Tuesday, September 3, 2013

It's back to school day

If you want to share news quickly you can use the telephone, telegram, or tell-a-kid. There's a good chance that by the end of this afternoon information will be flowing through the homeschool grapevine about our educational choices.

We began our homeschooling journey in 2008, when DS1 was about to enter Junior Kindergarden. I had enrolled him in the local public school, however as the day grew closer I became more and more convinced that homeschooling would be a better alternative for him at that time. I had a sense that he wouldn't be able to sit still in class and that his little spirit might be crushed by the need to conform to the rules of the classroom. My husband and his 6 younger siblings having been homeschooled, I had his support and the encouragement of my mother-in-law. 

I was the primary teacher for DS1 & DS2 for 3 years, before returning to work full-time in Fall 2011. For the 2011-2012 school year, I had planned out the curriculum and all the lessons and DH implemented everything. In 2012-2013 we picked out the curriculum and planned out the year together. We found that the change in teachers worked very well for our sons, especially DS1. DH is much more intelligent than I am, especially when it comes to math, and worked very patiently with DS1. His full-time presence at home also helped a great deal with discipline. 

My work as a public librarian allows me to advocate for homeschoolers, provide programs to meet their needs, and increase the collection holdings on the subject. I have also had the privilege of speaking about homeschoolers and public libraries at several major conferences, including the Ontario Library Association, the Ontario Christian Home Educators' Convention, and the Halinet Conference. We feel that my working outside the home full-time in a job that I enjoy, that benefits others and my family, is a good arrangement for our family.

Grade 3 took a while to complete... in fact the math component of Grade 3 was only completed in mid-August. You can see a video of one of the better math lessons here - note the constant noise and movement.

After a family vacation, we began the 2013-2014 school year on August 26th. After a week, it was clear that this year was going to be no better than the last when it came to DS1. We were frustrated and had exhausted our resources in terms of finding new ways to try to engage him. Our DD was now beginning JK and we would have to keep 3 plates spinning as it were. 




DS1 had been asking to be sent out to public school and we agreed that it was time for a major change in our home. We made the decision to send him out to public school and his little brother also asked to be sent out. We told DS1 & DS2 they had to commit to staying out at school until the end of the school year, at which point we will re-assess. 

Cornerstone Home Educators' leader, Michelle Harding, encouraged us to create a "Why We Home Educate Our Children" document to remind us of the reasons behind our decision. She generously shared her own document with us and we liked it so much that we used some of her points verbatum. Our own document, which has been prominently posted in our dining room, lists these as our reasons for homeschooling:

  • We have prayed about it and believe it to be God’s will and design for our family.
  • We have the freedom and choose to exercise our right to teach our children the morals and values as taught in the Bible.  Our beliefs are not “mainstream” and we do not believe that mainstream education reflects our values as Christians.
  • We are teachers of our children from birth and see no reason to turn that job over to the government.
  • Allowing our children to grow up together and learn together helps them form a closer bond with their family members.  
How many people take the time to think about why they chose the educational method they chose for their children? I would say these are the reasons "Why We Public School Educate Our Children":
  • We have prayed about it and believe it to be God’s will and design for our family at this time.
  • We have equipped our children and taught them Biblical morals and values. They will continue to be taught these values at home, at church, and in weekly AWANA classes.
  • By keeping our children at home until Grade 1, we allow our children to grow up together and learn together, helping them form a closer bond with their family members.  
We are glad to have been able to provide them with so many years together at home and plan to keep our younger ones home until they begin Grade 1. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

We feel complete peace about our decision. Our goal has always been to homeschool "as long as it works." That is the same goal we have for public school.