How I started homeschooling...

A good friend of mine wanted to hear about how I got started homeschooling. Well, to be totally honest I never thought I would be a homeschooling Mom. I was familiar with it years ago, but never really thought that it was for me. When we lived in California, I had Tally enrolled in a great neighborhood charter school that had lots of parental involvement. When our family uprooted and came out the other coast, I knew that I had to rethink our schooling options. The first year we were here, I had the girls in a private church school. Tally did kindergarten and Tissy enjoyed the preschool program. At the time it worked for us but I wasn't sure what to do the next year.

At the time, Tissy was diagnosed with her heart problem (that causes the fainting) and I knew that I need to have her close to me at home. Homeschooling seemed like the best option for us. I started looking into co-ops and HS groups. I found that all types of families HS and it was pretty easy to find a group that would support our needs. I felt pretty "green" and new the first year. I figured that the most important thing to focus on was reading and phonics and math. That was our focus that first year. Both of the girls adjusted well to having Mom be the teacher. Any change in life means time to adjust to what is new. Now that we are in our 3rd year, we seem to be flying along pretty smooth.

Don't get me wrong. That is not to say we have our rough days. We do. But...I believe that on the whole, school is just another part of our day, just part of the routine. We try and get most of our work done in the morning. The girls have learned to be self governing. I can put out what needs to be done and they can do a lot of it on their own. We have found our grove in the curriculum that fits us (another post of what we use).

I do not believe that homeschooling is for every family. For us, for now, it is the right fit. Who knows where God leads us in the future. Looking back, I often say "We stumbled into homeschooling." I never went looking for this type of schooling for us and I never thought it would be so much fun. The hardest part for me was just taking the leap into homeschooling. On a positive note, it is a blessing to see my children's education tailor made for them. A program that encourages their gifts and challenges their weaknesses.