By, Carlie Kercheval

I realize that the choice to homeschool our children is an incredibly personal decision. I wanted to share with my fellow military wives why our family decided to take this venture. This list in no way represents anything other than OUR personal decision, and in no way is it criticizing anyone for her decision to NOT homeschool.

1. The ability to spend more time with our children. Period. I could not imagine our children spending more time with other people. I say this mainly because it is our conviction that we are to be the greatest influence in our children’s lives outside of Jesus Himself. We don’t believe that our children being gone 8+ hours a day (at school and activities) gives us the advantage of influence. We are not willing to gamble in this area.
2. Flexibility in our scheduling to fit our unpredictable military lifestyle. It has been amazing for us as we never have to go on vacation during “spring break.” We can go before or after.
3. No conflict of interest coming between our faith and our family. I have heard it all too many times before, “The school won’t let Johnny pray, they say it distracts the other students who might have another faith.” I have several friends who have told me stories varying from issues of prayer, saying the name of Jesus, and difficulty during holiday seasons that honor Christ. We never have to go through any of these things–and we like it this way. Our children will have plenty of time to be challenged and interrupted by the world’s way of thinking. I’d rather it be when they are adults with their own morals and convictions than during these precious formative and influential years that God has called them to be under our roof.
4. We can take school with us where ever we go. I love the fact that in our family school is not limited to a classroom! We have done school on a riverboat, outside on hikes, walks, on an airplane, in a river (no kidding), various parks, and the list goes on and on. Learning is a lifestyle that suits our family well.
5. The continuity of education. Goes with #4. This gives the children an increased confidence during PCS times as they never have to worry about being the “new kid” or wondering if the curriculum will be similar to their last school.
6. Increased family unity. I have noticed over the past 8 years of our homeschooling adventure that our family is much closer (by choice) than many other families we know and interact with. I don’t think this is a coincidence, rather I believe this is a direct effect of our choice to educate our children.
7. No pressure. I love the fact that I am not pressured to push a certain curriculum or teach to a test just to secure funding for the next year. Unfortunately, our public schools have become all too political, and this type of teaching and pressure pushes the needs of children to the side and puts the money at the forefront of the decision making. Not so at our homeschool! We put the needs of our children first and love to have a relaxed environment conducive to learning. No, not everyday is perfect, but it is much better than what I described above.
8. Healthier lunches. Seriously. This is self explanatory.
9. The best teacher in the world. And no, I don’t mean that I am the best teacher in the world. But I do believe that a parent can teach their child better than anyone else as we know these little ones better than anyone ever will (outside of their spouses). Thus, in my opinion, the best teacher in the world for your child is you.
10. Ability to chose the right curriculum for each child. This has been a wonderful blessing for our children. We are able to personalize and change our children’s curriculum at anytime to allow the highest level of success in their personal and academic education. It promotes a healthier self-esteem when children are successful in what they do. Best of all, we are able to teach our children from a Christian/creation perspective and not have to unschool them with information taught with Darwinism or any other anti-Christian perspective.

This is in no way a comprehensive list in our decision to educate our children at home, but it does highlight some of the main factors we used in making our decision. This is really a long term lifestyle choice for our family more than it is a “school” choice. I pray that this list will bless someone who has been considering homeschooling to see that it is okay to want what is best for your children. I also pray that this list gives the homeschool mom who feels like giving up some time to regroup and focus on why you made your decision in the first place. And last, but not least, I pray that those of you who do not home educate your children will have some insight as to why some families choose this lifestyle and love it.

Carlie is a blessed, stay-at-home, homeschoolin’ mama to her 3 precious gifts she calls “children”. She is a proud Army wife married to the love of her life, Michael, for over 11 years.  In her free time she enjoys anything to do with Jesus, family, reading, writing, singing, teaching, and being outdoors. You can find out more about her faith and family at her blog: So You Call Yourself A Homeschooler?