Let me first tell you that these are my girls goofing around next to a drop-off cliff as you enter the famous Yosemite Valley. We took hundreds of pictures in the 15 minutes we were parked here. I don’t believe we got one good shot. It was one of those days…
This type of crazy that can come from my kids is one of the reasons most of my family looks at me with this quizzical, surprised look when I say I’m thinking about homeschooling.
My older daughter is about to start kindergarten. Ever since I became pregnant with her I believed that homeschooling was probably in our future. I am one of those homeschooling “believers”.
Life happened, though, and I started teaching high school performing arts at the JK-12 school I grew up in. My daughter had a wonderful year of Junior Kindergarten this past year. The first semester she did part time school, then the second semester she started going 5 days per week from 9am-12pm. She loved it. I’m pretty sure her teacher adored her. I thought my ideas of homeschooling were long gone. She’s just one of those kids that “need” “regular” school.
But…here I am a few weeks away from the first day of kindergarten and I can’t go a day without thinking about homeschooling. I believe that God is forcefully tugging on my heart about this.
Kindergarten represents a sort of “beginning of the end” in my mind. I know it sounds crazy, but I remember my first day of kindergarten. Really, I do.
As a high school teacher (to the most amazing high schoolers on the planet, by the way), I sort of have this reversed view of what happens to “schooled” kids. When the other kindergarten parents are talking about what age to start school I’m there reminding them of what that will mean when they’re in high school. My parent-peers are talking about great it is that their child is “ahead” in school and I’m calculating what age that means they will learn about and be considering sex.
This is harsh, I know, but I think I’m realistic. We are living in a new world. As absolutely incredible as the teachers are at our school, the moment my daughter starts kindergarten she is officially spending more of her awake hours of the day with her teachers instead of her mother. It’s not that I don’t doubt the extreme amount of love and care the kindergarten teachers would offer to my children, but I’m sure they wouldn’t question the fact that NO ONE will be more concerned about the well-being and future of my daughter than me and my husband.
So here I am. I’m weighing everything. I’m taking a step back and trying to make a MAJOR decision with my husband…to homeschool or not.
Fortunately our school has a homeschool co-op, run by the most experienced homeschool-loving mother I know. I’m really excited to meet with her and discuss the whole concept of homeschooling.
In the meantime, I NEED YOUR HELP and I’m WIDE OPEN!
What is your homeschooling advice?
If you homeschool, what does your day look like?
What would you want me to know that you didn’t know or had to learn?
What are your favorite curricula, websites, apps and books?
What advice would you give to dads needing to understand homeschooling and make a confident decision?
I can’t think of more questions, but you get it. I’m just looking to you for help.
Basically I want to know YOUR STORY.
Thanks in advance. I CAN’T WAIT to hear from you!