Sound off: Members share their favorite aspects of Military Homeschooling
Homeschoolers are notoriously willing to share their experience, answer questions and help others on their journey. This has been especially true for members of our Military Homeschoolers group – a terrific (and growing!) support for those active duty or veteran families interested in homeschooling.
Recently we tapped our members with the following invitation:
‘Sound off’ for your personal FAVORITE thing about homeschooling – either in general; some breakthrough for your child this year or the positive impact homeschooling has made for your family!
Their responses offer great insight (and variety!)
“It makes PCS’es so much easier. We can school right through, or not, and don’t have to worry about that state’s vaccine policy vs the state we were just in. We don’t have to decide where to live based on the school district.” ~Susan
“Making your own schedule is great, but the best thing for me is that since I spend all my time with my kids at home, when I do go off to work for a few hours, they actually tell me they MISS me! Even my teenager! J” ~Nina
“I do find that my son in particular is much more likely to come sit next to me on the couch and doesn’t want to have so much alone time. After (public) school he would be so over stimulated or over socialized that he needed space to decompress. He seems to do much better at home with me and his sister, and he goes to gymnastics and scouts twice a week. Every few weeks we have Co-Op classes and go on field trips. That seems to be the “sweet spot” for socialization, too much and he checks out and shuts down.” ~Jax
“To add, I have been able to eliminate stress (from SO many areas) and manage my son’s anxiety. He would be so overwhelmed at (public) school that he would shut down and check out. He was practically catatonic by 3PM. He would need more and more time to decompress after school and that meant study and homework was a no go. Also, that is the busiest and most stressful time of the day for the family so he was already at his wits end. Depending on how early in the school day he “shut off” he would miss a LOT of instruction and that would further exacerbate the situation. Within a week or two of having him home he seemed so much “lighter”. Even strangers commented on how buoyant, and relaxed he was. My happy child had come out of the fog. He seemed genuinely relieved and started eating and sleeping better. I think it saved his life. He doesn’t know it yet, but stress can impact your health, particularly when you’re growing. I know his mental health is top notch now that we are learning to mitigate and manage stressful experiences and he is so much more receptive to learning.” ~Jax
“The freedom of schedule is HUGE for me. Also, I love being able to cater to my son’s interests and current level of subject mastery. The point of school is to learn the material but when you’re trying to stay in the target range for a whole classroom it’s easy to get bored or be left behind.” ~Amanda
“We are still homeschooling a 5th grader, however, our two older kids now 24 and 23 were homeschooled the whole time. Our 24 year old recently said that although there were some downsides to homeschooling, one of the things that he knows was the result of homeschooling was the closeness of our family. He and his sister are best friends even though they now live thousands of miles apart. He said that if they hadn’t been homeschooled, they would have been in different grades, had different circles of friends and would not have cultivated a friendship. For me, hearing that just filled my heart with such joy. All the years of sacrifice and struggles were worth it.” ~Barbara
“We (I) really enjoy sleeping until 8:30 or 9 and getting a “late” start. All three of us are night owls and are more creative in the evening so we do a lot of reading and practice critical thinking skills (and play role playing board games) after dinner. Kids read until they fall asleep, and seem to be more thoroughly rested. This has eliminated the surge of anxiety and stress of being IN the school, fed, dressed, and alert so early. We also spend more structure and unstructured time outside. MOST of our lessons are outside when it’s above 70F. All three of us are “outside” people. Freedom of movement, volume and plenty of fresh air and sun seem to help my son the most.” ~Jax
“We don’t spend enough time outside but I’m hoping to do so more now that the weather is nice again. My oldest was diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago and since then I’ve realized even more than I did before that the freedom to run around outside as much as he needs to wear off some energy is really important for him. When he’s stuck inside he goes a bit crazy and gets cranky and petulant.” ~Amanda
“My second grader is borderline autistic, and is an extremely good reader and loves science, but is bad in math, comprehension and handwriting. I give the same amount of time for each subject, but I start with his favorite, which is reading, then do something he doesn’t like to well, then do another favorite (science) then math then art and so on. To keep him interested, I try to incorporate his weakest areas in with his strengths.” ~Aiken
“Being able to move at my kids’ individual pace has been such a gift! I don’t have to worry about them becoming bored with material they already know… or moving ahead before they are ready. This year one of my struggling learners had a major break-through in math and has since breezed ahead of her older brother (which, in turn, has motivated him!)” ~Kara
“Love homeschooling! Our military family has been able to educate our kids around the world – immersing in cultural experiences which would have been limited… even in DOD schools OCONUS. Scheduling flexibility has allowed us more time together while still having plenty of opportunities for socialization. We are incredibly grateful to have this option available!” ~Sandy
Now it’s your turn! Sound off on your favorite thing about homeschooling (or what you are looking forward to if you’re just starting out!)
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