Rocking Chair Pondering

Had someone asked me 10yrs ago if I was going to homeschool my kids, I have no doubt I would have likely said no. I went to public school. My husband went to public school. It’s just what you do, right? Your kid turn five and off to kindergarten they go. I had no idea how painful it would be to send our daughter and then son off to school. I just could not relate to the parents who were celebrating that school was back in session and were happy to be without their kids. It just didn’t compute. My daughter loved her kindergarten teacher. One day there was a substitute and her hair was cut by another student. When the vice principle called, it was sold as playful in nature, kids being kids. However, when my daughter came home, it was found to be malicious in nature. That resulted in a trip to the school first thing the next morning. There were apologies all around and blah,blah,blah. This was the moment my faith in the school begin to wane. It feels weird to say, but I was almost grateful for the covid shutdowns at the end of first grade. This year had been rough and I was so happy to have her home and really enjoyed watching her learn as I went over the material that was sent home. I’ve been told by multiple teachers that the odd number years are the worst? Why is this? If we know it’s a problem, why aren’t we looking for a solution?

Second grade rolls around for my daughter and kindergarten for my son. Covid was still in full force and we had the option to do remote learning and I jumped at the opportunity. I had been exposed to many homeschool families at my daughter’s dance studio and really became interested in the idea of homeschool. This year solidified this was what I wanted to do. The next school year comes along and remote learning is no longer an option. Third and fourth grade for my daughter was rough. First and second grade were rough on my son. She loved her third grade teacher and one of her fourth grade teachers. He loved both of his teachers. What became alarming to me were the things they were exposed to. She was already being sexualized in the third grade by little boys telling her they like her body. She was being pressured to wear makeup and tight clothes by her friends. The pressure was on to have a boyfriend. What… in the 3rd grade, 4th grade??!! My son really struggled with dealing with kids with severe behavioral issues. I’m not talking class clowns goofing off, I mean kids throwing books and chairs. How is this conducive with learning? I try to extend so much grace to teachers. I blows my mind the things they have to deal with on top of trying to teach a room full of kids. We experienced amazing teachers and teachers that had zero business teaching elementary children. I’m convinced they chose the smaller kids to bully because in todays society, a middle or high schooler would probably punch them square in the mouth. I’m not saying that would be the right thing to do, because it wouldn’t, but maybe they would consider how they treat others.

It was becoming more and more apparent that this avenue of education was not for us. The insane peer pressure at such a young age, the exposures, the constant testing, the stress of active shooter drills…. it all just became too much. School no longer felt like a safe place for my children. The only person who could change this was me. I sorted out my work schedule (yes, I still work) and dug deep to find the confidence that I could home school my children. We are going into year three and we are all so thankful for the change. It has been so amazing and such a blessing to watch my children learn and grow. Was there a transition period? Of course! Is everyday rainbows and butterflies? Nope! But we work together and get through our days. The kids are so much happier. Our family is so much happier. They play sports, are in clubs and have friends that they talk to almost every day. No longer the rush to get out the door, the homework after being at school for 7hrs, the stress of constant testing, the anxiety because they thought the active shooter drill was real. This is not a post to rag on the school system… I know so many people who love the school system and their children’s thrive. We unfortunately did not have that experience and I am grateful there are so many options and we have the opportunity to homeschool our kids. If your children are struggling, start looking into options. There are many out there. My best wish is for you to do what is best for your family. I think I will start doing more posts on our homeschooling process and maybe that will help those who are on the fence. If there are certain topics or questions, I am happy to help and if don’t have the answer, hopefully I can get you pointed in a better direction. ❤