Reading is fundAmental: why homeschooling rocks

There are various reasons to homeschool versus sending your children to a public or non-public school.  There is the obvious fact that in public and non-public schools, education takes a seat for socialization.  Sometimes, that socialization isn't optimal.  Of course, many people homeschool for religious reasons, and some don't trust their local public schools and can't afford a non-public school.  Then there's Maura and Nolan.

Maura is nearly finished with her Kindergarten reading and math curricula.  She is reading wonderfully, and is picking up new skills every day.  We haven't been able to get her to read easy-readers on a regular basis, but wow, she's picking it up fast!  She loves math, and is eager to learn more and more.  Nolan isn't too far behind, however.  While not yet reading, Christina has started him with blending letters to make new sounds.  In addition, he's even beginning Maura's kindergarten math workbook. 

Nolan and Maura are of course, different styles.  Maura is easily distracted, while Nolan can focus on something he's got his little mind on for a while (that doesn't mean he sits still during that time, though).  This creates a problem, because while Nolan is working on whatever he's working on, Maura is watching him.  When you get them one-on-one, however, they are both very productive.

What is so neat about this arrangement is that we can move at a more natural pace, we allow them to learn at their own pace in a way that flows naturally.  While we provide a structure to the learning process, we aren't pushing anything.  Maura has always loved "school".  She loved doing "letters/ABCs" with Christina before she went to school, and she even asks to do school now.  Nolan, on the other hand, would be diagnosed with ADD already at 3.  He's everywhere (including walking on the window sills).  Get him one-on-one and he'll do great.  We just started him on Maura's kindergarten math workbook, and he flew through the first unit...at 3.  He loves it.  The key is we are letting them work on their own pace.  Nolan really isn't concerned with writing (he just recently wrote his name, with no practice and no prompting), and he is perfectly content for us to read to him. 

As teacher, I've seen how the curriculum can drive education.  What to teach, when to teach it is crucial to the modern school, but what isn't crucial is whether or not the individual children can handle it at that time.  Homeschooling allows the child's needs to be met, not the school's or the state's.