Ugh! When I started this blog I had the best of intentions and thought I’d be blogging away on a daily basis. So much for that theory! We had such a great summer (once the warm weather finally arrived in upstate New York – don’t even get me started) and I had to choose between enjoying time at the pool with the family or hanging out indoors slaving away at my computer in the tiny corner of our upstairs hallway that passes for my office. Guess which won out?
We dragged our summer out just as long as we could by taking our annual “NOT going back to school” vacation in late September. One of the many joys of homeschooling is that we can travel whenever we feel like it. No squeezing our trips in during school vacations, no breaking the bank on airfare and hotels during peak travel times. We get to travel when the rest of the world is toiling away at school and work, which for us means nonexistent crowds, lower rates and a beautiful beach almost entirely to ourselves. It doesn’t get much better than that! So this year we spent a few days seeing the impressive sights in our nation’s capital and an amazing week on beautiful Topsail Island in North Carolina. With everyone else in school at the time, we had a wonderfully quiet week and it seemed the ocean was ours alone.
Sadly, vacation came to an end and so did summer. All too quickly there was a chill in the air, the leaves changed, and we even had a snow flurry in October. We’ve been fortunate since then and still no real snow, which is a rarity here by this time in December!
I am *so* not a cold weather person. I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say I have seasonal affective disorder or whatever it’s called, but I do know that my mood and outlook take an abrupt turn when the weather turns cold. Don’t get me wrong – I love the beautiful colors of fall and the gorgeous first real snowfall of the winter – but anything colder than a slight nip in the air leaves me with painfully numb fingers and toes in a matter of minutes (thanks to Raynaud’s), and the early darkness that comes with the time change really gets me down. I’m a warm weather, lots of sunshine, and clear blue sky kind of gal. Skiing, snowmen and driving in the horrible upstate New York winters are just not my thing.
As soon as we got back from vacation, like it or not it was time to begin fifth grade. We definitely got a late start to our school year, which means we won’t be taking off as much time as we normally do during the month of December. But that’s OK. Again, the flexibility that homeschooling allows us is amazing. I can’t even begin to imagine being tied to a school calendar. We’ve become spoiled by our ability to make our own schedule, choose our own curriculum, set our own course. We can try something and ditch it if it doesn’t work for us. We can take our time and really expand on something we love. We can double up on our schoolwork one day in order to allow us more free time the next. We decide what works for us and then we just do it. I can’t imagine it any other way.
The kids and I all had our birthdays in September. Gator and Sport are 10 now. T.E.N. It’s amazing to me how quickly these ten years have flown by, and it scares the bejeebers out of me to think how fast the next 10 will go. Just as quickly as they reached 10, they’re going to reach 20. And there’s not a darn thing I can do to stop it!
And as they turned 10, I turned 45.
F.o.r.t.y.-F.i.v.e.
Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. How did that happen? I am seriously halfway to 50.
Fifty.
FIFTY.
5.0.
F.I.V.E. Z.E.R.O.
I’ll just add one more Ugh and leave it at that.
So now the holidays are upon us. It’s time to decorate the house, shop ‘til I drop, delay sending my cards so much so that it’s embarrassing, and spend waaaaaaay too much money on gifts. And it’s time for me to get back to work on my blog. Hopefully I can do a better job of updating it, and strive more for getting something posted rather than striving for perfection with each and every post.
It ain’t ever gonna be perfect. And that’s OK.
So here we go. Again. Stick around a while, won’t you?
Friday, December 4, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
The Story of Us
TG and I met through my job. I was hired by my firm in 1988 and my first position was as legal secretary to two attorneys, one of whom specialized in entertainment law. TG was one of his clients. He would call or come in to the office every now and then and we would chat a bit or I’d get him coffee. It was all very professional. In fact I think I might have even called him Mr. G----- a time or two. :)
Back in the late 70s/early 80s, TG played lead guitar in a fairly well-known southern rock band. The band had several albums on A & M Records (including one that went gold) and they toured the country extensively. TG joined the band when he was just 19 years old, and he recorded and toured with them for more than four years. Long before he ever became a client of my firm, I knew who TG was. We both grew up in the same town, so he was well-known as a local celeb. It was cool to get to meet him and talk to him through my job.
