And just like that, our summer was gone. It literally feels like I blinked and the glorious days of freedom from school were over. Most of my friends' children started their school year today, as evidenced by the thousands of "first day of school" pictures that showed up on FB this morning. (I absolutely love seeing those, by the way.) Because and only because their mother was late ordering their books, my kids will start tomorrow. I hope they are excited, because their teacher is!
If you are familiar with my blog at all, you already know two things: I focus mostly on motherhood, with its related triumphs and challenges, and I am very honest about what those are. I would love to say that the decision to homeschool again this year was easy and I made it without a second thought. That would be what is known as a lie. I wish I could tell you exactly how many hours I've spent since my children were born worrying over what is best for them. The type and location of their education is just one of thousands of other decisions that I've been in charge of since day one. (Dear Lord, protect them. With me making decisions for them, they are going to need you!)
I had no idea there were so many (mostly negative) stereotypes about homeschooling until I waded off into this experience. These include everything from the idea that homeschooled children are lacking socialization to the idea that homeschoolers are religious zealots who completely isolate their kids from the outside world. There are many, many more that I won't get into, but the aforementioned seem to be the most popular. As far as the socialization thing, all I can do is ask, "Have you met my kids? Would you like to have your ears talked off now or later?" When we go out, it generally takes approximately 30 seconds for them to find a friend and begin playing. As for the religion issue, we are garden variety Methodists who wear shorts and sin on a regular basis.
Naturally, I realize that there are families who reinforce some if not all the stereotypes about homeschooling. Of course there are! That's why there are stereotypes! Fortunately, our family doesn't fall into many (if any) of them. All homeschool families are not created equal! Yes, there are moms who are lazy and incompetent and shouldn't be responsible for their children's education. I know of one lady with a drug problem whose kid ended up two grade levels behind when he was forced to go back to public school. My heart breaks for him, and for other kids in that situation. My very sincere hope is that kids like him are the exception, not the rule. For the record, I know at least ten other families personally who homeschool, and their children are intelligent, social, friendly, kind and all around pleasant people.
My big girls will be in fourth grade this year, and I know they are ready. How do I know? Because they took standardized tests, just like everyone else's kids. In addition to their "A" averages, their excellent scores assured me that they have learned what they were supposed to learn in third grade. My baby will start Kindergarten. She's dying to learn to read so that she can read the Harry Potter books like her sisters.
In a nutshell, homeschooling works best for our family at this particular point in time, although I fully expect to wrestle with this decision each and every year until my babies go to college. (And yes, they are in an accredited program that will prepare them to attend any college they wish.) I freely admit that there are tons of advantages that homeschooling offers, many of which you don't even realize until you are doing it. We are looking forward to a fantastic year!
