First Day of Homeschooling

We kicked off January 2016 by cleaning and organizing the books in our homeschool room. The kids did most of the work.

Today, we officially started. I loved seeing all the kids are their “stations,” some struggling and others breezing through their new material. Okay, so there were tears half-way through. Quiet ones from Titus who had forgotten most of the Zoology content we read back in November. And loud ones from Elijah who was frustrated with himself for leaving a SIM card in the pocket of shorts that got thrown into the washing machine. Catalina interrupted whenever she could with her nose leaking snot down to her lips which she licked up a couple of times. Ew. 

   

  

  

  

  

 We didn’t cover much this morning. Just two or three subjects so I wouldn’t call it an amazing academics day. But being together again to learn was wonderful. The day ended with all of us folded over each other on the couch watching FoxHD’s Top Twenty Funniest Videos. Is it still called that? I can’t remember but there’s definitely a twenty and funniest in the title. 

Homeschooling has always felt like such a natural lifestyle for our family. I suppose this is partly because we chose to home educate our kids from the very beginning so they didn’t have to transition from any other sort of learning environment. To them learning was and still is a way of life and a worthwhile pursuit. It’s not without its challenges of course. Like I said, today we had some emotional outbreaks, minor ones, but still, these things do happen. But we weather the humps and bumps together and the journey becomes an adventure.

When I was asked by Edric to explain what I liked most about being a homeschool mom, I whittled down my answer to one major thing. T.I.M.E.

I have time with my kids. It’s uninterrupted. It’s quality and quantity time. This is such a treasure to me as a mother because my children will pass through this season quickly. And there’s a milestone everyday when you get to see the lives of your children up close. So many beautiful moments to enjoy together and to linger in. I am so thankful to the Lord that I don’t have to rush through them. It often feels like I have the bonus content version of a favorite movie, only it’s my children’s life stories that I am watching. 

Time also gives my kids the opportunity to explore their bents and passions. Most of the day is dedicated to this. We try to get through the academic requirements as quickly as possible so we can proceed to the “real” learning which happens outside of their subject studies. 

Here’s Edan’s newest project…ants:  

Elijah just built a website from scratch because he learned how to code. And he just jail broke an old IPhone! He studied how to do these things on his own. He is waaaay smarter than I am.

Most important of all, time affords me (and Edric) the power of influence. The more time I spend with my kids, the more open they are to listen to what I have to say and what I teach them. Time is a relationship-builder. And building relationships gives me special access passes into the hearts of my kids. This is why I don’t mind the humpy and bumpy parts of being a homeschool mom. The sacrifice is worth the gift of time. 

 
“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, a parent.” (Barbara Bush)