Our Next Step

"If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn." -Ignacio Estrada

"I could never homeschool."  -Me

 In this previous post I mentioned that there was a step 3 our family is taking.  After Ezekiel was born, not long after the New Year, I felt something creeping up inside me.  It was this desire to start on a homeschooling path with the kids.  I knew this idea could not be of my own making because I have always had the opinion of my own personal quote above. 
Homeschool?  Are you kidding me??  I can't wait to send my kids to school!  All of them!  Take them now and let me have my independence and quiet and a whole day to read a book if I want to!  I couldn't be around all my kids all day for the rest of the time they're at home.  I'm not qualified to teach them.  I didn't study education in school!  Who am I to teach my own kids??
Wait, what?
Yet somehow this homeschool idea kept creeping in on me.  So began the mental and emotional struggle. I had to spring the idea onto Tim. Many prayers were sent up. We spent months talking to other families who educate their children at home or who were themselves educated by their parents.  The decision was not entered into lightly.  After all, I also had to overcome this feeling that I was going to mess up my kids by not sending them to off to school.
Here are factors that helped us reach our decision:

*We are realizing how fast life is speeding by.  It sounds, oh-so-cliche, but if you have kids, I'm sure you feel it, too.  With each child we've welcomed into life, we've also been surprised by how quickly their first birthday seems to come upon us.  Noah was only in half-day kindergarten last year and it felt like we had so little time together.  There was already homework every night.  And we weren't even into full day school or sports or after-school activities!  Are we going to be sending him off to college at 18 realizing that the majority of the hours of his day were spent away from us already?  Are we going to wish we had more time training him ourselves?

*We aren't a lazy family by any means and our kids recognize the importance of being somewhere on time, but I am not a fan of our lives being controlled by the school system.  Drop them off at this time, pick them up now, this is when your Christmas break is, Spring Break, summer vacation, here are some random days off while our teachers are in-service or just because.  Tim is self-employed and contracted by someone so he has the flexibility of time off when he needs/wants it.  We could take a vacation during off-peak travel times and not have to worry about school absences, missed schoolwork, etc. 

*I love that we can make their education bigger than it is within the walls of a school.  Our field trips can be as small as the zoo or museum, or as big as a trip to DC, Gettysburg, Niagara Falls, etc.  We are going to use the Charlotte Mason style of teaching, which is big on "living books" - not just dry textbooks, but books that come alive for the kids.  I also like that there are people in our life who can become part of their education, and we have people who are excited about this as well, already asking if they can teach them certain topics.  The whole "It takes a village" mentality is taking on a different form.

*This isn't about sheltering our kids.  We're in a great school system and I plan on taking this one year at a time.  If, for some reason, we feel homeschooling is not the best option for our kids, then at least we don't have a problem putting them back in the school district that we live in.  We're not worried about their social lives either.  They have neighbor kids, cousins their age, friends from church, friends that are the children of our friends, and are going to be involved with upcoming things this year - Ellie in gymnastics and beginning piano lessons and Noah in soccer.  I want my kids to learn about different subjects, things like world religions - but I want it to be taught by Tim and myself, not a teacher who may put our faith on the same level as the others.

*The quote at the very top is another big reason for our decision.  Our kids have different learning styles.  All kids do.  You put 20+ kids with multiple learning styles in a classroom with 1 teacher and you can't expect that teacher to teach each kid in the learning style that is best for them.  We will be able to tailor our teaching to their learning style.  Noah has a little engineer mind, he is crazy for Legos and anything that he can create and build with.  He loves math and directions.  Ellie is a free spirit.  She is creative, artsy and flowing.  She likes to move while learning.  If she needs to do jumping jacks or run around the room between answering questions, then she can have the freedom to do that.  I don't want her to be labeled as a distraction or ADD or ADHD just because she needs some wiggle room.

*The other thing that weighs heavily on me is that, if God gave us these kids to care for, teach, and train up during their time on earth, then why am I so quick to want to send them off to have someone else do those things in my place?  If a child can complete most of their studies in less than 4 hours at home, why are they in school all day?  When I told one of my friends I was going to homeschool, she asked if I had the desire to work outside the home, and how was I going to do that if they weren't in school?  But the things is - I don't.  I have zero desire in me whatsoever to work outside the home right now or at any point, really.  What I really want to do is write and I can do that anywhere and anytime that I am able.  I want to volunteer with different causes at some point, but I don't want to hold an office job or the like.  And, like my friend, Lacey, said (summarized) - when all my kids are in school, I would probably sit at home on my behind eating chocolate and being lazy.  I'm not going to lie, there are days that idea sounds really appealing! 

So that is our big step we're taking.  Thankfully, we have friends and family who homeschool their children and have already been a wonderful support system as we start this journey.  There are also multiple families we know who are also getting started homeschooling, so we don't feel as scared or inadequate since we're all in the same boat. 

Am I nervous?  Terrified! 
Am I excited? Absolutely!

I nailed down the different curriculum books I want to use for this coming year and had butterflies in my stomach earlier today just from reading over the descriptions and with the excitement of finalizing the decisions.
And, thankfully, I have the assurance that I don't have the strength to do this - but God does.  That there are going to be days I heavily rely on His patience, guidance, and strength to get our family through the day.  But, really, isn't every day of parenting like that already?  This is not a decision for everyone, but it's the decision we've made in our family's best interest. 

We owe a huge thank you to people who have helped us - not by telling us what decision to make - but by offering advice, wisdom, listening ears, and experience.  You all know who you are. =)