Home
"You have chosen a difficult road," Mary said to me.
I blinked.
I didn't understand what she meant.
I felt like I had just claimed my very own island, complete with free staff to wait on me hand and foot, and bordered by a tempest-free sea, where my own little boat would gently rock on the perpetually warm, shark-free waters.
Mary had just spent an hour telling me how she homeschooled her kids, and I was avidly writing down everything she said in preparation to do the same for Josh.
It sounded fun, and exciting...romantic, even. And with my own homeschooling experiences behind me, I felt like this was going to be magical.
So, I sort of pshaw-ed her statement.
And, horrifyingly to me, the sharks showed up, in stormy waters no less.
The first shark was curriculum. Finding what was right for Josh was a total nightmare. We went through three different reading programs until we found The One. I think it was a mixture of Hooked on Phonics and that the whole reading thing suddenly clicked for him, and he took off.
I battled that shark, and beat it into the shape of a seal and set it free in the sea...
I felt pretty smug.
Just look at my bad self, I thought, beating that darn ol' shark into submission.
Then came the rest of them.
Nothing prepares you for the total mayhem that erupts when you let people know that you are homeschooling. I got criticism from places I never thought I would get it.
What's the big deal?
Public school is a modern convention. It's been less than 150 years since free-education has been in place, in the United States at any rate.
So what did people do before that? Lay around and be stupid?
No, they actually learned things. At home.
I'm not saying public school is bad. I actually like public school. I'm not one of those crazy anti-school homeschool moms.
I'm just a traditionalist. Super old traditionalist.
The way I see it is that some kids do great in school, some do great at home, what's the big deal?
I don't think that public school is the devil.
I'm not criticizing you because you put your kids in school.
I don't think you are a bad parent.
I don't think your kid is going to become morally corrupt.
I don't think that I'm better than you.
In fact, I wasn't thinking of you at all when I decided to homeschool my son.
Because it wasn't about you.
It was about him.
Josh isn't built to sit at a desk. He is built to jump on that desk. And I am okay with that.
Do I think that my kid is going to be socially backwards?
No.
If my kid is messed up, it's because of my parenting style, and he would be like this in school or out of school.
My hope is that Josh will learn how to behave from me and Jeremy. And while Jeremy and I aren't always mature all the time, I see nothing wrong with Josh having two adults be his templates. And he has a bevy of sisters totorment play with.
There are no, I repeat, NO facts backing the whole "socialization" argument. It's a rumor that people like to pass along. There IS, however, lots of information that says the otherwise. Many studies have been done that indicate that homeschooled kids are just fine socially. Who'da thunk?
One of my favorite homeschool bloggers is Keith Wilcox. He has a very pragmatic view of homeschooling, and is often very funny. He has a great blog about the socialization issue.
So, my child isn't going to turn out warped because of homeschooling. He's going to be warped because of me. A fact which causes me no end of consternation.
This morning I logged onto LDS.ORG and typed "parenting" into the search box, and found all sorts of articles, which all, basically, boiled it down to this: Your kid will behave how you behave. Treat them nicely and respectfully, with lots of love and praise and acceptance, and they will be freaking awesome. Treat them otherwise, and you have a mess on your hands. Good luck.
Now, is homeschooling magical and exciting? At times.
But it is also really hard.
We have good days and bad days, just like any other little kid would have in public school.
So, instead of looking at public school and homeschooling as Good Vs. Evil, think of them as Top Hats Vs. Ski Masks. They both cover your head, it's just a matter of style preference.
So, that is my two cents on that.
Mary was right. It has been (and will be) a difficult road. But it is one I am willing to tread on for Josh.
I blinked.
I didn't understand what she meant.
I felt like I had just claimed my very own island, complete with free staff to wait on me hand and foot, and bordered by a tempest-free sea, where my own little boat would gently rock on the perpetually warm, shark-free waters.
Mary had just spent an hour telling me how she homeschooled her kids, and I was avidly writing down everything she said in preparation to do the same for Josh.
It sounded fun, and exciting...romantic, even. And with my own homeschooling experiences behind me, I felt like this was going to be magical.
So, I sort of pshaw-ed her statement.
And, horrifyingly to me, the sharks showed up, in stormy waters no less.
The first shark was curriculum. Finding what was right for Josh was a total nightmare. We went through three different reading programs until we found The One. I think it was a mixture of Hooked on Phonics and that the whole reading thing suddenly clicked for him, and he took off.
I battled that shark, and beat it into the shape of a seal and set it free in the sea...
I felt pretty smug.
Just look at my bad self, I thought, beating that darn ol' shark into submission.
Then came the rest of them.
Nothing prepares you for the total mayhem that erupts when you let people know that you are homeschooling. I got criticism from places I never thought I would get it.
What's the big deal?
Public school is a modern convention. It's been less than 150 years since free-education has been in place, in the United States at any rate.
So what did people do before that? Lay around and be stupid?
No, they actually learned things. At home.
I'm not saying public school is bad. I actually like public school. I'm not one of those crazy anti-school homeschool moms.
I'm just a traditionalist. Super old traditionalist.
The way I see it is that some kids do great in school, some do great at home, what's the big deal?
I don't think that public school is the devil.
I'm not criticizing you because you put your kids in school.
I don't think you are a bad parent.
I don't think your kid is going to become morally corrupt.
I don't think that I'm better than you.
In fact, I wasn't thinking of you at all when I decided to homeschool my son.
Because it wasn't about you.
It was about him.
Josh isn't built to sit at a desk. He is built to jump on that desk. And I am okay with that.
Do I think that my kid is going to be socially backwards?
No.
If my kid is messed up, it's because of my parenting style, and he would be like this in school or out of school.
My hope is that Josh will learn how to behave from me and Jeremy. And while Jeremy and I aren't always mature all the time, I see nothing wrong with Josh having two adults be his templates. And he has a bevy of sisters to
There are no, I repeat, NO facts backing the whole "socialization" argument. It's a rumor that people like to pass along. There IS, however, lots of information that says the otherwise. Many studies have been done that indicate that homeschooled kids are just fine socially. Who'da thunk?
One of my favorite homeschool bloggers is Keith Wilcox. He has a very pragmatic view of homeschooling, and is often very funny. He has a great blog about the socialization issue.
So, my child isn't going to turn out warped because of homeschooling. He's going to be warped because of me. A fact which causes me no end of consternation.
This morning I logged onto LDS.ORG and typed "parenting" into the search box, and found all sorts of articles, which all, basically, boiled it down to this: Your kid will behave how you behave. Treat them nicely and respectfully, with lots of love and praise and acceptance, and they will be freaking awesome. Treat them otherwise, and you have a mess on your hands. Good luck.
Now, is homeschooling magical and exciting? At times.
But it is also really hard.
We have good days and bad days, just like any other little kid would have in public school.
So, instead of looking at public school and homeschooling as Good Vs. Evil, think of them as Top Hats Vs. Ski Masks. They both cover your head, it's just a matter of style preference.
So, that is my two cents on that.
Mary was right. It has been (and will be) a difficult road. But it is one I am willing to tread on for Josh.
Comments