Last year, when I decided not to return to teaching, we had to make some decisions regarding how and where to educate my oldest, Andrew. He would be going into first grade and public school was not an option we felt comfortable choosing. Private school was not an option due to its high tuition. We looked at our only other options- charter school and homeschooling. Heritage Charter School had a waiting list a mile long. Although Andrew got down to number 2 on the waiting list for first grade, we never got the call letting us know there was an opening.
That left us with homeschooling. I've always considered the idea of homeschooling to be a wonderful way to educate kids. That is, until I had my own. I've said for years that I wouldn't want to homeschool Andrew because he tends to be very argumentative... but not with other adults. I decided to try it, however, because I didn't know what else to do. Besides, Andrew wanted to be homeschooled. Many of our neighbors homeschool.
Fortunately, we were able to get into a program that combines homeschooling with class time in a traditional school setting. We are homeschooling through The Classical Academy. TCA is a local charter school which gives us the best of both worlds. I homeschool Andrew two and a half days a week. The other two and a half days are spent in a classroom and/or taking part in "labs". We go on field trips, are held accountable by the TCA staff for work and objectives met, and have a school base to call "home". The labs, which are held on Fridays, offer classes in karate, gymnastics, science, acting, videography, and much more.
I love having the flexibility to change and control our family schedule. I love being able to know what my child is learning in school. I am enjoying spending time with Andrew and Nate. I also love not having to homeschool everyday. I'm glad that Andrew gets to spend time playing with his friends. He also loves his "other" teacher, Mrs. Eastman. We truly have the best of both worlds when it comes to our schooling situation.
So, when people ask me, "How is the homeschool thing going?" I'm surprised to hear myself answer, "It's going great! Much better than I thought it would."
Our homeschool room.
Andrew (and Nate) hard at work. Andrew's favorite subject: Science, of course!
Homeschool room, again.
Andrew's first day of school at The Classical Academy.
Waiting for school to start.
1 comment:
I am glad you are enjoying it..it is worth it!
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