Why We Chose Homeschooling Over Public School

So, what is the answer to the big question, “Why did you choose to homeschool over public school”? For our family, there is not one reason why we made that decision. There are many reasons why we did not want our children in public school, and we are going to talk about them. Now, before I continue, what I have to say is not an attack on public schools, but a conclusion my husband and I came to after a lot of research, prayer, and following closely what the districts around us are doing and implementing. Without further ado, let us dive into our reasons.

Reason number one: As much as we all would hope, America is not number one when it comes to its education system. Our school system today is based on the motivation to produce obedient workers, rather than free thinkers (See my blog on “How the Rockefellers Impacted Our Education System). The last time the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) administered an international student assessment, the United States scored 478 in math which is below the OECD average of 489. Out of 79 countries, we ranked 30th. In science, we ranked 11th out of 79 countries, which certainly is better than math, but the issue is, since 2006 there has been no improvement in science. The US is remaining stagnant, and in some ways declining in its education system.

I am not a huge fan of tests in general, but when America statistically is showing no signs of improving their school systems over several years, that shows me it is not a priority. Our kids are the future of America, and our education system has remained stale and out of date. As we stay this way, other countries continue to improve and pass us educationally, therefore, weakening us economically.

Reason number two: We will not have our children indoctrinated. Public schools are government schools. They are funded by the government, and to continue to receive funding, they are required to teach certain topics. For a long time, certain agendas have been sprinkled into the subjects our children are learning and it is entirely inappropriate. The LGBTQ+ agenda is bleeding into our schools and robbing our children of their innocence. “Gender theory” is now being taught, along with sexual material that is against what our Lord and Savior says, and in no way appropriate to be taught in school. Books are sprinkled in the school libraries with explicit material that are at arm’s reach for our precious children to pick up. Drag queens are being invited in and clubs have formed that encourage secrecy from parents.

My husband recently was doing construction at an elementary school nearby and its was decorated, top to bottom, with pride décor. This is inappropriate in any school, but especially in an elementary school! I have heard of parents finding out their children were read stories, by their teachers, that promote this agenda, and it is heartbreaking. Along with this, a lot of topics are taught with the motivation to push towards a certain way politically. There is so much push to indoctrinate our kids with leftist ideology. Children spend 7 hours a day in a government ran school. Combined with all this indoctrination and ideologies being taught, it is no wonder we are losing our children to these agendas. To me, all of this oversteps my role as a parent. My husband and I will teach our children according to our own morals, convictions, and beliefs. That should be respected without question.

Reason number three: Covid has had a major impact on the development of our children. My daughter’s first year of school was in 2020 when children were required to wear masks while in school. We did not want that for her and her brother who would soon follow. We respect everyone had their own comfort level with the pandemic but for us and the deep research we did, we knew it would be detrimental to the development of our children if they wore masks. Masks, combined with hybrid learning, our children have fallen behind not only in their learning and education, but also developmental milestones. According to an article in USA Today, many children born during the pandemic are missing major developmental milestones due to the isolation, and mask-wearing for themselves and adults. Our local districts in the area had falling test scores because of the major changes made during that time.

Along with all of this, kids were suffering major head headaches, dizziness, and even passing out due to mask-wearing. I had many friends whose kids were yelled at for taking their masks down to get a full breath, or even a drink of water.

We saw all of this as a possibility of happening and did not want our kids to endure that. We are so thankful for our decision because we now see the repercussions of these decisions. The mental health industry is busier than ever dealing with the impact this has had on our children. There are now children who cannot complete one day of school because they are filled with worry and anxiety that they fall into a puddle in the middle of a classroom floor.

We wanted a stable, safe, and healthy learning environment for our children, and because of that, we chose to homeschool.

Reason number four: As much as I wish this were not the case, there is an increase in violence in our schools across the nation. School shootings, bomb threats, and bullying is becoming more and more common. A couple of years back, a local elementary school had a threat made upon it. A friend of mine had children at that school and was not notified until hours later, through email. This is unacceptable to me. If my children are in danger, that warrants a phone call IMMEDIATELY.

With the increase in violence, the security, safety, and emergency response in our schools is not good enough for me to send my children. Instead of the US having incontrollable spending on things that we have no business spending money on, we should be investing in the safety of the kids in our own country.

Reason number five: Schools are undermining a parent’s role. To be upfront and clear, our children belong to my husband and me. They do not belong to the government. The government does not decide what my children physically/mentally need, and what they need to learn. For instance, many schools in the country were mandating the covid vaccine for kids to attend there, some not even accepting exemptions. For me, this oversteps a parent’s role.  In 2021, a child in California was bribed with a piece of pizza to get the vaccine and was then told not to say anything. What is not to say that someone will not try this on my children? I am not willing to take that gamble.

Another example is a school in Minnesota that gave an equity survey to its fourth-grade students. The students were told not to repeat the questions to their parents or any adult. Major red flag! We are supposed to be fostering an environment for our children to feel safe to come to us, as parents, anytime. A school encouraging its students to keep things from their parents is predatory and unacceptable. If it can happen in one school, it can happen anywhere!

I could go into so many more reasons, but we will start with these five. My husband and I became convicted that we cannot just complain about the state of our education system, but we need to do something about it. We made the decision to take our children’s education into our own hands and they are flourishing and thriving! My daughter’s reading level is well beyond her age and grade. She is doing math that her public school peers have not gone into. My son is reading beyond his age and level. He is ahead in math, and I am proud to say that my children know more about their country than most adults. All of this was possible, first and foremost, by God’s leading, and secondly, because they have the opportunity to learn according to their own learning style and not the Rote learning style taught in institutional schools.

My husband and I have an overwhelming peace that we have made the right decision for our kids. As a result, I have this strong passion to help educate, inform, and encourage other parents thinking about homeschooling, and parents who are well into their homeschooling journey. I never thought this would be the path God would take us on, but he did, and I am thankful.

Whether you are reading this at home, at the park, or even on vacation in Cancun Mexico, I hope this has opened your eyes and shed some light on what is truly going on in our children’s schools, and that you can make a well thought out decision on your child’s wellbeing and education. We have one chance to raise our kids and I draw the line by letting my kids spend 13 years (including kindergarten) in a government school. Parents, it is time we stop complaining and start doing something about our kid’s education. Homeschooling is exploding for these reasons. It is time to stop thinking and start doing!