Why we chose to homeschool our family and our 2013-14 curriculum choice (pt.1)

      We are a homeschooling family. As soon as I say that I get a reaction from people, some approving some not so approving. I know there are some of you out there that say you would never homeschool you kids, and that is OK. :D Boy did we hear  lots of opinions on the matter  when The Hunky Hubbs and I decided we were pulling our kids from the public school system and bringing them home to learn.

Honestly, there are several reasons why we decided to homeschool our family. It would take a long conversation for me to be able to really explain why I felt that God was telling me it was time to make that enormous change in our family structure. Truth be told for the most part everything worked just fine the way it was, the kids were pretty happy attending  public school with their friends. There was no "one reason" that sticks out more than another one as to why we made the decision to teach them at home. Oh, we had our fair share of frustrations with the public school system, I think alot of people would admit to that if we are all being honest, but all in all, It was an OK situation. 

 Still there was just a nagging sensation in the back of my mind, a feeling that something needed to change.  I started reading blogs about homeschool (BIG SHOUT OUT TO HOLY SPIRIT LED HOMESCHOOLING, SAMS NOGGIN and RAISING ARROWS!!!! You Ladies have no idea the Blessing your blogs have been in my life!!!)

I kept seeing this scripture, Deuteronomy 6: 6-8 over and over.  So I began to really think about what it meant.    The Bible tells us we are to teach our children diligently in the ways of the Lord.  It reads:  "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.… " 

Tell me how can I teach my children the ways of the Lord when the world is filling their heads with so much other garbage?  Some of the things my boys would come home and tell me about what happened at school or  something someone said at school was unbelievable... The profanity, the vulgarness, the immorality, and not just from the students.  These are after all middles school CHILDREN!!! And aren't the teachers and staff supposed to set a good example?!?  How can I pour the sweet nectar of the word of God into them when they are filled to the brim with the garbage of this world? I began to realize they were away from home far longer than they were at home on a daily bases.   It was like taking one step forward two steps back. Was I doing all I could??? I was no longer so sure.

I heard a comment once about kids being "sheltered" too much and how that person making the comment felt it was not good for them. Then the reply came that I have never forgotten. I have used it many times when being faced with the same type of comment. "Yes, I am trying to shelter my kids. I just want to be an umbrella over them, to keep this world from raining  on them for as long as I can. "  Isn't that so true??? At least it is for me! I just want to shelter my kids, just as a mother bird shelters her nestlings from the winds and the rain, just as God shelters his children in the shadow of his mighty wing.

Donald Hines

When I first approached the subject of homeschooling with my husband he was adamantly against it. He and I had both graduated from the public school system after all and we turned out good , right?  So Hubby's  answer was "NO" and "ARE YOU CRAZY???!!!!" HAHA!!! That was to be the end of it in his eyes. So I prayed, and left it in God's hands. This was not my battle, I felt I had submitted to the Lord, it was now between my Hubby and God.

My oldest son Noah has ADHD and even while medicated (don't even get me started... no I did not want to medicate him and yes, we felt like we were out of other options on the matter.) he was having trouble staying on task and remaining focused. I felt so sorry for him. The last year in public school was terrible. He was labeled as a problem student by one of his teachers and picked on mercilessly.  Enough was enough... I approached the subject of homeschool with my Hunky Hubbs again and he was more receptive to the idea.... (was God working on him???)

That summer we talked alot about homeschooling and what all I could and could not do....(everyone has their limits, mine is advanced mathematics... when we go beyond pre-algebra/algebra I need a teachers manuals with all the step by step and how to's.. it ain't pretty people LOL!!!)

 ANYWHOO...

By mid-summer Hubbs had given me the go ahead... Actually, he gave me one year, if they didn't learn then back to public school they must go.

 I am happy to say it was a success!!! We LOVED it!!! Everything was not smooth sailing all the time I won't lie, there was a lot of adjusting. Mostly on my part. (I don't do mornings,  lazy much????  ahem.......)  Let's just say coffee is my new best friend... :D   We survived and you know what? The kids learned, and we had fun doing it!!!!

 I am feeling really good about this upcoming school year. Megan-Ann told me today that she is looking forward to Monday and the beginning of school.... (YIPPEE!!) And then Noah told me he was excited about P.E. (LOL OK, I know P.E. isn't really a school subject but if you had known my Noah, in public school, he hated it all... he was one miserable kiddo.)   I was like...WHAT!?! (I did a happy jig!!!   LOL!!! it's a start OK... )

 Oh Wow, this post has ran on and on.... If you are still around after my excessive ramblings and not bored to death I promise to fill y'all in on  our curriculum choice next time. 

Blessings,
Amy