School Days

Aaaah "back to school", it conjures up so many fond memories.New pens and pencils,new binders,blank sheets of lined paper, new clothes, I even loved the "new" smell of everything.In that last week of summer I could hardly wait to begin school again.(mind you a few days later the excitement wore off and I wished I was back on vacation!)

So I'm sure your wondering what the heck this has to do with anything huh?Well my big girl will be turning 4 this year and is technically able to go to Pre-school.I can barely utter the word with out feeling a twinge of sadness.What happened to my little baby?Wasn't I just holding her in my arms yesterday? But .....here it comes,brace yourself......I have made the decision to Homeschool.Yes you read it correctly.Homeschool.

Keep in mind that this has not been a decision that we as a family have made lightly.In fact I have felt called to do this from the time just before "G" was born.It is not something I would have entertained years ago but l have been slowly getting disenchanted with the school system.It is nothing like when we went to school.Teachers have no contol over thier students.Drugs,sexuality,bullying start so much younger and honestly how does anyone learn anything when they are text messaging and chatting on thier cell phones all day.Please note this does not mean that I think all schools are bad or for that matter that all teachers are bad.I know some very good ones.They just have there hands tied.Nor do I think my decision is better than anyone elses.It is just,I feel that this is the best choice for my family.

I am not totally off my rocker.I actually have a few friends who have graciously sat with me and let me pick thier brains about homeschooling as they too are homeschooling families.My sister in law also intends do the same with her kids.(R is the same age as G and B is the same age as E) .So I already have a built in support team.The seasoned as well as the newbies to share our successes and failures with.I have researched and found the schoolboard I plan on using when she is "officially" school age.In fact its right here in town.And you have no idea how many activities out there are designed for homeschoolers.Its enough to boggle the mind.It amazes me to find so many strangers that do it as well.I had an amazing conversation with a lady that I was talking to in "Smitty's" a while back.My SIL and I also chatted with a lady at one of those pottery places (she too was a homeschooler)about seeing if it was possible for the kids to come and watch them use the kiln sometime.They are everywhere!

I guess I am just throwing this out into the cosmos.Because even though I know this is the right decision and I have researched it until my head hurts, I am still scared to death to begin.So just to "ease" myself in I am going to start with "G" this fall.Just so I can get a feel for how it works.No I don't plan on teaching her reading,'riting and 'rithmatic but I am going to start with some more structured stuff.Again not to worry, there will still be tons of painting,crafts,exploration and just plain silliness to be had but *Gasp* it will be disguised as FUN instead of school!
And G won't know that she is "learning" anything.LOL

Thanks for letting me share.