Eight Reasons Why I Loved Being Homeschooled

I want to share how being homeschooled has shaped me as a teacher and a nanny now and the reasons why I plan to homeschool my children when I am so blessed.

1. My Mama was my teacher.

As an adult, I now realize the depth of the blessing I had in my Mama being my teacher. Having been an elementary school teacher and just a natural with children, she knew how to make learning engaging. When she brought home my older sister from private school, she dove into teaching her with curriculum that was best for her. Mama did her research and sought out the best books for each of us.

I remember many days in the schoolroom we would get to have one on one time with Mama as she helped us through a lesson. She would make a history unit fun by playing baseball with my brothers. They would get to run to the next base when they got an answer right. She made our assignments easy to understand with assignment sheets detailed with what we needed to do that day.

In so doing, Mama made us excited to learn independently. We wanted to surprise her with our work done and being ahead. She’d let us pick out a surprise from the surprise box or she’d reward us with a treat!

I loved my Mama being my teacher, spending more time with me, coming up with creative ideas to make learning fun, giving us our freedom to create, and being patient with us. I am so grateful for her and her kindness, generosity, and patience.

2. My siblings became my best friends.

I can’t imagine my life without my siblings with me. I saw them every day and we played together, created together, and learned together. We learned how to get along, how to work together, and how to encourage each other.

My older brother would wait for me, pushing me to hurry with my work so we could play together outside. We would spend hours in the woods making forts, riding bikes on our dirt path, and climbing trees. We shared with each other, got excited for each other’s birthdays, and planned our fun for the day. We encouraged each other to get up early and work ahead on our school. We gave each other spelling tests, helped each other with math, and played games together.

My older siblings and I bonded together in the care of the younger ones. We shared responsibilities, each helping where we were the best. We made life fun for them and became their teachers in many areas.

Life is so much better with siblings and I am grateful for their love and support and friendship.

3. Our backyard was our playground.

We were blessed with a large outdoor area to play when I was young. We didn’t have grass, but we did have woods and a dirt path. We explored, created, and played hard. We rode our bikes back and forth on that path and made jumps and did tricks. From mud wigwams and sapling forts to an actual sapling cabin my brothers made, we always had things to do outside. We built and played on many swings and slid down so many hills.

Being outside was our favorite place. Having a few pets made it even more fun. Life was an adventure when we were outside and we played many games of pretend where we could be whoever we wanted to be.

4. Every day out was a field trip.

From a normal shopping trip to exploring a new park, we made our adventures fun with our mom. We made the grocery list and she taught us how to budget. Together we learned what real food was. We made days fun with picking out a treat for a picnic and finding a new park toy for the little ones. We made traditions together in the simple day to day.

5. We had the freedom to create delicious food.

As we got older, we discovered more of what real food was and how to make it delicious. My mom was learning more alongside us and showed us amazing tv shows that taught us how to cook. These shows greatly contributed to our education and made us more confident in the our cooking skills.

We learned in the kitchen through trial and error and made some delicious meals. Some of our favorites were homemade pizza, chili, fajitas, enchiladas, and stir fry….as well as homemade bread. Getting to make desserts was just the ‘cherry on top’ as we were able to make brownies, cookies, and more with all healthy ingredients. We loved surprising each other with these treats!

6. We were able to create and craft on our own.

We had the freedom to create on our own. With plenty of art supplies, rubber stamps, and craft supplies, we made our own birthday cards, Christmas presents, and more. We had the freedom to create many things and had the time to complete them while listening to stories.

We crocheted afghans, knitted vests, cross stitched and sketched. My brothers artistic skills grew and grew as they got older and I was privileged to watch them. My sister amazed me with her knitting skills and Mama’s homemade dresses she taught me to make will always be special to me.

All of us were able to start our own entrepreneur businesses as young teenagers. My sister and I had a small business were we sold treats, homemade soaps, and stationery. My brothers made little carvings and also sold the eggs that they got from the chickens they raised. It was a great learning adventure for us all!

7. Every book was an exciting adventure.

By far, our favorite thing to do was to read. We were blessed with books that brought so much light into our lives. Receiving a book for Christmas or birthdays was the best. Collecting series and reading them all the way through, then sharing them with each other was so much fun. I still remember some of my favorite books from childhood and their nostalgia.

Reading aloud with Mama in the middle of the day brought about the best discussions about history. Diving into different settings and time periods taught us so much.

Listening to audio dramas and finding more stories became a favorite hobby. Books are truly such a treasure. Reading is such an adventure.

8. I fell in love with teaching.

I wouldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for the homeschool education I was blessed with during childhood and into young adulthood. I learned so much with the curriculum we had but also the lifestyle that my Mama did her best to create for us.

But I also learned discipline, dedication, and perseverance. I learned to set goals and complete my work. I learned that I could be the one that set the timeline for my work to be done. I also was able to do the books I wanted to do, dive into the subjects I wanted to invest my time in. And I learned that I loved learning and I absolutely loved teaching.

Getting to teach my younger siblings was a gift that I truly treasure. It wasn’t always easy, but I learned what each one of them needed as everyone is different. I worked with each of them and taught from the heart.

All of that experience has made me become the homeschool teacher and nanny that I am now. I love spending time with the children I now teach and finding new ways to make it more fun for them. I love when they sit on my lap and learn things the way my Mama taught me. I get excited as I listen to them teach their younger siblings what I taught them. I love it all and I truly feel that I am walking in my calling as a homeschool teacher.

Someday it will be my children on my lap and sitting beside me as I teach them. Soon, it will be my family that I get to make traditions with, create special memories with, and be excited to learn alongside. Until then, I am so privileged to be teaching these precious souls and I am grateful every day for the homeschool education that I received when I was younger.