Let me being the journey by telling you that we started this journey in California during a time when homeschooling was a battlefield. I began the journey quietly, trying not to draw attention to our family, and afraid of the legal consequences that might happen. Before we left California I saw a daytime curfew impact our homeschool, had a friend with two boys who were removed briefly from their home for truancy and neglect because they were homeschooled, and had a homeschooling family down the street whose teenage son was picked up for truancy while standing on the sidewalk in front of the home during school hours. There was a battle to recall Christians serving on the school board who proposed including abstinence in the curriculum and a heated debate on wether Christians should even be allowed to serve at all. There was a limited choice of curriculum to choose from, people banded together in groups for support a lot more than they do currently, and homeschooling was done quietly by all those but the most bold. I choose to homeschool because I loved being with my children, and I didn't want to give someone else the right or responsibility of raising them. This was the beginning of our homeschool journey.
When my son was 4 he was already learning to read. Because of his quick mind and desire to learn coupled with the fact that he would be learning at home we went ahead and began his kindergarten year. Kindergarten blew by and it was so easy and wonderful to see him learn. My daughter would have just turned 2. It was an interesting year, juggling a toddler with an attitude while trying to do this new thing called teaching Kindergarten. We managed it pretty well, and I was hooked. I loved watching him learn, was thrilled that he didn't have to spend so much time away from me and his little sister who he adored, and the whole family thrived in homeschooling. That is pretty much the way the next 2 years went.
Our fourth year of homeschooling, however, was not easy, full of frustration, and it all centered around my daughter. My daughter was born strong-willed and getting her to do anything was quite often a huge challenge. Getting her to learn was near impossible. She did well with all the colors, animals, sounds, and counting, but learning her letters? At first I thought it was just attitude and I plunged in with all persistence and drilled them into her... getting no farther than the letter J by the end of that first year. I tried so many different approaches, but nothing worked. I sought the advice of our pediatrician thinking that perhaps it was her eyesight.
The pediatrician told me that I should have her tested for retardation. He had done this little test in his office which I think she bombed mostly due to being shy around him. So, I left in anger and kept looking for other possibilities and new methods of teaching her. We decided to put her in a second year of kindergarten.
My son was entering 4th grade, my daughter was repeating Kindergarten, and I was ready to throw in the towel. 4th grade scared me; it seemed so serious. I began to feel like I couldn't do this. I mean, I wasn't a 'real' teacher. The subjects were getting 'real', especially the mathematics, and what if I messed my child up?? That was the year my husband came through for me. He insisted I give it another year. I was thinking that it would be better to put our son in school and concentrate on my daughter who was struggling. He saw the character of our son and didn't want to put him out there in the world where he would be taught un-godly teaching mixed with bad peer influences. So, I endevoured.
I wish I could tell you that it all worked out that year, but no, by the end of her second year of kindergarten she was almost 7 and still didn't know her letters. She was pretty much on par in every other area, but the only thing we got from trying to teach her to read was frustration, anger, the feeling of failure.
This next year we were considering a move due to my husband's work making major changes, my son was entering 5th grade, and we had advanced my daughter to 1st even though she didn't read yet. At this point she couldn't have read "See Spot run." I remember being so frustrated and at a loss with my daughter that I didn't even try to teach her to read. I boxed up all her beginning reading books and didn't even address the subject. Have way through the school year we moved to Colorado. It was after that move that my daughter told me one day, after months and months of not even mentioning reading to her, that she came to me and said she wanted to learn to read. Here, I must hold my head in shame. I had no faith in her learning at this point, and no clue what to try now. So, I offhandly directed her over to the box with her little reader books. And she began to work through them, on her own. We ended that year with her reading her little beginning readers, and still telling me she wanted to read, and my thinking maybe we could succeed this next year.
So we begin my 7th year of homeschooling with a son entering 6th grade and a daughter who I know is seriously behind entering 2nd grade, and living in a new state with no real support group. I can not tell you how scary that year was. To me it felt like a make it or break it year. If my daughter didn't make some serious strides forward with her reading.... and then my son... ack! Junior High! But she did make serious strides. By the end of that 2nd grade year she had almost caught up to grade level. My son continued to do well in all his subjects. I felt much better about our homeschool that year. Also, seeing the kids in the junior high, well, I had no intention of sending my son.
The next two years were good years. There is nothing really special to mention. My daughter continued to read, improving in both capability and speed. She still didn't love to read, but she could do so now so that I was not concerned. At the end of her 4th grade year she really wanted to catch up to her grade level, being behind a year having repeat kindergarten. We excellerated her mathematics and reading and went through the summer, skipping her 5th grade year.
I will skim over the next few years, and get to the end of this journey as it is today. My son finished high school at 17, went to CU Denver last year, and is this year starting Calvary Chapel Bible College tomorrow. My daughter has wanted to be in public school for a long time. She has good friends, friends I approve of, who are in the local school here and paint wonderful pictures of what public education is like. We wrestled with this for the last few years, putting her in an option program last year. She excelled, but hated it. There were only a few kids and she felt like it wasn't as good as a public school would be. This year we are putting her into a public high school.
Would you like to know what the reasons behind this are? Let me share them with you. If you look back over this little history, you will see that I never mention my son struggling with his education. He has always excelled, been at the top of the charts or off them, and it has always been fun to teach him. My daughter saw all this growing up. She believes that she isn't smart. I know that to be untrue. I want her to see for herself that she is right on par with most students, and in fact even brighter than many, and I think she will learn this readily by attending the public school. That is my primary reason. I also want her to be challenged. At home she turns in papers that are unexceptional. For the options program, however, she turned in some really good papers, remembered her Spanish and uses it, and got an A in both subjects without doing more than the typical amount of work. I want her to have that challenge so that she will dish it out and then see what she is capable of.
What other things went into the decession? The most important ingredient - a realtionship with Jesus Christ. My daughter is firmly grounded, knows the Lord, and has a heart for Him.
With that, I have one more thing to say on this subject for now.... If you are considering putting your child into public school or private school, if you are tired of the fight and looking for a way out... you may stop homeschooling ----- IF you have perfect peace about it. I do. Do you? We walk where He leads us. I never intended to put a child of mine in a school setting, especially a public one. I still believe with all my heart that homeschooling is the best, but I am willing to follow where I feel the Lord is leading me because He knows my daughter, and sees her best path for His reasons. That path is public school, for now. I don't know if the lessons she needs to learn will take her the whole year, both years, or even longer. I do know that she is in the Lord's hands, and that He is able to keep that which is His.
May the Lord bless you as your raise your children to honor Him.
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