By: Kristin Brunick

Have you ever wondered if homeschooling is the right path for your family? Consider these five
common reasons parents choose to homeschool. If they resonate with you, check out the 2024 Christian
Homeschool Conference of South Dakota, taking place May 3-4 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. 

Have you ever wondered if homeschooling is the right path for your family? Consider these five common reasons parents choose to homeschool. If they resonate with you, check out the 2024 Christian Homeschool Conference of South Dakota, taking place May 3-4 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. 

1. They know they are their child’s best teacher. Who knows your child best? You, of course! Knowing your child’s learning styles, personality, interests, and struggles helps you open up the exciting world of learning to your child. Don’t get me wrong. There are great teachers out there, but they simply don’t have the same invested interest in your child’s learning that you do. 

2. They want to take advantage of the brief time they have with their children and be part of the learning process. I remember a story my husband relayed to me after running into an old football coach/teacher of his. When he discovered we homeschooled, he asked, “Why would you do that?” My husband’s response always makes me smile. He replied, “Why should you have all the fun?” Take advantage of the precious time you have with your kids, don’t waste those fleeting years. 

3. They want to teach from their worldview. We have a Christian worldview, so that was very important in our decision to homeschool. In our opinion, an education would be incomplete if, in the learning process, you couldn’t include the One who created it all. We wanted our kids to know God’s plan for all mankind, how He wants us to treat others, and how He fits into all things, even math. 

4. They want to protect their kids from bullies and other harmful behaviors. Homeschoolers sometimes get a bad reputation for wanting to shelter their kids. If you mean protect, then, yes. Shelter, no. Sometimes sheltering can be just as dangerous as “throwing our kids to the wolves”. Our kids need to get some bumps and bruises. They need to learn how to get along with others and deal with conflict. They need to see sadness in this world and figure out how they can help. They can learn these things with their siblings, by serving in the community, and by having the ones who love them the most there when they do fall. If we can be the soft landing while they learn tough lessons, then we are preparing them to be strong when life pushes them down, and they will be more likely to survive when they do face those wolves. 

5. They see the benefits enjoyed by homeschooling families they know. We’ve most likely all heard the statistics that homeschooled students score higher on ACTs and other tests, do better in college, etc. However, that’s not what I’m talking about. Those are all great, but what kind of character does my child have? Are they good people? I’m not saying if you homeschool, everything will be rainbows and unicorns. There were days when I cried in the closet because I thought I was ruining my kids. There were days when I knew someone could explain a subject better than me, so why was I even trying? But I will tell you this. I KNOW I would not have the relationships I have with my kids if I hadn’t spent the last nineteen years homeschooling them. The opportunities we have to grow as a family, working out our differences as we learn to fight for the family, not just with it, admitting when we mess up and asking for forgiveness (which I have to humble myself more than I’d like to admit) are priceless. I’d take a well-adjusted, kind, and considerate child over a Nobel Prize winner any day. What about you? 

Have you been homeschooling for years and are already convinced it’s the right path for you? Are you having a tough homeschooling year and need encouragement? Have you just started homeschooling and want to eat up all the information that’s out there? Or do you just want to see what the hype is all about? Join us for the 2024 Christian Homeschool Conference of South Dakota this May in Sioux Falls! There’s something for the whole family! To learn more, go to www.chcsd.org. We hope to see you there!