This fall I started to just have this nudge in my heart. Homeschooling. Homeschooling. Homeschooling. It was enough that I was like, "Um... is this from God?! Is this a nudge from the Holy Spirit??!! Should I, like, actually put some thought into this??" So I started researching homeschooling. I checked out books from the library and sought out info from friends who are currently homeschooling and also those who used to homeschool but don't any more. I read the laws and regulations. I checked out curriculum and resources. The more I researched, prayed, listened and learned, the more I fell in love with this idea and felt like it might be the right decision for us. Then one day M came home from school and said, "I think I want to homeschool." UM, WHAT??! I hadn't said anything to my kids AT ALL. I was nervous something bad had happened at school to make her want to switch. She said, "Oh! I LOVE school! I love PCS! I just think it would be fun!" So that made me renew my excitement. Then we started ACTUALLY talking about it. JJ feels like he has thought it would be a good idea all along, so he was 110% on board. I shared it with other friends and even family members-- and everyone had positive feedback for me, which feels supernatural as well. My Dad said something like, "I think this could be your best decision yet." I truly did not think everyone would be on board and that made me feel more and more confident in our decision. I really am not going into this with crazy expectations. While I believe this is the right decision for us at this time, that might change! And we would be VERY HAPPY to head back to PCS when/if homeschooling becomes not right for us.
Now, without further ado, the NOT Top Ten Reasons we are Homeschooling:
10. I've been SO bored and need something new to do. (ha. hahaha.)
9. Isolation Island. We just are not people, people, so we want to isolate ourselves. (wrong again! We are very much hoping to stay connected with friends and even make new ones on this journey! We also plan to utilize many great community resources and hope to do some service projects we just haven't been able to do before.)
8. Control. I just need to control every single second of my children's day. (Well, I do value knowing what our children are exposed to! However, I do hope that we learn together what schedule will work best for us -- and most likely I will learn a lot about patience and flexibility along the way too!)
7. I want to use my degrees (Elem Ed/Spanish/Special Ed), but am too lazy to put together my resume. (I am excited that I may be able to use some of the gifts and talents God has prepared in me through my background in education. At the same time, I am excited to continue to be home with my little guys too!)
6. I just can NOT bear to have any of our children out of my sight for more than five minutes! (LOL. Um. No. Just no. I love my kids, but this was definitely not a determining factor for homeschooling!)
5. I'm just so trendy. (I've read some data in my research that states homeschooling is on the rise. I AM excited to connect with some great homeschooling groups such as REACH, and attend a homeschool convention or two. HOWEVER, I have not begun this journey (which I definitely began reluctantly) because others are doing it!)
4. I'm tired of being Mater and Robin all by myself. (My time WILL look different - and I think I will miss having lots of 1:1 time with L - but I think a major benefit will be the kids strengthening their bonds with each other and I'm really looking forward to that! I can see M & L becoming big buddies and L & C love playing with each other - they just don't always have a chance to right now.)
3. I got tired of emptying the dishwasher. (Haha -- with all of us home, there will be MORE dishes on a daily basis. But, I'm super excited to do some more practical learning like sewing, cooking, and yes, even working together to accomplish some housework along the way.)
2. I bought too many Lularoe leggings and just want to stay home all day and lounge around in them. (Hope you found this one as funny as I did! No?? Might just be me. haha. But seriously, I do not envision us sitting around all day. I am excited for the "play with a purpose" and intentional but fun activities we can do to learn, grow and develop as life long learners!)
1. We don't like PCS, (This one just about breaks my heart. I truly hope no one thinks this for one second. We have LOVED PCS and LOVE the community that definitely feels more like a family. We feel like each of our children's teachers has been hand picked for our kids. It is so evident that the staff loves God, loves their job and knows each kid so well. It is a wonderful feeling to know that your child is cared for, truly. And I guess it is a good thing this tears at my heartstrings, because that means we were in a place we love! In the end, I just remain certain we are called to do this at this time.)
10. I've been SO bored and need something new to do. (ha. hahaha.)
9. Isolation Island. We just are not people, people, so we want to isolate ourselves. (wrong again! We are very much hoping to stay connected with friends and even make new ones on this journey! We also plan to utilize many great community resources and hope to do some service projects we just haven't been able to do before.)
8. Control. I just need to control every single second of my children's day. (Well, I do value knowing what our children are exposed to! However, I do hope that we learn together what schedule will work best for us -- and most likely I will learn a lot about patience and flexibility along the way too!)
7. I want to use my degrees (Elem Ed/Spanish/Special Ed), but am too lazy to put together my resume. (I am excited that I may be able to use some of the gifts and talents God has prepared in me through my background in education. At the same time, I am excited to continue to be home with my little guys too!)
6. I just can NOT bear to have any of our children out of my sight for more than five minutes! (LOL. Um. No. Just no. I love my kids, but this was definitely not a determining factor for homeschooling!)
5. I'm just so trendy. (I've read some data in my research that states homeschooling is on the rise. I AM excited to connect with some great homeschooling groups such as REACH, and attend a homeschool convention or two. HOWEVER, I have not begun this journey (which I definitely began reluctantly) because others are doing it!)
4. I'm tired of being Mater and Robin all by myself. (My time WILL look different - and I think I will miss having lots of 1:1 time with L - but I think a major benefit will be the kids strengthening their bonds with each other and I'm really looking forward to that! I can see M & L becoming big buddies and L & C love playing with each other - they just don't always have a chance to right now.)
3. I got tired of emptying the dishwasher. (Haha -- with all of us home, there will be MORE dishes on a daily basis. But, I'm super excited to do some more practical learning like sewing, cooking, and yes, even working together to accomplish some housework along the way.)
2. I bought too many Lularoe leggings and just want to stay home all day and lounge around in them. (Hope you found this one as funny as I did! No?? Might just be me. haha. But seriously, I do not envision us sitting around all day. I am excited for the "play with a purpose" and intentional but fun activities we can do to learn, grow and develop as life long learners!)
1. We don't like PCS, (This one just about breaks my heart. I truly hope no one thinks this for one second. We have LOVED PCS and LOVE the community that definitely feels more like a family. We feel like each of our children's teachers has been hand picked for our kids. It is so evident that the staff loves God, loves their job and knows each kid so well. It is a wonderful feeling to know that your child is cared for, truly. And I guess it is a good thing this tears at my heartstrings, because that means we were in a place we love! In the end, I just remain certain we are called to do this at this time.)
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