We used to be a family whose parents had attended many, many meetings. A family who had a sea of documents, plans and recommendations. Too much negative and not enough positive. We used to be a family whose kid who was exhausted, defeated and confused. We used to be a family with a dog who gave us very sad looks every time his humans fought over homework, unrealistic expectations and exasperation.
"What about homeschooling?" If you had asked me that question five years ago, I probably would have burst out laughing! Not because I thought the idea was absurd - I've always thought that homeschooling was an amazing way for children (and their families) to have an education, explore and grow. However, I always thought it took a very special parent to homeschool....and I never thought of myself as having the fortitude or creativity to be a homeschooling parent.
In a scene from the movie "The Matrix", Morpheus offers Neo a blue pill and a red pill. If Neo takes the blue pill, he wakes up in his bed and won't remember a thing. Morpheus then tells Neo, "You take the red pill- you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." Things change very quickly and life is funny thing. A week ago we had a kid who was overwhelmed, frustrated and struggling in public school. A week ago, we were at our breaking point. Tomorrow, we start our son's education as a homeschooling family. We feel like we just took the red pill.
This is not another blog about how to homeschool, since I am brand new to this world of homeschooling, This weekend, I've joined 5 websites, 3 email lists and 2 parent groups about homeschooling. We're learning about this as we go. Heck, I'm not even halfway through my "Homeschooling for Dummies" book and I just started my the introduction of "The Everything Homeschooling Book" (Yes, I can read more than one book at a time...but that's another post!). When it comes to the world of homeschooling, I'm the "rookiest" of the rookies, greenest of the green, newest of the newbies.
Our son made me promise that my blog won't be about him. He is 11 1/2 years old and a tween boy who doesn't want any extra attention on him. He is the kind of kid who shudders at the thought of speaking in public. (He did, however, just look over my shoulder and told me it was OK to say that!)
Nope. Not about the "how-to's", "what to do's" or the sob stories of our educational past. Instead, this is a blog about our new journey as a homeschooling family. Our new world and our new way of life. Tales of a transformation. Getting used to a new way of thinking. Funny stories. Ponderings. Musings. Goofy things. Good things to come.
And maybe...just maybe....we can even inspire a few families to join us down the rabbit hole of homeschooling.
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