Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Homeschmooly.

I appreciated all of the feedback from my schooling post. It's a tough decision to make. I was quite resolute about certain things before I had Cub--actually, I should say, before Cub was a toddler. Toddlerhood has opened up a new world of learning for him and I love that I get to be a part of it; something I wasn't expecting. Homeschooling has always been the last thing on my mind. In fact, I have several friends who homeschool who love to tease me about it. They would nudge me to at least try it and I would roll my eyes, and thusly the joke would continue. But, as Cub has gotten older, the idea of teaching him at home while he is young kept popping up in my mind. I tried pushing it away--trust me. But, the thought kept coming, so I finally surrendered to it and ordered some curriculum so we could dip our toe, very cautiously, into the very intimidating waters of homeschooling, while he is still very young. Why not give it a try, right? Plus, there is an awesome homeschool co-op in our area so I know that if we decided to really do it, we would have a great network to join.

I'm going to go ahead and dispel some misconceptions or stereotypes right off the bat, just so you can know my heart and where I'm coming from in all of this. Some of it relates to homeschooling, but all of it relates to schooling in general.

1) The Need For Speed

I know of parents who want their kid to be the brainiac of the class, so they begin cramming their little head with information at a young age in hopes that their Einstein will be a shining star by the time they step into preschool. Let me go ahead and say that is not my ambition. I am following Cub's lead with this schooling thing. He just loves to learn. We're just getting into phonics and he asks to do it every day, several times a day. So, we do it! It's just the way he is. Naomi might (and probably will) be completely different, and that's great! I'll follow her lead the way I'm following his. If he gets frustrated or sick of it, we'll take a break.

2) Shelter From The Storm

The obvious homeschool stereotype is a very sheltered kid. I will not say that my desire is to shelter my kid, but I will say that I am honestly trying to decide what my role should be with him at this tender of an age. My friend Devi put it best as a comment to my original schooling post: One thing is for certain - I refuse to hand my small children -- emphasis on SMALL -- over to someone who teaches them unBiblical things. I wanted to jump through the screen and give her a high-five. That's exactly how I feel. This age is precious, impressionable, and overwhelmingly important in the creation of the foundational principles that will ultimately shape Cub's belief system. I know that people believe that children should be put in school to be, say, salt and light, but I have to ask, at what age are they supposed to be held to such a responsibility? Children are to honor their father and mother. That is their Biblical charge. If I can create a safe boundary for my small children -- emphasis on SMALL -- then I am going to do it. Again, I'm not sure what that will look like, but I am definitely praying that I will stay open-minded to all possibilities.

3) Geek

Okay. The anti-social thing. I know. Let me just put it this way: Kids mostly turn out like their parents. They just do. Sure, there are anti-social homeschoolers. Just like there are anti-social kids in public schools and private schools.

If you know me, then "anti-social" is probably the last word that comes to mind. Which means my kiddos will be busy with friends, no matter where they are.

Just some food for thought. :)

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I'm not sure where I will be with schooling in two years. Cub might be starting preschool. If it is within our means, then he might be starting in a private Christian preschool. Ideally, we'll homeschool for a little while. If these next two years of mini-homeschooling turn out to be hilariously impossibly ridiculous and we cannot afford to send him to a Christian preschool or school, then he will go in public school, although at this point I do not see that happening. I have several friends who are educators in public schools and they are awesome. But my early childhood education was spent in a small private school, and I feel compelled to give Cub that same kind of opportunity (whether it's at a school or a homeschool co-op) while he is young. As he gets older, we'll take each year as it comes. That's when the salt and light come in.

Just like we do now--one step at a time.

Have a lovely day!

9 comments:

  1. I thought the same thing about your friend's comment! Totally on the same page. And after hearing about your gradual shift in thinking regarding homeschooling, I'm inspired to keep an open mind about that option for our family!

