Homeschooled, now I'm a 5th Grade Teacher. #doesnotcompute

I've never met another elementary teacher who comes from the same background as me. Explanation
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    I am the seventh of eight children, each of us roughly 2 years apart, and all of us were educated at home by my mother, from kindergarten through the end of high school. A basic rundown of our day at home:

• Breakfast, from 7:30 until 8:10. 
• 8:10--Be at the table, ready to work.
• Since we were all in different grades, our math, science, and social studies content was unique to each student, and was completed individually. Think flipped classroom, but without the technology. Our textbooks explained concepts to us, and then we practiced. Assistance was available from older siblings or my mother. 
• We operated off of a core curriculum, which meant we all read the same exact texts together, even though there were at times 6 of us in school simultaneously. We took turns reading, studied for the exams together, and learned about all kinds of historical events, medical discoveries, scientific ideas, and Biblical teaching from the same source, regardless of age. It worked fairly well. 

  

  With a little less formality, this was us.

• An apple could be eaten at 11:30 (apple time!), yet work needed to continue.
• We all had a common lunch break, from 12:00-1:00. We could make our own lunches fairly quickly, which left the rest of the break for basement hockey, board games, endless reading, exploring in the woods behind our home, or whatever new hobby we were infatuated with. 
• Our afternoon went from 1:00-3:10, except on Wednesdays, when we were all able to attend volleyball, from 1:30-3:00 or so, with other homeschooled kids. 
• There was no such thing as completing my work and being done for the day (although I've heard rumors of families where this was allowed, much to my envy). Every time I completed core tasks, it was time to take up something else which could further my learning. 
• So, in essence, 6 hours of learning a day, with an hour of break time 2/3 of the way through. 

    Most public educators I know don't have a real idea of the resources available for homeschooling, or the different ways in which it can be conducted. And, to be sure, it can be done badly. For an overview of the different ways homeschooling is undertaken, here's a link. But then, how could public educators have any real idea of what homeschooling, private schooling, charter schools, or whatever other methods exist? Experience is the best teacher, it is said, and without it, little can be deeply understood. 

We aren't that weird. We're just different. 

So, why am I a public school teacher, having been homeschooled myself? And, do I regret being homeschooled in my entire pre-college life? What's more, how will my own children learn what they need to? 

1. I teach because it is the unique and best way for me to consistently meet, learn from, and have an impact on children. I am a Christian, and while I believe it's inappropriate for me to tell my students what I believe unless they ask, or to tell them what to think, I believe in living out my faith through my actions. I have learned so much from the precious and broken children I've had the honor of knowing in my nearly 6 years teaching. And, I hope my students have felt from me the love I have for them. Every day I seek to set my heart toward loving the children as they are, without qualification. I am quite imperfect in this, but I believe I must try. 

2. I don't regret being homeschooled myself. My experiences are unique, but I received a first-class education that prepared me for college quite effectively. I was not a shut-in. I had great friends, and opportunities to travel and serve around the country and even in Mexico. Although there are things I did not do, there are things my public-schooled peers did not do that I did. 

3. My children will be homeschooled, at least for now. And, my wife will be teaching, even though I have the education degree.

I believe in keeping an open mind about this and being attuned to the individual needs of each of my children, but there are so many benefits of homeschooling. 

I could flesh those out in another post, but for now just think about this: an average class size at the school I teach is 24 students. In a homeschool setting, it is never greater than 1. With enough effort and education, most parents can be the best teachers their children could hope for. They s

It's possible I stowed books in bathrooms for a little extra break-time...

tart out with an advantage over any public school teacher: they know their children better than anyone else. And, while this can result in some epic clashes, it can also yield abundant fruit.

So here I am, a paradox, a rarity, an aberration. Yes, I was homeschooled, and yes, I teach public school. Things are never as simple as they seem at first glance.