The Yates Family: *Homeschooling*

I never knew ONE word could draw sooo much debate.

I decided a few months back that I wanted to homeschool my children. I made the ridiculous decision to post about it on Facebook and to my surprise, unleashed a BEAST. ( I should have KNOWN not to post on FB...people hunt for stuff to argue over on there!) Mind you, I went to public school 11 years of my schooling (I went to a private school in 4th grade).
My post attracted A TON of Naysayers (although I had some very positive comments and emails about it too:)!) I knew when I decided to homeschool that the MAJORITY of the people I told or knew would be against it BUT I was just absolutely shocked at how negative and unrealistic peoples objectives were to it.
People who I totally thought would be my BIGGEST supporters were not and that really broke my heart. Then my mother told me something that resurrected my "backbone". She said, "Mandi, if you choose to do this...the negative comments will always be there and you have to be prepared for that, BUT you don't owe ANYONE an excuse for your decision as a parent. They don't have to AGREE. It's not THEIR family. They don't consult with you on their family decisions and you don't have to consult with them on yours. Your decision as a family is not "up for discussion" with other mothers/families. That gave me a new perspective. I understand now that my #1 goal as a mother is NOT to please everyone else and go with THEIR flow, but to set goals and standards for MY own children/family and see that they are achieved!

However- it deeply troubles me that people have such a warped view of homeschooling....it's like they open their mouths thinking they know everything there is to know about it and when they start stating what they THINK are facts (trying to deter my decision) they actually are stating extremely FALSE statements that they have HEARD or that they have concocted in their own heads because of the stereotype homeschooling has always had.

So let me state a few FACTS about HOMESCHOOLING, in the event that someone who thinks they have it "all figured out" is reading this:

* Homeschool is more MAINSTREAM then you think. LOTS of parents are finding that their children do better academically in a one-on-one setting within the home then in a classroom with 20 other students for 8hrs a day.

* Homeschooling your children does NOT mean they will be UNSOCIALIZED. Why, oh, why is it that the first thing out of everyone's mouth when you mention homeschooling is "oh they won't know how to socialize with other kids, or be prepared for college and the REAL world." Seriously???? Sure if you lock them up in a closet and never let them outside your home, yeah I could see that being a problem. HOWEVER, homeschooling offers "homeschooling associations" which your family becomes a part of. Homeschooling associations allows homeschooled children to get together for fieldtrips and other events as well. Your child is also supposed to be able to be apart of ANY public school sports/activities (football, band, cheerleading) if you are a taxpayer. My children are also doing community activities such as taking ballet, guitar and soon to be taking violin...SO they are always around other children:) I mean seriously, come on, find another dead horse to beat...this has to be the most RIDICULOUS statement I have EVER heard.

* Lots of famous people have been homeschooled and NO ONE ever calls them out. Let me start with Tim Tebow. He was homeschooled ALL 12 years of school. The very first time he set foot in a CLASSROOM was at The University of Florida. He played football as a standout QB and also won the Heisman Trophy and a NC title. And all this time you probably thought homeschooled children were UNsocialized and UNable to deal with the REAL WORLD??

Here are some other Famous People who were HOMESCHOOLED:
Presidents:

John Quincy Adams
William Henry Harrison
Thomas Jefferson
Abraham Lincoln
James Madison
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
John Tyler
George Washington
Woodrow Wilson

Scientist:

George Washington Carver

Pierre Curie

Albert Einstein

Blaise Pascal

Booker T. Washington

U.S. Supreme Court Judges:

John Jay

John Marshall

John Rutledge

Constitutional Convention Delegates:

Richard Basset (Governor of Delaware)
William Blount (U.S. Senator)
George Clymer (U.S. Representative)
William Few (U.S. Senator)
Benjamin Franklin (Inventor and Statesman)
William Houston (Lawyer)
William S. Johnson (President of Columbia C.)
William Livingston (Governor of New Jersey)
James Madison - 4th President of the U.S.
George Mason
John Francis Mercer (U.S. Representative)
Charles Pickney III (Governor of S. Carolina)
John Rutledge (Chief Justice U.S. Supreme Court)
Richard D. Spaight (Governor of N. Carolina)
George Washington - 1st President of the U.S.
John Witherspoon (President of Princeton U.)
George Wythe (Justice of Virginia High Court)

Preachers and Religious Leaders:

