So, today we (Westin and I) are home, enjoying the quiet. Wieland is spending the day with Nikki. I can't say it is all that quiet as I have been cleaning house to AOL Radio! So what is the schedule today? It started with breakfast and meds. Westin and I did a section of math about the relationship between fractions and decimals. I tried to take a walk but about 10 minutes into it I heard thunder and thought walking out in the field with a storm coming in might not be a good idea...great science experiment...but not a good idea :) I came in and got my breakfast and Westin and I did some Tangrams. Since then Westin did his chores and cleaned the bathroom. I spent way too much time, as usual, on childrenwithdiabetes.com ...oops! Seriously, I did clean the kitchen and vacuum the house in between checking the forum. I am going to write this blog and then we will do some more math. We got our language arts finished up for the year so we can hopefully blow through the rest of the math and be a little more laid back for the rest of the summer.
So, why did we start homeschooling? Back in 2000 when Westin was diagnosed with diabetes, Jason said, "I guess you will be homeschooling!" I said, "What!?" There was no way I would be homeschooling. I was anxiously waiting for the day that I could send him off to school and enjoy my days to myself, to go to lunch with friends, to go back to school, etc. Westin started in "Young Fives" at Paw Paw and moved to Kindergarten at Mattawan. All went really well. We had a little issue at "Young Fives" but K was fabulous. We had a wonderful teacher and the office staff was very helpful. It was only half days at that point and there wasn't much that could go wrong. It was when 1st grade started that things got crazy. The school suddenly realized they had a diabetic in the early elementary. Suddenly I wasn't qualified to train the staff, due to liability, and being in school all day left for a lot of hours where issues with Westin's diabetes could arise. I had issues with the woman in charge of care for Westin and the principal. Those were the main "offenders" as I see it. By the week of Thanksgiving, I was ready to pull him out. I was actually dreading sending him to school. After I pulled him out of school, I wrote this letter. I never sent it, but it did help me feel better to document it all.
When I pulled Westin out of Mattawan, I had every intention to put him back in school in 2 years when he would enter the Later Elementary. I figured he would be older and we would be dealing with all new staff. It has now been 3 1/2 years and we love it! I have NO intention of putting him back in school. I have always maintained that if the day comes that he wants to go to school, I will definitely send him, but I don't foresee it anytime soon. I also look forward to homeschooling Wieland as he is more open to the learning process. He hasn't been made jaded by the school system. He just has a different way about him, compared to Westin. Even with Westin not "wanting to learn" it is still enjoyable. I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to try it. Of course, until I decided that I was going to do this "homeschool thing" 100%, it was not so enjoyable. Until I decided to let go of the idea of sending him back to school, always feeling like we had to be on the same schedule and curriculum as the school, always feeling behind, I couldn't really love the process. Thanks to some great role models in the Kalamazoo Homeschool Connection, I let go of those expectations and freed myself of what education is suppose to be, according to the public school system. I started studying "unschooling" and embraced the idea that a lot of what our children need to learn is in "real life". We aren't anywhere close to traditional unschoolers, but we definitely do our own thing. There was this magical day when I started to think like a homeschooler. I saw learning experiences all around me. It was an amazing shift for a woman that grew up really loving school. I enjoyed the entire experience. I did well academically (it was actually really easy), I participated in sports, I had great relationships with my teachers and administration. It was a big shift when I came to accept that "regular" school wasn't really a necessary part of childhood.
Homeschooling definitely isn't for everyone! But if you think you are interested in it, check out some local homeschool groups, try out the lifestyle for the summer, or whenever, and see if you can make the switch. It can be a very rewarding experience for your entire family.
Where do you start? Well, first you need to know that it depends on your state. In the state of Michigan there is no reporting or testing. You simply just start. I did inform my school district that we would no longer be enrolled. Then I suggest taking a little time to "deschool"...hopefully it will help you and your family regain the love of learning.
The all important, at least I think, is finding a support group that fits you. I became very discouraged by what what available in my area when I first started looking for a group. There is a big group in the Kalamazoo area that I just didn't fit in with. I finally threw my hands up in the air and decided to start my own group. At that same time is when I found the group that worked for me. I needed an inclusive group. I found the variety of families in our group to be enlightening, refreshing, educational in itself. It was a wonderful mix of different beliefs and was exactly what I wanted out of homeschooling. I definitely wasn't homeschooling to protect my child from the world. I wanted to experience new things and other's experiences. So, don't give up. There are plenty of different kinds of groups and when you find the right one you will know.
I, along with a couple of friends, am putting together a "Thinking of Homeschooling" night here in Mattawan, probably in August. Watch this blog for further details. Also, always feel free to email me.
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