HI EVERYONE!!!  I made to the homeschoolblogger!!  I have another blog that I started not too long ago that is about my day to day since my family and I moved to Tampa FL from Kewanee IL.  If interested please check it out!  http://lilchickinabigcity.blogspot.com/

This blog however is VERY different.  Yesterday, September 25, 2008  I made my first big step into the home school world.   I went to the public schools my children attend and officially withdrew them.  Can I just say to those of you that may not already know this... I was Terrified!.  Why?, you ask?... well, first let me just say I did do the research.  I knew the laws for the state of Florida and followed them to the letter.  Yet when I loaded my boys into the van and headed to the elementary school, I had an apple in my throat and a pit in my stomach.  I have known in my heart that this was exactly what I needed to do for my children and those feelings were not doubt, or even questioning my decision.  Those feelings were for the anticipation of resistence.  Those feelings were for the disapproving looks or comments that I was prepared to experience from the teachers and staff.  I was fully anticipating being told "NO YOU CANT DO THAT!"  When I walked into the office with my boys in tow, I held my head high and made a serious effort to make my voice sound confident when I stated I was there to withdraw my boys from thier school and they would be home schooled from now on. 

I need to know, has anyone ever felt going into this that maybe they were doing something illegal?  Like at any minute the police were going to surround you and tear your children away from you screaming and crying?  Like even though you knew you could give your children a better education, "The Man" was not going to let you?  This was what I was feeling.

To my utter amazement, there was no resistence, no disapproving looks and no comments of disapproval!  In fact, they were very supportive and encouraging!  They offered assistance with curriculum and testing.  Only a phone call away one teacher offered.  THANK YOU GOD.  What an incredible blessing it was to be encouraged by the public school system to do what I knew was right.  I have to say the relief is very wonderful. I am certain that eventually I will run into disapproval, but I will be ready.

And now the journey begins.