Homeschooling. Sigh.
To be honest, this is a controversial subject for me that I hate talking about. And I still haven’t decided where I stand on it. I was homeschooled. I did not enjoy being homeschooled. I swore I would never homeschool my children. But I love education and when I went to college I studied Elementary Education and then taught first grade until my oldest was born. I love teaching. I miss teaching, and hopefully someday I’ll go back to teaching. But for now I have commited to being an at-home mom.
My kids are four, two, and four months. So really, the homeschooling debate shouldn’t be an issue for me yet. But I can’t get it off my mind. My four-year old, Ryan, is ready. And so I’ve come to the conclusion that I either need to put him preschool or start something more structured at home. But putting him in preschoool would be for purely social reasons because he is well-past preschool curriculum.
And that brings me to another thing. Since his birthday is in September he misses the cut-off date, making it another year and a half before he would start school. Right now, at four and a half he’s reading and understanding basic math. So I’m worried that when he does get to kindergarten he will be bored.
For a long time I thought, I’ll just do projects and read stories and have fun with them. And that’s what I’ve done up until now. But there is only so much you can teach about shapes and colors and we have played Candyland enough times for me to want to throw it out with last night’s turkey carcass. My son likes to be challenged, and yes, he does have lots of freetime where he plays trains and legos, etc., but he’s getting bored quickly and then gets into trouble or picks on his younger sisters. And so I feel like he needs more structure. And so the debate of homeschool comes up for me again.
Like I said before, I’m still not sure where I stand on this subject. But after much thought and discussion with my husband, we’ve decided to move forward with schooling. For now. When the kindergarten registration date approaches, we’ll be discussing this subject again. And probably many times before then. But for now, I’m schooling my kids at home. And so this section of the blog will be to record our journey. Bumps and all.
Oh! Good luck with this decision! It was definitely a tough thing for us. Really, I knew I wouldn’t homeschool (even though I have my Masters in Education and taught, etc, etc.), but the issue was between private and public. Hubby wanted private and I wanted public. We ended up putting Grant in private preschool and kindergarten, then he went to public school this year. It was TOUGH! I wrote some blog posts about my thoughts:
http://kelleighratzlaff.com/2009/09/scrapping-and-relaxing-plus-a-minor-rant/
http://kelleighratzlaff.com/2009/09/another-school-visit/
http://kelleighratzlaff.com/2009/09/the-first-day-of-first-grade/
[Reply]
Good for you for making a decision you feel good with. And for being open and willing to roll with the punches. I feel like I was on the opposite end of the boat: I WANTED to homeschool. But I just can’t. Now that it’s time… I simply can’t handle it. I am not structured enough myslef to be able to pull it off. But I’m anxious and excited to see how you do it – I’m sure it will be fabulous!
[Reply]
What a hard decision!!! My best friend growing up was homeschooled and while she loved her homeschool group and friends, I think she always wished she was at public school with us. (She used a full textbook curriculum and I wonder how much this had to do with hating the school part) Anyways, she will not homeschool her kids. Me? I was the shy public schooler and all the people just seemed to overwhelm me:) So, now I homeschool-starting out for the same reasons you have. My daughter has an Oct b-day and she was telling us shapes before she was 2 and I hated for her to go and be bored in class. So, we just went with it-and it’s not bad so far, I mean, you can always change your mind, right?
Hmmm, I would like to hear more from you on this. Now to figure out how to use the RSS feed thingy:)
[Reply]
I wonder if the things you hated can be avoided in “your” version of homeschool. All the reasons you mention for keeping him at home are valid – and so many more. It’s tough going at times but well and truly worth it. Even at 16+..LOL. Email me if you want to chat.
[Reply]
pameladonnis Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
I may be e-mailing you with homeschooling questions as I get going! I will certainly need all the support I can get!
[Reply]
I had not desired to homeschool until I really researched what kind of education my son would get through our local public school. The Lord was pulling on my heartstrings at the same time. I went to public school and whole heartedly believe it has changed since my experiences. My husband was reluctant to HS but we both prayed and came to the same conclusion….homeschool it would be. We jumped in and have not looked back or regretted our decision. It has been a major blessing and we have only committed to one year at a time. We will pray and re-evaluate each year to determine our next course of action. I am a part-time college student and my husband does a lot of our son’s school too…it’s a great mix to have both of us teaching and spending some incredible moments together. Blessings to you!
[Reply]
AmyJo sent me over to check out your site, very cute. We’ll hang with ya listening to your homeschool journey. Homeschooling now-a-days has changed so much, even in the last five years. It has become more of a third private school choice, people know that they have to group together, and most states let you take classes ala cart. Since you already know how to teach first grade, maybe just keep them home for a bit more and give them the great foundation of reading/discover/curiosity and math.
I put you on my reader, so I look forward to hearing how it goes for you.
[Reply]
I admire your determination to do what is best for your kids. In this day and age, homeschooling is a great way to go, with all the internet helps and homeschool groups you can join. I like the idea of only commiting one year at a time and reevaluating each year. That way you won’t have the pressure of thinking you will always have to do it.
[Reply]
Good for you on the tough decision. I was never going to homeschool either, and then we moved way out of town, and our eldest was gone too long during the day and he couldn’t handle that, so I brought him home. That was just about seven years ago. He and his brother briefly went back to school for a time when I was quite ill, and both have no desire to ever go again. I have four kids now, 2-13, and I homeschool them and love it. And so do they. Every year, though, we check with them as to whether they want to continue to homeschool or to go to public school. It seems like things are always evolving, and the kids are always changing. I figure as long as I do what I think is right by them, things will be just fine. You can email me if you have any questions, or if you want to chat about it.
[Reply]
I think you’ve made a wonderful decision! We’ve homeschooled 16 years now, and while it can be a challenge, it’s worth it.
Preschool doesn’t have to be hard; all it takes is the 4 R’s: Relationship, routine, readiness, and reading aloud. Check out my blog for some reassurance. You can do it!
Blessings,
Susan Lemons http://www.susanlemons.wordpress.com
[Reply]
It takes courage to step out and do something that you aren’t comfortable with for the benefit of your child. Every child is different and some might benefit more from homeschool, public or private school than others. I know families where there is a mix of all three or a child might switch from one to the other depending on stages. Parents who are willing to work with their childs needs psustain love of learning better than those who don’t.
[Reply]
I find myself wrestling with this same “issue” right now. My oldest is 3.5 my son is 2 and I’m due in October. My daughter’s birthday is in October so she too misses the cut-off date. I think I’m keeping her home another year, simply cannot afford pre-school right now. I know she’d love to go, but same as you, it would be a social thing. She needs to learn her letters and such still but again, can’t afford it. I know I need to do more with her but don’t know where to start. I’m not the best at sticking with something and I’m trying to get my photography business off the ground. Okay, sorry for being a total stranger and rambling in your comments. Just wanted to say you’re not alone and I WILL be back to “steal” ideas from you!!! Have an awesome week!
[Reply]