Homeschooling has been the best thing that ever happened to our family, and I am grateful every single day for it.
^^This. I've heard this from several sources. There's something to it that goes beyond just "Are we ticking off the academic boxes?" or "Are we educating the kids better than public school?"
I mean we can talk about socialization, or what learning environment is the best for kids, or whether or not a parent is able to teach algebra, but
It's like there's this other question that isn't being asked...
Something like...
Are we living our best life?
or What do we want in life? How do we want to spend our time?
I've heard that homeschooling families appreciate the strong bonds and experiences that come from enjoying all that time together. I know growing up my fondest memories were at "The Lake"...this cabin in Wisconsin that we'd go to every summer with all my aunts and uncles. We played a ton of board games and backyard volleyball. My mom's family had been going to the exact same location since she was 14. And then we all grew up going there.
I wonder if homeschooling is kind of like that. We could ask the question, "Is the Lake the best way to learn volleyball?" And I would say, well it depends what your goal is. If your goal is to play college ball, then no. If your goal is to advance your volleyball skills to the highest level, no. If your goal is to advance your ability to have fun with a group of people of mixed abilities, some who are superstars, and others who mostly suck, then YES, the Lake is the best way to learn volleyball.
I think the last one is actually the most applicable for "real life". I play volleyball now, on a casual level, with friends. My highschool training makes it damn fun to be skilled. And my Lake training means I can chill out and not have a melt-down when others screw up easy passes, and be able to laugh.
I think Life is like that in general....as a type A high-achieving, Top Student, the biggest thing I've had to learn after school is that no one gives a shit how smart I am, most of the time. But my ability to have fun while doing hard things with other people of different abilities is key.
So does this help shed light on what question we should even be asking? I know that the relationships I've cultivated with my aunts and uncles from having that week-long immersion with them are so much stronger and more rewarding than the relationships with the aunts and uncles on the other side of the family who we only saw for holidays.
At the end of the day, what's the most important? Algebra or relationships?
I'd argue the latter. Especially since we don't know what our kids will grow up to be. Of course we want to give them the academic foundation so that they're free to choose engineer, teacher or hairdresser. But really, the only common ground between all the possible life choices is relationships. Some may need algebra, some may not, but we will all need relationships.
Of course I fully intend on teaching them algebra, but are we gaining something magical that only homeschooling can give us, in the same way that that sweet, unrushed, unstructured time at the Lake as a family gave us something magical?