My First Assignment!

Oh, What a Feeling!!!

That's the title of my first BFS Assignment. I'm to share a little about what led us to homeschool in the first place....and our ups and downs.

The title is kind of funny to me...mainly because THIS homeschool mom runs the gamut of "feelings" about our home educating adventure. One day I feel great and encouraged...the next day I might feel like I've completely lost my mind to think I can teach my own children a livelong thing. One day I feel like I knowthatIknowthatIknow Father has called us to homeschool and the next day, I feel like I'm completely ruining the poor little dears! Please tell me I'm not alone!

My two older brothers and their wives introduced the idea of homeschooling to me, who went to a private school all 12 years. There were friends here in our small town, as well, who were homeschooling when hardly no one else in a 60 mile radius was. I talked to my sister in laws at length about their reasons for homeschooling and before we ever had children, it was on our hearts to homeschool. I taught in a public school for 5 years and quit once we had our first baby. That was almost 13 years ago.

Our oldest daughter was the guinea pig, bless her little soul. I fell in love with The Well Trained Mind and attempted to follow it to a "T." She succeeded, did great, learned a lot, progressed nicely. I was so proud of her....and me, too, bc I was the one teaching, right?

Then her little brother came along. I tried to teach him to read at age 4, bc that's when his older sister was reading....and all "those books" say a preschooler can learn to read. It didn't work. I tried again at 5. Still, nothing. 6? Nope, not ready but he did know his letter sounds. 7, I started getting a tad concerned but passed it off as "boys mature slower." By 8 when he was still struggling terribly with reading, I realized we had something more going on. He'd had years of phonicsphonicsphonics and we were progressing at a snail's pace. He has many strengths...and they are becoming more and more evident with each passing day. He just learns differently than his sisters

Father and I had some long talks about the Butter. I felt ultimately responsible for the fact that he wasn't progressing. Somehow, it seemed like it was my fault, that this would reflect on me...I was the one teaching, right?

Father continually and gently reminded me that my children are all fearfully and wonderfully made. This sweet soul of a son that he gifted us with has a heart bigger than Lake Seminole. God made him exactly like he is for a very good purpose....and he is perfectly wonderful to this mama.

Our little Doodlebug just started Kindergarten this year. She's your cut it out and glue it and color it and add glitter all over it kind of gal. Letters and numbers are easy for her. She'll sail right through her work...and she might even catch up with her brother in the reading arena one day, and that will be ok.

When we started homeschooling so many years ago, besides feeling called by Father, we started for one main reason. I had been in the public school setting as a teacher and didn't want my babies there.

But as the years have passed, our list of "why we homeschool" has grown and our first reason is actually down the list. We've had some happy by-products that we didn't expect...and those reasons are now on the list.

Over the years, the Father has weeded a lot of junk out of me...and how we homeschool is one of the areas He's worked on with me. Much learning takes place here....but its not always from a textbook.

Oh! What a million feelings I have about our homeschooling journey. But when those feelings don't line up with what I know is His Truth, I know my flesh is getting the best of me. And I remind myself of His calling, His will, His Truths for our family.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6

(Click here for a few pics of our first weeks of school....)