There once was a family
who began to homeschool...
they really enjoyed it
and thought it was cool.
Having more time to travel
and field trips with friends,
this family was happy...
Homeschool a Godsend!
Last fall, it got better....
they joined a co-op!
The best of both worlds
and their fun never stops.
Two Wednesdays a month,
they learn many things.
"We really love co-op!"
this mom always sings.
The mom teaches "littles",
her fun never ends!
"See you later!" her son says,
as he learns with his friends.
PE, Woodwork, Sewing
Music, Cooking and Speech.
Her son goes to his classes,
as his mom goes to teach.
She would go one way
and he'd go another.
The happy kid loved it,
and so did his mother.
Like a really cool school,
but so much more.
Learning, fun and fellowship
many ways to explore.
Next fall, we'll be back...
for another great year!
"Co-op is so awesome!"
is our family's new cheer!
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Monday, March 2, 2015
My Twelve Lessons for These Twelve Months
Today marks the year anniversary of our beginning life as a homeschool family! Whoa....what a year it has been! One year ago, we "took the red pill", stepped out of our ordinary lives and jumped into the rabbit hole of homeschooling. It has been a year of hard work, growth, adjustments and many changes. Would we do it again? In a New York minute!
Our son has learned a wealth of information as a homeschool kid. My husband and I have seen tremendous growth and progress in our kid. He is happier, he is steadily gaining his confidence back and he likes learning again. He is pursuing his interests and he is working at grade level. I could go on and on (as I usually do)...
Instead, I 'd like to share 12 things that I've learned in the past 12 months of our first, homeschool year. So here we go...
If you're considering homeschooling, I just have one question for you....why haven't you started already?
#nowisthetimetohomeschool
Our son has learned a wealth of information as a homeschool kid. My husband and I have seen tremendous growth and progress in our kid. He is happier, he is steadily gaining his confidence back and he likes learning again. He is pursuing his interests and he is working at grade level. I could go on and on (as I usually do)...
Instead, I 'd like to share 12 things that I've learned in the past 12 months of our first, homeschool year. So here we go...
- Homeschooling has reminded me that I still love to learn. I love learning and I never want to stop learning something new every day of my life.
- Life is meant to be lived out of your comfort zone. I never thought I could teach math (I can!), move our family twice in one year (We are!) or begin the adoption process for our second child and plan on becoming parents again almost 13 years since our bringing home our son (Doing that now!). My comfort zone was safe, but it wasn't that much fun. Go figure.
- I have made the BEST friends in the world through homeschooling! Our son has an amazing group of homeschool friends, but guess what? SO.DO.I. I have this stellar group of homeschool mamas that have been so supportive and incredible during this past year. I love them so much and I am so thankful to be friends with them all!
- I watched our son fly a plane in January and I didn't vomit or pass out from worry! My husband and I just smiled, waved and trusted him to the Lord. Of course, we prayed for him, but then we went out to lunch while he co-piloted a plane to Massachusetts. (Have I mentioned lately how much we love him being in Civil Air Patrol?) Turns out, getting out of my zone GOT MY KID OUT OF HIS COMFORT ZONE. He flew a plane during his first year of homeschool. It's surreal just typing that sentence.
- I love the outdoors...just not lately, as this winter has been pretty heinous! Homeschooling gives us the flexibility to go outside more often- as a family, with friends and just in general.
- I love to travel. Always have, always will. Last year, we took six trips as a homeschool family. Guess what's happening again this year? Maycation: The Sequel!
- I've been pleasantly surprised by how many friends and family members have supported us in our decision to homeschool. Don't get me wrong, I've always known that we have supportive friends and family. However, our decision to homeschool just reinforced the knowledge that we have a very loving and supportive family. And friends.
- I can teach math and its not torturous for our son! See # 2, I just like saying that I can actually teach math and I'm pretty good at it.
- My husband is the BEST computer science/computer programming/ technology/ automotive/bass teacher in the world! He's also a pretty good "principal", too.
- We have grown exponentially in our faith and how we worship as a family. God is good all the time and all the time God is good! This year had its share of challenges (i.e. medical challenges, transitioning to homeschooling), but we learned that the more we let go of our lives, the better we can realize that God is always in control and He can show us that His plans are FAR BETTER than any plans we could imagine!
- Our yellow lab is very spoiled. I've always known this fact. He just loves having us home more often. As a result of our being home a little more, we get to see his "inner diva" on a regular basis.
- I.LOVE.HOMESCHOOLING.
If you're considering homeschooling, I just have one question for you....why haven't you started already?
#nowisthetimetohomeschool
Monday, February 2, 2015
Life after "the red pill"
Well, it's been exactly eleven months since we started our adventure as a homeschool family! This time has really flown by and our family has grown in so many ways. Physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually...every way imaginable and in every way for the better. My journey as a homeschool mom hasn't been an easy one, but I know that growth comes from time, commitment, hard work and taking risks. Does our family still love homeschooling as much as we did eleven months ago?? Nah! We love it more!!
It's also been eleven months since I began blogging as a homeschool mom. In my first post, I likened our journey of starting homeschool to that of Neo taking the red pill in the movie "The Matrix". He goes from an ordinary guy in a safe world that he has always known, to living an extraordinary life in a world that was broken beyond his wildest dreams. He left his mundane routine and safety net to find wisdom and courage. When he took the red pill, he learned the truth and it broke free from his comfort zone.
Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic , but I still think our homeschool journey is similar to Neo's journey. Most families don't realize there is more than one environment for a child to learn. They think the world of classroom learning is the only option. So many parents still think that they're not the ones in charge of their child's education. Even if you consider yourself to be a "proactive parent" in your child's school, you can still find yourself running out of options as with the seriously-changing, school environment. If you don't think schools are changing in big ways, I've got news for you- they are! Whatever the reason or reasons...if your children are unhappy in school, that should be enough to take a risk on making a positive change in where and how they learn. Neo didn't realize how monotonous and miserable his life was until he stepped away from it. That's usually how it works in life, isn't it?
Just like Neo, we don't have to be limited to what is presented to us in our environment or by our community. If we're willing to make a big change, we can teach our children to learn "outside the box". Maybe I sound like a Pollyanna, but shouldn't learning be more fun? We can foster their interests, spark their curiosity and plant the seeds of their growth. As homeschool parents, we can build on our children's strengths and give attention to their needs in their own time. There are SO many homeschool curricula, programs, resources, support groups and tools to help parents give a well-rounded education for their kids. Even if you're just remotely considering it, the time has never been better...now is the time to homeschool!
I love seeing our son learn and being a part of his learning journey. He lights up when he learns about the subjects that interest him (history, geography, the military, science, computers, etc.) and he doesn't explode during the subjects that used to be a struggle. Don't get me wrong...math is not always a picnic, but it sure is better than it used to be. He is the coolest son in the world and I'm so blessed to be his mom and to be his teacher!
More and more parents don't like what's going on in their children's schools. They're willing to make the sacrifices and changes to better the way their children will learn. Homeschooling is on the rise. There are approximately 2.2 million homeschooled children in the United States ( "Research Facts on Homeschooling" by Brian Ray, Ph.D., NHERI, January 6, 2015).
Now that is a lot of red pills...
It's also been eleven months since I began blogging as a homeschool mom. In my first post, I likened our journey of starting homeschool to that of Neo taking the red pill in the movie "The Matrix". He goes from an ordinary guy in a safe world that he has always known, to living an extraordinary life in a world that was broken beyond his wildest dreams. He left his mundane routine and safety net to find wisdom and courage. When he took the red pill, he learned the truth and it broke free from his comfort zone.
Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic , but I still think our homeschool journey is similar to Neo's journey. Most families don't realize there is more than one environment for a child to learn. They think the world of classroom learning is the only option. So many parents still think that they're not the ones in charge of their child's education. Even if you consider yourself to be a "proactive parent" in your child's school, you can still find yourself running out of options as with the seriously-changing, school environment. If you don't think schools are changing in big ways, I've got news for you- they are! Whatever the reason or reasons...if your children are unhappy in school, that should be enough to take a risk on making a positive change in where and how they learn. Neo didn't realize how monotonous and miserable his life was until he stepped away from it. That's usually how it works in life, isn't it?
Just like Neo, we don't have to be limited to what is presented to us in our environment or by our community. If we're willing to make a big change, we can teach our children to learn "outside the box". Maybe I sound like a Pollyanna, but shouldn't learning be more fun? We can foster their interests, spark their curiosity and plant the seeds of their growth. As homeschool parents, we can build on our children's strengths and give attention to their needs in their own time. There are SO many homeschool curricula, programs, resources, support groups and tools to help parents give a well-rounded education for their kids. Even if you're just remotely considering it, the time has never been better...now is the time to homeschool!
