This post is an attempt to sum up our first year of homeschooling since I was too busy to blog during our school year. This post is not about comparing homeschooling to building schools. I am not saying that one is right and one is wrong. Different families have different circumstances. I don’t know how long our family will homeschool. But for now, for this time and place, it is the best fit for our family.
I am a homeschooling mom. Twenty, 10, or even 5 years ago, if you had told me that this statement would be true about me, I would have adamantly denied it and laughed in your face. I was the one who vowed never to homeschool. I certainly wasn’t going to be allow my children to turn out like one of those children. Besides, I LOVED school! Chris and I are both products of both public and private/Christian education. I taught in public schools for 6 years. I would never be homeschooler.
And then…life happened. Chris and I found ourselves in a tough spot. Suddenly, we had a school-age child and no available options that gave us peace. Suddenly, the only option that gave us peace (along a tremendous amount of fear) was…homeschooling. So, after lots of prayer, we dove in! In April 2013, we met my parents in Cincinnati for a homeschooling convention. My parents graciously watched N and W for us while Chris and I (with E in tow since she was still nursing at that time) made the most of all the opportunities the convention provided. Our eyes were opened to a world we didn’t know existed. There were 1000s of people at this convention. Many of them had their children with them who, by the way, were very normal, respectful, and well-behaved. Maybe I wouldn’t mind it so much if my children did turn out like those children after all! The people we met were so kind and so helpful. We all shared a common purpose and it made us willing to open up and empower one another with our learned experiences. I gained some fantastic resources and a healthy dose of confidence. Best of all, the conference really helped to unite Chris and I in our decision to pursue homeschooling. We came home ready to take on the challenge!
September 2013
I spent the summer of 2013 picking our curriculum and assembling a battle plan. We joined the local homeschooling group and I began to build a network of people around us who would provide support. Finally, N officially started kindergarten! I knew we were doing the right thing for this time. Yet, it is so funny how Satan can just creep in and steal our joy…even when we are being obedient to the task to which God has called us. I still struggled with our choice. Often on a daily and even hourly basis. Some days went well. But then, some days went really badly. I would find myself comparing our family to other families. I would second guess my own abilities. Even though I knew all the factors that had gone into our decision making process, I still had this nagging feeling (rather, I listened to Satan’s lie) that I was only homeschooling because there were no other options. The fall semester was a challenge. Not only was I a kindergarten teacher, but I was simultaneously working with a preschooler and a toddler. And, boy can a toddler wreck a day’s lesson in no time!!! It seemed that there were lots of tears (and it wasn’t just the kids). It seemed like I just felt tired and frustrated all the time. No child deserved a teacher like that. Would we ever get this figured out???
But, God is so faithful! He truly knows our hearts and He does answer prayer. Somewhere along the way, I began to realize that homeschooling is not about the books, it’s about the relationships! Once I figured that out, things began to fall into place. Battles that had been issues before just seemed to dissipate. We seemed to find a rhythm and, suddenly, I realized that we were all enjoying our days together. Please understand, our days are not all perfect. But, God placed friendships and opportunities in our path to help us through the challenges. I have learned to give myself some grace and to look at my days through the eyes of gratefulness and a bit of humor. This year was a journey for all of us, but I think most of all for me. But, I now proudly tell others that we homeschool. After seeing what a blessing it can be, I am all in!!! At this point, I can’t imagine another path for our family…
May 2014
The last week in May, we held a family celebration for N. Chris’s parents just happened to be here at the time and were able to help us make this graduation very official. We had decorations, party food, and ICE CREAM CAKE! Funny side note: I pulled out my old college mortar board and a bag of bobby pins thinking she would need them. Nope! She’s got a West head. Hat fit perfectly! The picture above is from our graduation ceremony. Chris spent some time talking to N about her growth throughout the year and then I gave out awards to N & W. This is the way N was looking at Chris the whole time that he talked to her. Isn’t that just precious?
We are so thankful for what our family accomplished this year! We were very pleased with balance between our activities as home and our involvement within the community. We loved the curriculum. Learning happened so naturally and we all enjoyed it. We were able to go on numerous field trips as a family and with our homeschooling group. N is a fantastic reader and a strong writer. Just today she said that she wants to be an author when she grows up. She has a good grasp of mathematics, understands the value of the numerals and is a good problem solver. She participated in our local co-op taking a science class, a tea party class (learning manners/godly character), a game class, and a gym class. N & W were both in the AWANA program and both did an amazing job learning Scripture! In fact, N completed 2 whole books in one year which is very unusual for a child of her age. She played indoor soccer during the winter and gained so much confidence. She has grown tremendously…and we got to see it all! W also did wonderfully. He came along for the ride for much of the schooling. He wrote God’s work on his heart through AWANA. And, he was very instrumental many days in entertaining E while N and I tried to do some schoolwork. W has grown tremendously as well and I plan to post more on him later.
I came into homeschooling kicking and screaming, but I have found an abundance of unexpected blessings. I could go on and on, but just to name a few…
- Homeschooling forces us as a family to work through our problems. We are together A LOT which can lead to A LOT of tension. We get on each other’s nerves. We argue. But, we are in the same house together, so we are forced to work out our differences. I believe our family has become stronger because of it.
- Homeschooling has given our children the opportunity to be best friends. If N was in a building school, she would only spend a few hours a day with her siblings. But, they are together each day. Their friendships are blossoming.
- Homeschooling allows us to enjoy our children and really appreciate them for who they truly are…God’s masterpieces!
- Homeschooling means that I don’t have to bundle the kids up and head out the the driving snow and subzero wind chills to get N to school on time!
- Homeschooling means that we have time as a family to do a devotional together each morning.
- Homeschooling has allowed me to see myself very clearly in the mirror. It exposes the sin in my own life and challenges me to change. I am constantly working to provide my children with a more Christlike example.
- Homeschooling also allows our children to see us clearly. They see the good, but they also see the bad. It gives us an opportunity to model for them humility, repentance, and forgiveness.
- Homeschooling has given me such an appreciation for my husband. Our school year would not have been possible without his encouragement, input, and involvement. He was most patient with me on the bad days and has been alternately teacher, cheerleader, and administrator through it all! Thank you, sweetheart!
In no way could one post ever truly sum up our year. It was a remarkable year that left me ready for the respite of a summer vacation. But, as summer draws to a close, I find myself excited as I look ahead. What blessings await our family as we begin a new school year?
Living in Westconsin 