Our Homeschool Story - A Creek Runs Through It

We started homeschooling in 2011 when our daughter was in 1st grade. She was in a wonderful charter school that she had attended for pre-k and kindergarten. We were happy with the school and just assumed she would attend until middle school. Then in October, after fall break, we pulled her out of school. Why?

Well, the reasons were numerous but basically, it was a logistical/lifestyle choice. At the time we lived in a very remote area that was 1 hour from anything. With the start of first grade, she was now in school for a full day. This meant that I was driving her into town and waiting in town until pick up time- with a 4-month-old baby! Very stressful.

Hustle! Hustle! Hustle!

This also meant that our little 1st grader was having to get up super early, rush out the door, go to school all day, rush home, do homework (yes there was homework in 1st grade), eat dinner, get ready for bed, go to bed, and then do it all over again the next day. By the time the weekend came, she did not want to go ANYWHERE. The thought of driving to town to hang out with friends on the weekends was unbearable. But we trudged through and were constantly in town, “living” out of our minivan, and not really enjoying life.

I felt like all I did was yell at her to hurry up to get out the door, hurry up to finish homework, hurry up to get ready for bed. I was constantly saying, “We’ve got to go! Hurry up! Hustle, hustle, hustle!”

Does this resonate with anyone else? It felt like all we did was rush, rush, rush.

I did all this while I dragged a little baby boy with me. I spent most of my days nursing and changing diapers out of our vehicle. Plus, in order for him to nap, I had to wait in the van because if I moved him to run inside for an errand he would wake up and be cranky all day (I did not have baby’s that were good sleepers). Oh, it was miserable.

This is what planted the seed for homeschooling. What if we could do school at home and not feel so rushed through life? What if our sweet girl could be home during the week and then enjoy going into “town” for social events and activities? What would that look like?

I will tell you that my husband was against it- at first. We researched, talked to the one other homeschooling family that we knew (most of our friends did not homeschool), read books, and researched some more. We were leaning towards doing it but still had some doubts. Then this happened…

Our daughter was not reading fluently in first grade (many kids don’t) and the school wanted to pull her out of recess or have her stay over for extra reading help. We were not happy with the idea of taking recess away from a 1st grader or adding more time to her already long day. When my husband asked whether we could first try working with her at home, he was told that as teachers they knew what was best for her and it had to be done at school.

Did your jaw, just drop? I know my husbands did. Now, we loved the staff & teachers at this school. We still believe it is an excellent school. I truly think the teacher meant well and did not mean for this to come across in such a negative way, but it pushed my husband over the edge. We were already struggling with very long days and the thought of our daughter not getting a break in her day seemed absurd and unhealthy for her age. So, while this was not the main factor in our decision, it was certainly a catalyst. It opened our eyes to a very broken school system. We realized that not only could we create a better lifestyle for our family, but we could provide an education specifically designed for our child.

So we started homeschooling

Now my husband tells people it was the best decision we ever made. We love the homeschooling lifestyle. We are no longer in a constant rush. Instead, we are learning, discovering, and enjoying life together!

Oh, and that sweet girl who could not read in 1st grade… Mid-way through second grade it all clicked and by 3rd grade, she was reading at a middle-school level. Now at the age of 12, she is a voracious reader and just completed reading Gilgamesh! So, mama’s with late readers BE ENCOURAGED! Do not stress, keep plugging away at it, keep reading aloud, and it will click!