But, in general, I don't like to talk about it. It's just a big can of worms. If you're talking to people who are unfamiliar with homeschooling, you get a gazillion questions you don't have answers for (like "How do you do it?") You run the risk of things getting a little touchy (Like this: "By the way, I homeschool!" - " Are you saying public schools are terrible??????"). But on the other hand, if you open the proverbial can amongst fellow homeschoolers, things can get a little touchy too (Like this: "Oh, I hate textbook curriculum! All they do is take the fun out of learning! Ug!" "Are you saying I'm a bad homeschooler cause I use Abeka????").
So I just don't bring it up much in casual conversation. Here, this blog, it's my place. The few people who read my ramblings and are interested in what we are doing are friends. It's my safe place, if cyber-space could be considered safe.
But you know, I opened that can of worms recently. In talking to our loan officer about our mortgage application, she commented that I hadn't included any income for myself. "I'm a stay at home mom" I said. She asked me how many children I have and how old they are. I told her and her comment was "Wow! How do you find time to get anything done!" (See? Hard question). I gave her some witless answer and for some strange reason went a step further. "I also homeschool." I added.
I can't remember her response over the phone, but when I went into her office a few days later to drop off paperwork, she sat across from me at her desk and said in a nice, conversational tone, "So, you homeschool." It wasn't a question. But it demanded an answer.
I confirmed that, yes, I did. And her first question was:
"How do you do it?
With three children, a variety of ages, one quite young, how do you do it?"
I have been asking myself that same question ever since.
My answer that day seemed pretty lame to my own ears, but it was the only answer I could find. You just do it. A home school isn't like public school. It doesn't require the same kind of operations. My kids don't move from class room to classroom. They don't have a 45 minute segment of time for each lesson. More or less may be required. If less, we move on or take a break. If more, we adjust whatever schedule we may have to keep at it. There's not another teacher waiting down the hall to take my child's attendance for fifth period which starts at 1:42 when the bell rings.
But I still don't really know how I do it.
The fact is, I have a toddler who is a loose cannon if she gets hold of a writing implement. While working one-on-one with my son, she may be reillustrating her picture books or decorating my floors. When I call one child to the table to give another a break, I'm bound to get complaints and griping because I interrupted their playtime. Drinks spill all over the table during Bible. Kids run off in the middle of a read-aloud to "use the bathroom". I forget to give them lunch. Sometimes it's supper time and I get reminded "Hey, we didn't eat lunch today!". That same little toddler learns to open the pantry and scatters a box of Cheerios all over the living room floor while I run to get our science book.
Even though I am reluctant to talk about homeschooling with strangers, I was reminded that not everyone is ready to take offense if I do. Our loan officer was genuinely interested. And I've found that many people are. And I've been wondering if I avoid the topic because, frankly, I just don't have answers sometimes that make sense even to myself. My kids aren't model children, they wouldn't be straight A students, and my days are incredibly chaotic most of the time. I lose my temper, so do they, and I'm the furthest thing from patient. We look nothing like your typical vision of "school". I do sometimes wonder if they'd be better off getting on the bus every day.
So I don't know how I homeschool. I just do it. It's important to me. I guess that's how.
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:)
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