In December of 1989 I got a job offer from another law firm in town. I accepted and gave two-week notice to my boss. Before my last day, my (first) firm had a holiday party and clients were invited, TG among them. Like many of my boss’ clients, TG wanted to know why I was unhappy at my job and what made me want to leave. We ended up talking for several hours that night, and by the end of the party he had somehow managed to talk me out of quitting my job. I was really emotional about the whole “should I stay or should I go” thing (the job, not the song), and I ended up in the bathroom crying to my good friend Krissy about how I really didn’t want to quit. A few minutes later another co-worker came in and told me TG was looking for me. I pulled myself together and left the bathroom to find him. He was getting ready to leave, and wanted to know if I would have dinner with him sometime.
Would I? Um, yes please!!!!!
The next day I went in to work and told my bosses I had decided I didn’t want to leave after all. Thankfully they had not yet found my replacement and I got to keep my job. I guess it was one of those things that was just meant to be because 20 years later I am still at the same firm (doing a much different job now, however)!
TG called me later that day and we made plans for our first date. He picked me up and we had dinner at a wonderful restaurant. I still remember what I was wearing and what we both ate -- I had scallops and TG had mahi-mahi. We went for drinks afterward and talked for hours and hours. It was an amazing first date and I think we both knew that this was going to be something very special. We hit it off so well and were very comfortable with one another.
The next night we attended a New Year’s Eve party together, and from then on we were pretty much inseparable. We lived on the same road, just a few miles apart, so it was easy to see each other almost every day. If TG wasn’t working in the studio at night, we would get together as soon as I got out of work. He started driving me to work every day, and we had what can only be described as a whirlwind courtship.
About a month after our first date, another client of my boss and TG started working together to develop a young band TG was managing. This woman supposedly had a relationship with Prince (the artist, not the royal) and there was talk of a show at the palace of Versailles, in Paris. She and TG started working together on planning the show, and the plan was for the band TG was managing to open for Prince at the Versailles show. And in the midst of all of this, pretty much out of the blue, TG said to me one night, “Let’s get married in Paris.”
Just like that.
I had been waiting all. my. life. to get engaged. And there it was. No romantic proposal, no ring, no story to tell our kids one day. He wanted to marry me. And I wanted to marry him.
More than anything.
About a week later, TG and I had dinner together. Over dinner he told me that he was serious about getting married, whether it happened in Versailles or somewhere else. So right there, over a casual dinner at a Ground Round restaurant (are they even around anymore??), we decided to look at rings. We went to several stores that night, found a ring that I loved, and he put down a deposit.
We were getting married!
We decided not to tell anyone until the ring was sized and we could make it official, but at that moment we knew we would spend the rest of our lives together. A week later, exactly eight weeks after our first date, TG put that ring on my finger.
TG and I were married in a beautiful ceremony on October 7, 1990 at a local church before our family and friends. And the rest, as they say, is history!
Back in the late 70s/early 80s, TG played lead guitar in a fairly well-known southern rock band. The band had several albums on A & M Records (including one that went gold) and they toured the country extensively. TG joined the band when he was just 19 years old, and he recorded and toured with them for more than four years. Long before he ever became a client of my firm, I knew who TG was. We both grew up in the same town, so he was well-known as a local celeb. It was cool to get to meet him and talk to him through my job.
In December of 1989 I got a job offer from another law firm in town. I accepted and gave two-week notice to my boss. Before my last day, my (first) firm had a holiday party and clients were invited, TG among them. Like many of my boss’ clients, TG wanted to know why I was unhappy at my job and what made me want to leave. We ended up talking for several hours that night, and by the end of the party he had somehow managed to talk me out of quitting my job. I was really emotional about the whole “should I stay or should I go” thing (the job, not the song), and I ended up in the bathroom crying to my good friend Krissy about how I really didn’t want to quit. A few minutes later another co-worker came in and told me TG was looking for me. I pulled myself together and left the bathroom to find him. He was getting ready to leave, and wanted to know if I would have dinner with him sometime.
