Wait...You Homeschool?

It doesn't happen very often. Occasionally, we will hear, "Wait! You homeschool?" 

Maybe it is because we only have three children. Maybe it is because our oldest is only five. Usually, the astonishment is only instantaneous before comprehension washes over them and the question is shrugged off. 

My husband is a certified public school teacher. He has several certifications including Social Studies and English as a Second Language. He works as a teacher in a school district and we would have school of choice if we chose to enroll our children into school. 

Have we thought about it? Yes. We have. We actually enrolled our eldest in Kindergarten, but disenrolled him before the term started. 

My husband loved school as a child. It was his happy place. He loved being around friends. He loved the activities. He loved his teachers. He became a teacher partly because he loved school. 

I loved learning, but I did not love school. When I was in second grade, my parents pulled me from the public school and began homeschooling me. My parents were questioned about their decision to homeschool more than I have been. This is either due to a change in the times or the people we surround ourselves with. 

My husband and I both have bachelor degrees, graduate work, and teaching experience. My husband works at a school and I am a professional tutor. I work from home. We value education. We want to give what is best for our children. Right now, that is homeschooling. If that changes in the future, so will our approach to our children's education. 

We homeschool for a couple different reasons.

1. Our son barely made the cutoff for school. He was born in the middle of August. The district cutoff was September 1st. He was academically ready for school. He was social-emotionally not ready for school. He asked that he be taught to read. How could I say no?

2. The COVID-19 pandemic and the various unpredictable responses. We want our children's memories of their childhood years to be consistent and pleasant. Wearing a mask might be socially responsible in some circumstances, but it is certainly not academically important. We wanted our children to learn without being constantly reminded to wear a mask. I have heard some of the circle time songs and books about wearing a mask. We have masks that we wear in appropriate settings - I am not anti-mask. But, I do not feel comfortable elevating mask wearing to the same importance as learning letter sounds. 

3. We can control the pace and structure. When we have an off day, school can be reduced to snuggling on the sofa and reading our favorite stories. When we have a great day, we can complete a week's worth of lessons in one day. I can customize learning to our children's individual needs. As a result, my 5-year-old is doing first grade work. My 3-year-old is about to start reading. 

4. We can decide what they learn and when. It is February - Black History Month. And, all over Instagram, I have seen people arguing for and against critical race theory, teaching "real" history, and the trouble with whitewashing history. My husband is a social studies teacher. Our children are Hispanic. We understand the importance of teaching "real" history, but we get to decide when this happens based on their maturity and ability to handle it. And, we can learn about all people every month, instead of confining a group to a specific month. 

5. We get to spend time with them while they are still young. Little kids are hard, but they will never be little like this again. There is nothing we can do to slow time. Putting our children in school may be convenient for our careers or to reassure ourselves that the state will recognize their education, but is it what is right for them? 

We are keeping them home for now. We school for 2-3 hours a day. We school for 5-6 days a week (whether I want to or not). We touch on all subjects - from basic reading and writing to Solfa to Piano to art. We have done unit studies. We have had play-based lessons. 

Will we change our approach to education in the future? Maybe. We have discussed it. For now, though, they are home and thriving. 

My Official Political Stance

Sometimes I read the news or friends’ statuses on Facebook and wonder why there seems to be such a disconnect between what people say...and what they mean....or what they do.

I am not a very political person. Politics bother me because invariably the rhetoric is empty and poor logic is found. I have a great love for logic. I need the world to make sense. When I have commented on politics, it has always been from this need. This desire to understand. After all, the philosopher states that the nature of Man is to know. On occasion, I will read a particularly heinous example of poor logic and I am almost compelled to comment.

Facebook had me pegged as very conservative. Politically, I am not very conservative. Personally, I wouldn’t say conservative. I live a simple, minimalist, and happy life.  I am a moderate. I believe in appropriate and swift penalties for breaking the law, but I think governments should stay out of personal lives. I think that true socialism is unsustainable, but I hold entities, such as Medicaid and Financial Assistance, as necessary. I value the success of capitalism, but I believe the successful should share their success through their generosity. I am very moderate in most things. Why? Because I am not a “conservative”. I am a conservationist - I believe in building foundations first, but applying interventions if necessary.

The second thing that gets me to comment is disrespect or disregard for life. I am a conservationist. My educational background is biology. I am also a Catholic and I believe in the sanctity of human life. It makes my blood boil when I see a disregard for the state of the environment. I loathe the aftermath of protests because of all the trash left behind. It makes me sick to hear of unnecessary loss of life for animals and habitats. Ecosystems are vital to survival. And it deeply wounds my heart when I hear or read of the disrespect of persons.

Race, creed, birth status (born or developing), citizenship, immigration status, job, socioeconomic background, education, mental health, physical health, birth defects, etc. - these all deserve respect. By their very nature, they deserve respect. They deserve the chance of happiness. They deserve dignity. The tiniest fetus. The oldest person in the world. The brilliant mathematician. The disabled adolescent. They deserve respect.

I am an advocate. I give back. I do not judge. I care about the world and everything and everyone in it. My official political position is this: Who can judge the value of life?