Home Schooling for Me?
By Kay on Sat, Jun 28, 2008
If you’ve known me for a while, you know that I used to be a school teacher. Â I taught 8th grade Earth Science in the school district I grew up in, Cy-Fair ISD. Â While I love teaching, I grew weary of the negative parent interactions, the lack of discipline in most students, and the inherent politics of any large organization. Â So, I came home to work for my graphic designer husband.
Shawn and I have debated about whether or not to homeschool children since before we even had any of our own. Â While he was homeschooled for some portion of his own education, I grew up in the public school system here in Houston. Â While I understand the pros and cons on both sides, I just never really wanted the responsibility of educating my own children and have felt (believe it or not) ill-equipped to do so.
But over the past year, the I’ve had a growing sense that we were going to need to homeschool Kate, at least for a few years. Â (You know how the voice of God sometimes sounds like your spouse? Â Yeah. Â It was like that.) Â And then there was just one situation that sent me on over the edge of that mountain and sealed the deal for me. Â I won’t bore you with the details. Â Let’s suffice it to say, I realized that Kate needed a little more attention in being confident with who she is before we throw her into any system that might try to say otherwise.
So, then the real fun began. Â The oh-my-god-i’m-really-doing-this feeling hit and I started emailing and calling on friends that have been down this road and could give me good advice. Â They were all very sweet and calming and encouraging, which helped tremendously. Â *Lesson #1: Get a good support group.*
So, for the past few months I’ve been researching curriculums and educational models and philosophies and realizing I didn’t learn very much of this in college, surprisingly, and what DID my father spend so much money on anyways, and oh my gosh this is all so overwhelming and many other thoughts that would make this run-on of a sentence way longer. (well, at least we know I’ll be able to teach her the basics of grammar, right?)
I think I’ve found the path for me with a Charlotte Mason approach and an online curriculum called Ambleside Online.  I’ll be sure to keep you all posted on how this new chapter progresses.  And I would LOVE to hear from all of you who have homeschooled or are currently homeschooling.  I realize I have much to learn still….
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Tags: home-school
July 13th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Even though I haven’t homeschooled my daughter, I had to comment. My perspective is that of the student. I was homeschooled from the time I started the 3rd grade until I went to college. My siblings also were homeschooled. My brother was homeschooled from 2nd grade until college, and my sister, from kindergarten until she started the 10th grade. My parents started homeschooling us in the early 80’s when it was much more controversial than it is today. (I’m 35 now). While we endured our share of grief, I know that being homeschooled gave me some of my greatest strengths. I’ve earned a bachelors and masters degree and interact well with others (you know that pesky socialization mosquito that’s always buzzing around). I wish you all the best as you embark on this journey with your daughter! School on!
July 14th, 2008 at 7:54 am
I was a teacher for a very short time in Cy-Fair. I too am questioning myself about the home school route. I guess as former teachers we know too much about what really happens during the school day. Thank you for the post. I will follow you to see how everything turns out. Have you checked into any local support groups?
July 14th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Kim~
Thanks for the encouragement! My husband was also homeschooled during the 80’s and, in fact, his family was one of those on the original court case in Tennessee that eventually made it legal in that state. So, needless to say, he definitely feels that’s part of his legacy.
I appreciate your thoughts as an adult who was homeschooled for such a large portion of your education. It’s always good to hear from those who have experienced it first hand and have come out the better for it on the other side.
We’re already hearing the ’socialization mosquito’, although it’s a much smaller buzz than it has been in the past. But, with our involvement at our church and with other friends in the community, I’m sure we won’t have a problem with that at all. In fact, my social butterfly needs no convincing to interact with others at all! She’s a born extrovert!
July 14th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Mompaca~
For me, it’s less about the teachers (most of them are doing the best they can in a limited situation), but it’s more about everything else. The fact that I can probably get all our school work done in just a couple of hours a day versus 8 hours at school is one HUGE plus in my book. You probably remember how difficult it was to get 20-30 kids to do the same thing at the same time. You wind up doing very little teaching and a lot of classroom management. With your own child in a one-on-one situation, classroom management just isn’t an issue… 
I’ve always said that a teacher’s worst nightmare is a parent who used to be a teacher!
So far as local groups, I’ve looked into a few, but haven’t met any of them yet. When I do, I’ll be sure to pass on my experiences for you.