I’ve been thinking about home schooling my children lately. This is an option I’ve always considered possible because I have a fairly low opinion of the public school system. I will admit that the public school system has exceeded my expectations but that’s not saying much because my expectations are so low. This belief was justified this past week when my son was a bit agitated over not getting his homework done and having it sent home. After calming him down, I asked him to explain to me what happened. Basically, he was given half the assignment on Monday which he promptly completed in class. Then, on Wednesday, he was given the other half. He didn’t hear the entire assignment and, therefore, only did the part he thought was due. I had him do the part he was supposed to have finished which he completed effortlessly in a couple minutes. After he finished, I took a look through the work he’s doing and, quite honestly, was surprised at the low level of it. Now, I have to wonder if my memory is playing tricks on me, but I recall doing much more advanced work when I was in grade four. Of course, I also remember getting actual grades (I was quite proud of getting 100% in social studies). Nowadays, the “performance report” consists of a list of areas with an M or a D rating which basically translates to “does well” or “does not so well”. Even my work evaluation has more levels than that! I could go off on quite a rant at this point, but I won’t. Those of you who know me have heard this one many times before.

Anyway, there are two things that really have me considering home schooling now. One of the major benefits I see to public schools is the social opportunities provided. The kids get a chance to interact with other children and that’s important. I was talking with my wife about home schooling and she mentioned that she heard of someone who was home schooling but had their children go to a public school for gym class. I had never considered the possibility of something like that. I had always figured it was an all or nothing situation. The opportunity to have the social interaction AND a quality education is looking more doable.

The other thing that has held me back from home schooling is, of course, finances. My wife and I both work and the way we currently have our finances structured, neither of us can stop working for an extended period. We’ve recently adjusted our expense structure and budget and should have a lot more freedom within a few years but that’s a long time to wait. As I’ve mentioned previously, I am actively working towards wealth now. This situation emphasizes for me that wealth is about more than just money. Wealth is about freedom and the ability to make choices. I saved an affirmation from somewhere (I don’t recall where I first heard it) that really sums it up for me:

I never want to have to make a bad decision because of money.

I honestly believe that keeping my kids in public school is a bad decision when compared against the benefits of home schooling. There are plenty of resources available to assist in home schooling. In fact, I was quite surprised by the level of support provided by the provincial government. They appear to have a department and personnel committed to supporting the home school initiative and offer plenty of material. Their website has good information. There’s also a variety of local support groups.

So now I have even more incentive to build wealth. In the past I considered wealth not really important. My dad was very focused on building wealth and my childhood suffered for it. Unfortunately, he also wasn’t very good at it so not only was he too busy working to spend time with me, but he left no legacy to justify it. Things changed while I was still a kid but, the point is, I’ve never considered wealth to be a priority. Obviously that attitude is changing and opportunities, like home schooling, really help. I’ve been slacking lately but I should be back on track shortly. I’ll post about that a little later.

- Dave