I Don’t Want to Homeschool for Religious Reasons. (That’s not normal for this region).

I have a confession–when I think about homeschooling it isn’t for religious reasons. Not once have I researched Bible curriculum. I have looked for other curriculum–I have reading and writing covered. Science is pretty much taken care of through books at home and at the library. Grammar…check. Math…I will need to add to…mostly finding alternate ways to present the concepts being learned. I will also want more manipulatives…as we are hands-on learners.

My main reasoning for wanting to homeschool is my kiddos are having a hard time adjusting to school. One keeps getting into trouble and the other keeps daydreaming. Both are bored.

Currently they are at a Christian school but will moving them to a public school be any better?

My kiddos used to love to learn. We would make weekly trips to the library and they would head to the science section and grab tens (yes tens) of books…each. We would watercolor and make paper-maiche. We would have fun and we would learn.

Now we don’t have time. Sure we still go to the library but the books don’t all get read and the experiments aren’t being done. We don’t have time. By the time we get home from school and have a snack, it’s time for homework. That doesn’t include the non-homework that is expected to be done at home such as Bible Verse Memorization (and it’s not just one verse…it’s like 10 verses), spelling words, addition/subtraction facts for one kiddo and multiplication facts for the other. At this point kiddos are schooled-out. They both hate it. They hate going to school.

Is this what I want for my kiddos? Can I do better? Can I re-instate a love of learning? Can I make learning fun? Will I regret taking the narrow road by teaching them myself or will I keep them in school while dreaming of homeschooling and regretting I didn’t take the plunge. Do I have what it takes to teach my kiddos and be around them everysecondoftheday? Can I handle teaching them with a toddler to also keep entertained? (Although youngest loves to be involved with what we are doing).

Also, what about the teachers who took the time and spent the money to go to college and learn to teach? What am I saying when I remove my children to homeschool? Can I really do it better than them? Is it so much about doing it better or being able to provide the one on one time they need? Am I strong enough to stand up to my educator friends and family by going out of the norm?

AAAAGGGGGHHHHH! So many questions and concerns. Someday I will make a decision and I pray it is the right one.

Local Homeschool Support Group

Homeschooling: Homeschooling (also called home education and sometimes spelled home schooling) is the education of children at home and in the community, in contrast to education in an institution such as a public or parochial school. In the United States, homeschooling is the focus of a substantial minority movement among parents who wish to provide their children with a custom or more complete education which they feel is unattainable in most public or even private schools.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeschool

Support Group: An organized network of people with something in common who give and receive help, advice, friendship and emotional support.
naam-alzheimers.lle.org/Glossary.htm

If you put those two definitions together it says to me that a Homeschool Support Group is a network of homeschoolers who give and receive help, advice, friendship and emotional support.

I tried to join our local homeschool support group and they rejected me. They wanted to know how I found out about them. I had initially told them where I was from and interested in homeschooling. (I have an earlier post Quandary that some what explains my situation). Telling them where I was from should have let them know how I found out about them. I mean…HELLO…it’s a small town…I’m going to hear about the homeschooling at some point. I very nicely gave them the information they asked for even though they sounded quite rude. It was like they were a secret group and didn’t want to be found out about. Then–since I don’t currently homeschool–I wasn’t allowed in; they would answer my questions but wouldn’t let me in their group.

Am I wrong in assuming a homeschool support group should let potential homeschoolers start getting involved in order to see if this is something they are willing to get into? Especially, since my research suggests joining a group and seeing how it goes. I am not about to pull my kiddos out of school unless I KNOW it is what I am supposed to do. I was and am still shocked. My husband was upset…he was in the group when he was younger because he was homeschooled. His mother is one of the original founders and they rejected her son and grandchildren. Yeah!!! That makes the homeschooling look good. Oh yeah! Makes all of my friends who were considering homeschooling want to rush right out and join.

I am upset and saddened by this experience and I am venting my frustrations. If I decide to homeschool my kiddos I will have to do it alone or join a group in another town that is at least an hour away. That is ridiculous considering there is a group just minutes away. For their “protection” they have chosen to not let us join since we don’t homeschool. Oh, they are willing to answer any questions we have but most of my questions have already been answered by others. I just want to see what the group is like. Do they still run the co-op that was started by hubby’s best friend’s mom? What classes do they offer? May I sit in on the classes and get a feel for what it’s like? Who would my kiddos be interacting with? There are some things that can’t be answered through email. Some things have to be done in person. I would not send my kiddos to a school I had not checked out. I would visit with the principal, visit with kiddo’s teacher and tour the school. I would see what they had to offer and decide if that was what we were looking for. If it was great. If not we would keep searching.

The homeschool group did not give us a chance to check them out. We were blown off at the beginning. What statement are they sending to others. How do they want others to view them? How can they honestly go around promoting home education when they won’t even open up and let others see them?

That is not what I am looking for in a group. I want to be part of a group that welcomes people with open arms and are willing to serve them their last cup of coffee. I want to build relationships–I am a relational person and expect that from others. If you can’t give me that personal touch and show me you are interested in me I will go elsewhere.

I would hope that the attitude I encountered isn’t typical of the homeschooling community. If this happened to me it has to have happened to others. How many out there are struggling? How do they do it? Do they still homeschool or have they given up? Do they travel to another town for support?

By the way, hubby was a part of this group when he was younger and says they were weird then also.

Quandary

I am in a quandary. I feel as though my kiddos are not getting the most of their education. This is not the first time I have thought this. I have had these thoughts for several years now.

I have always encouraged my kiddos to be individuals. I have been proud when they have not conformed to what others are doing. They are their own person. I love that. However, at school that is not an option. My kiddos individuality and creativity are slowly being sucked away. At one time they loved school. Now, they hate it. They don’t want to be there.

The sad thing is…I can’t blame this on the public school system. They go to a private school. A private school that prides itself on high test scores and excellent teachers. I have yet to see the high test scores and my kiddos are behind in math compared to their public school friends. (Although, their friends are above average so I shouldn’t be comparing to them.)

I have seriously considered homeschooling them for some time. I have also struggled with yanking them out of their current school and enrolling them in the closest public school. I wonder if they would fare better there? Would the school appreciate the individual in my kiddos or would they add my kiddos loathing of school?

What am I to do? At a young age, my kiddos no longer enjoy school. I was hoping to instill a love of learning in them only to find that they are having worksheets shoved down their throats. My kiddos are bored and I feel as though there is nothing I can do.

If I put them in public school and we still have difficulties then what? Homeschool? What if I fail at homeschooling? I know there are people who homeschool and will quote tons of statistics to me. I live in a homeschooling community, but for every great homeschool success story, I know of many more that have failed. Stories where the people themselves will tell me they should have never homeschooled. How am I supposed to know what to do?

I want the best for my kiddos and right now I’m not sure what that is.