Many of you know that we plan to homeschool. This has been a joint goal of ours since we were married, as well as something that we both individually planned to do with our future children before we met. We both come from families where academics were considered very important, and we look forward to imparting that value to our children.
Little Buddy only recently turned four years old, which means he won’t start Kindergarten until August 2024. Last fall, we began doing a structured, daily school time each morning, and I am really proud of him for the progress he has made.
We started with a preschool curriculum that taught basic concepts like letter sounds and number recognition. Little Buddy finished that in a few short months and was ready to start Kindergarten reading and math in January. Because of his age, we are taking the slow and steady approach. If I had to guess, I would expect us to finish up by the end of 2023. After that, we will add additional curriculum, but for now, my primary focus is on developing his reading and math skills.
We also practice handwriting (a combination of tracing letters and words and writing some on his own). For history and science, I check out non-fiction picture books from the library. He and Mr. Handsome share a love for learning about science topics and historical figures. We also read excerpts from various children’s Bibles and learn Bible verses together.
Some people worry that homeschooled children do not have enough socialization with peers. For us, socialization has been the easiest part of homeschooling. We have been heavily involved in a community play group since Little Buddy was born, so we get together with other moms and kids of various ages multiple times a week. We also do play dates with individual families and regular meet-ups with our homeschool group, so we often have more opportunities for socialization than we can fit into the schedule.
Way to go Little Buddy! Keep up the good work! I wouldn’t want my children in public schools, either. Not in this day and age. My children, now adults, attended public schools, but things were different then.
I know that if I had been homeschooled, I would not have met the fantastic public school teachers I did, I would not have had the same help and encouragement I had at public school, and I would not have been exposed to the courses I had at public school, one of which shaped my future career. My parents could never have given me the range of subjects I had in public school or the lab equipment, field trips, and extracurricular activities. My mother never had math past algebra in her high school so she certainly couldn’t have helped me with geometry, trig, and calculus the way my school teachers did. Same with the sciences, the languages, the music, the clubs, and so on. I met my husband at public school too. On top of that, there are the friends you meet (hundreds of possibilities) and even the people and teachers you come across that you don’t like….yet you learn how to handle those situations too. That’s an important life lesson. Then there’s the “competition” with other students, which pushes you to be better and to get good grades. So it’s not just about course work at public school. There’s so much more. Last night I had a 2-hour phone conversation with one of my former teachers, 50 years after I had him in school. Forming teacher-student bonds like that is priceless, and not something you get when going to school at home.
I would be curious to know exactly what your objections are to public school, when you haven’t even tried it yet with your children.
I went to a really good public school with great teachers, and I am very grateful for the education I received. We have nothing against public schools, but we believe that the level of education and opportunities that we can provide our children with will put them ahead of where they would have been with a public school education. Homeschooling is something that we are both excited to put our heart and soul into, for the good of our children.
Don’t discount how far ahead public school kids can go. That boy who just set a record by winning $10M in scholarships was a public school student. It still sounds as if you’re putting down public schools, and you haven’t even seen them in action lately, except maybe some bad ones that made the news or something.
Yep. Keep telling yourself that. I personally think you are doing your kids a huge disservice but you do you.
I think this is wonderful. We live in a large city where unfortunately a large number of parents are dual income due to the cost of living, so there is a bit of a homeschool desert here. It’s very hard to find homeschooling families with children over 6 within a 30 minute drive. Sounds like you are doing a wonderful
job with teaching your eldest.
Thank you, Elizabeth! It’s tough when finding community doesn’t come easily, no matter what kind of community it is. How long have you been homeschooling?
My grandchildren were homeschooled and all have excelled….started college early….we now have a Nurse who is working on her Masters Degree, a newly graduated granddaughter Ast
ronautics Engineer, and a 5 year U.S. Marine Intelligence Specialist. They were all part of a Christian co-op where they have all the socialism they can handle! You and Mr. Handsome have made an life changing choice to homeschool.
Thanks for sharing your success story! You must be a very proud grandmother.
Vicki that’s awesome! I love hearing stories like that!
With all due respect, it is impossible to become an aeronautical engineer through homeschooling. Just no.
