If you haven't heard, the state of California is trying to make homeschooling illegal due to child abuse in one family in California. This is absurd when you think about. Parents not allowed to teach their children? Ok lawmakers in California...step back a little bit and look at what you are saying!
The number of homeschoolers in the country is growing fast as the benefits of homeschooling are beginning to be recognized not just by conservative religious groups but also in secular society. The fact is that many homeschoolers are self-motivated & independant learners and because of this are being recruited by many top universities today. Homeschoolers have placed in the top 5 in the National Spelling Bee & Geography Bee for many years.
Our decision to homeschool came even before we had kids. We spent alot of time with our good friends the DeCarlos and were able to observe the fruit in their children. Fruit like strong character, considering others, honoring their parents, joy & a sense of confidence from a strong family unit, and the ability to relate with other adults and children. We also are members of a church with a large portion of families who homeschool. The church provides an enrichment program called COMPASS where my children have the opportunity to be in a class with 20 other children their age. They are also able to perform in the anual Christmas Play, Bible quiz team and eventually graduation (if we choose to continue that long). Pennsylvania is a good state for homeschooling as well because of its strict rules & accountability.
I have really enjoyed Kindergarten & 1st grade with Madison. We have read lots of wonderful books, learned about missionaries & heroes of the Christian faith as well as the Greek gods and what Muslims and Hindus believe. I want my kids to have an understanding of what others believe so they will be equipped to share their own faith as they get older.
I am amazed at all that I am learning about history (my worst subject). I've learned about Athens, Sparta, Rome, Persia, and about the Great Wall of China & why it was built in the first place.
Don't get me wrong...it's not always fun & productive. Some days I think...oh wouldn't it be nice to send them off on the bus that just drove by our house...I could get so much done at home! But then I am reminded of Madison telling a neighboor "did you know that our hair is actually dead skin cells?" Or the time both of us were in tears after reading a wonderful book about a dog. I am reminded that this time with my kids will be over in a blink, so I better dive in to their lives as much as I can now, and homeschooling provides me with the ability to do just that.
In case you were wondering...we use a Christian, literature-based curriculum called Sonlight. It uses alot of biographies & stories instead of textbooks. For example instead of learning dates & facts about World War 2,(which if you are like me, you've forgotten them as soon as the test is over), we read a story called Twenty & Ten where a Catholic nun took in 10 Jewish children to hide them from the Nazis. It is a great book & Madison actually enjoyed it. Here is the link to Sonlight's website if you wanted to check it out. I'm off to do some Math with Madison...happy Friday!!
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