Another year of homeschooling has begun, but this year things are a bit different for us. I am not homeschooling my 13 year old for the first time this year, since I started homeschooling him at 8 years old (3rd-7th grade), he is attending public school. I am homeschooling my 6 year old, first grader, who is now at the "legally need to report it age" and I have a pre school age boy and a toddler who are as well but not in that legal sense.
This is a fun age to be homeschooling because so much of my type of schooling revolves around PLAY! I have always believed that it is a child's job to play, and that play is the best way for a child to learn and experience life. I guess many would consider us as "unschoolers" but I don't have a label for our style. With my oldest son, I used some formal curriculum depending on the subject and what it seemed like both he and I needed. There are assignments given but usually a longer time frame to get it done than say a public school. Also I am not one who grades schoolwork. I believe a child should be making progress and that is easy for a parent to see without being like a public school setting and giving out red marks and stars and grades. We do a lot of hands on activities. There is always lots of reading going on, that is a must. I hope that I raise my children with a love of reading. I personally am a book worm. I own more than I probably should and never have enough. We go to the library frequently and I spend most of our homeschool expenses on late fees to the library (I really need to crack down on that this year). My first grader has some book work and I always make sure there are lots of opportunities for writing and writing assignments, but our main focus (especially at this age) is not workbook work. Homeschooling subjects, lessons, and activities are mostly stemmed from the child's interest. I should also add that I never know what we are going to do until that day.
I began homeschooling 5/6 years ago when I felt the Lord nudging me too. I was a pre school teacher who had just began to stay at home, had a first grader and was just newly married and pregnant with our first child together. I was terrified, homeschooling was foreign to me and didn't know what went into it and where to begin, so I put it off for another school year longer. However now that this is the way life has been, I have even more reasons to homeschool than ever and it's not as scary anymore. I researched the web (which didn't have as much information as it does now on homeschooling and the amount of support), checked out books from the library, toured my states website for grade level standards and subjects, and jumped right in.
Now I would love to say everything has been peachy keen since I made that choice, but I think every homeschooler knows what its really like. The cycles of "unschooling" and then freaking out that you're not giving your child the best education possible an then going into Rambo mode of writing and book work and math drills. My child that I was homeschooling was challenging in many ways. He was coming out of public school so for the first couple years especially he constantly reminded me how things were different at school, didn't want to accept me as his "teacher", and had already had so much "public school" brainwash. "Mom, I would be having recess right now". Oh it would get under my skin. But also he was a child that never sat for more than a couple minutes at a time, always had an opinion and an answer for everything so his listening skills weren't the best, and would test me to no end on how much work he would get done. It felt like I was constantly pulling teeth with him. No matter how fun I made a lesson, the topic that was picked to his interest...none of it mattered with him. So many days over the years I felt like a failure. And many days I questioned "why am I homeschooling?" I had to remind myself of the calling and all the great benefits. Of course while I was learning the ropes of homeschooling and what worked with my son, I was also raising babies (and lots of them). And my marriage was constantly on the rocks. Yet, homeschooling was something that I just felt was really important for my children especially in this day and age with what happens in schools and when children are not supervised and what is accessible with technology today and the fact that what is taught in schools is so opposite to our faith, so I didn't want to send them into public school just to "get a break" when I felt like it would come back to haunt me in other ways. I say this because I know there's probably many friends and family members who don't understand why I wouldn't just make it easier on myself and do that. Believe me I have had days where I have sworn that that was it for me and I was throwing in the towel, but God has always softened my heart where it was beginning to harden and reminded me of the metaphor of a tiny seedling not being put out in winters harsh conditions. That's how I feel with my children, I want them to grow in the knowledge and wisdom of their identity in Christ, who formed them and this world, and the power and strength that is within them to be able to do all things through Him who strengthens them, that they are the light of the world meant to shine and not be snuffed out, to learn the scriptures and promises of God well enough that they wouldn't listen to the world and the lies and half truths, that they would be leaders and not followers, that they would be doers of the word and not hearers only, that they would learn to be dependent on God and not independent from Him, that they would develop healthy relationships, that they would grow in love and kindness and not selfishness and judgment. The list goes on. I am not saying either that I am fully capable of doing all that for my children on my own. I believe that if God had called me that He will equip me. And even then I make mistakes, I fail some days. But I also draw closer to Him as I realize where I am weak but He is strong. I am in no way judging parents who send their children to public school. I just told you my oldest is now in school. I am just sharing why for me and my family I have felt it so important to be homeschooled. I know that each family is different and has different circumstances. It is my hope to be able to continue to homeschool my children. It is by His grace that we are homeschooling right now. One day at a time, prayerfully, and thankfully.
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