Homeschooling....why?

I have been avoiding writing about Homeschooling because I feel quite inadequate on the subject.  I have so many friends who Homeschool their kids and do such an amazing job at it that I question my ability to give insight.  But, I have decided that any insight is probably better than no insight.  So here goes...

When we moved to Texas we had to take the kids out of a school that they loved.  They truly loved everything about it.  Honestly, this was probably the most difficult part of our move.  Although kids are very resilient they still have their times of sadness when thinking back to what they left.  I guess that is a lesson that we all have to learn throughout our lives.  As we were considering this transition we decided we did not want to have to take them out of another school anytime soon, so there is the reason for Homeschooling for our family.  

I will admit that I was one of those that said they would never Homeschool their children.  I am a product of public school and do believe that if you take all of the "good" kids out of public school, (I wasn't necessarily one of them) what is left.  However, I also know that it is our responsibility as parents to give them the best possible learning environment for all areas of their life.  Over the past years, I have carried with me somewhat of a stereotype of Homeschool families.  This past year really challenged those stereotypes as I became good friends with quite a few moms that were doing this with their kids.  What I found interesting is that they were all doing it for different reasons.  Whether their child struggled socially, had a slight learning disability, needed more challenge academically, or they just wanted to be able to spend as much time with their children as possible, they all had their different reasons.  So, when faced with this decision it was a pretty easy decision in relation to our current situation.

If you know anything about me you know that I was a Physical Education major in college, however after my first month of student teaching knew that teaching wasn't for me.  (I do want to state that I also majored in Bus. Sports & Fitness Management, for those that have their own stereotypes about Phy Ed majors! ) So, when thinking about teaching my kids everyday it made me cringe.  Thankfully, my wonderful husband had gone to a school that used "Paces".  This is perfect for us and really is a great program for kids who are self motivated.  They have 6 standard subjects for the year and 12 "pace" (workbooks) for each of those subjects.  There is a test that they have to get a 90% or better on at the end for them to pass that "pace".  We have also added Bible memory, Spanish, and typing to their weekly routine.  So, gone are the days of me envisioning myself standing in front of them trying to teach them how to divide improper fractions...aggghhhh!  They are being self taught...yeah!  When they do have questions I can't answer, I am not ashamed to admit that Google becomes my friend.

There is so much more I could write about this experience and maybe as time goes by I will.  I will say the time I am getting to spend with our three amazing kids is irreplaceable.  I don't think this is a long term decision for us, but I am enjoying these moments while they last.

April