So I figured I would let you in on how we decided to homeschool. I wish I could say that it was something I always thought I would do, I wish it was something that we elected to do strictly out of choice, I wish it was something I felt confident about. Unfortunately none of those things are true. When I had Hayley people would ask if I planned on homeschooling. My response would be that I had attended public school and turned out great, my children will do the same. As Hayley got older and Ty came along I began to pay attention to the changes taking place in our society. We were beginning to accept things- such as premarital sex, babies at younger and younger ages outside of wedlock, the use of drugs as long as it wasn't the "hard" stuff- as normal or okay. I knew that wasn't okay for my family. God wasn't happy with that and I shouldn't be either. So I sought out a private Christian school to send the kids to. You see, homeschool still wasn't a possibility for me because I didn't feel I had the patience to teach the kids everyday all day, I didn't feel I had the strength to keep them on task and focused on their studies. Fortunately God blessed us with the most wonderful of schools in Florida. Hayley started in preschool and Ty followed suit. When we moved to Tennessee I again scoped out the education system. I found that public school here was more conservative than in Florida. We decided to try it. I was immediately met with confrontations when enrolling them after briefly talking to the teachers. Hayley's teacher at that. You see Hayley isn't perfect by any means but she is very studious and well-behaved. I was weary of sending them but did so praying that they would learn and grow and thrive. It seemed that they were doing just that. Then last school year came. This is where the "dum-dum-dum-dummmm" comes in. We were met with struggles with Ty's teacher from day one and while I spent a great deal of time there (seemingly beating my head against the brick wall) I wasn't making any progress in coming up with a formula to make Ty successful emotionally, educationally and socially. The teacher was very inattentive to him (her words, not mine) and he was just skimming by. I couldn't let that go- these are his fundamental years, he must get this stuff and retain it, not just skim by. So the summer hits. Brian and I begin really analyzing our priorities and what is best for our family. Ultimately we decide that I need ot be home more and "ideally" I would eventually homeschool. We didn't think this year would be a possibility. I mean school is supposed to start back in 2 months!?! Where do we begin? What does he need to be learning? When will we have time to school him? You see, we had decided I would start working less, we just hadn't implemented that schedule yet. As the days flew by- literally it felt like they were flying by- I just kept getting this knot in my stomach that kept growing and growing. I was dreading spending one more year beating my head against that brick wall again. Brian and I sat down and began investigating all of those questions that had made us delay starting this year. We found answers to all of our questions very easily. Then I came across a scripture, Joshua 1:9 which says: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." DUH! Okay, Godd. I am listening. We can do this. So we began.....began gathering paperwork, information, curriculum advice, etc etc etc. And here we are about 2 weeks before school starts and we know God is with us in our decision. Doors have been opened that we didn't think possible and everything has fell into place. Now don't let me kid you, I am as nervous as can be, anxious about getting started and being successful, but mostly I am excited about the adventure Ty and I are about to embark on. I ask that everyone rally behind us in prayer that we will have a blessed year and it will be a positive experience for Ty. I will do the same for each of you.
