10.14.2013

why o why do i homeschool?

first of all, thanks for still being my friends.
even after i ditched you for a time.
you guys are the best.


so, i guess i'll just start at the beginning.
why did we choose homeschool?
if you are hoping that this is going to be a rant about how homeschool is the only way to raise kids properly, click away....
homeschool is what WE chose for our unique circumstances. 


it is hard.


i sorta hate it.


i sorta love it.


i am very very tired all the time from it.
i am also amazed at the amount of really truly good times i can have with my favorite ever people.


we chose to do it when reedo got a great job opportunity in hawaii.
it is a two year commitment but it COULD be less than that. 
we don't have much say about the timing for our next move OR where we will go next.
we moved to hawaii in the middle of the school year, last year.
so as you can see there are a large amount of unknowns.
but we decided that we could do it and that it might even be good for our family.
and we decided that it'd be a great opportunity to try out homeschooling since it might make a bit of a more stable environment while moving our little guys all over for the next few years.
it's not like hawaii is super well known for it's amazing schools either.
(although i am sure there are some great ones out there) 
and we are just not going to be here long enough to figure out where we'd need to be to go to the good schools.


so that's kinda it.
i haven't been pining to homeschool all my life.
i WAS homeschooled until I was in third grade, so i think there was a part of me that thought i could probably do it because it's not completely unfamiliar.


when we move to our next place, i do not know what we will do for schooling.
we just have to see.


but i will tell you this.
i DO NOT regret choosing it.
it is such an incredible learning experience for me.


i feel light years ahead of the mommy who felt at the mercy of the public school teachers and the whole set up over there.


i feel in charge of my kids education.


i feel well educated MYSELF (and still growing) on the fact that i can choose what is important and needed for my kids to become intelligent well rounded human beings.


and when/if i do go back to sending them away to school, i will feel a good kind of power and understanding while dealing with their teachers.


i'll hopefully know when to just let things go.
i'll know when to push for things and how to better help my kids.


having your kids with you ALL the time is hard, my friends.
but so is letting them go.


so i can't wish any of it away, by reaching for the other.
it's all hard.
this parenting gig is not for the weak of heart.
it is heart wrenching.
and just when you think you've got it down...


you WILL get a reminder (somehow) not to get up on your high horse.

9 comments:

  1. We're homeschooling our two oldest and letting our youngest finish his last year at our wonderful elementary school. It's what's working for us...so glad we have options! I love the freedom of being able to let my older boys guide what they want to study...it's been pretty amazing so far! Good luck in schooling and mommahood! Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your honesty, as always, Shauna.

    ReplyDelete
  3. that's what I always tell myself on really hard days...and there are a lot of really hard days: I will not regret this. there's not a lot of things you can say that about.

    ReplyDelete
  4. my little one is still an infant and i'm sure more are in our future. we wonder about home school for our family, although you never know what the Lord has in store for the future, so we try not to make too many plans. thanks for sharing your heart on this! it was really helpful & inspiring to read :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for writing such a good blog , I am very interested.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yep -- having them with you all the time IS hard, but so is letting them go. Amen to that. You're doing great!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good for you! even though as a mother i know it has to be so hard sometimes, it really does sound magical to have your children with you all the time. we are at the letting goish ages with our boys (7th and 9th grade) and i really don't like it at all. soak it up!

    ReplyDelete
  8. You always look like you are having a ball with your kids. I'm sure it's difficult, but I even have a little tiny part in me that would like to try it. The freedom. The memories.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete