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I was sweeping up catkins that the recent rains had knocked out of the pecan tree onto the front walk, and talking to my 12 year old about quantum theory and predestination. A normal conversation for homeschoolers! Finally, David concluded: "The world just keeps on changing, and God's up there having a good time."
I love being around my kids. Sometimes, I know, I just wish for a little peaceful time to myself, time to think or write, time to relax with adults. But I love watching my kids grow up. There is so much I would have missed if I had gone with the flow, and just sent them out to get on the bus when they turned 5, like everybody else.
I would have missed all the plans, designs and computer models for space exploration. I would have missed seeing my little girl grow into a gracious, thoughtful woman, in the writing she placed in my hands. I would have missed cuddles on the couch with my youngest, and dancing in our sock feet in the living room with my tallest (6'4"!).
Deciding to homeschool is a commitment best made when your children are just starting their formal education, because it is so hard to change your own mindset about what education is, if they've already entered the government system. And it is a commitment. If you say, "We'll try it for a year, and see how it works out," you likely won't be homeschooling long. But if you say, "I want to do this! Let's do it!," then homeschooling may be for you.
I started homeschooling because I thought it was a cool idea. I thought, WOW! There are so many interesting things we could study that I never got the chance to in school! And then, I was disgusted by an interview with the president of the teacher's union on TV, in which she said it was not the job of a teacher to teach morality. I thought, when does a child learn morality then? For most people, the teacher is with their child a much greater part of his/her waking hours than the parent is! Who is going to teach the child morality? Judging from most of the kids out there today, nobody is!
I started homeschooling for several reasons. But I continue homeschooling now for two main reasons: it would be a terrible culture shock to throw my kids into a government school, and I would miss being with them.
We're nearly done. My youngest will be in 8th grade next school year. Problem is, he wants to play football. The child loves football. He played one season with a youth league, and wants with all his heart to play again. Only the youth leagues quit at 12. And homeschoolers don't usually field football teams...too hard to get that many kids all the same age together in one place. Is football enough of a reason to relinquish the responsibility for raising my son to public school teachers? David is a very tender-hearted, joyful boy, and I don't know how badly it would hurt him, the first time someone he thought was a friend stabbed him in the back, the way school children are wont to do. My husband and I have tentatively decided not to go that route, and just let David live without football.
Decisions have to be made. Hard decisions. But at least my kids are seeing those decisions made every day, up close and personal. They are learning to be responsible adults. And isn't that the point of educaiton? |
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One year not long ago, we did the "field trip thing" with a vengeance. It was a good year, but incredibly busy, as we went on every field trip we could afford. The one that really stands out in my mind, and the minds of my children, is the one to The American Village, in Montevallo, Alabama.
The American Village ( http://www.americanvillage.org/index.shtml ) is a re-creation of a New England village during the War for Independence. The staff of the "village" really put us all right in the middle of the turmoil of the 18th century, with rowdy mobs demanding that the king's tax collector be tarred and feathered, and with a room full of Virginia delegates, trying to make a decision about whether or not to go along with separating from England. People dressed in period costumes taught the children to dance in the fashion of the time, and to drill on the green as raw recruits. The buildings are all authentic re-creations, as well. And after you've seen all the activity of the village, you can visit the gift shop and purchase a replica of the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution!
We all had a wonderful time at The American Village, and highly recommend it as a destination for home educators throughout Alabama. |