Would I? Um, yes please!!!!!
The next day I went in to work and told my bosses I had decided I didn’t want to leave after all. Thankfully they had not yet found my replacement and I got to keep my job. I guess it was one of those things that was just meant to be because 20 years later I am still at the same firm (doing a much different job now, however)!
TG called me later that day and we made plans for our first date. He picked me up and we had dinner at a wonderful restaurant. I still remember what I was wearing and what we both ate -- I had scallops and TG had mahi-mahi. We went for drinks afterward and talked for hours and hours. It was an amazing first date and I think we both knew that this was going to be something very special. We hit it off so well and were very comfortable with one another.
The next night we attended a New Year’s Eve party together, and from then on we were pretty much inseparable. We lived on the same road, just a few miles apart, so it was easy to see each other almost every day. If TG wasn’t working in the studio at night, we would get together as soon as I got out of work. He started driving me to work every day, and we had what can only be described as a whirlwind courtship.
About a month after our first date, another client of my boss and TG started working together to develop a young band TG was managing. This woman supposedly had a relationship with Prince (the artist, not the royal) and there was talk of a show at the palace of Versailles, in Paris. She and TG started working together on planning the show, and the plan was for the band TG was managing to open for Prince at the Versailles show. And in the midst of all of this, pretty much out of the blue, TG said to me one night, “Let’s get married in Paris.”
Just like that.
I had been waiting all. my. life. to get engaged. And there it was. No romantic proposal, no ring, no story to tell our kids one day. He wanted to marry me. And I wanted to marry him.
More than anything.
About a week later, TG and I had dinner together. Over dinner he told me that he was serious about getting married, whether it happened in Versailles or somewhere else. So right there, over a casual dinner at a Ground Round restaurant (are they even around anymore??), we decided to look at rings. We went to several stores that night, found a ring that I loved, and he put down a deposit.
We were getting married!
We decided not to tell anyone until the ring was sized and we could make it official, but at that moment we knew we would spend the rest of our lives together. A week later, exactly eight weeks after our first date, TG put that ring on my finger.
TG and I were married in a beautiful ceremony on October 7, 1990 at a local church before our family and friends. And the rest, as they say, is history!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Fourth Grade is Officially Over!
I started this blog about homeschooling a little over a week ago, and here I am happy to report that our homeschool year is officially over! Don’t know what I’ll be blogging about over the summer, then. I’m sure I’ll come up with something. :)
I spent the better part of the last two days preparing the quarterly and end-of-year paperwork the New York State homeschooling regulations require that I file with our local school district. The regulations in New York are among the strictest in the nation, and I think that’s a good thing.
(I’m sure a lot of homeschoolers out there just let out a collective gasp at that, but hey, I’m entitled to my opinion.)
I honestly don’t mind the reporting requirements. Before July 1 of each year (or within 14 days of commencing homeschool instruction, whichever comes first), I must notify the school district of our intent to homeschool our kids for the upcoming school year. The district then has ten business days to send me a packet of information regarding homeschooling in New York. They include in that packet a slew of forms they would like me to fill out, but I ignore their forms and instead use my own.
I’m rebellious like that.
I then have four weeks or until August 15th (whichever is later) to send in my IHIP (Individualized Homeschool Instruction Plan). My IHIP must include a list of syllabi, curriculum materials, textbooks or plan of instruction for each of the following subjects – math; reading, spelling and writing the English language; geography; US history; science; health education; music; visual arts; and physical education. Those subjects must be taught each year, and then at least once during the first eight years of schooling we must also cover New York State history, as well as the New York State and U.S. Constitutions. My IHIP must also include the dates on which I plan to send my quarterly reports. At the end of each quarter I am required to file a report with the district that states the number of hours of instruction during the quarter, a description of the material covered in each subject listed in the IHIP, a grade or narrative assessment of each child’s progress during the quarter, and a written explanation in the event that less than 80% of the material listed in the IHIP has been covered. (Why any homeschooling parent would admit that is beyond me, but that’s what the regulations state.)
