We started homeschooling because we were angry, but now we do it because we like it very much. I laughed when I read the “Fertilizing the lawn” entry I reposted today from June 23, 2004. At the time I wrote the post, I was obviously pretty mad. It was after the end of Kelly’s fourth grade year and Christian’s second grade year in two of the government schools in Albany, Oregon. We felt the schools had performed a great disservice to our children. The year was a complete waste for them both academically and socially. We were forced into deciding between private school and homeschool.
I laugh now, though, because I only feel gratitude toward the teachers, the school, and the principal. If we had not had such strong feelings and such a sense of helplessness about working within the system to fix what we felt was egregious incompetence and even malice toward people with our worldview, we might never have started homeschooling. Within weeks of starting to homeschool, we realized we loved it. We still love it going into our fifth year of homeschool since they finished their one year stay at “The Groves”. Our kids are way better off academically, socially, and even physically.
An additional benefit was that the pages and pages of handwritten notes I took after each of the meetings with the teachers and the principal of the schools. They made me realize what a great help it is to think things out on paper. It was really quite cathartic to do that writing. It probably helped me avoid doing things I might have regretted, like keeping my kids in the system. And it was part of my inspiration to start blogging.
June 23, 2004 – Fertilizing the lawn
June 24, 2004 – Accepting the job
Just yesterday Eric and I were talking about what sets us apart from some homeschooling families
is that we homeschool FOR something and not AGAINST something. This was in reference to a friend
who is pulling her kid out of school as a reaction against… Since we’ve always homeschooled from the
beginning, we never had to go through this, but we sure do love homeschooling!
Hmmm, that sounds a bit self-righteous which is not what I intended. The rest of our conversation
was that in order to enjoy homeschooling and see it through, the motive needs to change to have
a goal and not just a reaction. Hope that clears it up. You guys clearly have a goal now, and
we are inspired by how much you enjoy it!
I know exactly what you are saying Audrey and it is certainly true. We always had very specific goals for our children and spent lots of after school hours trying to assure that we met them. The problem was that the goals the government people had for our children were not at all in line with the goals we had for them. Also, it became pretty obvious, too, that many teachers are not so well equipped, in terms of the college education they received, to teach the material they were mandated to teach.
I really agree that being FOR something is important, I do not want to offend anyone, and I am not willing to be to judgmental about whether or not people subject their children to government school. I do know, though, that I am still very much AGAINST my own children being subjected to what goes for education in the government schools.
Yes, I still remember the point in one of my teacher education classes where I decided that were
I blessed with children someday, THEY would be homeschooled!
Very cool. The thing is that teacher education could be such a great thing. I was an education major for a short time and actually enjoyed it very much, but there was a hard left, secular humanist bent even back in 1976.
I read and am just simply… in awe.
Bryan, I am envious of you. You were one of those families who were able to work within the system and you kids turned out great.