I hated the three years I was "homeschooled". The details of that story are less than flattering so I will keep them to myself, but the moral of the story is homeschooling is not for everyone. So while I personally think that our public schools are...well, I guess it's really what they are NOT that bothers me. In any case, while my opinions of our public education are inadequate at best, I completely recognize that it is a better option for some than homeschooling.
There is an enormous pressure on parents to have perfect little citizens or none at all these days. If we lived in my dream world mothers would be able to spend there time at home and dad's wouldn't have to commute 45 minutes to work everyday. But we don't live in that perfect place in my made-up world and good thing too. It's really rather dull sometimes and the Cleveland Indians always win the World Series.
I digress...back to homeschooling. It is not considered "conventional" education and while that is laughable, it is the opinion of the times we live in. Both my husband and I had to grow into the idea of homeschooling our children. The day my husband told me he had every confidence in me that I could homeschool them, well I just about fell out of my seat, but I knew in my heart this would be the path we choose.
You see right now we are finishing out the year at a private Catholic school that we have been very pleased with up until this point. It is a thirty minute drive each way at least twice a day and staying involved there eats up most of my time. Our life has become all about "the school" and not about the family.
Additionally my son, has a pervasive development disorder and is very far behind other three year old children. A little boy in my daughter's class has a very similar disorder and it has been heartbreaking to watch this little boy struggle in class this year. The kids at this school are very loving and treat him well but they know he is different and it's a struggle for him. It broke my heart when my daughter came home and told me how she was proud of him today because "he cried quietly and that was brave of him".
That sealed the deal for me. My son will stay home and we will give him the time he needs to catch up with the other kids. If he never catches up than we will make sure he has what he needs here to cope and leave the rest to the grace of the Lord.
I'm not sure if other folks in my position would be offended or not at my reasoning but it really makes no difference to me. My daughter is so excited to be homeschooling and I want to document this bold, new venture for her, for me, and for anyone else that may be considering diving into this type of life.
My priest, Father Jim, said it best, "God is the Master Teacher. Mothers and father (soul) responsibility is to reflect the love of the Father at all times."
There is an enormous pressure on parents to have perfect little citizens or none at all these days. If we lived in my dream world mothers would be able to spend there time at home and dad's wouldn't have to commute 45 minutes to work everyday. But we don't live in that perfect place in my made-up world and good thing too. It's really rather dull sometimes and the Cleveland Indians always win the World Series.
I digress...back to homeschooling. It is not considered "conventional" education and while that is laughable, it is the opinion of the times we live in. Both my husband and I had to grow into the idea of homeschooling our children. The day my husband told me he had every confidence in me that I could homeschool them, well I just about fell out of my seat, but I knew in my heart this would be the path we choose.
You see right now we are finishing out the year at a private Catholic school that we have been very pleased with up until this point. It is a thirty minute drive each way at least twice a day and staying involved there eats up most of my time. Our life has become all about "the school" and not about the family.
Additionally my son, has a pervasive development disorder and is very far behind other three year old children. A little boy in my daughter's class has a very similar disorder and it has been heartbreaking to watch this little boy struggle in class this year. The kids at this school are very loving and treat him well but they know he is different and it's a struggle for him. It broke my heart when my daughter came home and told me how she was proud of him today because "he cried quietly and that was brave of him".
That sealed the deal for me. My son will stay home and we will give him the time he needs to catch up with the other kids. If he never catches up than we will make sure he has what he needs here to cope and leave the rest to the grace of the Lord.
I'm not sure if other folks in my position would be offended or not at my reasoning but it really makes no difference to me. My daughter is so excited to be homeschooling and I want to document this bold, new venture for her, for me, and for anyone else that may be considering diving into this type of life.
My priest, Father Jim, said it best, "God is the Master Teacher. Mothers and father (soul) responsibility is to reflect the love of the Father at all times."
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