At the end of the year, depending on their grade level, I must submit either proof that my kids have scored above the 33rd percentile on an approved standardized test (every other year from grades four through eight and every year for grades nine through twelve) or a written narrative assessment stating they have made adequate academic progress (every year for grades one through three and every other year from grades four through eight in which they did not take a standardized test).
That’s a whole lot of paperwork, isn’t it? According to the HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) website, New York is one of only five states in the nation that have “high regulation” of homeschoolers. The vast majority of the states have minimal reporting requirements, and a large number of states (ten in fact) have NO reporting requirements at all. Homeschooling parents in those states don’t even have to tell their district that they plan to homeschool.
I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m all for letting parents make their own decisions about how and when to educate their children, but at the same time I worry that some people who claim to homeschool are really just lazy or abusive, or both. How many times have we read in the news about kids who were abused for years, locked in closets with no food or clothing, only to find out the school district never even knew the kid existed because the parents claimed they were “homeschooling”? Ugh. That stuff just makes me sick. And it leads me to believe that some regulation of homeschooling is a good thing. Sure, it’s a pain in my ass to have to file all these reports throughout the year. But if it prevents even one “parent” from abusing their kids under the guise of homeschooling, then I’m all for it.
There are as many different homeschooling methods as there are homeschoolers, and I truly believe each has its own level of merit. Some follow a very strict “school at home” methodology, while others follow the classical approach, and yet others let their child(ren) lead the learning experience. Some families use unit studies, some turn to “school in a box,” others participate in homeschool co-ops, and some never do any formal lessons at all. Our family falls somewhere in the middle of all of that. We’ve pulled from many different homeschooling styles and have settled on a mix of child-led learning and school-at-home.
The first year we homeschooled (the second half of their kindergarten year), we followed a very eclectic approach. Some workbooks, lots of read-alouds, learning how to write letters, etc. It was fun for them and a lot of work for me, scrambling every night to pull together a plan for the next day. Then I discovered Calvert. Calvert is a private school in Baltimore that began a homeschooling division many years ago to satisfy the needs of families who wanted their children to have the Calvert curriculum but could not send them to the Calvert day school for one reason or another. It’s basically a “school in a box” curriculum, complete with every required subject and a parent manual that sets forth lesson plans for each day and even a script the parent can use to teach the lessons. We used Calvert for first and second grade. The kids enjoyed Calvert and did very well with it, and I liked the ease of use and the fact that there was very little prep work required on my part before each lesson. But to be honest, I found it incredibly dry, and by the end of the school year I was about ready to kill myself. That was my own fault, though. I didn’t trust myself enough to take from Calvert what I thought was right for our family and leave the rest behind. I thought I had to do every. single. thing. the parent manual told me to do. Two more years of homeschooling has given me the confidence to know that I can leave things out here and there and my kids won’t be any worse for the wear.
For third and fourth grade we went back to a much more eclectic approach and I pieced together the various components of their curriculum based on advice I received from other homeschooling moms, a lot of curriculum reviews I found online and in books, and a whole lot of trial and error. I probably spent twice as much money as I needed to, but in the end we found a balance that worked well for the kids. Me, however? Not so much. Piecing together a curriculum is a LOT of work, and with my job and other responsibilities, I found that it was just too much work for me. So next year we are going back to Calvert, and I’m actually looking forward to it. There is a lot to be said for cracking open a parent manual and knowing what I have to do and how to do it. But this time I promise to allow myself the luxury of leaving out those things that I don’t think are necessary or helpful for my kids. Oh, and the best part about Calvert? I don’t have to buy two of everything and I can sell the books at the end of the year and get some of my money back!
:::cheapskate:::
So now you know more than you ever wanted to know about homeschooling in New York and how we choose curriculum for our homeschool. Check back with me in oh, say, November. I just may have done a 180 by then and we’ll be moving in a totally different direction. Ugh. I so hope that’s not the case!
