Homeschooling Habesha: 10 Reasons I Homeschool My Kids

When I was growing up, we just went to public school. I don’t know if we didn’t know about the options or they just weren’t feasible for us. But we did not think about private school, charter schools, or homeschooling.

Growing Up in Public School

My parents made sure that we were in a good school district and we matriculated from elementary to high school. Whatever issues we had in school we just ignored, figured out, or tried to talk to the teachers about. But public school for us was the only option.

In some ways, I can understand where my parents were coming from. In there mind the educational system in the US was better than in Ethiopia. From the curriculum to the teacher qualifications and student, teacher ratios, the public schools in Ethiopia aren’t as good. So to them, it just made sense to put us in public school.

Deciding for My Children

Fast forward a few years later (ok ok…many years later), when my husband and I were trying to decide about what schools we wanted to send our children (even before we had them). My husband had been homeschooled for one year and his sisters had been homeschooled all through their education. So homeschooling was on the table as well as public schools, private schools, and charter schools.

We really felt that public school was where we should put our children. We had learned that God had placed us in this world but we are not of it (John 15:19). But if we wanted to be able to minister and relate to people in this world, then we need to be around them to know how to interact with them.

Looking back I think that this thought came about as a backlash to my husband’s and sister-in-law’s homeschooling experience. They were very sheltered and did not have much interaction/socialization with different people.

Our First Decision

But either way, we decided that public school would be the best option for our kids. Our oldest started in preschool at age 3.

We felt he was learning a lot at the new preschool and was ready for kindergarten. We did not like the environment of the school we were zoned for. It was very cliquish and exclusive. So we made the decision to move to another school zone. One that had an African American woman as principal and that was in a great diverse neighborhood.

The experience from kindergarten to second grade was good. Our eldest got into the gifted and talented program at the school, which was great, but it was also the start of some concerns about the school system.

Concerns Arise

When we went to the gifted and talented orientation, they talked about how they would be teaching the children the higher levels of thinking in Bloom’s Taxonomy. That was great for my child and those in the gifted and talented program. But what about the children that did not qualify for the gifted and talented program?

I think that a major problem in our society right now is that people do not know how to analyze or evaluate information. They watch their preferred news channel and just take in the information without thinking about it, without judging it. That is how we have a society that is so polarized.

I know my child will learn advanced critical thinking, but what if my other children don’t make it into the gifted and talented program. And again why shouldn’t all children be taught those higher critical thinking skills.

The Frustration Begins

As third grade began, the school implemented a no homework policy. At first, I was really excited about this, the kids would have more time for other activities or just to have fun. Also, studies had shown that homework was not really effective during the elementary years.

After a few months of no homework and only getting a brief email each week about what would be covered in class, I was lost as a parent. I knew overall what was taught, but I would not know how well my child was doing until I got the homework back. How was I going to help my child succeed if I had to work retroactively? I became very frustrated.

The Last Straw

As a very engaged parent, I try to be involved in as much of my children’s educational experience as possible. I was on the board of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), I volunteered for the Campus Improvement Team, and I volunteered in the classroom when I could. If there was anything that I could do to improve and assist the school in delivering a great educational experience to not only my children but to all the children, I was willing to help. If there was a need that I saw, I worked to try and fill it for the greater good.

One need that I saw was a need for diverse programs that were more inclusive to all the children in the school. The elementary school is approximately 50% white, 40% Asian, and the other 10% Hispanic and black. And despite the fact that about half the school was diverse, there were very few PTA programs and school programs that recognized and celebrated this diversity.

What saddened me, even more, was not only the lack of diversity but how divided the community and the students were. So being the fixer that I was, I went about planning Multicultural night at the school. It would be a chance for students to showcase their culture and share a piece of themselves that we may not necessarily see in school.

Needless to say, the PTA did not see value in diversity and was not willing to fund the event the way it should have been. This just showed me the kind of school community that my children were in. If the saying the apple does not fall far from the tree is true, then my children were going to school with other children that did not value their diversity and therefore did not value them.

