Thursday, March 15, 2012

I miss it!

Have I mentioned lately how much I miss homeschooling?  Some days it's all I can do to not stand in the  middle of the street and scream!  It's very hard to drop them off at school every morning knowing that I'm not a part of their learning day.  I don't get to see the light bulb go off when they've mastered something or see the frustration in their eyes when they are stuck.  Yes, I help them with their homework and interact with them after school....but it isn't the same.

I miss not having to get up at a certain time in the morning.  I miss not even having to get dressed to
"do" school.  It was really enjoyable to have all 4 of us sitting around the dining room table, each of them doing their own lessons and me being there to help when they needed it.

I miss how they would scatter in an instant when I would announce "break time" or how the girls would tip-toe around when Nathan was doing a timed math lesson.  I miss how they would ask, "can we be done?" toward lunch time and then, sometimes, ask if they could do more school work after dinner.  I miss how we were together all the time.

I miss ALL of those things....and many, many more.  I have no regrets about last year!  NONE!  I wasn't always easy, but I'd like to think we all did a good job....even on the days when it was like pulling teeth to get Nathan to do his math.  Incidentally, I'm pleased to inform you that it's not JUST ME!  He complains just the same about his current teacher and says he hates math just as much!

Amelia has struggled with reading this year.  I guess what I really mean is that she is struggling to keep up with the other kids.  She feels bad when all the other kids get to wear paper crowns  when they have mastered their AR (accelerated reader) points, or when they have their name written in gold on the "list".  I hate that she's feeling bad about herself because she has to see a special reading teacher a few days a week.  She says the kids make fun of those that have to go to "Mrs. C's" room. 

If we were homeschooling, none of that would matter.  She could read at her own pace and not be penalized for it and we could celebrate when she moved up a level....no matter what that level was.
I've talked with the principal and her teacher at length about her immaturity and the fact that she is behind in reading.  We will need to seek some summer school help in order for her to be promoted to the 3rd grade.  I would feel horrible if she wasn't allowed to move up!  Her teacher blames homeschooling.  She didn't come out and say it like that....but she beats around the bush....a lot!  I wouldn't call her anti homeschooling...exactly....but I would say that she is not in favor of it. 

This is just one hurdle of our lives...there will be many more, I'm sure. 

If you are a homeschooling mom....get down on your knees and that God that He has allowed you the opportunity to be with your children.  If you are consider this journey, please don't think about it too long.  You'll just talk yourself right out of it!  JUST DO IT!  I promise that you will not have any regrets and that the time you spend with your kids will be precious to you.  You'll wish you tried it sooner.  And for those naysayers out there....don't knock it till you've tried it!  Seriously, get your children away from these government schools and start making the changes you need to make in order to keep them at home.  It will be the best decision you ever made.

5 comments:

Neen said...

I do homeschool. Being pregnant with twins after sending our oldest off to college has left me so tired and unsure of all that I do. Thank you for your post!!! If you wonder why you wrote it, it was because I needed to read/hear it.

Nancy said...

Neen....I'm so glad that you were encouraged! I know it must be rough...especially with carrying twins, but you CAN do it. Somehow, you'll get through it. Even if all you can do is sit on the couch and direct traffic.

Michelle said...

Thank you for the reminder. Sometimes, it's a little overwhelming, especially when I think of what it's going to be like in a few years with our kids being so close in age. I am very grateful, though, to be able to have this opportunity with them.

Dana said...

Hi Nancy,
I know I haven't talked to you in a very long time, but I just stumbled upon your blog on facebook and I was reading about Amelia and her struggle in reading in the first part of the year and then you mentioned it again in this post. I don't know her background, but I saw her 7th birthday post and you had pictures of her at birth at 4 pounds- was she premature? Often their is a correlation between early babies and difficulty reading but they generally catch up- they just take a little longer to get started. AR is definitely not my thing and I don't use it in my classroom at all for exactly that reason, the competition of it all- it is supposed to be motivating, but of course, it only is for the kids who are ahead, not those who are struggling. The ones that have struggles usually end up a little stronger and more resilient in the long run. I know it is heartbreaking to hear your child say they are being teased but I am sure Amelia will be fine- all kids are perfect just the way they are-the way God made them and I am sure you and your husband give her that message every single day. The greatest gift parents can give their child is the self-confidence and self-worth not to let others have power over them with their words. What are you going to do with the kids next year? I love hearing Catholic School stories- we are all so incredibly different!! I hope you are doing well- the kids are darling! Dana

Nancy said...

Hi Dana,

Technically Amelia was not premature...she was born at 37 weeks. All during my pregnancy, at every ultrasound..they told me she had a disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Brittle Bone Disease). All of her long bones (femurs) were measuring very, very short. They were thinking dwarfism at one point. They told me she would not live because her ribs had stunted the growth and maturation of her lungs. They took her by Csection because they were afraid a vaginal birth could break her brittle bones as she was coming through the birth canal. As it turned out...although she was small...there were no other lasting effects. She is totally fine. Praise God.
I think part of the issue is that Amelia's teacher was not a fan of homeschooling and I truly believe she has made it her mission to prove that homeschooling is a failure and we somehow did Amelia a disservice by not sending her to school. I've already made peace with the teacher's attitude. Now, in the teachers defense, I think Amelia is a handfull. She definitely has some ADHD issues although she hasn't been formally tested. I met with the princpal and the reading specialist at school to see if we could determine what kind of learning she is most comfortable with. She is very visual....not so much auditory. Anyway, we are working with her as best as we can. She definitely feels left out...but it won't be the first time in her life that she won't "measure up" to the worlds standards. I don't think I ever have in my 47 years! She will do fine and we will keep encouraging her.
Thank you so much for your help and support. <3