I spent the better part of the last two days preparing the quarterly and end-of-year paperwork the New York State homeschooling regulations require that I file with our local school district. The regulations in New York are among the strictest in the nation, and I think that’s a good thing.
(I’m sure a lot of homeschoolers out there just let out a collective gasp at that, but hey, I’m entitled to my opinion.)
I honestly don’t mind the reporting requirements. Before July 1 of each year (or within 14 days of commencing homeschool instruction, whichever comes first), I must notify the school district of our intent to homeschool our kids for the upcoming school year. The district then has ten business days to send me a packet of information regarding homeschooling in New York. They include in that packet a slew of forms they would like me to fill out, but I ignore their forms and instead use my own.
I’m rebellious like that.
I then have four weeks or until August 15th (whichever is later) to send in my IHIP (Individualized Homeschool Instruction Plan). My IHIP must include a list of syllabi, curriculum materials, textbooks or plan of instruction for each of the following subjects – math; reading, spelling and writing the English language; geography; US history; science; health education; music; visual arts; and physical education. Those subjects must be taught each year, and then at least once during the first eight years of schooling we must also cover New York State history, as well as the New York State and U.S. Constitutions. My IHIP must also include the dates on which I plan to send my quarterly reports. At the end of each quarter I am required to file a report with the district that states the number of hours of instruction during the quarter, a description of the material covered in each subject listed in the IHIP, a grade or narrative assessment of each child’s progress during the quarter, and a written explanation in the event that less than 80% of the material listed in the IHIP has been covered. (Why any homeschooling parent would admit that is beyond me, but that’s what the regulations state.)
At the end of the year, depending on their grade level, I must submit either proof that my kids have scored above the 33rd percentile on an approved standardized test (every other year from grades four through eight and every year for grades nine through twelve) or a written narrative assessment stating they have made adequate academic progress (every year for grades one through three and every other year from grades four through eight in which they did not take a standardized test).
That’s a whole lot of paperwork, isn’t it? According to the HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) website, New York is one of only five states in the nation that have “high regulation” of homeschoolers. The vast majority of the states have minimal reporting requirements, and a large number of states (ten in fact) have NO reporting requirements at all. Homeschooling parents in those states don’t even have to tell their district that they plan to homeschool.
I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m all for letting parents make their own decisions about how and when to educate their children, but at the same time I worry that some people who claim to homeschool are really just lazy or abusive, or both. How many times have we read in the news about kids who were abused for years, locked in closets with no food or clothing, only to find out the school district never even knew the kid existed because the parents claimed they were “homeschooling”? Ugh. That stuff just makes me sick. And it leads me to believe that some regulation of homeschooling is a good thing. Sure, it’s a pain in my ass to have to file all these reports throughout the year. But if it prevents even one “parent” from abusing their kids under the guise of homeschooling, then I’m all for it.
There are as many different homeschooling methods as there are homeschoolers, and I truly believe each has its own level of merit. Some follow a very strict “school at home” methodology, while others follow the classical approach, and yet others let their child(ren) lead the learning experience. Some families use unit studies, some turn to “school in a box,” others participate in homeschool co-ops, and some never do any formal lessons at all. Our family falls somewhere in the middle of all of that. We’ve pulled from many different homeschooling styles and have settled on a mix of child-led learning and school-at-home.
The first year we homeschooled (the second half of their kindergarten year), we followed a very eclectic approach. Some workbooks, lots of read-alouds, learning how to write letters, etc. It was fun for them and a lot of work for me, scrambling every night to pull together a plan for the next day. Then I discovered Calvert. Calvert is a private school in Baltimore that began a homeschooling division many years ago to satisfy the needs of families who wanted their children to have the Calvert curriculum but could not send them to the Calvert day school for one reason or another. It’s basically a “school in a box” curriculum, complete with every required subject and a parent manual that sets forth lesson plans for each day and even a script the parent can use to teach the lessons. We used Calvert for first and second grade. The kids enjoyed Calvert and did very well with it, and I liked the ease of use and the fact that there was very little prep work required on my part before each lesson. But to be honest, I found it incredibly dry, and by the end of the school year I was about ready to kill myself. That was my own fault, though. I didn’t trust myself enough to take from Calvert what I thought was right for our family and leave the rest behind. I thought I had to do every. single. thing. the parent manual told me to do. Two more years of homeschooling has given me the confidence to know that I can leave things out here and there and my kids won’t be any worse for the wear.