In addition to these concerns and reading about the benefits and process of homeschooling, we decided to pull my 4th grader and kindergartener out of school and start our homeschool journey.

Benefits of Homeschooling for Us

Every family homeschools for their own reasons. These are the benefits that I see for my family.

1. More time for important things

We all have such good intentions when it comes to our children. In my case, I wanted to do daily devotionals and Bible studies with my children. I also wanted to teach them Amharic and general life skills like doing the laundry, cooking and other chores. But what I found was by the time they spent 7 hours in school, completed their extracurricular activities and got to play and be children, there was very little time left to teach them the things I wanted to teach them. There are only so many hours in a day.

But with homeschooling, we spend less time in “school”. We only spend about 4 hours a day doing school work. That leaves us time to work on all the other things that I want to teach them. They do chores after they eat breakfast and I get a chance to teach them how to take care of a house. We incorporate Amharic during our morning time and as part of their curriculum with the Let’s Learn the Amharic Alphabet workbook for my boys and First Amharic Words App for my 3-year-old. We also pray and do our Bible study as part of our morning time.

As they get older I am sure they will have other things they want to learn and that I want to teach them. With homeschooling we have the flexibility and the time to do just that.

2. Control of what I want to teach them

One big issue I have with public education is that it is so narrow and so biased. In the US, most of the subjects are taught in a very eurocentric way. Take literature for example. I remember most of my education consisted of European and American authors. I don’t remember learning about African proverbs or even reading books written by African American authors.

In fact, the only times I remember learning about anything African or African American was during the chapters about Egypt (which they did not even teach as part of Africa) and slavery in history and maybe a little during Black History Month.

Learn 10 Facts About Ethiopia You Never New

Of course, I did not think much about it growing up. But as a parent, I want my children to learn about the greatness that is in them and in their ancestors. I don’t want them to think that the only place that black people have had in history and culture has been in a dominated and subservient role. There is greatness in our history including Haile Selassie and the Ethiopian kingdoms. I want them to learn about the riches of Mansa Mussa and to read the poetry of Maya Angelou. I want them to see greatness when they look in the mirror.

3. Less stress and hurriedness in the mornings and after school

Ok. I have to admit, I am not a morning person. No matter how hard I have tried, I just cannot do it. So mornings were rough at our house. But I have been reassured that even those mamas that are morning persons have the same issues as I had.

I absolutely hated and felt guilty about the atmosphere I created for my children in the morning. There was always yelling to get them to hurry up and eat their breakfast, hurry up and put on your shoes, running around getting their backpacks and whatever else they forgot. It just was not pleasant.

I read somewhere that the most important part of a child’s day is the first 3 minutes after they wake up, the first 3 minutes after school, and the last 3 minutes before bed. If this was true (and I think it is), my kids were stressed and full of negativity most of that time.

That is not the atmosphere that I wanted to raise them in. I wanted them to be full of love, joy, and peace. There was not enough of these moments to offset the morning and evening madness.

But since homeschooling, there has been such a change in our home’s atmosphere and the children’s attitudes. They are able to wake up when they want which is usually by 8 am. We are able to enjoy breakfast together, get chores done, and just start off our morning not rushed or yelling.

They are not as tired anymore. I am not as cranky anymore. And we are able to enjoy each other more. I love it!

4. Be the biggest influences in their life when they are young

When you think about how much time kids spend in school or getting ready for school, it really is a lot. They spend 7 hours a day, 5 days a week in school.

Add time to get ready and do homework or extracurriculars in the afternoon that eats up even more time. The latest “American Time Use Survey” conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that parents only spend an average of 2.5 hours caring and helping their household children. This included activities like playing with kids, reading to them, and activities related to the kids’ education.

So most kids are spending about 3 times as much time with the adults and influences at school than they are with their families. That means that the schools and teachers have much more time to influence children than even their parents.

I did not want a stranger each year with their own biases and prejudices, influencing how my kids thought, acted, treated others, and most of all what they believed.

