Reflections on Week One

A sweet friend of mine asked me to email her how the first week of homeschooling went. As I wrote it, I realized they were thoughts I wanted to cherish and share with you all. So, thanks Jessica for asking, and here is my answer:

The first week definitely had its ups and downs. AJ HATES to write, so that was a major battle.... writing anything. However, as I sat and watched both of them learning new things (and me learning new things too, especially in Science and History), I realized how thankful I am that I am the one seeing them learn and teaching them, and not someone else. I didn't have to ask them at the end of the day what they learned today because I already know. Instead, at the dinner table.. I was able to say things like, "Tell Dad what you learned about George Washington" or "Share about the herbs growing in our living room!"

I have also had a lot of realizations about what education is and how the whole system works. I used to teach public school, so I feel like I can truly compare the two. When AJ does a math paper (for example), and he misses two problems, I sit with him and correct them and figure out what he doesn't understand. In school, when you miss 2 (or even 20) problems, you get a lower grade and move on. Yes, some parents review papers at home, but let's be honest... you can't possibly do that for all the papers every week, especially when there is so much busy work.

I am not by any means the perfect homeschool mother. Trust me.... when it took AJ TWO HOURS to do one page in a reading assignment, he saw the ugly side of me. However, I know this is best for all of us. We LOVE having our mornings to eat breakfast together (at 8, not 6) and do a devotion and scripture memory together. We LOVE not having homework in the evening... we can do whatever we please. So far, I have no doubts about this decision. It really makes me wonder how I ever went to work full time and left them in someone else's care. I don't think I could do that again.