I know it has been quite a while since I last posted. Since then, I have learned a lot... about my family, my kids, and myself. I have tossed the idea of homeschooling around again and again... and again. Do I have the time, the capability, the patience, the dedication? Wouldn't it just be easier to find a school that I approve of and send them there? Aren't teachers more well-equipped than I could ever be? These were some of the questions that ran through my mind.
It's intimidating. Homeschooling is a venture in which you take your child's education into your hands and then, it's up to you to feed their brains and help them learn about life. In a sense, it's everything a parent is doing on a daily basis anyway... just a bit more structured with a curriculum. That is a lot of pressure. Considering that I was a great student in elementary, and then middle school, but when high school came around I was struggling big time (I didn't pass Algebra 2....) I am constantly concerned that I am not smart enough to homeschool my babies.
Thankfully, this day and age there are endless resources available to parents to help us along. Yes, we realize not everyone is great teacher material. Not everyone can sit and plan a month's worth of curriculum and activities and stick to it. If there is one thing I have learned from being a parent (and especially a parent of multiples), in my family at least... You need to go with the flow. I have a huge tendency to dive in head-first into projects that make my heart race with excitement, only to risk disappointment because I bit off more than I could chew. Learning to relax and breathe is difficult for me, but it's coming easier these days as I know my weaknesses and work towards compensating for them.
On the other hand, I do need to just go for it sometimes. Why did I ultimately decide to homeschool? I want more control over what - and how - my children learn. I am a huge believer in exposure, experience, real-life application, and fun. I also understand that children learn best in amazing ways, like through reading and getting messy. You would not believe the connections that are made in their developing brains simply through playing or experiencing something new, no matter how insignificant or boring it may seem to you as an adult. No one has more power over what a child is exposed to than her parent. It is up to parents to show them the world, because it is us that provide their first connection to it.
What a huge undertaking! Remember what I said about "going with the flow"? If at any point it becomes too overwhelming for me, or either of the kids aren't responding well to it any longer, then it would be time to rethink things. But stay tuned, because we just completed our very first week of "officially" homeschooling and so far, so good. I am eager to share our experiences with you.
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