No More School
It’s official: after ~3 years of research (a.k.a. obsessive blog reading and lurking on mailing lists) and 2 years of alternative schooling (for one of my children), we’re saying “goodbye” to school and “hello” to home learning. My kids will be finished with school by June 15.
Yeehaw!
In September we hope to attend our first not-back-to-school-picnic, as we also start to figure out exactly what home learning will look like for us. I have some ideas, but since the kids haven’t really had a chance to just do it, we’re going to have to wait to see how it turns out.
But I’m also truly thrilled to finally have taken the plunge, so I must take a moment to give a hearty and heartfelt thanks to all the homeschoolers who write or frequent homeschool-related blogs and to the homeschoolers with whom I have spoken or corresponded via email. All of you speak so eloquently of the joys, challenges, and benefits of home learning with your children — you have helped my family understand that homeschooling is more about the way you live your life than it is about how you educate your children. Thank you for sharing your insights and your passion for your — to coin an oft mis-used phrase — lifestyle choice.
Heh.
A Partial List of Thankees
I’m sure I’ve missed someone — sorry if it’s you!
COD
Coop
Daryl
Janet S.
Jeanne
JJ
Nance
Phat Mommy
Spunky
Tammy
The folks on the MAHomeschoolers mailing list
The folks on the MHLA mailing list
Throwing Marshmallows
My daughter marked her last day of school on her calendar as “School Vacation.” The other night we talked about the fact that it’s going to be a really long one. My kids are both excited and nervous about not going back to school in the fall. Their primary concern seems to be who their friends will be — they won’t have classmates for a built-in supply of candidates. So we have feelers out into nearby communities so that we can connect with other homeschoolers in the area. It’s important to me that my kids feel like they belong to a community of people who also opt to learn at home.
Our decision to homeschool has been a long time coming, and it’s a relief to have finally made it. I have the usual concerns about my soon-to-be missing income and whether or not I’ll be any good at my “new job,” but I know we’ve made the right choice for our kids. I don’t know how long the journey will last — we’ve told the kids we’ll take it year by year — but honestly, I hope it lasts a long, long time.
Wish us luck!
TammyT said,
June 4, 2007 @ 3:35 pm
Grats Lori! It’s a giant step to start homeschooling. It might seem scary, but it’s a step that seems right for you - you sound so happy!
Good luck to you and your family. Keep us updated on how things are going.
-T
JJ Ross said,
June 4, 2007 @ 7:21 pm
Woo-hoo!
This is gonna be fun, I(’m so excited, like you’re about to read my favorite book or see my favorite movie for the first time! And thanks for the kind words, deserved or not.
I am adding you to the Snook blogroll now so we’ll know where to find you!
JJ
Shannon - PHAT Mommy said,
June 4, 2007 @ 7:49 pm
Congrats! You have made a wonderful decision for your family. I look forward to reading about your new adventure.
lori said,
June 4, 2007 @ 8:04 pm
Thank you, everyone. I’m really excited about officially “starting over” at the end of next week. I think we’ll all learn a lot about ourselves over the coming year. Should be an interesting ride!
O’DonnellWeb - This is not a homeschooling blog » Blog Archive » Yet Another New Homeschooler said,
June 4, 2007 @ 9:19 pm
[…] Reader and occasional commenter Lori will be homeschooling the tykes next year. Woo Hoo! […]
Jeanne said,
June 5, 2007 @ 5:21 am
Lori,
Congrats. You are so THERE. I have read your comments on various blogs over the past couple of years and always thought, wonderingly — she’s NOT a homeschooler???
The hardest part is making the decision. Daily life just gets better from here. Enjoy!
debra said,
June 5, 2007 @ 9:33 am
Congratulations on following your heart! When we first started hs’ing (14 yikes! yrs ago), I felt like I was jumping off a cliff into a deep quarry with a kid under each arm, while someone called out, “The water’s f-i-i-i-i-i-n-e!”
It was a leap of faith. It’s been good.
Not June Cleaver said,
August 10, 2007 @ 11:28 am
Hey Lori, I guess this is a little late in coming, but your comment on my blog brought me here.
Congrats on the decision to bring them home. This was me one year ago and I don’t regret it in the least! Good luck.