Top 5 Reasons I Loved Homeschooling

If you don’t already know, I’m a homeschool graduate.  I was public-schooled K-3rd grade, then homeschooled 4th-12th.  Thus, I have nine years of homeschooling experience under my belt.  Here are my top five reasons for why I loved homeschooling!

1. Learning at my own pace.

   This had to be one of the biggest reasons I loved homeschooling.  When I was in public school, I was either ahead of the rest, or struggling with a subject or two.  There was hardly an in-between.  Obviously, this isn’t the case for everyone, but it certainly was for me.  When I began homeschooling, my world changed.  I could take more time on subjects if I couldn’t understand them, or I could move ahead if I breezed through the material.  It was incredibly freeing.

2. Following my passions.

   This reason is huge for me.  I can’t even begin to count all the times I was able to follow my passions in homeschool.  The only restriction my parents applied was that I write (and present) an essay at the end of my study.  Other than that, I was able to take as much time as I needed to do all the research I wanted.  I remember reading library book after library book, conducting countless internet searches, and absorbing numerous National Geographic videos.  The freedom to fuel my interest (and have it count as school credit!) ignited a deeper love for homeschooling.

3. Homeschool Co-ops. 

   I feel very blessed to have been part of a local homeschool group here in my town.  This provided me with numerous opportunities to go on field trips, conduct labs/science experiments, compete in spelling bees, perform in talent shows, learn how to tie-dye, spend hot summer days making ice cream at the park, kite-flying days, softball days, classes, and more.  All these recollections I have are saturated with good memories with friends.  I had so much more FUN with my homeschool friends at these events than I ever had with any of public school friends previously.  I do believe homeschool co-ops are what made the difference between a good homeschool experience and a great one.

4. Learning Self-Discipline. 

   Any self-discipline, determination, or perseverance I may have today I have to credit to homeschooling.  As with public schooling, private schooling, or online schooling, it is necessary to invest time, work, and money in any and all education.  However, homeschooling truly requires a certain amount of application and self-discipline on both the parents’ and student’s parts, but especially the student’s.  The parents can do everything they possibly can to give a child an education, but if the child doesn’t apply themselves, the homeschooling won’t go very far.  Homeschooling certainly taught me perseverance and cultivated my own self-discipline, organization, and commitment.  I highly doubt I’d be the person I am today if I wasn’t homeschooled.

5. The actual staying-at-home part. 

   Let’s be honest: the actual fact of being able to stay home for school is pretty awesome.  I was in public school for a few years, so I did the whole get-up-early-to-make-the-bus routine.  Therefore, when I started homeschooling, I loved that I didn’t have to walk to the bus in freezing temps or stay out on the playground while waiting for the day to start.  Also, with homeschool, there’s always the option of just staying in pajamas and drinking hot cocoa, which is possibly the absolute best part of homeschooling.

About tiallarising

Tialla Rising is a homeschool graduate and a published author. She lives in the mountains of Arizona with her amazing husband, where she enjoys reading, Netflix, writing, and more! Visit her website at http://www.tiallarising.com.

• Blog: Looking Back
• Encouragement

January 26, 2015

1. 

   Kathryn Gomes says:

   Posted February 24, 2015 2:06 pm

   Tia,

   Thanks for sharing this. As a fellow home school graduate I found your thoughts really interesting.