The Secret Reason I Home School

Every home educating family has a list of reasons for why they home school.  My family is no different.  We home school because we feel it is the best way to meet our educational goals for our daughters.  We home school because being a military family we desired consistency in education.  We even list medical as a reason to home school.  Supergirl has a diminished immune capacity and home schooling means she doesn’t get sick as often.

But there is another reason.  The secret reason. Well it’s more of a reason to continue to home school.  It’s what keeps me inspired.  It’s often the highlight of my day.  History.  I love teaching history or rather I love teaching history using a literature approach.

In general I like to teach. In 6th grade I was voted most likely to become a teacher.  In high school I briefly entertained the idea of attending a state college to be teacher.  I married a man who holds a teaching degree (though he never sought certification).  There is something special and wonderful and thrilling about sharing the joy of learning with a child.  It’s even more wonderful and special and thrilling when it is your own child.

This week’s Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog Cruise asks us about “the subject I enjoy teaching most”. I knew right away that I wanted to write about exploring teaching history but I wanted to know what my family thought my favorite subject is.  Here’s what they said:

BooBear (age 17):  “um I don’t know.  You don’t really like to teach math and I don’t think you like teaching spelling when you had one student who could spell better than you and one whose spelling was atrocious.  I’d say your favorite subject is one that involves books.”

Turtlegirl (age 15): “I’d have to say history or science.  It’d have to be a subject that allowed you to do read alouds.”

Tairlorbear (age 13 {for at least another month}) “Literature, because you love understanding things.”

Honeybear (the husband): “I don’t know.  Why are you asking me?  I guess history or science because you get to read books.”

Do you see a theme?  BOOKS.  When the girls were little hands down with no doubts whatsoever my favorite subject to teach was history.  We used Sonlight, a literature rich curriculum that brings history alive.  I did enjoy teaching science. 

I think that Tailorbear is on to something though.  Now that the “big girls” are in high school (or nearly so) we’re no longer using the same literature rich approach to history but Tailorbear and I are enjoying studying literature together using Teaching the Classics by Adam and Missy Andrews.  I am enjoying the discussions I’m having with Turtlegirl and BooBear as well. 

So I guess the secret reason I home school is that is gives me an excuse to read lots of great books, have stimulating discussions with my family and spend extra time with my daughters.