Back to (Home)School

It’s hard to believe another summer is nearly gone, and it is time for school once again. We started our school year last Monday. This year, we’re trying something new. We’ve become a homeschooling family!

I can hear some of you now…”Oh No! She’s gone crunchy!” Well, I’m not sure exactly what that means, although I do hear the term used frequently to describe homeschooling families. I really don’t think I’m crunchy, except maybe in the literal sense of the word; but it is quite unlikely that I will be eaten by dinosaurs, so it’s probably a moot point. LOL!

I bet you are wondering, do we…

…hate public school?

…dislike teachers?

…want to shelter our daughter from other kids?

No. No. and No.

So, why did we choose to homeschool?

There are several reasons. The main reason is that right now, in our current season of life, we believe this is the best educational opportunity available for our daughter. We are blessed to live in an area where the public schools rank very well, on both a state and national level. Our local public school, the one Princess E would attend, ranks quite high among the schools in our district. I am a graduate of the same school district. Sure, I have some issues with some of the material that is taught; but that would not stop me from sending her. There is nothing wrong with presenting children with opposing views, in my opinion. I intend to include age-appropriate alternative views of many subjects as part of our normal curriculum. Princess E attended private school for JK through 3^rd grade. We chose not to place her in public school from the beginning.

Why? Very simply, Princess E has some concerns that would make it very difficult for her to succeed in a public school classroom. For starters, around here, her grades have class sizes of around 25 students. She has a mild hearing deficit. She has the most difficulty with higher pitches, meaning she has difficulty hearing the voices of females and children. In a larger class, she would likely require a hearing aid to be able to function properly. Her doctor recommends that she be seated within three feet of her teacher to ensure she can hear. That creates a problem. She is a wee bit on the hyper side, and having her sit on the front row in the classroom creates distractions for the other students.

Well, why not get her on some ADHD meds? One doctor wanted to start medicating her for ADHD when she was 3! While we do believe there are many good reasons for medicating a child, we have chosen not to pursue that route. Each year, we have worked closely with her teachers, including discussing their opinions on whether or not to put her on medication. They have ALL suggested not medicating. Yes, it is true that she is busy, busy, busy and cannot seem to keep still. But, it has not impacted her ability to learn. She maintained honor roll for every grading period, except one, and maintained “A” honor roll for most. Clearly, she was focusing on the material and learning, even if she couldn’t keep still.

Princess E is very bright. Yes, I am biased; but this is also based on standardized test scores. Although she is still 7 years old (almost 8), she has already completed the 3^rd grade through the private school. She would have started 4^th this year had she returned, and we are using 4^th grade curriculum at home. She has completed standardized testing for 3^rd grade, and ranks above 90^th percentile in both reading and math. Will she always be this far advanced? Maybe. Or maybe not. We do not know what the future will bring. We do know that right now, she needs to be challenged. When she is not challenged, she acts out. It is very difficult address the academic needs of a specific child who is functioning outside the normal range for her age. In addition to that, she is still just 7 years old. Her academic abilities may be advanced; but her maturity is not. I’d even say she is slightly immature for her age. That is a large burden to place on any teacher, given that every student deserves to learn the best way possible for him/her.

Several months ago, we started researching homeschool. If you had asked me a year ago, I’d have told you I could not possibly do this. I know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that I could not stand in front of a class of 25 students and motivate them to learn. I have the utmost respect for anyone who chooses to make a career out of teaching! My hat is off to them. It is surely a calling from God, and a career worthy of far more respect than it is given. I do believe, though, that I am unequivocally qualified to teach our daughter. I also believe the Bible gives us the responsibility and the authority to choose the best method for providing our daughter’s education. We believe God has opened doors for us to allow us to homeschool, at least for this season of our lives.

I’m sure I’ll be blogging more about our homeschooling journey. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts.