The First Year

I called this blog 'Brook Academy: First Year Adventure in Homeschooling'. Well, technically our first school year is over. I homeschooled Laura from October through May. I kept her on a very similar schedule as the local public schools because she has three older sisters still enrolled there. I wanted vacations to match as much as possible.
This first year has definitely been an adventure. When I began in October, I had several reasons for what I was doing. First, I wanted my daughter to have a Christian education, and there aren't any christian schools that are local. Second, I've been extremely disappointed in the local public school. Yes, most of the time they do a very good job, but each year it seemed like my daughter would come home just a little more apathetic toward learning. And third, I saw some very good examples of homeschooled children both as children and when they grew into adults. I wanted that for my daughter. I wanted her to have a strong foundation with God, education, and with herself. I want her to become who God wants her to be without all the peer pressure of what the kids at school want her to be.
So, we began the school year with some reading lists and some workbooks. I didn't have a definite direction, but I knew I had a lot to learn. I spent hours scouring the internet researching information. Other homeschool blogs became my lifeline. The encouragement from others and learning how other homeschools worked was a tremendous help and blessing to me. I would spend a lot of time planning.
I had to replace some workbooks for something different. I tried a couple of Lifepacs, and really didn't like them. I used Abeka for a couple of subjects and truly enjoyed them. However, I don't really want to do public school at home. I began to delve a bit into unit studies. I tried Konos, and thought they would be great for a larger group of homeschoolers. However, with one, it just didn't have the same impact. I bought Weaver off the internet, but some of it was missing. I ended up looking into Heart of Dakota and fell in love with the books.
I used a lot of Sonlight for my books this year. Sonlight is a wonderful program and, if I stick with homeschooling for very long, I will probably end up switching to their program for the higher grades. We truly enjoyed the books we read from the Sonlight lists. And the program gave me a strong idea of what my daughter should be reading. The program is full of quality literature.
Laura has done a LOT for Bible. A strong Bible program is important to me. Laura read "The Book", a children's story bible published by Tyndale. When my husband and I first decided to homeschool Laura, I asked him what he wanted Laura to learn. My husband is a Sunday School teacher for preteens. He wanted Laura to get a foundation in the Old Testament. He thinks that is neglected in the church. So, Laura read all the Old Testament stories. It took her from October till the last day of school in May to finish all the stories.
Laura also read from the New Testament nearly every day. With Stars, she is to read the entire New Testament in three years. We made good progress. She's nearly done with Year One.
Laura also finished the Daisies program. We hope to finish the Prims program by the end of summer. We wanted to finish it during the school year, but we just got too busy.
I was really intimidated by teaching Laura math. And we struggled here and there, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. While she needs to practice over the summer, Laura learned her multiplication tables and beginning division. She tested at the end of last week and is at level for national standards. That's a little higher than Indiana Standards.
To say this year was an adventure is an accurate statement. I am looking forward to this next year. I've learned a little about what I am doing, though I don't consider myself an expert or anything. I've learned a lot from Homeschooling...probably more than my daughter. I've learned about the kind of mom I want to be. I feel more like my children are not only blessings, but an honor. You see, the decisions for their lives are mine now. Before, I felt like I was at the whim of the school. I honestly felt like my wishes for my children came after what the school demanded. And most of the time I felt like I was just trying to keep up with their homework and deprogram them from what they had learned at school whether from peers or the curriculum. I felt like I didn't have much influence in what my children were going to end up believing. Now, I feel like I can make an impact that matters.
There are still obstacles. One lady at church told me that she doesn't want her daughter homeschooled because she wants her child to have friends. I laughed. My daughter has friends. They might not all be her exact age, but she has friends. She gets along well with other children both younger and older.
Next year I hope to get involved in a homeschool co-op. There isn't one here in town, but as more and more parents decide to homeschool, I thought about forming one. There is one about 20 minutes away. I might join that one if nothing local turns up.
This first year has truly been an adventure. I encourage those who are thinking about homeschooling to try it at least. It will be harder than you thought, but more wonderful too. There will be days where you just want to quit and send your kid back to public school. And there will be days when you wouldn't go back for no amount of money. I prayed about homeschooling before beginning and I pray every day for God to guide me. I make my decision year by year, but I also look at the long-term benefits.
A friend of mine was so impressed by what she learned through me that she researched homeschooling herself and presented her findings for her college class. The teacher called her saying that she had no idea homeschooling had such benefits. Most people don't know the benefits. I am still surprised at how most people don't think homeschooling is real school or better than public school. It so can be, as long as it is done with love, prayer, and dedication.
So now...on to summer, then on to homeschooling fourth grade and preschool. My challenges next year, homeschooling a toddler for preschool and a fourth grader. Let the Adventure Begin!