Wednesday, August 11, 2010

And Our Journey Begins...

Here it is, my first attempt at a homeschool blog. (Actually my first real attempt at ANY kind of blog.) ;o)

Many people have asked me over the years, about my homeschool experience. I may not be the homeschooler with the most experience, and I may not be the most structured of homeschoolers (go ahead, ask me what curriculum we use), BUT I do have information (and many fun, educational experiences) to share…

We (I say “we” because homeschooling IS a family affair) started homeschooling when Becca was just about finished with fourth grade. She was a public school student for almost five years. (With three years of private preschool under her belt.) I’m not here to badmouth public school. My spouse and I are both public school-educated. And our experiences with public school aren’t nightmare stories. We just had to take a long, hard look at our child, and see that she learned best in her own way. And that SHE knew all along what she needed…(even if we were far from being clued in)…

When we finally got clued in, we proceeded with caution. (Fear is more like it.) I mean, if you pay attention to the media, they certainly don’t always shed the most positive light on homeschooling. (Don’t your kids miss being with other kids? How do they get socialization? How do you know that you’re keeping up with what they should be learning?) So our first question was where do we start?

Fortunately, I had the great fortune of meeting a homeschool mom in Girl Scout training, several months prior to our start of homeschooling. Dani was one of the first homeschool moms I had close contact with, and she quickly intrigued me. When I told her that Becca had been asking to be homeschooled (like I said, it was all Becca’s idea), she slipped me her number and said, “Call me when you’re ready.” Little did I know that was the beginning of our journey…

8 comments:

  1. Linda,
    Thanks for sharing your journey! I have been curious over the years, so this will nice for me to learn about that.... even though my boys are almost done with school... Well DS#1 is done with that and moving into college.

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  2. Thanks, Vicki! You've always been so supportive. Best of luck to both of your guys during this upcoming school year (and beyond)! <3

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  3. WTG Linda, I love it... I can't wait to read more...

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  4. Linda, I have such respect for those who homeschool. The love and patience you must have. Good for Becca for recognizing what she needed.

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  5. Thanks, Dee! I have a lot of work to do still, but thanks to you I have a great start!!! ;o)

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  6. Thank you, Lisa! The love is plentiful, and the patience comes with practice. Thank you for reading my blog, and for your support and friendship! <3

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  7. I just heard about this blog and decided to start at the beginning.
    I've been honestly considering homeschooling my daughter since before she was born. Keep in mind that she only just turned a year old, but I have been actively teaching her since the day she was born. I also "play" shcool with my 6yr old step son since he was three.
    I absolutely LOVE teaching them, but I am incredibly frightened and nervous that I don't have the tools or skills needed to really homeschool my child(ren).

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  8. {{{{{{{Anna}}}}}}}

    I KNOW you can do it. And you can always call on me for help. ;o)

    ~ Linda

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