Homeschool Newbie

Well I never thought I would become a blogger...one who writes to complete strangers. I also never thought I would become a teacher. A teacher without a degree; without ever setting foot inside a conventional clasroom. But a teacher I am! My family has just entered the homeschooling world. A world that is new, exciting, and also very overwhelming and scary at times. Like many I'm sure you want me to tell you the reason we chose homeschooling. To be honest there is no one reason, but instead a multitude of reasons. We are not like most homeschool familes that know from the time they have children this is their goal. No, we believed in the school system. I mean why not? My husband and I were taught in public schools and we turned out alright. All I can say is it's not the same school system that we grew up in.

I have 2 boys (ages 7 and 4) and 2 girls (ages 2 and 10 mos). My oldest son attended Kindergarten and part of 1st grade before we finally decided to homeschool. I am so glad we did! When we made the decision to pull him out of school in the middle of 1st grade, I went through a whirl wind of emotions. Fear, anxiety, excitement, and relief crept up all at the same time. I was fearful of failing. The weight of my kids' educations was now all on MY shoulders! I was anxious as to how my son would adapt to being taught at home versus in a traditional classroom setting. What if he resists me as a teacher? But I was excited to take on the challenge and hopefully bring back the love of learning he had when he was a toddler. As I did a ton of researching and reading other homeschool moms' blogs, I felt relief. Relieved that I was not alone. Relieved that I no longer had to force my child to be a "cookie cutter" student.

This fall we will begin our first full year of homeschool. I can not wait! I feel much more at ease and prepared as I enter this school year. How you ask? Well I have come to the conclusion that my children do not know I do not have a teaching degree. In fact, I was their first teacher in life. Who taught them how to sit up, say "da-da", and go to the potty like big kids? Yep, that was me! I was their teacher all along and didn't even realize it.Why not continue the journey of teaching them into their school years?