For third and fourth grade we went back to a much more eclectic approach and I pieced together the various components of their curriculum based on advice I received from other homeschooling moms, a lot of curriculum reviews I found online and in books, and a whole lot of trial and error. I probably spent twice as much money as I needed to, but in the end we found a balance that worked well for the kids. Me, however? Not so much. Piecing together a curriculum is a LOT of work, and with my job and other responsibilities, I found that it was just too much work for me. So next year we are going back to Calvert, and I’m actually looking forward to it. There is a lot to be said for cracking open a parent manual and knowing what I have to do and how to do it. But this time I promise to allow myself the luxury of leaving out those things that I don’t think are necessary or helpful for my kids. Oh, and the best part about Calvert? I don’t have to buy two of everything and I can sell the books at the end of the year and get some of my money back!
:::cheapskate:::
So now you know more than you ever wanted to know about homeschooling in New York and how we choose curriculum for our homeschool. Check back with me in oh, say, November. I just may have done a 180 by then and we’ll be moving in a totally different direction. Ugh. I so hope that’s not the case!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Happy Birthday, My Love
Forty-nine years ago today a very special woman gave birth to the babe that would eventually become my husband. The old cliché “he gets better with age” is so true in TG’s case. He was special when he came into my life 20 years ago, and he’s even more remarkable now. After all these years together I can honestly say that with each passing year I only love him more.
We’ve been through an awful lot together – nearly 19 years of marriage; the birth of our beautiful twins; many, many good and happy times, and a few sad ones, too, including the loss of my mother, a four year struggle with infertility and the miscarriage of two babies we desperately wanted but who simply weren’t meant to be in this life. We’ve thankfully had far more ups than downs, and he is without a doubt my very best friend in the whole world. I love him to the core of my being, and I can’t imagine my life without him. And after all this time, my heart still does a little flip when he looks at me from across the room. I love him more now than I did the day we were married, and I will be forever grateful that he came into my life.
You are everything to me, my love. Happy, happy birthday. And many more. XOXO
Monday, June 22, 2009
You Homeschool??
Get OUTTA Here!!
I’d be rich (well, almost!) if I had a nickel for every time I’ve looked at an incredulous, eyes bugged out, jaw dropped face across from me and heard this phrase (or something close to it) when I mention that I homeschool our kids.
I’m guessing that you, like most, have that same Bible-toting, denim jumper-wearing, Birkenstock-sporting stereotype of a homeschooling mom come to mind whenever the subject of homeschooling arises (which is occurring more and more often these days as homeschooling is becoming more widely practiced). Now don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for (and certainly don’t mean any offense to) families who feel called to homeschool their children for religious reasons, and I have nothing against denim jumpers or Birkenstocks. I just don’t happen to own either myself, nor am I what most would call religious (although I do consider myself spiritual). I am simply a working mom with a pretty cool husband who happens to homeschool our kids. But when people who know me – the exact opposite of what most people assume when they think of a homeschooling mom – learn that I am a homeschooler, they simply don’t believe it. And you know what? At times neither do I, even with four and a half years of homeschooling under my belt.
Never in a million years would I have believed I'd be a homeschooler. I, too, bought into the theory that all homeschoolers are isolationist, "crunchy," or uber-religious. Imagine my surprise, then, when mid-way through our kids’ kindergarten year (with phrases like “really bright BUT . . .” and “distracted” and “ADD” being tossed about regarding our son, and “gifted” and “beyond her years” being the norm for our daughter -- with the two of them woefully aware of the difference), we began to wonder whether homeschooling might be a better educational alternative for our kids.
