"You're doing what?!" "Wow, Amy, that's... interesting." "I don't have the patience for that. Good luck!" I've heard this a lot in the past month, as well as much encouragement. Thanks, friends! Yes, it's true, I am entering a brand new world. I promised to blog about how this all came about. So here I am.
I have friends who homeschool. (Mostly people who live out of town, actually.) I've seen some bad results with homeschooling here and there, but overall, my friends and acquaintances have had great success with homeschooling. When I think back to conversations with these friends, I remember either thinking or saying, "Wow, that's great. I totally get why you are doing this. Maybe I can convince you to homeschool my children? I can drop them off in the morning at your home & pick them up in the afternoon. Seriously." :)
Fast forward to 2010 -- homeschooling started entering my brain as a possibility in the future. Even the thought of homeschooling being a possibility to me is so out of left field. What in the world?? I've had a great experience with our elementary school in the public school system so far. I am a big cheerleader for our teachers, school administrations, and others working hard to better our communities. So the big question... why do this??
I don't know what made me start investigating more about homeschooling besides a nudge from the Holy (God's) Spirit. (You may not believe in that, but that's really the truth for me!) A conversation here, a story about someone, a curriculum I heard about, a blog I read and so on. No one was trying to convince me. It just all started adding up.
By mid-July, I gave it up. I was out with a friend at Starbucks and we were talking about it. She doesn't even homeschool, but we were just discussing it. I came home that evening and decided to tell Matt what I was thinking about. I wasn't sure what his reaction would be. We've had plenty of conversations over our 9 years of marriage where we've, ahem... we've made fun of homeschooling. What was he going to say?
It was 10:30pm. "Matt, I need to tell you something.... (pause) I'm thinking we maybe... might... think about homeschooling." He smiled. He always smiles, so that doesn't give me any indicators. After about five minutes of asking me more questions -- yes, it took me that long to get it out of him -- he confessed. "Amy, I've been feeling the same thing for awhile now, but there was no way I was going to bring it up." WHAT??!! We have NEVER even talked about homeschooling in the past couple years. He told me that he prayed that God would tell me... because there is no way he (Matt) was going to bring it up to me. He knows I'm stubborn - haha
We both stood and looked at each other, AMAZED.
OK, now I'm really going to have to investigate. What will homeschooling really look like in the Caton house? What are the pros/cons? Thus, I have begun a wonderful journey of exploring a whole new world -- the world of homeschooling.
To be continued....
6 comments:
Still laughing... Glad you're drinking the Kool-Aid now instead of continuing to, ahem...make fun of us Kool-Aid drinkers. ;) You won't regret it and neither will your girls.
And P.S., your jean jumper should arrive in the mail on Monday. Oh, and tell Matt I made an appointment for next Thursday to have his vasectomy reversed so that you can have 14 more kids. You'll thank me later.
And P.S. again, I really am excited for you and for how you've followed God's leading on this. You're going to do great!
hahahahahahahaha
Yay Amy! We are in a similar boat....must be the Nikki influence. :) Are you planning on doing anything with A? I was considering trying to include at least Aria (Selah is going to public school for K), but I'm not sure how much she'll get. You are going to do great!! N & A are so blessed to have you and Matt as parents.
And Nikki, you crack me up!! :) No need to wonder where Judah and Sims come up with so many rib-splitting commentaries...look at their parents!
thanks, Sara. A will be going to preschool 3x a week. She'll be doing school (less structured) with us on the other days. :)
yes, Nikki laughed her butt off when I told her the news....
For the past three years, we always ask that.. are we gonna homeschool this year?? Most of our decesion lyes with our daughter. Every year, so far, she has said she wants her mommy as her teacher. Brooklyns in 4th grade now. Our twin boys get thrown into the mix this year. We'll see, we take it year by year, nothing is in concrete as Gods Hand is always working. One thing I've learned as a dad that I know you as a mom know all to well too... they grow up way, way too fast. Most people when they get older look back and think, I wish we had spent more time together. Thats why we do it, spending time together, cause tomorrow when you blink, they'll be gone.. Good luck.... wierdo..... lol
thanks, ben :)
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