We will be moving to a small (6 acre) farm in PA.  My 16 year old daughter has decided she would like to try one of the Cyber Charter Schools the public school is offering in this area.  She will basically still be homeschooling using a laptop, but the public school will be reviewing her work and she has to use their curriculum.  The pros - she will get a laptop, free curriculum, art/music supplies, science lab supplies, and everything she will need for her "school work".  The cons - the curriculum is not Christian based, although she doesn't have to complete assignments against my "religion".  We can supplement.  She has to complete 180 days of school (norm for even unschoolers in our area; PA law), but fieldtrips count as school.

At first I was totally against it as it goes against what I thought homeschool is about.  I felt I wouldn't have control of what she is learning and the curriculum is not Christian based.  I didn't tell her "NO".  Instead I told her she should really research it.  I was thinking when she saw how strict it was and how much freedom she would be losing (we are currently eclectic, leaning way over to unschooling), that she would change her mind.

Well she has really impressed me.  She really did her homework on it and to my dismay, was even more excited about it.  Uuugh!

Then I started thinking ....OK, one of the main reasons I homeschool is because I want to give my children the freedom of making informed choices for their future.  I trust that they know what they want to be when they grow up and what choices they need to make to get there.  I am more of a facilitator in their quest for their future, listening from a young age at what their interest are.  I teach them from God's Word and pray they will follow morally the way they ought to go.  This is the choice she has made for her future.  She has shown great maturity in researching information on different schools and at 16 years old I have to trust the choices she's making.  At first I did not agree with them (I lean more towards an unschooler frame of mind), but I honestly have been very impressed and proud of the way she has handled her education for her future.  At this point all I can do is continue to be a facilitator and pray over her choices giving her advice along the way.  Trusting that our Lord has her in His hands and knows what He has in store for her future.

Well in researching the school myself I was really impressed.  My 13 year old, who was sitting at the computer with us as we researched, has decided he would like to try it also.  Hmmmm....I guess our homeschooling adventures are taking a whole new direction. 

Worst case scenario, I will pull them out if it does not work out.

BTW..... We've been dreaming of homesteading for years now.  I have been going over to homestead blogger and drooling over everyones homesteading adventures.  I am so excited that we get to finally start our own little homestead.  I started a new blog to document our new farming adventures there.  I will keep this one for all our homeschooling adventures.  Please visit my homesteading blog over at: http://www.homesteadblogger.com/angelswithapurpose/