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  2. Katie, I think this is awesome. My parents homeschooled me and my four siblings - each of us for various lengths of time. I know they prayed and considered every year what they felt the Lord was leading them to do with each child. I'm pretty sure there was one year when one of my siblings was homeschooled, one was in regular public school, and one was in a public charter school. I think it's awesome that you are being so sensitive about Cub's tender spirit. The homeschooling memories that mean the most to me are from when I was very young - my mom really teaching me how to have a quiet time & sitting at the kitchen table reading our Bibles together, fun field trips, really creative projects we'd do together. I hope that whatever you guys decide in the future, the next 2 years are wonderful!

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  3. There is an amazing homeschool co-op within our Church. We know so many amazing families who are a part of it. They completely changed my heart/view on homeschooling because they are so great. Also, I know of many amazing private Christian schools around here and families who are a part of that. (Let's see how many times we can say amazing.) I think starting curriculum at this age instills a hunger for education and learning - a very good thing. I feel like all mom's should do that, especially those who stay home with their children. There is some great school curriculum at Mardel ... you should check it out.

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  4. Oh, and for us, we don't know the path we are going to take (leaning toward private Christian, depending on where D starts up his practice), but we do know that we will be doing "pre-school" at home. If/when Levi starts going away for school, it will be for Kindergarten.

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  5. My son is in daycare right now, because I teach public school. Next fall he will start at a Christian preschool. As a public school teacher, I really don't have a lot against a public school education. I got a public school education and feel that I turned out well due to my upbringing. However, having said that, in Texas the emphasis is being shifted more and more from experience to testing. If I could homeschool or do some sort of small homeschooling co-op, I would. I would love to be able to go on field trips, read lots of books, and help my son experience life. But since I have to work, it will be public school for him. The private schools around here just don't float my boat. No certified or degreed teachers. The kids basically self-teach with paces. It's just not my thing. I admire you for what you're doing with cub, and I also admire that you're letting him lead. I get so frustrated with parents that try to cram things down their kids throats, instead of letting them learn at their own pace. Sheesh, sorry about the long post.

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  6. that is such a great comment that your friend made, and so true!!! High fives all around! :) I'm really excited for your homeschooling experience. With Andy and I both being teachers, I know I could homeschool Tucker. However, Andy is getting his masters in administration right now, and his view is, "how can I be a leader of a school that I don't believe in?" So, that's where we're at, at least right now. I see his point, but I also want Tucker to be surrounded by truth and the word all the time!!! So, we'll see!
    Thanks for sharing your journey because it's an encouragement to those of us who aren't quite there yet!!!

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  7. I started a comment on your other post about 4 times, but never finished it...mainly because it probably would have been a 2000 word essay :)
    Here are my thoughts on this post (coming from a former public school attendee/teacher/librarian turned SAHM married to someone who was homeschooled)...before the age of 4 or 5, I don't consider it "homeschooling"...it's called parenting. Our job as parents is to train our children up in the way they should go. Even when children are school-age, regardless of what kind of school they are involved with, parents still have a responsibility to teach their children when they are with them. Schools cannot and should not be responsible for raising children. If more people realized that, the world would be much better off, and public schools wouldn't be where they are.
    (Sorry...I'm sure that I'm preaching to the choir here...people who actually think and pray about all of the different options are not the people who dump their kids and expect them to come back fully-functional adults with no effort on their part :)

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  8. I am so proud of you for braving the homeschool waters and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading for your family. You know I homeschool 3 of my 4 children and the pre-school years (2-5) are my favorite so far (I've only ventured into first grade so I guess that's not saying much). They're such little sponges. Can't wait for you to come do school with us!

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  9. Oh the opinions this topic brings out.... :) I say go for what God leads you to do. Can't go wrong there. You are a great parent and teacher, and whatever you decide, I have faith you'll make the best call for your family and their needs.

    And...once you get the homeschooling thing figured out, I'll just send my kids to you, k? K! ;)

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