the case for homeschooling

Last week when I was at the Anchorage Museum (read about our visit, here), I noticed a small group of kids with quite a bit of variety in ages. I noticed that there were nearly as many adults with, both men and women, and they didn't seem to be affiliated with any school. I was pretty curious, so I was happy when one of the moms commented on how cute Riggs was - it was the perfect chance to learn more about her little group.

Turns out they were a homeschool group, and long story short, they meet two or even three times a week to go swimming, go to the zoo, visit the Loussac Library, or in this case, visit the Museum. Chatting with her about their little group brought the whole school question back up for me in regards to Riggs. Public school? Charter school? Private School? Homeschool? How am I supposed to decide which option will be best for him and any other, future children?

A friend shared an article on Facebook the other day that listed 18 good reasons to homeschool your children. You can find the article here and read over it for yourself if you're interested. I found all eighteen reasons to be pretty substantial, but one stood out to me in particular.

"16)   Better socialization, less unhealthy peer pressure and bullying.  Our kids no longer beg for video games we don’t want them to have or clothes we don’t like, or junky snacks they saw at school.  One of our children struggled socially in school, and his schoolmates were ruthlessly mean.  Despite a school anti-bullying policy and our best efforts to work with the teacher, nothing changed.  Last year he played alone on the playground everyday.  Now he’s organizing playground games at our homeschool co-op, and he’s smiling again.  No one has ever said an unkind word to him at our co-op, because every child is there with his or her own parent.  Our kids have plenty of time with friends, but without  the unhealthy peer pressure and bullying." source

The introduction of unhealthy influences has always been one of my biggest concerns about public schools, and even charter and private schools. I want Riggs to like something because he really likes it, not because 'everyone' else likes it. I want to be able to control who he spends the majority of his day with and for him to spend time with other children whose parents are responsible, loving, and similarly-minded when it comes to the major issues. And when I say similarly-minded, I'm talking about what they expect of their children, not politics or religion. Some people disagree with this approach, with the idea of 'sheltering' their children too much. Personally, I think that it's my job to protect and shelter him, to let him be a child as long as possible. 

What are your thoughts on this issue? Were you home-schooled and if so, what was your experience? If you read the article, what did you think of it? I realize that it might seem somewhat premature to be thinking about school when my child is only 14 months old, but there's so much to think about and research and prepare for! I also want to prepare him a year or two ahead for which ever schooling option we decide on, especially if we decide to send him to school away from home.  

Romans...

If we continue to send our children to Caesar for their education, 

we need to stop being surprised when they come home as Romans. 

 Dr. Voddie Baucham

This quote sums up exactly why I am 80% sure I want to homeschool my kids when they are in elementary school.  What do you think?

Today was a busy one.  Steve woke up at 5:40 to go snowmachining, and I tried to go back to sleep.  I slept fitfully until 7:40, when I decided to get out of bed and start my day.  I have had homework and housework piling up for the last couple of days but I have been so sick and unmotivated that I have been putting it off.  Today I knew I had to be productive.  I made a list on my phone before I even got out of bed, so I would not forget anything.  I started the first load of laundry before sitting down in my recliner to read my Bible.  I could not really concentrate on reading, so I prayed about my day and got started.  I set the dishes to soak and then got out what I needed to make bread.

Making bread is always such a relaxing activity, even thought I definitely worked up a little sheen of perspiration while kneading the dough today!  I made basic wheat bread for sandwiches and toast, but I used a recipe from my new cookbook.  It turned out delicious!  I am finally getting to be natural at making bread.  I don't have to watch the yeast to be sure it is active or get out my thermometer to measure the temperature of everything (I killed a lot of yeast in my early bread making days).  It is a mindless chore that gives me time to reflect, and I like starting out the day of work with it.  After I set it away to rise, I washed the dishes.  There were enough for two rounds, and when that is the case, I let the first round air dry on the rack while the second round soaks in the sink.

While the second round was soaking, I decided to go through my utensil drawer, something I have been meaning to do for a LONG time.  I got rid of a few things we never use, and lined the drawer with freezer paper.  Our cabinets and drawers are old and sort of ramshackle; Steve's dad installed them when Steve was just a baby and they've been well used ever since.  The particle board that serves as the bottom of the drawer is now flaking off bits of wood, which gets on the clean dishes.  So while I had them all out of the drawer, I decided to see how well freezer paper works as a lining.

I think it works pretty well for being last minute and free.  After finishing that project, I switched the loads of laundry then headed back to the kitchen to finish up the dishes.  When I next turned around, the dough had doubled, so I punched it down, turned it out and divided it into two loaf pans to rise one last time.  My house is always chilly, so I turn my oven on to warm and set the rising dough on the stove top to help the process along.  

Tidying up the living room and vacuuming came next, which is always fun now that Steve got me a new DeWalt shop vac that I can carry around with me.  

I love it because it runs on the DeWalt battery backs so I don't have to be plugged in all the time.  We don't have any carpet (except in our bedroom) so it works a lot better than a conventional vacuum would have worked for us.  I LOVE it.  Have I mentioned that I love it? :)

Once all the housework was done, I sat down to do homework.  That was around 11am, and I am just now finished with what I planned to get done today.  Whew!  I'm tired, and I think our houseguest, Leroy, is too!