Freedom and the Rising Responsibility that Comes with Homeschooling

 It's been a while since my last post. Summer activities are in full swing. Two camps, VBS, birthdays and July 4th celebrations have been fully enjoyed. Water balloons, shaving cream, playdates, bike rides, popsicles, ice cream dates with Granny Sue, movie nights....we have made the most of our summer so far. But despite the joys of summer, looms the beginning of the school year which means I have been quite busy planning. I had to research my curriculum earlier in the year to be sure I could purchase everything I needed before summer so that I could have time to read through and plan the first two weeks worth of school activities!

I have separate lesson plan books for each kid. Someday, I'll be fancy and organized enough to use one book. But for now...two keeps me sane. For some reason, I decided to treat myself to a different, more colorful planner for my oldest...which I've regretted since I started using it, but I'm branching out and giving it a go this school year! Our curriculum provides excellent lesson plans that I wholeheartedly use throughout the year, but have these planners helps me to stay on track and study the lesson in advance to teaching them. One of the trickiest things about homeschooling is that the teach must continuously prepare and every year is different. A traditional school teacher will usually teach the same grade for a number of years before moving on to a different grade. (I feel like that is one of the reasons you come across incredible teachers in a traditional setting...they have tested their methods tried and true and come up with some amazing teaching techniques throughout the years.) The moral of this story: PLAN IN ADVANCE. Waiting until the night before is harmful to you and your teaching method. Plus...my kids know if I'm not prepared...which in turn seems to frustrate them and not help with their work ethic.

    I am also trying something new with my 4th grader this year...

He gets his own planner for homework/individual work! I found an excellent one at Mardel if you're in the market for one. My oldest is definitely my most logical and organized, so it makes sense for us to introduce him to learning how to schedule his time wisely! The sooner the better, right?

As I look forward to this new school year, I reflect on how grateful I am to be able to choose our curriculum and teach my children at home. There has always been social and political pushback to homeschooling. Indoctrination, lack of socialization, incorrect teaching methods, lack of teaching, lack of learning, religious influence, political influence, social influence...I've heard the arguments, both reasonable and unreasonable. The fear-mongering surrounding homeschool caused by the rare individuals who actually make the horrendous news stories casts a shadow over a school method that is actually very successful and positive. Granted, Covid-19 caused an epic shift in the outlook on homeschooling so we have seen a temporary boost in the speech directed towards this kind of education for the moment. As for our household...homeschooling looks a little like this: Jesus, education, friendship, life skills, and recreation. We are just like other parents who want the best for their children no matter their religious, political, or social beliefs. Texas provides us with the opportunity to do that without government interference. (I can teach about Columbus...because as wicked as some of his actions were...he still played a huge part in the discovery of the New World. But hey, let's have an open discussion on who he was as a person and why he likely did the things that he did in the time period he lived in.) With that opportunity comes great responsibility. A responsibility to teach my children about moments in history and how to respond to those moments as they apply to us in today's society. A responsibility to read my children (or have them read) literature from some amazing authors despite the fact that they may have believed a certain way or acted in an inappropriate manner at some point in their life. (Don't we all?) A responsibility to take a look at science and the wonders that have been discovered and the theories that scientists have come up with...and to take a Biblical look at it as well! It is a glorious, complicated, crazy, scary, refreshing responsibility. And for that, I am grateful. Freedom.