A Matter of Necessity

Parkslund's story

February 27, 2008

We began home schooling when our children were very young. I was the room mother for each of the children, and every time I visited the classroom, I found myself literally reteaching the material to my children and also to other students. The final straw came when a teacher praised my Downs daughter for incorrectly answering a math problem on her worksheet. When I questioned the teacher, her comment was "we praise for any and all work no matter what!". I didn't want Abbey to learn bad habits, so we pulled all three and began to school them at home. We spent quality one on one time with each child, incorporating field trips and hands on experiences to make the learning process come alive. Our son Matt was a fast learner, and he enjoyed the freedom learning at his own pace offered. Our youngest could learn, but she tended to need things explained to her in many different ways until she could finally wrap her tiny mind around the concepts we were teaching. But once she finally got the subject, it has never left her. Each child was home schooled until they reached high school age. Then, they were allowed to make the choice to continue being home schooled or go to the public high school. Each opted to attend public high school with home schooling as necessary. This was great for us, since the children could take advantage of the shops, sports, and extra curricular activities and still expand their educations through learning at home. I think it is necessary to build a strong foundation for each child morally, spiritually, culturally, ethically and education wise when the children are younger. From this strong foundation, your children will go far. They have the tools necessary to make wise decisions both from peers and in career choices. I have a future Clinical Psychologist, an officer in the Army who trains others on technical equipment,and a Downs girls who communicates well. Home schooling was the best choice for our children.