Play dates and meet-ups are not the same as sitting in a classroom with 25 other kids for 6 hours, 5 times a week. Kids have to learn how to be a social and productive part of a group of people with diverse skills and ideas. Kids need to learn how to focus on their work and get things accomplished, even with distractions. That’s preparation for adult life, not sitting around the kitchen table with a book or playing with other home-schooled kids a few times a week. You may not see it, but you are sheltering your son and making things too easy for him. What makes a tree strong? Having to stand up against the wind all the time.
I think Little Buddy is blessed to have two loving educated parents to homeschool him. I wish my parents could of homeschool me, many parents cannot homeschool their children for various reasons. I’m sure Little Buddy will do just fine.
Thank you! Yes I agree, public schools are a blessing for situations where homeschooling is not an option.
Hi Ellie, You have made the right decision. Homeschooling is the best in this day and age. We all went to public school and had a great education, but things have changed for the worst in the public schools. Keep up the good work Little Buddy. God Bless.
Joan.Marion and Marilyn
Thank you Joan, Marion, and Marilyn! 🙂
Ellie you and your husband.are making the best choice for YOUR children. They will be amazing at learning I’m sure. I homeschooled all three of my daughters and they all graduated and attended college.
I know as they get older, you will meet homeschool moms who want to teach a group of children subjects like art, sewing, and more. I taught crocheting to a group of children and they loved it!
You will have opportunities for field trips to places that offer homeschool days. When we lived in California Six Flags Magic Mountain had hom
Thank you for the encouragement! I’m looking forward to taking advantage of homeschool days at the historical sites and museums that Nashville has.
Oops! For some reason yesterday my tablet malfunctioned and my post sent before I was done. I wad saying Magic Mountain would have a yearly homeschool day where there was a special discount that included a special lunch in the admission price. It was fun to go and the atmosphere was so different from the regular times I’ve been there.
I hope you share more of your homeschool adventures! And remember I’m sure those of us here who have successfully homeschooled can answer any questions you may have. Have fun!
Hi Ellie, it sounds that both you and Buddy are doing a great job. It is such a fun time when children are soaking up all the learning they can and are exposed to. Your trips like the one to the Aquarium will only add to teaching moments. Enjoy your schooling. I am sure Buddy and in time littlest Buddy will greatly benefit from 2 well educated parents. I wish you every success. Eileen
Thank you, Eileen! 🙂
I just wanted to add that you and your husband are highly educated and there is no question in my mind you will do an excellent job of teaching your son. I homeschool my children too, on the evenings and weekends after they have had a full day of enriching public education. I understand you didn’t have a great experience with public eduction, but that was YOU. Your child is entitled to their own path in life, to make their own friends, learn to coexistence with their frienemy classmates. Of course homeschooling has a place, but don’t think you’re preparing your child for life without the benefits of a quality public education.
I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one, which is completely fine. Different strokes for different folks. Some people choose homeschool, some choose public, and some choose private. I think we can all appreciate having freedom in education.
But I do want to clear this up: I did not have a bad experience at public school. I attended for most of my growing up years (all but the last two), and it was a good experience. But times are changing, and as I said in another comment, we believe that the level of education and opportunities that we can provide our children with will put them ahead of where they would have been with a public school education.
My daughter loves being a homeschooler. She cannot imagine sitting at a desk all day long. We alter our schedule to suit us. We go tobogganing in fresh snow. We kayak on a sunny morning. We set our own pace for reading and math. We delve into history and geography, following our interests. We do music and swimming during the day when she isn’t tired. We do community sports in the evening to see other children. It is a beautiful, relaxed, family- centred life. I’m happy to see you embracing this lifestyle.
For anyone who does not understand how homeschool works — If a homeschooler wants to attend university, it is not more difficult than if the child attended school. You can do AP tests and math contests and many other ways to show academic proficiency. Homeschool students are known for their independence and that is highly valued for professional programs. In my family, we have engineer, nurse, dentist, doctor, in addition to those who chose not to attend university and follow the path to a licensed trade. You do not want a “socialized” professional or tradesperson; you want someone with independent thought and out-of-the-box creativity.