Homeschooling Revisited

It dawned on me the other day that when I wrote my first post on homeschooling it was back in January and I intended to write another answering some of the comments, etc. Well, I have finally gotten around to it. :)

One of the moms that commented talked about how she found herself sounding out the wrong sounds for her boys and that her spelling and grammar were not great. I can understand that as I really enjoy science and math but when it comes to English, grammar, and history I am more than lacking. However, I have found it to be exciting and a wonderful challenge to think that I will get to relearn all of these things so that I can teach them to our children. What better way to better ourselves? On looking back, I did not read a lot of the "classics" in my schooling. I may have been assigned them but either didn't read them or skimmed through and made an adequate grade on the test. I am now going back and reading a lot of these classics and thoroughly enjoying them. I'm not doing it just for my children but for my own good! I am loving reading books such as "The Chronicles of Narnia" series, "Huck Finn," "Tom Sawyer," "Little House on the Prairie," and "Black Beauty." One day I will tackle "Little Women" but haven't gotten there yet. I have gained such an appreciation for really good literature and can't wait to pass it on to my children! When grammar becomes more a part of our schooling, I will learn that better and am looking forward to it. I don't want to just stay where I am but would rather better myself for my good and my children's good and what a better way to do than alongside your children!

There is also the notion that as their mom, you can't possibly teach them everything. Well, that's right. You can't and I can't. That is another big reason I have found that moms don't homeschool or stop homeschooling. I can completely understand this sentiment as we are teaching Evie and Mary Fran phonics in preparation for reading. The thing is, though, that I am not supposed to teach them everything. God knows my weaknesses and faults and meets me right there and fills in the gap Himself or does so through me in that very same weakness to His glory. They also have a father, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc who are integral in our home education. Home education is not a solitary journey.

A few months back we began to have some more concentrated time in the morning here with Evie and Mary Fran. I have time with each of them alone to do pages in a workbook, puzzles, phonics, or some other purposefully educational activity(ies). I don't call it "school time" as I don't want the idea to be in this home that learning is delegated to only a certain part of the day. It has been wonderful and challenging at the same time. It has been wonderful for me to have one-on-one time with each girl doing something fun while we're also learning. I have found different areas that we need to work on with them individually that I may not have found otherwise if we were running around so much off to this activity and that. One of the most thrilling things is to see our wee Eves discover how to read and how her world has all of a sudden opened up! There is no pressure but Evie has been more than ready and we were able to encourage, nurture, and teach that. What a blessing!

The sacrifice has come in my time and what I may want/need to do with my time. There are days when it may not be the most convenient thing to do but as a Christian and a mom, my time is not my own. That is a good thing to be reminded of daily.

Some days, however, we may skip that "workbook time" altogether. One example is when we were getting ready for Daphne's birthday lunch. That morning the girls and I (while Ward was snoozing) got in the kitchen and learned about making different delectable treats in the kitchen together. We were a team as we set the table, got out the crystal and talked about their great-grandmother, got creative with place cards, and made the house nice and clean. What a wonderful time we had together learning while having so much fun and serving someone very dear to us! Our learning is through our everyday life and homeschooling allows us the freedom and time to do it.

Educating children at home is not for everyone, I'll be the first to admit it. However, I would venture to say that it is for more out than they might think. Your life and the lives of your children will be all the better for it.