People are often surprised when they find out we home schooled out children. We get lots of questions. I thought I would share how we ended up schooling our minis. Our son has always been very bright. In the middle of his kindergarten/1st grade year, his amazing teacher called me in for a conference. She had tried her best to keep our son challenged. The school scolded her for giving him above grade level work. She told me “if it was my child, I would home school him”. I was surprised to hear her say this. I have a degree in Elementary Childhood Education but I never intended to use it on my own children.
When I say I came to home schooling kicking and screaming, I mean it. What would people think? Were my kids going to be “weird”. What about socializing (LOL)? After much thought and prayer, we decided it was the best thing for our little guy. We took the summer to attend conventions and to read and learn more about home schooling. We looked into the state (Florida at the time) requirements for home school families.
The time had come to start schooling. To say it was a rocky road is an understatement. I had this picture in my head of what it should look like and it was not going that way. You see my problem was that I only had experience in traditional school setting. I didn’t know any one personally who home schooled. I felt like I was on my own. I prayed and prayed and we finally got it all figured out.
In the end we chose our own path. We did not join a co op, they were not for us. I know many who use them and are very happy with the results. Here is what I’ve learning home schooling:
- Make sure you are meeting your child’s learning needs, know they learning style
- It doesn’t have to look a certain way
- You can do it anywhere
- Not every child is meant to be home schooled
- Be open to options that involve others teaching your child
- It’s ok to mix and match curriculum to fit your childs needs
- Be prepared to be surprised by your child
- Don’t worry about what your child is “ missing out” on from traditional school setting
- Be prepared to laugh when your child is asked if they are skipping school when they are out in public with you during “school hours”
- Take pride in the privilege to be able to teach your child
I’ll be sharing more about our home school journey here on the blog.
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