The Choice To Homeschool

Victoria & Nicholas are proud of the
puzzle they put together!

The kids working together on a block tower.
No one is fighting yet.....

About a year ago in January of 2010, Allan and I started to pray about and seek out other options for our kid's education. Victoria and Nicholas were in a wonderful private school with loving teachers, great curriculum and overall we liked their school. But I'll be honest, it was tough making the monthly tuition payments. We could probably still do it, but then we would have two more kids that would be entering school in the next couple of years. Public school was our last choice for different reasons. One of the main reasons was we wanted the kids to have a Christian education (both curriculum & the teacher(s) who were teaching our children). So if we weren't going to send our kids to private school then our only other choice was homeschooling. I mentioned it casually to Allan and he said, "Yes, why don't you give it a try for a year." I had thought about homeschooling in the past but thought it was something for other parents who were more patient & had experience in teaching. When Allan asked for me to try it for a year, I honestly started praying that God would figure something else out. Homeschooling couldn't be the answer. I researched it by asking lots of questions to moms who were homeschooling. I checked out books from the library. I read blogs and articles on the internet. The idea of homeschooling started to grow on me. God was giving me answers, but I didn't want to listen. I prayed again, "Lord, please help us to figure out a way that we can continue private school." I was afraid to try something new. I had already committed to coordinating another year at MOMS. How was I going to homeschool my soon to be 2nd and 4th grader while keeping my toddler & preschooler busy? I was amazed at how many people I knew that homeschooled. I started to feel more confident that I could do it. We found a homeschool group (PSP) to belong to that would give us support, accountability, and guidance. I attended a huge homeschool convention during the summer that really solidified our reasons for homeschooling. I'm writing this blog for some friends who have been curious themselves about homeschooling and so they can see if it may be the right choice for their family. Remember this is simply what our family is choosing right now to do with our kid's edcation. There is no right or wrong answer.

Some Reasons we choose to homeschool:
Having time in the bible with my kids
We get to choose their curriculum
I know what they're learning all the time - from teacher(me) & students(their siblings)
No monthly tuition (we pay for books & other stuff, but it is much less compared to private school)

Unexpected reasons why we like homeschooling:
We can do things in the middle of the day (dr. appts, haircuts)
I don't have drop-off & pickup every day.
We can go on fun field trips that we choose.
We can choose anytime of the year to take a vacation.

Reasons why the kids like homeschooling:
Nicholas likes staying in his pajamas all day or other costumes
Victoria and Nicholas like having lots of time for reading
They like the field trips that we go on.
Victoria was able to be a part of a church Christmas production that had lots of rehearsal time.

Some things that have been hard about homeschooling:
You're with your kids all the time, so you need to be intentional about spending time w/ friends or your husband.
Discipline (siblings fight, kids disobey) It's our job to train them/
Keeping them focused at home
Keeping the little kids entertained (probably the most challenging part for me)

There are lots of other things I like and dislike about homeschooling. I'll be honest. It is not easy. Parenting isn't easy either. Right now, this is our choice to homeschool the kids. We will take one year at a time, but we are committed for the long haul ahead. We are actually trying to get Benjamin into a transitional kindergarten program through a local public school. If it is the Lord's will, he'll get in. If not, I may be homeschooling him or just finding fun activities for a preschooler to do. Wait a minute... I just got a phone call from the administrative assistant that there are two schools with openings!!! Benjamin will be attending a local transitional kindergarten. He'll be able to go to school and receive speech classes as well!! Yea!! What a blessing! As you can tell I'm not opposed to any school choice. I just want what's best for each of my children as individuals and for our family.