My husband was the first to bring it up in our family. He works as a home health Physical Therapist, and spends lots of time in the car, listening to the radio. He heard some positive statistics about homeschooling on the radio, told me about it, and I went to the library in search of books on homeschooling. The first one I read was "So You're Thinking About Homeschooling" by Lisa Whelchel (spelling?) and I was hooked on the idea. At the time, our son was in 4th grade at a magnet school which was sort of the fairy tale version of public school. The teachers that were there WANTED to be there, the kids had to pass a screening to be admitted, the parents of these students WANTED their student there, etc. Any kids with habitual discipline problems were sent back to their "zoned" school. This RARELY happened. Anyway, it was our thought to let hour son finish at this school (through 5th grade) and begin homeschooling for middle school (6th) when many of the kids from the magnet school would be scattering to different middle schools. This was also around the time when horrible things were happening to kids here in Florida - -or I suppose I should clarify, horrible things that ended up on the news. There was a boy who ws picked up at school by his father's roommate, who ended up being a registered sex offender (pedofile), and then the horrible story of Jessica Lundsford. Apparently the sicko that killed her had done some work on her school grounds. Lovely. It's awful to think that terrible things happen all the time. We were feeling pretty sickened about trusting ANYONE with our children. Anyway, when we went to orientation for 5th grade (3 days before school began) we were told that because of a law that passed in Florida, they were required to reduce the classroom sizes, and as a result had to add 3 more teachers. Well, they didn't have 3 more classrooms, so they moved the 5th grade classes into a building next door. No covered walkway between buildings (there was a parking lot in between) , and when I asked the Asst. Principal what they planned to do if it rained (the kids were going to have to go back and forth between buildings all day long for their classes - music, p.e., library, lunch, computer, art, etc.) she told me that they had umbrellas on order. That's it! Let's give 100 5th graders umbrellas. Here in Florida, that's like a portable lightning rod. Anyway, there were other similar issues as well, (like who would escort a child who needed to go to the clinic or office??) but we decided to jump right in to homeschooling. So, you can probably guess, the transition took awhile. I had no "plan" but now, 3 years later, even though it was a "good school" I wish I never sent him. As someone else mentioned, I remember feeling sick with worry when our son started kindergarten. I just thought that was what I was supposed to do. I never knew anyone who homeschooled. Well actually, I knew one family (coworker) who homeschooled their 5 children, and I thought they were nuts! I've told them so, as we are friends now! God bless all of the moms (and dads) that take on this exhausting, but sooooo worthwhile, endeavor!!!!
Looooong story short---this is exactly our story! I've given all the details before... I'm soooo glad that God nudged me into this---I wouldn't trade all this time with my kids for anything!
We had friends on base in NJ who homeschooled their 6 children- the younger 2 were too young for school at the time. She even gave me a couple books on it but I had no interest. Dd was 3 then. WHen school went downhill for dd last year it was actually her psychologist that suggested homeschooling lol.
There was a family who homeschooled at the church that Jackie and I both went to when I was a teenager/young adult. I was more or less the church babysitter, so I got to know them pretty well. Carol, the mom, was on the committee for the big homeschool conference in Columbus, and one year she asked if I could work in their nursery. That was fun, and I got to talk to a lot of homeschool moms and kids while I was there. I've wanted to homeschool ever since then. When I met Charles and was getting to know him, one of the things that made me think that maybe he was the "right one" was that he wanted to homeschool his kids if/when he ever had any, too. His sister homeschooled their daughter, so he was very familiar with it. :love:
When my dd was about 18 months I realized how much she wanted to learn things even at that young age. I was running out of things to do with her..she knew her ABC's, shapes, colors, numbers, body parts, ect. And I didn't know what to teach her next. So I went to the Library to find some preschool activity books of thing to do with her. They were in the section with all the homeschooling books. I found a book with great activities written by a homeschool mom. In her book she recommended another book on homeschooling young children. I ended up reading every book on homeschooling in that library. We've never looked back! Amy
I was looking on what to do with my oldest when she was a preschooler and we couldn't afford the crazy preschool prices. I wanted my daughter ready for K. While looking at books in the library I saw stuff on homeschooling and started looking at it online. I had a huge list in favorites for HS but never did it until '06. We didn't know anyone that homeschooled until we moved to where we live now.
Let's see. It was about 15 years ago. My husband and I were going to a small church and the pastor's son was homeschooling their daughter. At the time, she was about kindergarten age, so I did not think much about the benefits or disadvantages. I remember being really impressed with his wife's knowledge on learning styles and methods, but I remember at the same time being rather concerned about her philosophy, which later I found was from the Moore Foundation, about not teaching her daughter to read until much later. I remember thinking that it was just irresponsible! (This is not how I view it now, by the way.) Even so, I was warming up to the idea, because at that time in my life, I was not in favor of relying on government for anything, particularly on educating children--I am still of the that mindset, but that is not the main reason I homeschool now. I am not sure that it is even in my top ten reasons, if I ever would write them down. :wink: Unfortunately, my second experience with a homeschool family was much, much worse. The children were all adopted from abusive homes. The mother had unresolved issues from her own childhood abuse and inability to have her own children plus she had terminal cancer. She would have her children pray out loud for her healing several times a day. She often spoke, in front of them, about how she was afraid for them if she died, because her husband was severely bipolar and would not be fit to take care of them alone, even though they all were teenagers. The sixteen year old would think nothing about sitting on the lap of an adult man! It just seemed to me, although they all were very loving and devoted to each other, that the children were greatly sheltered to an unhealthy level. Actually, the whole family seemed to be oddly dysfunctional and in need of counseling, to me. This may not come out the way I mean it, but that experience may have been a blessing for me, so that I knew the possible effects of homeschooling on the children when done by emotionally unhealthy parents. I had been abused as a child and I definitely wanted to heal with my own emotional wounds to stop that cycle within my own family, BEFORE I had any children. Thankfully, that was the only family I have met in researching homeschooling for all though those years that was like this. I have met some that shelter and protect their children--I would probably be considered one of them--but not in an unhealthy way at all. My daughter certainly is not afraid of her father and I would never want for her to be--there is simply no reason for her to be. She is the child I wish I had had the opportunity to be. The one thing my husband and I were absolutely in agreement when we finally were blessed with our daughter is that we would homeschool. In fact, he was as much for it, if not more, as I was, but he never wanted to pressure me since I was the one who would be in charge of the teaching mostly.
I was about 10 & read a fascinating book about a Welsh homeschooling family & from that point on I was a keen advocate. Unfortunately my DH & I weren't on the same page & it took some really bad experiences before we started bringing our children home & youngest has never been in school. Homeschooling has changed sooo much since I read that book & we are so blessed with the choices now available to us.
My mom and dad. I was homeschooled and just knew that's what I was going to do with my kids. My hubby was homeschooled as well