Moses
Joan of Arc
John the Baptist
William Cary
Jonathan Edwards
Phillip Melanchthon
Dwight L. Moody
John Newton
John Owen
Charles Wesley
John Wesley
Brigham Young

Statesmen:

Konrad Adenauer

Winston Churchill
Benjamin Franklin
Patrick Henry
William Penn
Henry Clay

Others:

Abigail Adams (Wife of John Adams)

Ansel Adams (Photographer)

Clara Barton (Started the Red Cross)

John Burroughs (Naturalist)

Andrew Carnegie (Industrialist)

Charles Chaplin (Actor)

George Rogers Clark - Explorer

Noel Coward (Playwright)

John Paul Jones (Father of the American Navy)

Sandra Day O'Connor

Tamara McKinney (World Cup Skier)

John Stuart Mill (Economist)

Charles Louis Montesquieu (Philosopher)

Florence Nightingale (Nurse)

Sally Ride (Astronaut)

Bill Ridell (Newspaperman)

George Rogers Clark (Explorer)

Will Rogers (Humorist)

Jim Ryan (World Runner)

Albert Schweitzer (Physician)

Leo Tolstoy

Martha Washington (Wife of George Washington)

So see, lots of famous people have been homeschooled...none of them i'm sure were "unsocialized" or "lazy"......I think it depends on the parents attitude and commitment to TEACHING their children that will determine the outcome.Not that seeing famous people makes me want to CHOOSE homeschooling at all...it just serves as a purposes to prove the naysayers stereotypes wrong.

THE MAIN REASON I feel called to homeschool is because I want my children to have Christianity incorporated into their cirriculum. Yes, I know there are private schools that offer that as well, unfortunately we can't afford to put TWO children in a private school. Homesc hooling supplies can be reused for younger children though and thats a plus. Public schools do not offer Christianity to be apart of the cirriculum and I feel that my childrens lives do not need to be deprived of it for one minute, esp this day and age. I am not comfprtable putting my kids in a classroom where in a classroom of 20 (yes that is standarrd in public school) that for every 1 kid who's parents care about their behavior and everything that goes on in their lives such as friends and activities- there's 10 others who's parents could careless...and that troubles me. These are children who will be subjected to influence my children and as a parent I have a choice to be their Ultimate infulence and I am willing to do everything to see that I am just that. My kids are 5 and 3 and I do not see it fit to just sit back and say "well they are going to be around those kind of people eventually"...because under my direction/guidance and teaching they will learn how to communicate and deal with people of those standards and make the best decision and stay on the CORRECT path when they encounter people who are substandard. Thats another thing I assure you teachers in public school don't have time to do is to make morally correct ALL behavior problems and teach children how to REACT appropriately in different situations on a daily basis. I can and will see to it that my children are taught that in co-junction with their education.

Maybe the negativity towards homeschooling by others is fueled by the fact that they don't have the "homeschooling" option due to both parents working...I am fortunate enough to have been a stay-at-home mother for 5 years and see it as a total blessing to be able to be the one who can offer my children their education and do it one-on-one WITH them. But being negative to someone who has that option isn't exactly the best way to react. This fuels me even more TO homeschool so that I can teach my children the PROPER way to handle and react different situations they may encounter in life. I can assure you that during an 8 hr day in the classroom the teacher isn't handing down fundamentals of life to her classroom....she is teaching what she was taught to teach and nothing more. (mainly because she has 20 kids to teach to ALL day!!!)....I want my kids to learn MORE than just academics...iIwant them to learn self-expression, creativity, how to think for themselves and explore options instead of doing what EVERYONE thinks they SHOULD do. EVERYONE is not always right ALL the time....and thats what I am learning as a mother trying to make the best decision for MY family....EVERYONE else's opinion shouldn't make or break MY decision as a mother. These children are MY gifts from GOD...they are ultimately MY responsibility, NOT EVERYONE ELSE's....So, I am even more confident in just knowing that:)

No one has to agree with my decision to homeschool but I expect them to respect that it is MY decision. If they have negative comments then I assure you they are better left unsaid. I have no problem with people disagreeing, but as said before, my decision isn't up for discussion or debate. Their decisions on schooling and raising their family are not mine to critique and I repect that, so expect the naysayers to respect mine as well:)

To all you homeschooling moms out there....Keep it up!!!! In the long run we will see the true outcome!!!

As I keep telling my "naysayers"..."the proof is in the pudding"....

~Mandi