I never in a million years thought we would be a homeschooling family. When Greyson was a baby, I imagined I would be searching for the preschool that would be the perfect fit. I was preparing myself for the day I would drop my baby off at school and then wonder what to do with myself. I'm sure I could have filled my time with cleaning the house, prepping for dinner, or maybe even exercising and I was even looking forward to the little breathing time I would have while he was at school. Little did I know that my "breathing time" was not going to happen anytime soon.
When Ben and I started researching preschools, I was really frustrated with the costs. They were so expensive. We were a single income family and honestly, I had a degree in elementary education and felt that I could probably do it myself. So, I decided to give it a try. I loved teaching preschool to the boys. It was so much fun to see them learning and that moment when they finally "got it". I really enjoyed spending my time with them. It was so nice being able to visit playgrounds during the week without the masses of kids. We could easily explore the zoo or the science museum without having to fight crowds of people. I was starting to love teaching the boys.
Early Years- First full year of Homeschool
By the time Greyson was 4 years old, I knew we needed to start figuring out what his school options were. Private school was out of the question. The school my husband taught at did not have open enrollment. I was not too thrilled about sending them to the public school in our area, so the decision was made to start homeschooling the boys. We would try it out and if it didn't work, they could always go to school.
Collecting socks for a local charity for the homeless
It took a bit of time to de-school myself and realize that my homeschool did not have to look the a regular school classroom. The kids did not have to learn what the typical 5 year old was learning about. We could choose topics that interested them and go from there. The boys would not have to sit at a desk from 8-3 everyday. We could learn in the morning, at night or on the weekend. I was really overwhelmed at first because there are massive amounts of curriculum to choose from. I have switched curriculums many times over the years to find the right fit for the boys. We keep adding new ones every year. It really is trial and error and we just keep learning along the way.
I love getting to see the boys work together.
My favorite question I get asked is, "When are you going to put them in real school?" I love watching their expressions when I say that I don't plan too and they are actually going to real school. My boys are using a high level math program, are reading at grade level or slightly above. We are exploring a new state a week and learning about two new countries a month. These are our favorites because we do meals based on the state or country we are learning about. They are learning about geology, and famous artists, and how to make paper like the Egyptians did. They are taking piano and Mandarin lessons and involved in swim and t-ball. They are in real school. They are learning a lot. And I love that I get to learn right along with them.
I would be completely lying if I said it was easy or I loved every day. Some day are really tough. Some days I question our decision. But when the boys sit at dinner every night and tell their dad all they learned during the day, I know we made the right choice. Seeing the bond the boys have with each other reinforces that we made the right choice.
Getting to see this everyday...we made the right choice.
If you are thinking of homeschooling, let me leave you with this. Many people will be ready to give you every negative reason there is to homeschool. They will be armed with the socialization questions and question if you are really capable of teaching your children. They will be waiting for you to slip. These are the people who are very uneducated in the world of homeschooling. But then there are the people who are so supportive. That remind us that we have a very short time with our children and this is a lovely way to spend their early years. Find people like them to encourage you. You cannot do it alone. You need a support system, especially when you first begin. You will question yourself daily, but just know you are making a huge impact on your children. You get to experience your child's love of learning and celebrate their success with them.
This is not what I expected for our lives, but I am so glad we chose a new path to follow.
What were your reasons for choosing to homeschool?
(Disclaimer: I understand homeschooling is not for everyone, nor do I think everyone should homeschool. I am in no way saying that sending your children to public, private, or international schools are a bad choice. This was just the right choice for our family.)
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