First Day of School as a Now-Homeschooling Family

Right after waking up this morning, I immediately talked to Kristoff about the homeschool setup and if he likes to go to trad school where he'll meet his friends and classmates. I was asking a sign from God, an answer to my heavy heart. It felt like my mind was on its own battle to homeschool or not even when I was sleeping.

I asked Kristoff multiple times so that I'd get the true answer, the one that's really from his heart. We couldn't pursue homeschooling when he's not really into it. But he said yes directly and clearly saying he doesn't like going to trad school. Mark and I discussed it again and so we both decided to continue our homeschooling journey.

The books that I ordered from Learning Plus have not arrived yet, so we only made do with what we have.

In the morning, we read the story of The Fox and The Stork from Aesop's Fables and did some crossword puzzle with the new words found on the story. I observed the story reading didn't interest him much because his mind was on the book of bugs we found on our collection. Nevertheless, we continued so that he will get used to it. In the middle of this activity, he mentioned out of the blue that he likes us to make a book. (And a bright idea came up!)

He also practiced reading syllables.

We spent most of the afternoon outside tending the garden. He, Liam and their girl cousin were allowed to help but somehow they busied themselves chasing butterflies, catching grasshoppers, playing with worms and observing a caterpillar (putting it on a nice leaf).

When I saw them enjoying the afternoon and feeding their curiosity, it reaffirmed the feeling that we're on the better choice, for now.

Why We Decided to Homeschool

Tonight I cried because my husband and I and some mom friends from here were thinking that Kristoff would be kawawa because he would be missing his friends and classmates this year. It freaked me out to think that he'd be out of place whenever there are gatherings because he would seem not to belong in the "school" group anymore. And what would be the effect of this on him?

I cried to the Lord for guidance on what's the best decision for this.

I paused and started to write this out to clear my head off. To see if the benefits outweigh the disadvantage. I have to go back to the very reasons why I was determined to homeschool him and why I was able to convince my husband about that many months after.

Here are our top three reasons why. Short and direct to the point.

First off, we'd like Kristoff to study on his own pace. No rush, no pressure, no guilt for not learning as fast as anybody else in the classroom. Our goal is for him to love learning as it is.

Secondly, life is short and we'd like to spend more quality time with our kids. This is especially true with my husband whom we only spend time with for 3-5 months a year. Homeschooling gives us the chance to bond together frequently as a complete family during that short time. We can also travel if we want to without worrying of being absent 'cause we can bring our lessons with us.

Thirdly, Kristoff will have enough sleep and nap time in the afternoon as well as much playtime, which he needs the most.

Regarding the social life, that still bothers me. I heard that the social life of homeschooled kids is vertical (they get to socialize with different age groups) while the ones in trad school is horizontal (they get to socialize only with their age group). I think vertical and horizontal are equally important, I, on the other hand, am not too outgoing. But as I love my kids, I commit to doing my best to provide them with the opportunity to experience both. I don't want them to struggle with what I'm always struggling with.