Nearly a year ago I shared a post about deciding to homeschool. And in that post I shared that part of this process in deciding to homeschool was to give myself the freedom to stop.
“I may only do this until winter break. Or maybe for the year. Or maybe for elementary school. Or maybe through middle school. And I may not homeschool my second son. It may not be right for him.”
At the end of this past school year, in my homeschool review, I shared that the choice to homeschool was a scary one, but that I did not have any regrets. I wrote my review a week before learning that moving was a possibility.
“One year, one semester, one month at a time. I have no idea what we will be doing years from now, but I do know that I already bought the curriculum for next year!”
Well folks, It lasted for just over a year. We did start the year homeschooling in order that he would be up to speed when he began at the school here, which is a year-round program. The short time I was homeschooling confirmed for me that sending him to school was the right decision. I was in no condition mentally to be teaching. Now, my son is not only going to public school, but is even getting himself there on the bus!
The decision…
My decision to stop homeschooling came down to two main issues.
First, I would be losing the great support system where we lived before. It was fine with my son, who is very outgoing, to be home during the day because we were involved with so many people in so many different areas. Now, moving to a city where we do not know anyone, I felt that we would be isolated while homeschooling.
Second, moving is quite stressful and I need to be able to release stress through exercise, otherwise I am ineffective as a mom and teacher. Being active has allowed me to stay off medication. Endorphins are my drug of choice, and running is the best way to supply those for me. Not being able to exercise as frequently had always been my biggest concern with homeschooling. I was able to make it work last year since my son was only in second grade and the school work load was not heavy. But that load is only going to get heavier. Stress and the need for exercise are directly related. The more stress I have, the more important it is for me to exercise. The short time I did spend teaching my son was evidence of this. I struggled with being patient with him when learning something new, I was yelling more, and I feared that he would begin to hate learning if we continued.
The positive…
So far, my son is so happy being in school. The first day he came home talking about all the friends he had made. Him and his brother are not bickering as much. He has struggled with a new way of learning (Hello? Common Core!!) but seems to be catching on now.
The negative…
There is not as much time for extra things. Before, my son took piano lessons during the day, and he loved it and showed talent for it. Now, our piano has a layer of dust over it.
He has friends, and I don’t know who they are. I’m sure they are great kids, and I know I will eventually meet them and hopefully their parents. It’s odd for me that he has a life that I am not a part of. This is part of letting him grow. It’s exciting to see who he is becoming, but it hurts my heart a little too.
Final thought…
Just like I gave myself the freedom to stop homeschooling at any time, I also have the freedom to go back to it. As a mom, I never stop praying for wisdom to know what the best thing for my children is at each stage of life.
