Oh, my Lord, but my back is aching.
It's that time of year again when the most routine of chores get ignored. Laundry piles us, bathrooms go unwashed (to some extent), meals are neglected and floors uncleaned. Canning season.
So far I've put up, let me see, 28 + 14 + 7= about 49 million quarts of tomatoes. There has been a batch of beets and green beans and a batch of sauerkraut Rachel made. She's making more because there is little else in this world Peter loves more than a pile of sauerkraut. We have plans, big plans, for another session of applesauce, too. Yes, the cellar's getting full and ready for winter. If only I had some squash. The long summer days are dwindling and we're making the most of them.
Next week school is starting and we're all ready to begin homeschooling Thomas. We're homeschooling for a number of reasons and it has been a new experience for me to actually make this information general knowledge to family and friends. It's unlike me to step out of line, to do something outside of expectations, and I've been surprised at how little the surprise of other people has affected me.
When I tell most people, I can tell they are taken aback and that there is a lot going on in their minds, but, this being the Midwest, they actually say very little. Universally, what they DO say is, "Well, what about socialization?" The peer interactions in school must have improved since I went through because I don't remember them being all that positive. Sure, I had friends, but the friends I have today are not the friends I knew growing up.
I don't know what the path will be like. I don't know how long we will do this, whether it will just be for Kindergarten or through college. I know Thomas has friends now and he'll have friends in the homeschool co-ops I hope to join and the scouting troops we'll hopefully be part of later. Really, I'm not worried. If nothing else, he'll learn to swear really well from me or my dad (who will handle any advanced cursing lessons).
In any case, no child of Peter's or mine has even a slim chance of being 'normal', regardless of where he or she is taught to read or write. Wish us luck!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Good luck! Enjoy! We had a ton of fun homeschooling for kindergarten.
I'm a bit jealous! We had seriously considered homeschooling but since we flip-flop schedules (we both work part time, so no day care but that means both parents managing the day to day, but managing it differently) we chickened out of it. Seemed to daunting to organize at the time.
I've been reading "Hold on to You Kids" and it makes me wish I was homeschooling. Takes all the worry out of the "what about the socialization" comments you get. You guys will have a blast and it will be so good for your family!
Good Luck! - I'm actually considering homeschooling next year too, I haven't really told anybody yet, I'm still discerning, but I totally agree with you, I went to school with some pretty nasty kids, and have more bad memories than good. We'll be praying for you here! I wish I knew how to can, there are so many things that I want to do....
Personally, I've always found the people I know who were homeschooled to be some of my favorite people on earth...I think of them as people who are more secure than average...both academically and socially.
In college I read that people who were homeschooled are more likely to be able to relate to people across generations, whereas kids in public schools are more likely to only feel connected with people their own age.
For what it's worth, I think it's a great choice. If I ever have kids, I doubt I could homeschool...but that's because they'll probably inherit my stubbornness. ;-)
As a teacher, I've noticed that kids that behave well learned it at home. Those who didn't, weren't that improved by the public education system. Also, students that have transfered in from being homeschooled are usually more creative, and ahead of their classmates in most subjects. The socialization thing is just not thought out.
Post a Comment