Why Homeschooling? Part 1

Both Dh and I grew up going to public schools, and yes we both got good educations from them. There are "lapses" in certain things, but that might have been more in part to our not learning something rather it not being presented. However, we both noticed that we were not challenged (okay I think I was, but Dh says he was not) enough to learn how to study and not struggle in college. We also saw, through my younger brother, how things were changing in the school systems as well.

When we had JM, I had never even heard of homeschooling. I had no idea such a thing existed, and Dh and I were discussing private schooling and how to afford it. We also both knew that not all private schools are equal. Someone on an internet forum mentioned homeschooling, and I questioned them and started learning. All while JM was a baby! We had years to go, but I knew then that wanted to be an "at home" Mom to the kids if possible, and I knew we had to figure something out for schooling. I mentioned it to Dh, and he brushed it off thinking it was something "weird" people did.

I, meanwhile, am finally home with JM and researching more and more about this strange phenomenon called homeschooling. JM is 3, and I'm doing quite a bit of teaching him already. We learn about dinosaurs, space, trains, and anything that catches his eye. Like Bob the Builder, which spurred a long obsession with tractors. Dh still thinks private school is best and wants to do that for school and I want to at least try homeschooling, so we compromise on preschool. I "homeschool" 3 days a week, and send JM to preschool 2 days a week. At the beginning of preschool JM knew all his letters, and was working on sounds the letters make. His preschool class was working on learning the names of letters. JM was doing basic addition, his class was working on numbers. We also saw, that JM wass emotionally not mature enough for school. I developed a good relationship with his teacher, and have a good friend who is a Kindergarten teacher herself. I learned, and told Dh, what academics are covered in Kindergarten where we live. I also learned more about the public school and private school options we could explore. I networked with anyone I could talk to to find homeschooling Moms to find out about which coverschools would be a good option for us!

In February of JM's preschool year (ummm, that would be 2003? 2004?), his teacher asked me what my plans were for the next year. I told her I was considering homeschooling, and she sighed a HUGE sigh of relief. See, she was a special ed teacher prior to becoming a SAHM who worked at the preschool 2 mornings a week. She told me that JM was academically ready for Kindergarten (well, actually he was ready for 1st grade), but that maturity wise he would really struggle. She was concerned because in a traditional classroom environment he would be punished quite a bit for his hyperactivity and would come to hate going to school. As it was, she had already tried to stay at his level academically and was struggling to teach to him AND a class. JM was already telling me he disliked going to preschool because he was always in trouble for talking to his friends in class. The teacher confirmed that he just breezed through everything she gave him, and being bored and done with work would disrupt things in the classroom. She said he was a good kid, but he was going to need to be really challenged in a classroom. She knew which school we were zoned for, and knew it was already overcrowded and did not recommend that direction.

As Dh and I knew we could not afford private school, and the public school where we were was not really all that great (decent, just a little overcrowded) we finally had a good discussion about homeschooling. Dh had his questions about it, had his concerns, and was ready to listen to me. He asked that I find a cover school that we would use, and then find out everything I could that I think he would want to know.

I did. I started at this one site - A to Z Home's Cool website. It is truly a wealth of information, possibly too much. I had also found a great cover school that I knew Dh would like. In addition to this, I investigated a "hybrid" school that has private school 3 days a week and homeschooling 2 days a week (we didn't choose it because they stressed Kindergarten kids sitting at desks and that was NOT a good fit for JM). I talked to people I knew and trusted who had children going to the public school we would be sending JM to. I also talked to people who had kids going to the private Kindergarten at the preschool we were sending JM (we could afford the Kindergarten there). I also knew I had Samuel at home, and he was still really little. After I finally found some homeschooling Moms to talk with, I started looking at curriculum and tried NOT to become overwhelmed.

I literally spent hours online researching things.