My Thoughts on Homeschool

So, I have now been in the thick of homeschooling consistently for a couple of months.  And, I have been meaning to post about it, but time just isn't always my friend.  We are still in TLF in California, but we are leaving this weekend.  YAY!!!  It is good timing too for homeschool.  The kids will get a two week Christmas break, during which time we will travel to Portland for the Christmas holiday, and then on to North Dakota.  And, whenever we get housing in ND, we will probably take another week break.  So, reason number one why I love homeschooling...we can make it work around our CRAZY schedule.  But, back to the real reason for this post.

I really never thought I would homeschool my children.  In fact, I actively did not want to.  But, as parents, we also want to do what is best for our children.  And, I always said, that if the Lord wanted me to homeschool my children, He would have to change my heart.  And, in all honesty, He did.  Even before the military forced us into this crazy situation we are now in.  Even before I realized that Nate was having issues at school.  I think it started when I had to drop my kids off at school.  Even though they were going to an amazing private, Christian school in GA, I absolutely hated dropping them off.  I felt like I was missing out on such an important part of their development.  And, when Nate started school, he hated leaving me.  I had to walk him into the classroom for way too long.  Bottom line, was that I missed my children.  I wanted to have them around me.  I didn't want Brianna spending more time at school with her teacher than she did at home with me.  And, when you take out the time she spent asleep, she was at school more than she was at home.

So, with the crazy military moves we have had this year, we really had no other choice than to homeschool, although we were considering it anyway.  But, after doing it for a few months now, I can tell you that I honestly LOVE teaching my children.  I love how much more relaxed our days are, not having to get up super early and eat and dress and be out the door by a certain time. (Although, we still eat and dress and get ready for the day before starting school.) I love not having to plan James' naptime around school pick up times. I love it on days like today when all of my children are just super tired, I just paused school and everyone is now napping, and we will finish school tonight, on our own time schedule.  Each day, I get to choose what is best for my children.  And, if that is doing all of the school in the morning so we can play all afternoon, than great. Or, if it is sleeping in and doing school in the afternoon, than great.  We have a routine, and I like to stick to it. But it isn't a big deal if we don't.  I love watching the light come on when they comprehend a concept in math or read a new word for the first time.  And, most of all, I love spending the time with my children.  Honestly I was a bit scared of trying to teach Nate to read.  But, it has been such a fun experience.  Nate needed the one-on-one attention.  He really is smart, but he did not excel in the classroom setting.  He is super shy and he does not handle social pressures very well.  So, for now, homeschool is the best environment for him to learn.  In fact, if he had gone back to school this year, he would have repeated K4.  But instead, within a three month time period, he is reading, and pretty well.  He continues to amaze me and I am so proud of him.  Brianna is super smart and would do fine learning in any environment, but I love having her home.  She is a huge help with the little kids and she loves to get up early and get her "self study" done early so she can play with her brothers and sister.  And, Kinley...well, I don't do any planned homeschool with her, but she loves to learn.  She does Bible time with us, she loves to sing the songs and do crafts with us.  She loves playing with the math manipulatives and she really wants to learn her phonograms already.  Probably once we get settled in our home in ND I will start that with her.  And James, he just toddles around and colors sometimes and plays with whoever is available at the time.  He is a good baby, for which I am so grateful. 

Is homeschool easy?  Not at all.  It takes so much more time and preparation.  Is is worth it?  Absolutely!!! I want my children to learn the truth, according to God's Word.  And, I want to be the one to teach that to them.  There is no other place I would rather my children learn than right here at home...wherever that may be for us at the time.