I've been at this homeschooling thing for 27 years, since Nate was five years old. I have two official years to go, since Kyle will start 11th grade this fall.
I still love homeschool. The chance to spend time with my kids learning has been awesome! I've graduated five of my six kids, taught one of my grands for a year, taught co-op classes. It's been a hard and wonderful all at the same time.
Today, I get the privilege of helping a young mom from my church start her journey. I'm going to talk her through the paperwork required by our state, and encourage her in anyway I can. She has wild and crazy days ahead, but it's going to be filled with so much goodness, too.
Our paperwork consists of a notarized affidavit attesting to certain things, like that they are receiving regular medical, dental, and vision care. It attests that no one living in the home has been convicted of crimes against children. We also must write objectives for each child for each subject. This is easier than it sounds.
Today, I will also be turning in Kyle's evaluation from this past school year.
Homeschool kids are like any other kind of kid when it comes to schooling. They have subjects that are hard for them, they have subjects that are easier for them. They have natural gifts in certain areas and not in other areas. Everyday though we have the privilege of being diligent to get our work done, easy and hard. Some days there are tears, and somedays a lot of laughter.
Not being tied to a school calendar allows us to set the pace of our school at home. Some friends do four day school weeks, and go longer through the year, some school year round with longish breaks in the winter, and summer. We take the summers off, and a week at Thanksgiving and three weeks at Christmas and New Years, and random days through out the school year as needed.
This next year Kyle will be working on some CLEP courses to start earning college credits. They will also count as his high school credits in those subjects. We hope that between these last two years of high school he can earn all or most of his general education credits for college, and graduate high school with an associates degree. That would mean also that if he decides to do college, he'll start as a junior and get to do all the fun classes related to his degree, as all the basics will be behind him.
Well, I need to get going. I hope you have an excellent day friends!
Ahhhh, but you are so lucky, to have a group of other Home Schooled Kids and Moms. Not everyone is so lucky, for various reasons. -sigh-
ReplyDeleteBut even so, doing Home Schooling is becoming so necessary. The just-plain-S**t, which is being taught in schools today, is horrrrrrrrrible!
I taught kindergarten, 1st and 4th grade in public school before kids were born. I taught pre-k four year olds when my own went to pre-k and Sunday school from the crib room all the way up to confirmation class. In between I've tutored and mentored. I just love teaching. However, school is not the same as it was when I started teaching. I would never go back to a classroom, but I do miss it. I think that's why I enjoy the tutorials on my blog and I think I would've enjoyed homeschooling, too.
ReplyDeleteWOW, that's a lot of homeschooling. I know your friend appreciates you sharing your knowledge with her. My Step-daughter has been homeschooling her 3 children for many years now. The oldest is going to a private school in the Fall. She has really been wanting to do that. We will see how that goes. Enjoy your day, I know you will!
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