"I think what you are doing is great," he said. And then he looked away so the moment wouldn't become awkward as we both fought to conceal the emotional impact of what he said.
The truth is, I don't hear that very often. I mean, I tell myself every day, but that doesn't boost my confidence as much as you might think. :)
...
Someone once asked me if I want my children to be socially awkward, indicating my decision to homeschool was not in their best interest. A stranger told me my kids will hate me when they grow up. A high school classmate asked if we actually "do school" or just hang out all day. I've been verbally slapped and told homeschool is just "BS" (that's the PG version). People want to know if my kids are learning art and music "because that is such an important part of their education". Most recently, someone told me it just wasn't realistic to think one person can teach every subject, every day.
If you know me at all, you can probably guess my response to all of the above. A nervous giggle. Because frankly what am I supposed to say? Yes, I want my children to be socially awkward. I don't care if they hate me.
Seriously?
I know I shouldn't care what other people think, but I do. It bothers me that anyone would view me as a mother who doesn't want what is best for her children. Especially since that is the entire reason I do what I do - because I believe it is what is best for them.
I have never gone up to anyone who has their children in public school and questioned their motives for keeping them there. To be blunt, it's none of my business how you choose to educate your children. And to be equally blunt, it's none of your business how I choose to educate mine.
But since so many people choose to comment, and so many people dare to ask, "What do you do all day?", I'd like to take this opportunity to provide you a glimpse into a week in the life of my two students at Chapel Hill Academy...
Monday
Most Mondays, we watch my 2-year-old niece. My boys spend about three hours helping our neighbor on his farm. They clean chicken houses, or feed the cows. When they get home, they have to take a shower because they smell really, really, really bad. I mean REALLY bad. We eat lunch, and then head to the classroom. Yes, we have a classroom. The boys have a school table and cubbies with their names on them. They even have book bags and lunch boxes. Of course, we rarely use those. But we do have them.
- Calendar
- Day Starter Activity
- Social Studies
- Famous Americans
- Language Arts
- Writing
- Spelling
- Math
SCHOOL TIME = 2 hours
Tuesdays & Thursdays
Tuesday and Thursdays are our long days. We usually try to stay home on these days because we have soooooo much work to do. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I drink a lot of Dr. Pepper. I've also been known to kick back a few tylenol.
- Bible Study
- Calendar
- Day Starter Activity
- Science
- Handwriting
- Social Studies
- Reading
- Computer
- Center Time
- Famous Americans
- Language Arts
- Writing
- Spelling
- Math
SCHOOL TIME = 5 hours
Wednesdays
Wednesdays are our fun days. We go to the library for homeschool story hour. We usually have lunch with some friends. We have also been known to sneak over to the park on a few occasions.
- Devotion
- Calendar
- Day Starter
- Science
- Handwriting
- Social Studies
- Mind Benders
- Writing
- Spelling
SCHOOL TIME = 3 hours
Fridays
Fridays are another short day for us. We have mostly tests on Fridays. We try to schedule all our field trips and/or playdates for Fridays. Of course, that doesn't always work out. So Friday can also be known as our "catch-up day".
- Bible Study
- Calendar
- Day Starter
- Science
- Handwriting
- Social Studies
- Reading
- Computer
- Center
- Art/Music
- Language Arts
- Writing
- Spelling
- Math
SCHOOL TIME = 3 hours
...
So if you've pictured me sitting on the couch all day, eating bon-bons and watching The Young and the Restless, let me assure you... Well, actually I do watch Y&R... BUT I prefer drinking Dr. Pepper to eating bon-bons.
Still, the majority of my day is spent in our classroom, sitting across from the two greatest gifts God has ever given my husband and me. I plan all our lessons. While I don't teach every subject (we use videos for math), I do guide all their learning. I have researched and determined which curriculums work best for us. If I don't know everything about the topic (like botany), I can learn right along side them, which is my favorite part of homeschooling.
Also, we are not socially awkward hermits. Along with a friend, I initiated the creation of a homeschool group in our area. We get together with other kids on a weekly basis through the program at the library and activities offered through our homeschool group. My boys are actively involved in Tae Kwon Do, where they see their friends twice a week as well. We do leave the house. Although, often times, we do forget to fix our hair. My bad. :)
...
So, there are a few morals to this blog...
1. If you are worried about the education and socialization of my children, don't be. I've got this.
2. Just because I homeschool, doesn't mean I think you should. So please don't think that just because your children are in public school, that's where my children should be.
3. Homeschooling is not as easy as it looks. But it is more fun, and more rewarding than you can ever imagine.
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