Homeschooling: A Family's Journey

Why do I home school?  I think you can ask the question two ways.  There is the why do I homeschool question when you are wondering,  "What was I thinking when I thought this would be a good idea, or "Where is the number for the yellow bus to come to my home?“ Another way to think of “ Why do I home school ?” is as a reflective question which shares your philosophy of life, the beauty of what we do every day,  the answer we give that celebrates our children and shares our heart for them.   It is the answer we give when things are going well, or the answer we need to hide in our heart when the above thoughts pop into our head.

One way for me to reflect on why I homeschool is to reread one of my favorite homeschooling books, Homeschooling: A Family’s Journey by Gregory and Martine Millman.  It is a fabulous read.  The Millman family has six children, and three of them are currently in college.  The books shares how they decided to homeschool and their journey after their decision. They talk about the sacrifices they made to homeschool and have one parent stay at home with their children.  It is very thoughtful book that will encourage you and make you smile as you read their stories.  It is the story of family that will touch your heart and remind you why homeschooling is a great choice for so many of us.

My favorite paragraph is the last one in the Acknowledgment section. 

Finally, we must acknowledge, though not by name, several teachers and bureaucrats who, by their determined refusal to understand, cooperate, innovate, or extend themselves in any way, vexed us so intolerably that we knew there had to be a better way.  If they had not held closed the doors, we might never have looked for a window.   Greg and Martine Millman  Homeschooling; A Family’s Journey

That paragraph made me smile and helped me remember another reason why I homeschool.  There are many great quotes in this book that I love to reread.