There are times when, as a parent, when you start to tread into new territory. We do something out of our comfort zones for the betterment of our children. I’m sure I am not the only one who does boundless amounts of research on the topic first and watches the self-help videos before even attempting something new. We continuously do the research and because of this, we typically do well. The new thing I am referring to is Homeschool. I did countless hours of research on the topic before my husband, and I ultimately made our decision. Because we are trying to make the right decision, we keep on walking into the unknown area that’s referred to as new territory. Don’t forget to stay till the end to save the photos to print at the end.
The Reason for the New Territory
My oldest daughter really struggles in school, to no fault of her own. She is young for her class and struggles to make the same connections that her peers do. We have a problem with bullies for some odd reason and she has a very difficult time dealing with those kids. Piper did make one real friend last year who has really changed my daughter for the better. At first, I don’t understand why my daughter is struggling with friends, then I see the parent of these children and it all makes sense. I wasn’t a “popular” kid in school, and this stuff starts super young with kids. The parent condones the bully behavior and the non-inclusiveness.
My daughter came from a party and shared with me that she wishes she had never gone to that party. When I asked her about it, she said that no one talked to her or when she went to go play with the group, they all ran away from her. Heck, they didn’t even eat at the same table as her. As a mother this type of behavior is absolutely heartbreaking and as a person who coached girls for a few years, this behavior is unacceptable. The parents were too busy reminiscing about the “good-Oldays’ to even pay attention to their own kids who were intentionally leaving my kid out. Oh, and to add these are the same kids who made fun of her for carrying a backpack around at softball and not using a “softball bag.” *Insert eyeroll here. *
The Reason for the New Territory Part II
The other reason beside social exclusiveness, was because of the struggles in school. Now this isn’t a post about dragging a school through the mud, because our school is pretty great. Our school tries to put their best foot forward for my child and I am well aware of it. They tried and I appreciate how far they did get. But that being said, my daughter just wasn’t flourishing in this environment.
My daughter was beginning to hate learning and hate school. She was only excited to see a handful of friends and she was dreading the education aspect. It’s not the teacher’s fault or the school’s fault, they are taught to aim their teachings at a group of kids, not one kid in particular. Then when you take her out of class for interventions, now she’s singled out and her peers see her being singled out and they start singling her out. So, my daughter attending school would have been a lose-lose situation and we decided on Homeschool.
The Curriculum
The curriculum was the hardest to choose, I searched on the web for weeks and weeks for the one that would fit our needs. I knew what I wanted and nothing was matching up to my expectations. I wanted a curriculum that I could customize to my childs needs, I wanted something that was cost-effective and of course something easy-on-the-eyes that doesn’t look like a textbook.
Upon my days of endless searching down a rabbit-hole of over a million different books and websites, I stumbled upon a website called “The Good and The Beautiful.” What caught my eye was the colors of the books and how light and calm they were. The pages were sweet and fun, not bold and in your face. This website had a textbook for everything. I searched around the website and realized they had a “Free Resources” tab. This piqued my interest quite a bit and through this tab I found that the kindergarten through sixth grade, math and reading curriculum, is free. My jaw dropped and was blown away by this. As my husband always says, “Anything free is worth saving up for.”
The curriculum is beautiful. It really is. When I went to the sample pages, I was impressed with the colors and the writings. It is also a light Christian based curriculum which I found too actually be helpful. We should always find a way to invite God into our daily lives and this was perfect. It’s not preachy or overbearing. It’s more about teaching kindness and gratitude, along with school content. If anyone is even thinking about homeschooling their children, this would definitely be the curriculum to go with.
Positive Light Homeschooling
I love my children in an endless circle. They are the light in my life that I need. I have found that there are ways to specifically homeschool your children in a positive light, without making the day so horrible. The beginning of our day of homeschool begins with a promise to each other. The promise is this, “I promise to always meet you halfway, in learning, living and loving.” We always need to remember to help each other with Homeschooling, especially since it is new territory for us. This promise that we created helps start the day on the right foot.
Overview
If you are on the line between Homeschooling and public school, please do not waste any more time on constantly thinking about this scary new territory. I will say that I am happier when I am Homeschooling my daughter and I know that my daughter is happier to not have to sit next to her bullies and to not be constantly trying to catch up to her peers. It is important to do what is right for your family and what will benefit your household more. I can promise you that you will not regret homeschooling.
Let’s keep raising Cupcakes and stay away from the Monsters.
