-How did you decide to homeschool? **Thats a common question, especially the few weeks before public school starts back up** Ever since my fourth grade teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I have wanted to be a mother. Often Id wonder if it would happen for me. It seemed unreachable & unreal to acquire in the manner I wanted it. I didnt want to have a career or a job, I wanted to be with my kids from the moment they woke up until they went to sleep. I thought that could never happen after all they needed to attend school. I decided Id be a teacher & even started college with an early education major. When I was 21 I worked in a daycare to make sure it was what I truly wanted to do with my life. Little did I know I was going to teach an entire class of 4-5yr olds for a summer because their teacher had needed back surgery & was out for the summer. I was doing it with out a degree or experience, their parents paid the DC $600 a month to bring them to this accredited school. Shortly after I was married to Carlos, who had similar aspirations as I did. About 4-5 months after we were married we conceived Mathias & I became very sick with hyperemesis gravidarum , I lost 20lbs in 9 days, was sick enough to be hospitalized. I had to leave my job because I couldnt work by this time I was running a tech school because I couldnt handle the mess that had been that daycare center. I took education seriously & I couldnt even fathom what went on at this place behind parents backs. I was out numbered so I left. I had Mathias & someone joked that I better not even think of homeschooling him, never really crossed my mind until he mentioned it, thank you Mario, haha. After that it became a matter of convincing Carlos but he was a no go. It was while hanging out with a bunch of teachers that were talking about smoking pot between classes & cursing out their students & drinking during school hours that convinced him. :D Years later we went to our first homeschoool convention, bought the curriculum I had been reviewing on line for months, maybe a yr. The first yr I psyched myself out. The next yr I dove in. Weve been learning ever since. Weve had fears, have had concerns, have been cursed out, have been told theyd call CPS/DYFS on us for homeschooling (its perfectly legal to HS in NJ), have been told that were crazy & are trying to abuse our children by depriving them, have been too broke to buy a curriculum (the one we needed was offered to us for free), etc... every time we have had a problem or struggle God has found a way for us to continue or restore our desires. When ppl remind me that I dont have a degree I remember there was no objection with leading a class of 23, 4-5yr olds with out a degree or a curriculum even. I at least now have a curriculum & no one is paying anyone $600 a month fee to bring their kids to me who doesnt have a degree to teach them with out a clue about what Im doing, I now have a curriculum & resources & I love my kids too much not to give them the best of me & the most of what I have to give. :P For me this journey started when I was a child. Now thinking back on it, it seems nearly subliminal, as if it was always whisper in the air that I couldnt decipher. I feel like the idea to homeschool was always being implied, even before I had ever heard of homeschooling. I just hadnt come to grips with doing it & then stepping out of my comfort zone. It took us a while to come around to this life style but have been so blessed by the journey & couldnt even imagine doing things differently now.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 15:41:01 +0000
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