Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Different is NOT Wierd


I have spent most of my life trying to be what others want me to be.  I wanted to fit in, to be accepted, to meet everyone's expectations.  Well, I have blown that standard out of the water! 

I HOMESCHOOL!!!!

That's right, I decided to homeschool my oldest child in first grade.  While I have many friends who homeschool, I am amazed at how many people become hostile at this statement.  I can feel the hostility in the air when I take my first grader to the grocery store @ 10am on a "school day", in the looks that I get when she responds to "Where do you go to school", and in the looks of passers by when she is out playing @ noon in the front yard.   I can hear the judgement in the voices of others when I am introduced as the neighbor/friend who homeschools (usually followed by a brief explanation stating that I am "qualified" to homeschool b/c I am a certified teacher).  I can hear it in the questions asked by other children.  Well let me provide some clarification as to why "I HOMESCHOOL".

  I want to do what is best for MY child. 

I do not think that what is best for MY child is best for ALL children!  There is no need to be defensive of the choice you made for YOUR child.  I made my decision based on my experience as a teacher, our family's dynamics, and MY child's personality.  I do not have a problem with public school teachers, I used to be one!
God has called me to do this and has placed many convictions on my heart to reassure me that I am following His will!  Romans 12:2  "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will."

Now let me reassure all those who are concerned for the welfare of my children.

1.  My daughter has a perfectly healthy social life! 
She is involved in many extracurricular activities (tennis, art, piano, choir, AWANA's, Sunday School, etc.) with a variety of children from a variety of backgrounds.  She has friends that she plays with daily who attend public and private schools as well as friends who are homeschooled.

2.  She may go "wild" when she goes to college, but she may not.
I can't speak for everyone, but I "went wild" way before college and based on my experience in college there were very few who didn't "go wild" or stay "wild" in college (and these were my school attending chums).  One of the verses that I pray daily over my children in regards to my parenting goals is Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." 

3.  She is not bored!
We play games, take field trips, do experiements, and explore any topic that tickles her fancy!  She has time to read as much as she wants, to cook, to create, to play!  She learns using all five of her senses and she is afforded the luxury of learning according to her learning style.  I am able to tailor her lessons to best suit her needs, her strengths, and her weaknesses.
 
And for all of those who wonder what we do all day.....

 We learn, we laugh, we play, we read, we add, we subtract, we draw, we write, and we learn some more......
We DO NOT sit in the house and watch TV all day long (the TV was on more before I started homeschooling).  We DO NOT sleep in until 10am every morning (as nice as that would be, my children go to bed @ 8pm and wake up between 6am & 7am).  However there are times when we will "do school" in our PJ's (hey, there has to some perks). 

I can assure everyone that we are as normal as any other Christian family.  We may do things a little different but it does not make us wierd.  Imagine how boring life would be if everyone did everything exactly the same...    No matter how hard it is to be different I cling to my new life verse for this season of my life.....

Nehemiah 6:3  "I am carrying on a great work and cannot go down."

So this is my response to all those who take issue with our desicion to homeschool....

I AM CARRYING ON A GREAT WORK AND CANNOT GO DOWN!!!!!