Homeschool Diaries | The Big Announcement

What, you're homeschooling?

Um, yes we are...or will be shortly.

After a seemingly interminable spring semester at our current (very excellent) private Christian school, I fielded a fair number of questions about all aspects of our upcoming adventures.

Here's the background on how we came to this decision:

I grew up knowing that my cousins homeschooled with my aunt and that our family didn't do that but that my mom respected her efforts to find the best option for her sons. I felt oddly envious that they did not have to endure the endless doldrums of going at someone else's pace and through someone else's lunch schedule.  I occasionally made friends with homeschoolers, but we moved a lot when I was young, so I didn't get to know them very well. After I married and stayed home with my toddlers, I got to know the family across the street. All five of their daughters played outside in the morning and afternoon and homeschooled during the day.  Still, when Ben asked if I would ever think of homeschooling our children, we both concluded that although it might be an excellent idea for them, the idea sat stagnant through years of the local church mother's day out and preschool program.
Each year it felt wrong and depressing to listen as the other moms gleefully talked about back to school and how glad they were that they would have three days or four days or finally the whole week with their children in school. I loved the back to school shopping and the school supplies. Ben takes me to OfficeMax to browse on dates. I LOVE office supplies the way most women love shoes and handbags.

My son took to mother's day out at the age of two like a cat to a swimming pool. When we asked him, after much prayer and consideration of all options (yes, public school, private school and homeschool all got examined) what he thought about being homeschooled next year, Chris rejoiced. There may have been dancing and fist pumping involved.
He went into class the next day and told his friends he would not be coming back to private school anymore. I got a call from his teacher to straighten out the details of what he had said. He simply hasn't looked back. He hasn't asked when he can ride on the public school bus in months while he used to ask daily if he could try public school next year. After completing all of preK, kindergarten and first grade, he looks forward to coming home for school this summer so much that he wanted a countdown chain not until the last day of school this year, but to the first day we will begin with homeschool lessons. He's showing an enthusiasm and curiosity that all but disappeared some days. He tests well above level when tested by a developmental pediatrician, but does not do well in school for the social aspect.

My daughter took to mother's day out like a duck to water. She socialized easily, talked circles around her peers and learned pretty nearly everything easily. She learned to tie her shoes on the day she got a pair that tied. She can climb rock walls and swim laps at the Y without effort. She decided (on her own) that she wanted to learn to read like Chris and picked up some of the "Dick and Jane" readers for her library books one week. She learned to read more or less in that week while her dad was out of town on business so I sent him videos. She always talked circles around her preK peers and could become viewed as problematic and in need of redirecting and managing. Heaven help you, if you let her get bored. She's decided she's most excited about homeschool because she "gets" to do first grade level work rather than kindergarten as she would if she went to public school and wants to learn Spanish and piano.

Soooooo, We're homeschooling.

Yes, both children.

(Kinda like saying "we're pregnant", although this will require an unbelievable amount of love and support from my husband to do this. Also like saying "we're pregnant," I get to do most of the day to day manual labor associated with it. Also like saying "we're pregnant," I'm getting a load of interesting responses and opinions in response to people finding out.)

No, I'm not super patient compared to you or anyone else, it's just what I feel will work best for our family. I'm trusting that I will learn almost as much about myself as I teach my children.
We're also adding piano (because that's what my kids said they wanted to do, go figure!)

Next school year...which for us will begin this June. I see no reason against year round schooling, and given the enthusiasm the kids are showing for homeschooling, we will be going for the month of June then doing a month long break in July.

So that's why we're homeschooling, in a nut shell.
To see other family's reasons for homeschooling, check out the Sonlight Blog Hop!