Homeschool

We're a homeschool family.  Yep.  I can already hear the, "Oh, you're one of those families." I'm always curious as to what that means, exactly.  I promise, we're just a normal, midwestern, hard-working farm family.  Well...normal...

I was thinking about homeschooling before I even met Matthew or had children.  I was around homeschooling quite early on because the woman that watched me when I was a baby and toddler homeschooled her children.  I still see them and all her kids turned out normal and highly functioning!  Shocker! Some people out there would like to make you believe all homeschoolers are weird and socially awkward.  So not true.  I just got homeschooling into my head as normal from my earliest years.  

Now, Matthew and I both went away to school.  He was a private, Catholic-school boy and I was a rural, public school brat.  Very different experiences but very similar, too.  Super-early mornings, long days, cruddy teachers, poor food, poor lessons, personal adjendas...just to name a handful.  We both were also products of standardized testing.  There are a lot if rumblings out there today about standardized testing and how poor of a tool it is.  I just remember having to learn all this information to pass these tests, only to never touch on the material ever again.  It was never about knowledge retention, it was about passing a federal examination.  Unfortunatly, things appear to have only gotten worse since my schooling days.  All the testing, lack of funding, teacher stress, and this horrible idea the government has called Common Core..... It's no wonder kids are having a hard time thriving in these situations.  Now, please don't think I'm school-bashing.  Of course, there are some wonderful schools out there that turn out phenominal kids who go on to do phenominal things.  I just think, along with many others, that we have a broken educational system that is a long way from being fixed. 

No matter where kids learn, parents need to be involved in their education!  Even if this means after a full day of work.  I know, I know.....crazy radical woman.....  Most households require that all parents to go out and work, hence making it very hard if not impossible to homeschool even if they want to.  I mean, money is tight for so many these days and one income just doesn't cut it for most!  Heck, even parents who stay at home have a ton to do.  Taking care of a house and kids is hard work.  In our case, we have all that as well as the farm and the farm business.  Some people ask how on earth I even have the time to homeschool.  Well, I make the time.  I have to.  Just like most parents have to go away for the day to work.  BUT, you can still be so helpful to your kids  and their education by helping them with their homework and showing a genuine interest in what they're learning after you're home.  Show you care... even if all you want to do is collapse on the couch with a beer and your feet up.  I've been there, too!  They'll be more inclined to feel like you're on their side.  If a problem should come up, you can help your child deal with it early on together rather than all on their own.  Learning can be difficult and frustrating at times, even for homeschoolers, and as a kid knowing you have real, loving support can help make the road not seem quite so long and scary.  Who knows... you might learn something new yourself.  

Now, I was very lucky to have a home-based parent.  My dad stayed home with us.  He had a Ph.D, yet he stayed home with us on the farm.  I am lucky to be able to stay home with my kids.  I have a college education and could (some say should) be out in the workforce, too.  Trust me, it's a financial sacrifice but for our family, it's worth it in the long run.  My mom was very involved in what we learned and how we learned just as Matthew is involved in what our kids learn.  This was/is all done after work for them.  Honestly, I credit most of my true knowledge to my incredible intelligent parents and not so much my official schooling.

I love homeschooling.  Our oldest has figured out that while most kids her age are away and inside most of the day, she gets to do her work and then spend the rest of her time exploring and playing.  She learns about the world around her through observation and good old-fasioned playtime.  I mean come on, we have a farm in the country people!  It's one giant lesson out there!  Her little brothers are following close behind and it's amazing to see what they are now learning from each other.  I love, love, love that we get to spend the amount of time together that we do.  Family togetherness is awesome and even though some days push me to my limits, I wouldn't change a thing.  The days may be long, but the years are so very short.  

We are what I would call... hmm.... relaxed homeschoolers.  We're not religious-based homeschoolers, though I have a lot of respect for those who are.  We don't do charts, no strict schedules, no deadlines.  We do have high-quality curriculum, tentative lesson plans, and monthly goals, but even then we try to keep a high level of flexibility.  We know what needs to be learned in a year and we meet those requirements.  There are some days that we just plain old don't do school!  Things come up or something more educationally enjoyable makes itself known.  Again, this is a farm and a lot goes on here!  There is always some lesson to be learned from everything that goes on around here.  Example.....I just realized I didn't get bread made tonight like I had planned.  Shoot!  No biggie, I'll make it tomorrow morning, and Willow and Ronan can help.  There's flour to measure and yeast to rise... math and science right there.  Then there's the dough prep and the baking... hello Home Economics!  See, always something to be learned.  

What about SOCIALIZATION?!  This is the number one concern we get blasted with from people.  Well, my kids have friends and we do play-dates.  Willow is old enough now to be involved in 4-H, as well as dancing and soon will start swimming.  Not to mention their little church friends.  It's not like we keep our kids locked up away from others in the human race!  The kids aren't even shy.  These are the only answers I can give people when they ask us the S question.  For some there will never be a good enough answer other that sending them off to school.  No worries to me.  It's just water off a duck's back.

Homeschooling works for us and we love it, even on the ugliest of days.  It's a blessing for our family and a blessing that we're able to do it.  If you're thinking of homeschooling, I urge you to look into the homeschool laws in your state and educate yourself of what you'll be expected to do.  Find other homeschoolers in your area.  And finally, roll up your sleeves and get ready for a wild ride.  Your kids will amaze you and honestly, I think you'll amaze yourself.  Best of luck!

Rachel