Before making the leap to homeschooling, we first considered Montessori. We also looked into numerous private and parochial schools in our area.
And then we looked at the tuition.
::::thud::::
It became readily apparent that we could choose to send our kids to private school now OR we could send them to college when the time came. College won.
And so here we are. Homeschooling.
We pulled our kids out of public school mid-way through their kindergarten year. I was scared out. of. my. mind. What the hell were we thinking? Could I do this? Could I be responsible for teaching these amazing little beings to read and do math? Could I manage the schoolwork alongside my job, my freelance and volunteer work, my marriage, and most importantly, my role as their mom? Would it change my relationship with our kids forever? Would it change them? Would it change me?
You bet it did. It changed e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. And I am oh, so, glad it did.
There is much to be said for being the primary educator of two growing, emerging souls. Now don’t get me wrong – I don’t homeschool them alone. I have a great deal of help from my husband and my in-laws. I couldn't possibly do this without them, and I am eternally grateful for their help. But that’s a whole new post that I will save for another day.
I am so proud of what homeschooling has done for our kids. They are really, really good kids.
No, I mean *really*.
I know, I know. All moms say that about their kids (and rightfully so). But there is just something about homeschooled kids – untouched by bullying, mean girls, bad language on the school bus, and taboo subjects that kids really ought to learn at home but all too often end up learning from friends. What our kids learn they learn at home. And at this point in their lives – in our lives – that feels so right. Their father and I, along with their grandparents, answer their multitude of questions day in and day out. We nourish their eager minds and we embrace their passions in a way that no school ever could.
Our son, at the ripe old age of nine, is a woodworker. He knows his way around a workshop in a way many grown men only dream of. He spends hours at a stretch learning how to turn wood on a lathe and bringing to life the countless pieces that he designs all on his own. He devours every woodworking book and video he can get his hands on, and can tell you everything you'd ever want to know (and lots that you don't!) about different types of wood, tools, and famous woodworkers.
Our daughter is an emerging artist and designer. She spends her days drawing, painting, designing and making clothes for her American Girl doll, her Barbies, and the amazingly patient feral kitty we've adopted named Clarence. She has also been blessed with a love for reading and writing. She constantly has her nose in a book or notebook. If she's not poring through one of the Harry Potter books for the umpteenth time, she is writing a story that belies her age.
Do we live in a bubble? Sure, in some ways. And some have criticized us for that. But you know what? Our kids are NINE. (I’ll hold on to that single digit age just as long as I can thankyouverymuch.) They have a right to their innocence at this point in their lives. They don’t need to know – not yet anyway – what awful things go on in the world around us -- that life is hard, that kids can be really cruel at times, that school isn’t just about learning but is also about who is friends with whom and who wore what and “why do you want to be friends with him anyway?”
Do they need to learn these things eventually? You bet they do. And they will.
In time.
But for now, homeschooling allows us the ability to determine what they learn and when they learn it, and the luxury to be here for them every single step of the way.
So yes, I homeschool. But no, I don't fit the mold of what most believe is the “typical” homeschooler (if there even is such a thing). It is my hope that this blog will help to dispel the myth that homeschooling is weird, or cult-ish or necessarily mired in religion. Homeschooling is what each family makes of it. We homeschooling moms are all unique, we all have our own reasons, and yet we are all united in the belief that, at this point in our lives, educating our children at home is the right thing for them (and for us).
I’m guessing that you, like most, have that same Bible-toting, denim jumper-wearing, Birkenstock-sporting stereotype of a homeschooling mom come to mind whenever the subject of homeschooling arises (which is occurring more and more often these days as homeschooling is becoming more widely practiced). Now don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for (and certainly don’t mean any offense to) families who feel called to homeschool their children for religious reasons, and I have nothing against denim jumpers or Birkenstocks. I just don’t happen to own either myself, nor am I what most would call religious (although I do consider myself spiritual). I am simply a working mom with a pretty cool husband who happens to homeschool our kids. But when people who know me – the exact opposite of what most people assume when they think of a homeschooling mom – learn that I am a homeschooler, they simply don’t believe it. And you know what? At times neither do I, even with four and a half years of homeschooling under my belt.
