The Next Adventure

I survived another school year.

Which is a good thing, because I had run out of school lunch combinations. (Would you like crackers or cheese with that PB&J?)

Our daughter has attended a small Christian school the last 2 years. We have loved it. Fantastic teachers, fun & educational field tri

ps, an overall well-rounded education.... What's not to love?

Well, tuition comes to mind.

Actually, we felt it was money well spent. We received an excellent return on our investment. But it became a bit of a stretch for us financially.

So a germ of an idea began to grow.....

HOMESCHOOL.

The more we thought about it (and we REALLY thought about it, because we were really looking forward to the 2nd grade teacher.), the more excited we became with the possibilities. We found that it became less about the lack of finances and more about customizing our girl's education.

As I considered it, here are the conclusions I came to:

1. Ultimately, the responsibility to educate our child is up to us, the parents. As Christians, we feel this strongly and find instruction for this in the Bible. (Deuteronomy 6:6,7; Deuteronomy 11:19; Proverbs 22:6 and Ephesians 6:4) I do not feel that others cannot teach my child, but the main responsibility lies with us.
2. By homeschooling, we will be able to customize our daughter's education. In a traditional classroom, students are "contained" at their grade level. I've found that students tend to be at different places in their learning journey and by homeschooling, I can meet my daughter where she is in any subject and nurture any specific interest that grows along the way.
3. It will help to nurture our family as a whole. Our extended families are about 8 hours in either direction. When in school, we are locked into traveling only when school is out for holidays (if the holiday is long enough and coincides with a weekend.) This greatly limits visits with family and opportunities to travel together on personal family trips.
4. We just love our girl and enjoy being with her! I realize daily that she is growing up soooo quickly and want to take advantage of every moment we can spend with her.

I realize that not everyone can homeschool or even wants to. It is not my intent to become a crusader and evangelize everyone to the homeschooling method.

But that day may come.... :-D