Why Do I Homeschool?

So... Why do I homeschool?

Most people I know have many reasons why they homeschool. I'm included in this group. My reasons for homeschooling are varied, and numerous.

Our history:
My two oldest children started out in a Christian Academy. The school was great, but it closed down after 3 years of operation. My son went to Kindergarten and 1st grade there. My daughter went to pre-k at that school. They decided to close just before the school was to open for its 4th year, but unfortunately, enrollment in other Christian schools in the area had already closed. So, because I was working away from the home at the time, I enrolled my two oldest children (3rd grader and Kindergartner at the time) in Public School.

Education... on the bus:
I despised putting them on the bus each day. Yes, it was painful to wake them up from a deep sleep at the crack of dawn and put them on the bus, often while it was still dark outside. But that's not why I disliked the bus. I really disliked the things they were "learning" on the bus. I knew the moment the bus doors closed, it was a child-induced free-for-all with very little supervision. There were stories of bratty older boys shoving my son out of a chair (even though it was his assigned seat), because two friends decided they wanted to sit together. Because my son is totally non-confrontational, he never fought back. I'm working on that.

They also learned a few new words on the bus. I'm not talking about a friendly vocabulary lesson. I had no idea they had picked these things up, until the news was on TV one night. Someone made a strong "situational reference" in a news story. Because it made me uncomfortable with the kids in the room, I changed the channel. My son piped up and said, "Mom, I know what that means, thanks to 'X' on the bus, who enjoys talking about it." (I'm replacing the boy's name with the letter "X" here.) My jaw almost hit the floor. Here was an 8 year old boy who had already been taught something that I probably learned about when I was 15- and I wasn't ready to hear about it then! Thank GOD that my son is as mature as he is. He handled himself perfectly in those situations, and never made jokes, or "spread the word" as others were doing. I always got comments from his teachers about how they loved having him in class, because of his self-discipline.

School subjects:
In our area, foreign language classes are chosen based on district. My children's school was studying French. My husband and I believe it will be more financially beneficial for them to be fluent in Japanese. Therefore, both my oldest son and daughter can write some Japanese characters, and can speak sentences in Japanese, thanks to Rosetta Stone.

School situations:
Were there teacher-related reasons why I began homeschooling?
Yes.
The Clif's Notes versions- my son was told at one point, "Maybe you are just bad at math. Maybe it just takes you longer to 'get it.'" This was told to a boy who always scored in the top 95% of all subjects on his tests. Since he has been doing school at home, he has completed 4 grades of math in 2 years. Yep, sounds like he's "bad at math" to me. (???)

My daughter (as a Kindergartner in Public School) was asked to draw a picture of a historical figure, and write a sentence at the top about why she would love to meet this person one day, even though they may already be deceased. She drew Jesus (or what she believes He might look like!). Sandals and all. At the top, she wrote, "I want to meet Jesus one day because he is my Savior." (Do you have chill bumps too?) Know what she got on that project? A 1 out of 3 possible points. She got a 1 for drawing a picture and writing a sentence.
But the teacher told me, "We've been talking about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and the answer key says that the children should recall the information they learned about them, and draw one of them."
I said, "Did you say it was to be someone you studied?"
Teacher: "No."
Me: "Did you say it should be a President?"
Teacher: "No."
Me: "So, it sounds to me like she followed directions perfectly."
Teacher: "Yes, but 'Jesus' isn't in my answer key."

So there you have it folks. This leads us to my #1 reason for homeschooling.

Jesus just isn't in the Public School's answer key.

Since I've pulled my children out of Public School, we have together memorized probably 30 Bible verses or more. My kids can recall a memory verse in an appropriate situation. When they are afraid, they can pull a Bible verse from memory about not being afraid. When they don't feel like working, they remember that they are always to work as if doing their work for God- not man.

Our science curriculum is based upon truth- Creationism. Adam and Eve are on our timeline. Our history timeline begins at Creation. As we study Roman culture, we also study Christ. Does your public school teach history this way? Nope.

I believe homeschooling is the absolute perfect choice for my family. I feel blessed to watch my kids become more and more knowledgeable each and every day. And I am now in control of what information is learned... and is NOT learned... every day.

Oh, and that picture of Jesus, that my daughter received the "1" on? It hung on my refrigerator for an entire year. I'm very proud of that "1."

Helpful Documents

I decided to get a little bit more organized this year in our Bible verse memorization. I printed all our Bible verses on business cards, and then loaded them into business card holders (the large plastic ones that have holes for 3-ring binders). I wanted to share the cards with you, in case you would like to print them as well. It would not be necessary to purchase business card paper- you could print these on regular typing paper or card stock, and load them into the holders!

verses3
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AerpIiWcQiXNZGNqOWZjdHNfMmQ1eGNtM2tt&hl=en&invite=CO3lsN8H

verses2
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AerpIiWcQiXNZGNqOWZjdHNfMWhjNHd3NGZj&hl=en&invite=CJDYhVo

verses1
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AerpIiWcQiXNZGNqOWZjdHNfMGdqbXNwNWhm&hl=en&invite=CIytoZ4G

They're not attachments -- they're stored online at Google Docs. To open these documents, just click the links above.

Good luck, and enjoy!

S...L...O...W... Start!

Have you ever awakened one morning, and realized that WAYYYY too much time has gone by, and many of your goals that were scheduled to have been completed have not even been started?? That has been happening to me lately!
I also feel as if my day planner is my worst enemy. Actually, it's more like a nag who follows me around constantly and taunts me about things that I said I was going to complete, but never followed through! As I turn the pages of my day planner, I see things such as, "lose 20 pounds by now!" Then, I turn the pages backward and see that my diet was suppose to have begun 2 months prior, and I actually could have realized those goals if I had stuck with it! How frustrating!

I am at one of these cross-roads with school as well. In a down market, my real estate business has drastically picked up (go figure!), and I find myself taking constant phone calls and emails during the entire school day, and eventually sitting in amazement as I tuck my children into bed, wondering "where did the day go??? How am I ever going to catch up???" It is easy to become terrified about these sorts of things. YOU are responsible for your child's education as a homeschooler! YOU could make or break their future! YOU could be doing them a huge disservice instead of enhancing their academic aptitude!

And, all these things are true! But, His Grace is sufficient for me. And I know that one day, I will look back and say, "Wow- that was not even anything to worry about!" I know that this too shall pass, and we will be ahead again in no time.

Isn't it amazing how God can make time stand still for us? Sometimes that is not such a great thing- like the times that we are sad, or scared, or feeling guilty... and we just want the time to fly by so we can move on. But I've noticed that sometimes God seems to say, "let's sit and think about this for a minute, just to be sure we won't end up here again..."

So while I could continue to unproductively worry and fret over losing a couple of weeks of schooling, I am instead going to take some time to sit back, and take My God in as I ask for his help in achieving my homeschool goals.

Not-so-Summer Schooling

Around Spring Break Time, I made a pact with my kids.
I told them, "we can take a longer Spring Break if we all understand that we will be doing school throughout the summer, so we will not have to review and catch up next year."
At the time, the response I got was an overwhelming, "DEAL!!!!"
Now, when I remind them to get out their curricula, I get, "MOM! It's SUMMER!!"
How exactly does this work????