We want to be the one that teaches them right and wrong, what beliefs to have, and who they are as individuals. I believe that is my responsibility as a parent. I do not want to give that much power and influence to a complete stranger.

And no I am not trying to shelter them or be controlling. But I am trying to make sure they have a strong foundation in who they are before I unleash them into this world.

5. Learn and understand what “family first” means

I did not want my children to be more focused on friends at school then on their family relationships. They should learn that their brothers and sister are their best friends. I want them to learn about how to act in relationships with each other. They need to treat each other well before we focus on spending time with friends.

As they spend time with each other instead of with their friends at school, they are learning how to keep calm in stressful and emotional situations. They are learning how to put the needs of their family over their own wants. I want them to know that we will be there for each other no matter what.

6. Provide them with education tailored to them

Teachers have about 20 kids in their class. There is no way even if they have the best intentions, that they can address every child’s needs all the time. Teachers have to teach to the average student. If a student grasps the information quickly, they just have to sit, bored, as the teacher completes the lesson. On the other hand, a teacher does not always have time to make sure every child in a class has a firm understanding of a topic before moving on.

But as we homeschool, I can select the curriculum that best fits each child’s learning style. My oldest is a visual learner and can learn anything by reading it. My middle boy is an auditory and hands-on learner. Put it to a song or let him touch and play with something then he can learn it. I made sure to get books that would make each child successful.

I can also go as quickly or as slowly as I want with each child. If they need more practice with a unit, I can spend an extra day on it or find more ways to explain it. Alternatively, if they quickly grasp a topic, I can move on to then next topic. And because they are getting one on one teaching, they tend to understand the material very quickly. (Another great benefit!)

7. Travel and make lessons come alive.

How awesome would it be if when we studied US government, we went to Washington, DC and went to speak with our congressman? We can do that.

Our whole family will be going to Ethiopia in the fall. Before we go, we will be learning about Ethiopian and African history. While we are there we will visit the Organization of African Unity in Addis Ababa, great Ethiopian sites, like Lalibela and Axum. They will be able to experience first hand what we are learning.

We can also make science come alive. The kids can plant a garden to learn about photosynthesis. We can go to the zoo and learn about animals. They can see chemical reactions come alive when we get to Chemistry. We get to follow their interests and develop a love of learning.

8. Less social pressures and issues

There are a lot of social pressures in school. Definitely when you get to middle school and high school, but it also is present in elementary school.

From school shootings to bullying to peer pressure, our kids have to deal with a lot in school. It makes me so sad to hear about a child that committed suicide because of bullying. And I am shocked at some of the conversations that my kids have at lunch and what they come home thinking and saying. And it seems to only be getting worse. So I asked my self why?

Why do I want to subject them to all of that when they are so impressionable? Why do I want to put their safety in jeopardy when I don’t have to?

When my children are older and stronger in character, then they will be more prepared to deal with peer pressure and social issues in school and around others.

9. Can persue their own interests

I love the light that I see in my oldest son’s eyes when he is working on his coding. Or the fun (and noise) that my youngest son has when is he doing music with his father.

Even now in elementary school, they have time to work on activities that interest them. This will be even truer as they get older. If they are moving quickly through their work, they can start college early. If they show an interest in a particular career path, they can do an internship or get a job in that field.

They are not limited by being in school and having to choose an after school job. They can get a job when most businesses are open and not just in retail.

10. Have time to volunteer and build character

Although homeschooling is school and will include academics, it also gives us time for so much more. I, as a parent, am teaching, correcting, disciplining them to develop a character of integrity.

They will be able to volunteer and learn how to give back to their community. They will learn to have compassion and empathy for those who are less fortunate. Hopefully, I can help them to see outside of their own bubble and their own home to see the bigger world.

As you can see I have high hopes for what my children will learn and receive from the homeschooling experience. I know that it will be hard work. I know that there will be challenges. But I hope that in the end, it will be all worth it and my children will be better for it.

I will keep you posted about how things are going each month and as interesting things come up.

Have you ever thought about homeschooling? What questions do you have about homeschooling?