felt grateful, for so much: That the first time Jonathan read a book, he read to me. That the day Trishna wrote her first story, she asked me for help with her spelling. That the moment Elijah decided to write his name, I sat right by his side.<\/p>\n<p>I smile, I laugh, I struggle, I screw up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>But whatever I do, I\u2019m here. I haven\u2019t missed a thing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And that, my friends, is what I love most about homeschooling.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; See more at: http:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/love-about-homeschooling\/#sthash.RBwR02ID.dpuf<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and\u00a0Steady Mom Recently we discussed the tough stuff\u2013the hard side of home education\u00a0that gives us a run for our money. But thankfully, that\u2019s only one side of the story. There is another\u2013the one that keeps us going through the challenges and reminds us why we do what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansashomeschool.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansashomeschool.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansashomeschool.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansashomeschool.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansashomeschool.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1646"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/arkansashomeschool.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1649,"href":"https:\/\/arkansashomeschool.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1646\/revisions\/1649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansashomeschool.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansashomeschool.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansashomeschool.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}