It was with mixed emotions last week that I made my last
homeschooling lesson plans for Zoe for this school year. This fall she’ll be attending the local
international school the older three attend, and my stint as a homeschooling
mom will be – at least for the foreseeable future – over. I’m a bit sad not to be picking out
curriculum and making plans for the next school year, but a bit excited, too, for
the opportunities she’ll have at the school, and the extra time I’ll have.
I was a relunctant homeschooler back in 2002 and over the years had a
love-hate relationship with it. There
have been things I really, really love about homeschooling. There have been less-than-stellar moments,
like when I thought we should sing every morning to start our school day (who
was I kidding? That was only fun for me).
I loved the laid-back mornings; hated how hard it could be to get going
when so many other things (laundry, meals, crying babies) vied for my
time. I loved reading together, but
struggled to explain math in some other way than “I don’t know why, it’s just
the way it is.” I enjoyed having lots of
time with my kids, and getting to know their learning styles.
 |
| A Roman feast, 2010 |
I loved doing projects (Panning for gold! Growing beans!)
and crafts (very, very simple crafts), but never seemed to have as much time
for them as I would have liked. By far
the most satisfying thing I accomplished during my stint as a homeschooler was
teaching each of my kids to read. If for
nothing else, I am glad I homeschooled for that reason.
I was forced to move out of the “I would never homeschool”
camp – and survived. I have experienced guilt because I do
homeschool (“Are they missing out? Are they well-adjusted?”), and guilt because I
don’t (“Is my influence in their life as significant as it was? Are they
negatively influenced by peers?”). I
have come to realize that even if I’m not their primary teacher of the core
subjects any more, there is still plenty opportunity to teach them through
reading aloud together, playing outside, learning new games, cooking, etc. The key is intentionality – purposefully
setting out to spend time with each kid.
And so I step away from homeschooling for now and into a new
season for our family.
1 comment:
Awwww....I loved the picture of the Roman feast! I agree with you about the "intentionality" being important. H says I pay more attention to my pets than most folks do to their children! It will be fine. You spend way more time with your kids than my parents spent with me and look how I turned out! Umm....okay....bad example! Don't worry anyway!
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