When I tell people I am thinking of homeschooling Ava they get the funniest look on their face. It's a faked smile concealing pain and concern. Very disturbing, but I see it so often it must be worth blogging about.
You see, the question that is almost always on my mind these days is whether I am up for homeschooling, and if Ava would be ok with it. Somedays my house is so chaotic I think, "No Way!" Then other days, the house is clean, the laundry is running, the baby is napping, and the girls have a great reading lesson. I think,"This is AMAZING!"
You see, I was a great student of pregnancy and baby literature. Now, being a mother has morphed into the school-year phase. It seems like many a mother stops reading up on how to parent, what to do, the stages, etc., and when I looked this up - and what to do with these school-age children, it occurred to me, well, why don't I TEACH them something?
Another friend taught both her boys to read by the time they were 4 simply because she didn't remember her mom teaching her anything. Wow.
The thought of homeschooling also forces me to take a good look at my behavior, schedule, communication, etc. Am I emotionally prepared to teach my children what they need to know? Does our schedule allow enough time for teaching? It seems like every time we have to go somewhere I end up yelling. Hence, my 1 1/2 ft. reading pile downstairs. If we're already going nuts, what is going to happen next year?
There are about a million other thoughts I have on the subject. But the bottom line for me has come down to - what is BEST for our family? Tyler will be traveling a majority of the week for his job. I will do anything possible to keep our family unit #1 on our list.
Perhaps this takes "Together Forever" to a whole new level!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
To Homeschool, or not, THAT is the Question
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3 comments:
I've thought about things like that before, too. However, for me, I decided that I don't have to teach my kids EVERYTHING (although I think it's good to teach them some things, for sure).
I actually think it's good for kids to have a variety of teachers in their lives.
I also think it's okay to be involved with their schooling to make sure their teachers are teaching them appropriate values, etc.
I have considered doing preschool for my kids a number of times, but I actually appreciate the break when Wes goes to preschool. Plus, I've never been organized enough, consistent enough or had room enough to have a dedicated space for learning. We still have art time, science time, reading time, cooking time, play time, outside time, etc... it's just not in a daily, school-like routine. Sometimes I wish it was more consistent though!
Good luck in your decision! I think it would be really hard to pull off for me, but if you set your mind to it, I'm sure you can do it!
I should have you talk to my sister. She home schools her girls and loves it! I'll have to ask her more about it next time I talk to her...
You are super mom, you can do anything!
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