One year ago today I signed a simple slip of paper and handed it to my son’s elementary school principal. That slip of paper was all that was required of me to pull Jackson out of public school and homeschool him. It was the scariest and most freeing decision I’ve ever made.
As I reflect on the last year, I can honestly say it’s been pretty good. My kid is happy and thriving. He is learning at his own pace and in his own unique ways. His anxiety is under control. The meltdowns are gone. We homeschooled for a week at the beach. We’ve been able to go to speech therapy early in the morning. There have been a lot of perks to this new way of educating our son.
Homeschooling was the right decision for our family, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard. There are some days that can be so. very. hard.
Julie Bogart writes: It takes courage to spend all day, every day with your children. (The Brave Learner)
There have been many days on this journey when I have had to dig deep to find that courage.
The truth is, I still get scared thinking about educating my son – preparing him for the big wide world that awaits him.
I question if I’m doing it right. I wonder if someone could do it better.
Somedays I’m selfish and cranky and want to just be his mom.
There are other days when I want to burst with joy because, together, we’ve learned something new and exciting.
Here’s what I’ve discovered after 365 days of learning together (we pretty much school year-round): it’s okay to do this school gig our way. I’m letting go of my unrealistic expectations, meeting my son where he is and trusting God with the rest.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned this year is this: God is more concerned about my faithfulness than my success.
What matters most to Him, is that I get up everyday and persevere through this hard, but holy work that is homeschool.
I want Jackson to be a brave learner and I want to be a brave teacher.
It’s my desire to homeschool in a way that takes me outside my comfort zone; even if I’m shaking every step of the way.
One of the hardest parts of homeschooling has been finding our tribe.
We really haven’t found ours yet.
It still feels a little bit like public school – we don’t always fit in with the special needs families, but we don’t always feel comfortable around typically developing kids, either.
I’m envious of people who have co-ops and friends to take field trips with.
I’m trusting we’ll find a place to belong and homeschool won’t always feel so isolating.
365 days of math facts and sight words.
365 days of trying to figure out how to balance being a mom and a teacher.
365 days mixed with worry and hope.
We made it an entire year!
I’m considering that a miracle!
I’m proud of how far we’ve come the last 365 days, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for us as we continue this homeschool journey.