Happy Holidays!

With the holidays upon us I have time, okay maybe not have time, but I am taking the time to reflect on the year and the changes I have made to our lives. Please note that these are my personal feelings and as I do not judge the people who use public education(my own 2 older boys currently go to public school), I ask that you just read and not judge.
Homeschooling...where to begin. I feel this pull at my heart. I feel like I am compelled to take the education of my kids into my own hands. I feel unsettled that so many people accept the status quo that is American education today. I hate that parents just settle for something that is lacking because they can't understand the alternatives. Why have we come to accept education that is sub standard? Are we really okay with the testing and low standards? How did we get to this point that we are many, many levels below where we were years ago? How is it that in Civil War times the literacy rate, including slaves, was higher than it is now?
It pulls at my heart. This is NOT to say that there aren't many wonderful and dedicated teachers, because there are. I hope that I was once one of them. It is simply a case of their hands being tied by what is acceptable to teach and what is allowed. The standards are accepted, set, and taught.
Another really huge issue for me has been the total degradation of morality. What is now considered the norm revolts me. I'm not sure if it is the blatant lack of clothing that young girls wear, the nasty music they all listen to, or just the disregard for authority and decency that is the worst. When did it get this bad?
So they will be unsocialized you say? What part of school offers them the kind of socializing I really want them to have? I hear more horror stories than I hear success stories in all honesty. Should peer pressure be okay? Should I want my kids to mix in with children I would otherwise NOT want them to be friends with because it will make them "better people?" I'm sorry but that is not a risk I want to take. I have seen the village and I prefer it to NOT raise my kids thank you.
Lastly, school days are too long. Where did evening family dinners go? The ridiculous rat race to over achieve and be a part of 100 different activities for the sake of beefing up your college application has dissolved the very essence of family. How sad that we have to carve out time to speak to our kids. Is it any wonder that we lead the world in teen suicides? Our kids can't be kids. They are over scheduled, technologically terrorized, unplugged creatures that we don't recognize. Does it make sense to have your child spend more waking hours with strangers than yourself? Who shapes your child into the adult you want them to be when you see them for just a few hours per day?
At any rate, those are my reasons. I am not attempting to put my kids in a bubble and isolate them. I have just found that there are better ways for my kids to learn and learn to be lifelong learners. I like to be the central figure in their lives and shape them, especially my girls, into the best people they can become. Here's to the journey!!