Homeschooling

So, I have already told many people, but I am firmly convinced that I am going to homeschool my son. I am not sure what approach I am going to take, but I am going to do it.

Some people think I am crazy, I am sure, and others will be shocked that I want to homeschool my son. But here's the thing - who better to teach him than I?

I cannot teach him everything, and I won't try. There are numerous distance courses and things to help with what I cannot teach him. And my son will probably do a lot of reading and visiting things, because I like to do that too. But I can certainly teach him and guide him better than school can.

Homeschooling isn't for everyone. Not everyone has the time or inclination to do it. But I have the time, the support of a husband, and the desire to do it. I want to be there for all his "Why?" questions and to watch him learn. I don't care if he learns how earth worms function, how to write cursive, or what it means if someone has two mommies (there is a book that is on the reading list for our school district called "My Two Mommies" - which is something I not anyone else, should teach him about).

I do care that he learns, and excels, to the best possible level. I can teach him to read, he is already doing some of the basic reading of "sight words" and things. He understands what a story is, and can tell them to you. He knows his letters and numbers and can count, sing, and enjoy life. Aren't these important things?

Think about your best learning experiences. Not you best school experiences, but the things you did where you really learned. What were they? Were they in school or out? Mine were all out. I had teachers who believed that the best way to deal with a smart kid was to give them more of the same, so I got bored, and then became a problem child. I don't want that for my son. If his best learning experiences are going to be outside of school, then I will make sure he learns outside.

I remember going to the opera with my grandparents and learning about opera. I remember learning about physics and motion from trying new gymnastics tricks. I remember learning about dodecahedrons and encasing carbon molecules from a special lecture my mom made me attend. I remember air and space from the Smithsonian Museum. I remember learning more from reading than from school. If these are the learning experiences I remember and learned from, then I want my son to have them all.

Not that he won't be forced to learn other things. If I can force him to eat vegetables and go get shots because they are the best things for him, even though he doesn't like them, then he can learn another language, math, science, spelling, and all the things he might not really care about, but he should still learn. If he wants to learn fractions from cooking instead of worksheets, fine by me. But he will learn them somehow.

It's going to be one heck of a ride, a fabulous one I hope, and one that is going to be filled with mistakes. But I am really looking forward to it. And I don't think I will change my mind. Especially after hearing that kids are getting in trouble at the local elementary school for talking during lunch. That just seems so ridiculous.

Anyways, this is what I am going to do. I hope it doesn't rub people the wrong way, but I am really looking forward to this journey.