We decided to homeschool our children shortly after I became pregnant with my first. It wasn’t so much a decision as, both my husband and I knew that’s what we would do. Neither of us had an enjoyable experience in public school and felt we had learned MORE, and retained the information when we had studied on our terms in our way.
As we’ve gone through the years we have experienced a lot that solidified our position. Watching the interaction and behaviors of our children and public school children on the playground for example. There was a vast difference in how they spoke to each other, how they treated others. Yes the parents play a large part but you cannot ignore handing 30 children to one adult plays a factor.
When my mother passed in 2010 we took a very long break from school. Longer than we probably should have, but it didn’t result in any lasting harm. A bit of overtime on lessons and we caught up quickly. That we COULD take this much time was vital to our family, my mother was a huge part of us. I emotionally collapsed, and the girls developed behavior issues, all across the spectrum, so it was a long walk out of the dark for us. If they had been in public school I imagine their grades would have suffered, and the acting out would have led to more issues on top of that. Not something that would have been dealt with well.
The results speak for themselves ultimately. We are frequently told the girls are very mature for their age, and they are praised for their academic abilities. Both girls if I could shove them into a grade level are at least one, usually two grades ahead, of their peers. Having so much time, so little distractions is what makes teaching at home so wonderful. They can learn not to memorize for a test, but to actually LEARN and enjoy the process.
Freakshow Minus Tent 
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