I love seeing our son learn and being a part of his learning journey. He lights up when he learns about the subjects that interest him (history, geography, the military, science, computers, etc.) and he doesn't explode during the subjects that used to be a struggle. Don't get me wrong...math is not always a picnic, but it sure is better than it used to be. He is the coolest son in the world and I'm so blessed to be his mom and to be his teacher!
More and more parents don't like what's going on in their children's schools. They're willing to make the sacrifices and changes to better the way their children will learn. Homeschooling is on the rise. There are approximately 2.2 million homeschooled children in the United States ( "Research Facts on Homeschooling" by Brian Ray, Ph.D., NHERI, January 6, 2015).
Now that is a lot of red pills...
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
My New Year Formula.... If Goals=Yes, then Expectations=No
Expectation: (noun) a belief that something will happen or is likely to happen; a feeling or belief about how successful, good, etc., someone or something will be. (Merriam-Webster Online).
When you become a parent, you quickly learn that the world around you puts expectations on your child. Books tell you "what to expect"- when your child will start eating solid foods, when your child should talk or even when to expect your child to use the potty (ha)!
Of course, expectations only increase as your child gets older. Social expectations, developmental expectations and educational expectations become the norm for the parent. If any of you ever had the displeasure of parent-teacher conferences that were, um, disappointing....you know what I'm talking about!
"He should be able to sit still in circle time."
"She needs to learn how to write her name."
"He needs to know how to write his homework assignment on his own."
"She shouldn't have tantrums at her age."
Yada, yada, yada. Raise your hand if you've ever had a teacher (or anyone else) share their expectations with you. Realistic or not, expectations put a lot of pressure on your kid. Then reality hits....the expectation is not met, or its met later than you planned. See, that's the thing about expectations...you're usually disappointed when they're not met "on time"!
I learned a loooong time ago that kids work on their own time schedules. Expectations should only be guidelines, not the rule. Expectations can be stressful, especially when a child is aware that he or she isn't "doing" the same thing as their peers. For the past few years, I am sorry to say, that we paid too much attention to the expectations that were placed on our son. The sadder part was when he exceeded expectations in other areas of his life, we didn't celebrate them as much as we could have...since we were so worried about the other things.
As a homeschool mom, I've learned its SO much better to set goals for your child instead of expectations. You see, your child can set his or her own deadline for a goal. If he or she doesn't meet the deadline, that's OK! It can be tweaked. You can adjust the deadline of a goal, but you don't have to give up! Expectation, by its very nature, ties its success to an outside standard or belief in when the deadline should be met. With an expectation, the success lies in the timeline. However, a goal is more personal and its success is measure more in the journey.
That is my goal for 2015....to learn more about the journey of learning and less about when we "should arrive" at its destination.
When you become a parent, you quickly learn that the world around you puts expectations on your child. Books tell you "what to expect"- when your child will start eating solid foods, when your child should talk or even when to expect your child to use the potty (ha)!
Of course, expectations only increase as your child gets older. Social expectations, developmental expectations and educational expectations become the norm for the parent. If any of you ever had the displeasure of parent-teacher conferences that were, um, disappointing....you know what I'm talking about!
"He should be able to sit still in circle time."
"She needs to learn how to write her name."
"He needs to know how to write his homework assignment on his own."
"She shouldn't have tantrums at her age."
Yada, yada, yada. Raise your hand if you've ever had a teacher (or anyone else) share their expectations with you. Realistic or not, expectations put a lot of pressure on your kid. Then reality hits....the expectation is not met, or its met later than you planned. See, that's the thing about expectations...you're usually disappointed when they're not met "on time"!
I learned a loooong time ago that kids work on their own time schedules. Expectations should only be guidelines, not the rule. Expectations can be stressful, especially when a child is aware that he or she isn't "doing" the same thing as their peers. For the past few years, I am sorry to say, that we paid too much attention to the expectations that were placed on our son. The sadder part was when he exceeded expectations in other areas of his life, we didn't celebrate them as much as we could have...since we were so worried about the other things.
As a homeschool mom, I've learned its SO much better to set goals for your child instead of expectations. You see, your child can set his or her own deadline for a goal. If he or she doesn't meet the deadline, that's OK! It can be tweaked. You can adjust the deadline of a goal, but you don't have to give up! Expectation, by its very nature, ties its success to an outside standard or belief in when the deadline should be met. With an expectation, the success lies in the timeline. However, a goal is more personal and its success is measure more in the journey.
That is my goal for 2015....to learn more about the journey of learning and less about when we "should arrive" at its destination.
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