Reflecting on a Year of Homeschooling

When anyone asks me what I thought about our homeschooling experience, these are my first thoughts:

1.  Oh, the JOY of preparing our own schedules!!!  I love the freedom to have late nights or late mornings or long days or short weeks.  There is a much more relaxed feeling when we don't have to watch the clock or do activities and assignments according to someone else's schedule.  The ebb and flow of school completely matches the ebb and flow of our family.

2.  Homeschooling requires a hefty dose of discipline - more than I was expecting.  It takes effort to have math assignments planned out and marked.  It takes foresight to have field trips thought out and library books in hand at the right time.  It takes strength to start school when the garden is calling your name.  Yes, there is a freedom to change our schedule.  When grandparents are in town, we're able to spend lots of time with them, saving our schoolwork for another, uneventful day.  But, truth be told, there's often an event of some kind, even if it's just the call of a sunny day or the desire to clean out the basement.  There always could be an excuse to not do our school work, and it sure took discipline to make sure we did do our work.  I had to say no to lots of potential distractions.

3.  One homeschooling perk that comes quickly to mind might sound a little silly.  But I love having control over my children's nutrition.  In our previous, traditional school, there were many treats - candies as a reward, cupcakes for so-and-so's birthday, bake sales.  It was frustrating to prepare a special dessert at home one evening, only to find that the kids had eaten sugar cookies and donuts already that day.   With homeschooling, I enjoyed being (pretty much) the only one feeding my children.  I could make desserts special, and the rest nutritious!  I also liked having hot meals for lunch (like leftovers or soup) and not having to pack lunches in the morning.

4.  Before we began this year, I wondered a lot about how my relationship with each child would change when we started doing school together.  I mean, things must feel different when you're simplifying fractions, right?  I am surprised to note that nothing changed.  It's the same.  We learn science together the same way we bake together and the same way we grocery shop together.  We interact the same whether I'm explaining long division or scrubbing someone's hair with shampoo.

5.  When I asked my children how they feel about homeschooling,  their first comments were about how nice it was to be able to move around.  They liked having the freedom to do school work standing up, or cross-legged on the couch, or to get up and go to the bathroom or get a drink at any time.  They also referred to the pleasure of being out and about on field trips a lot.  (Although they didn't say it, I think that being outside regularly, and out in nature regularly is a part of this, too.)  They also loved the ability to learn at their own speed.  When a math assignment made sense, they could dive in - no need to wait for the teacher to finish explaining it to everyone.  When it didn't make sense, the explanation could last as long as needed.  Aidan was allowed to read at his turbo speed (for the most part) and Marijka was allowed to spend an extra hour writing a story when great plot development was imminent. 

6.  I love watching my children learn!

7.  It's just so fun to read books together.  With homeschooling, we had plenty of time to do so!  We studied 'Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates' with our Netherlands unit and we read George Muller's biography in our study of England.  We all got into the Septimus Heap series; we enjoyed the characters from 'Around the World in 80 Days'; my voice cracked during 'Old Yeller'.  I love sitting together on the couch and I love the characters we all know in common and the jokes we share from each story.
     

I've been asked by many people if we'll continue homeschooling, since we had such an enjoyable year of it.  And the answer is no.  It was great!  But we're back on the west coast, near a wonderful community we feel we're meant to be a part of.  I believe that my children's education is enriched by the chorus of beautiful adults who are in their lives through our Christian school.  (And yes, this sort of rich community can be found while homeschooling, too.)  I'd be open to doing a homeschooling adventure again some time, though!  What a joy it's been!