Never in a million years would I have believed I'd be a homeschooler. I, too, bought into the theory that all homeschoolers are isolationist, "crunchy," or uber-religious. Imagine my surprise, then, when mid-way through our kids’ kindergarten year (with phrases like “really bright BUT . . .” and “distracted” and “ADD” being tossed about regarding our son, and “gifted” and “beyond her years” being the norm for our daughter -- with the two of them woefully aware of the difference), we began to wonder whether homeschooling might be a better educational alternative for our kids.
Before making the leap to homeschooling, we first considered Montessori. We also looked into numerous private and parochial schools in our area.
And then we looked at the tuition.
::::thud::::
It became readily apparent that we could choose to send our kids to private school now OR we could send them to college when the time came. College won.
And so here we are. Homeschooling.
We pulled our kids out of public school mid-way through their kindergarten year. I was scared out. of. my. mind. What the hell were we thinking? Could I do this? Could I be responsible for teaching these amazing little beings to read and do math? Could I manage the schoolwork alongside my job, my freelance and volunteer work, my marriage, and most importantly, my role as their mom? Would it change my relationship with our kids forever? Would it change them? Would it change me?
You bet it did. It changed e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. And I am oh, so, glad it did.
There is much to be said for being the primary educator of two growing, emerging souls. Now don’t get me wrong – I don’t homeschool them alone. I have a great deal of help from my husband and my in-laws. I couldn't possibly do this without them, and I am eternally grateful for their help. But that’s a whole new post that I will save for another day.
I am so proud of what homeschooling has done for our kids. They are really, really good kids.
No, I mean *really*.
I know, I know. All moms say that about their kids (and rightfully so). But there is just something about homeschooled kids – untouched by bullying, mean girls, bad language on the school bus, and taboo subjects that kids really ought to learn at home but all too often end up learning from friends. What our kids learn they learn at home. And at this point in their lives – in our lives – that feels so right. Their father and I, along with their grandparents, answer their multitude of questions day in and day out. We nourish their eager minds and we embrace their passions in a way that no school ever could.
Our son, at the ripe old age of nine, is a woodworker. He knows his way around a workshop in a way many grown men only dream of. He spends hours at a stretch learning how to turn wood on a lathe and bringing to life the countless pieces that he designs all on his own. He devours every woodworking book and video he can get his hands on, and can tell you everything you'd ever want to know (and lots that you don't!) about different types of wood, tools, and famous woodworkers.
Our daughter is an emerging artist and designer. She spends her days drawing, painting, designing and making clothes for her American Girl doll, her Barbies, and the amazingly patient feral kitty we've adopted named Clarence. She has also been blessed with a love for reading and writing. She constantly has her nose in a book or notebook. If she's not poring through one of the Harry Potter books for the umpteenth time, she is writing a story that belies her age.
Do we live in a bubble? Sure, in some ways. And some have criticized us for that. But you know what? Our kids are NINE. (I’ll hold on to that single digit age just as long as I can thankyouverymuch.) They have a right to their innocence at this point in their lives. They don’t need to know – not yet anyway – what awful things go on in the world around us -- that life is hard, that kids can be really cruel at times, that school isn’t just about learning but is also about who is friends with whom and who wore what and “why do you want to be friends with him anyway?”
Do they need to learn these things eventually? You bet they do. And they will.
In time.
But for now, homeschooling allows us the ability to determine what they learn and when they learn it, and the luxury to be here for them every single step of the way.
So yes, I homeschool. But no, I don't fit the mold of what most believe is the “typical” homeschooler (if there even is such a thing). It is my hope that this blog will help to dispel the myth that homeschooling is weird, or cult-ish or necessarily mired in religion. Homeschooling is what each family makes of it. We homeschooling moms are all unique, we all have our own reasons, and yet we are all united in the belief that, at this point in our lives, educating our children at home is the right thing for them (and for us).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
