Homeschooling

I have officially signed up to home school Alec until June.

I'm am both terrified and determined....but mainly terrified. It's a decision of necessity, not one of calling, although I have no doubts that God has lead me to this path.

I have been thrown into the world of 'curriculum', 'progress reports', 'learning objectives' and scheduled lessons. If I didn't have an appreciation for what teachers do before this, I am in awe now that they are capable of performing all these duties year after year for 30 students at a time! I took it for granted all the organizing and planning that teaching involves....but I will never again look at a (good) teacher without a deep respect for the service they provide.

Although I'm early on into this, I have quickly recognized that I am in need of quite a few refresher courses in Grade 6 math....and science....and language arts...and...well, all of it!!! It's hard to stay ahead of Alec when all the new ways of learning go against the processes I learned in school. Maybe this is God's way of getting me back into the learning mode before I attempt going back to school?

As scared as I was to make this decision, I am confident that it is the best one for Alec and for our family. The stress levels have diminished so much in our home now that we are not dealing with harassment from the school, and hope is once again restored for our futures. It's an empowering decision....to know that I am capable of providing for my children in a time of need.

God is so good...He even provided my mother's skills as a teacher to take on some of the more difficult lesson planning, as well as offer to teach Alec 3 mornings a week. I don't think the decision would have been as easy to make without the support that Mom has offered.

If you have any tips or words of encouragement about home schooling, I'm all ears!