Our Journey

You know that moment when you have just started to emerge from the other side of a journey and there has been just enough space to let you look back and realize how big the journey was?  That is the moment I am in right now.

If I am completely honest with myself, I have had difficult times and situations within other difficult times and situations!  I am exhausted!

This year is our first year to home school our children.  I am so thankful we made the decision to home school!  The changes we have seen in our children are wonderful!  We still have some more things to iron out, but for the most part, we are doing really well!  We have a better relationship with each of our children, as a family, and their relationships with each other have dramatically improved!  I love the development in their problem solving skills!  I love that we can tailor our lessons for each child, focusing on their individual strengths and weaknesses!

Of course, with every up, there is a down.  I am honestly not sure why I didn't see this coming.  Really, I should have expected it, but I just didn't.  The loss of friends.  I had a friend that I thought was a great friendship, our families did quite a few things together for a few years.  Then once we made the decision that was best for our family, that person changed; cut off all contact.  We went from being a large part of each other's lives to nothing, overnight.  My children and I did not understand why our decision to home school, the decision that was best for our family, could affect them to that degree.  We felt used.  Hurt.  It was just as difficult for me to understand as it was for my children.  We would see them out in town and the comments made by their child were hurtful, and it was obvious he was repeating things he had heard.  But, honestly, I am glad it happened.  Better to see the true colors, and it gave us an opportunity to teach our children through it.

Home schooling also affords us flexibility within our schedule.  I could not be more thankful for that flexibility!  We had a family member become ill, out of state.  Our lives suddenly became full of car trips and hospital visits.  We could adjust our schedule and activities as much as we needed, it has been an absolute blessing!  We no longer had to worry about excused and unexcused absences; we were able to be there for our family when we needed to be, without any added pressures.

We have learned to be more flexible.  Yes, we have our schedule, and our appointments and commitments; but we no longer feel like our lives are run by the clock.  We can have fun without the worry of being late because we are in control of every aspect of our schedule.  If we realize a few weeks into our curriculum that we are no longer loving it, we can just change it.  We can change it multiple times per year, if we need to!  We can focus on books, 100% online, or a combination of.  We can spend more time on a concept if we need to.  We get to use more hands on methods as well.  We can study art, then go to the museum and see pieces.  We can go to the science museum and test concepts.  We can have fun with PE, and our cafeteria always has the best food!

In all seriousness, while our decision may not have been the popular decision for our "friends," it was the best for our family and I do not regret a single minute of it.  I am thankful for the changes we have experienced, for the closeness we have developed, for the freedom we now have.  What a blessing this experience has been!

Seriously? Seriously!

We are now a homeschool family!  This is huge for us!  I have always wanted to homeschool our children, my hubby, not so much!  I am that mom who gets really sad when summer is over and they go back to school.  I would rather keep them at home.  Our older daughter has really struggled with being bullied and in her 4 years at school, she has not made a single friend.  Each summer I watch her transform from a nervous, tightly wound bundle of nerves, to a calmer, sweeter little girl.  After many conversations, we have decided to homeschool.

At first, our daughter was resistant.  She didn't want to be different, she was still worried about what the other kids would say.  Once she realized she wouldn't have to be around them anymore she has started to relax and really embrace the decision.  It is like watching ice cream melt as she is losing the shell she had put in place to survive that environment.

Have you ever thought of homeschooling?  This is a huge decision for us, but I strongly believe it is the best decision for our girls.

Change is coming

I am having one of those days where I am struggling.  I feel as though I am almost at war with myself.  I am really struggling with sending my children to school.  There I said it.  I am having trouble sending my children to school.  

We have 2 children, one in elementary school and one in preschool.  It seems like almost everyday I have a new issue or problem with school.  I feel as though the Lord is preparing me for something. 

Now I am researching.  Researching the home school activities in our area.  Researching co-ops and organizations.  Researching curriculum. 

I am trying to evaluate our current situation and see if I think we would be able to take on homeschooling.  And of course, praying and seeking him.  

I know change is coming, He had made that clear.  I will do my best to prepare.

To Homeschool or Not, That is the Question

My family and I are at a crossroad.  You see, we have 2 girls, one in elementary school and one in preschool.  I feel led to explore homeschooling.  This is a decision we are trying to make together and prayerfully.  

I always thought I would homeschool.  My public school experience was one I would rather forget.  I have absolutely, no plans to attend the reunions.  I do my best to avoid all things related to my high school.  

When it came time for my oldest to enter school, we did homeschool at first because the school she would have gone to-due to the location of our neighborhood-was simply unacceptable.  We put our house on the market and moved to a better school area.  She has attended that public school since then.

The school is fine.  I still like it.  My problem lies with the curriculum, and certain students in her class.  I feel like our school system is failing our children.  I don’t think they are adequately prepared for college, or life, upon graduation.  

I have sat through several PTO meetings over the years and there are several things I hear again and again: The students test scores, test prep, the funding available to the school, state and federal programs we qualify for-just to name a few.

What happened to worrying about educating our children?  Will those tests they spend so much time on actually tell us if our curriculum is effective?  

My child is at school 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.  I thought they were learning a good deal of information during this time.  However, recently, she was ill and needed surgery.  We requested for her work to be sent home so she could complete it without falling behind.  I was shocked when we completed an entire weeks worth of school work in 30 minutes.  30 minutes.  For 5 days of work that I send her to school 40 hours a week to learn we had completed in 30 minutes.  

To me, this is a warning flag, waving brightly right in my face!  No wonder young adults are not ready for college classes upon graduation and are forced to take remedial courses.  

What are they doing with all of that time?  In our case, a great deal of time is being spent correcting behavioral issues among the class.

So, we will continue to pray and research our options.  To homeschool or not?  You only get one chance at a childhood and I want my children to have the educational foundation they need.