Kidding, kidding. Mostly.
It took a lot of prayer and pondering to come to the decision that we wanted to school our children here in our lovely home in Pennsylvania. Dan neither pushed me nor dissuaded me, and I neither rushed nor belabored the idea. It was just something that kind of settled over us as our oldest entered elementary school age, and the future of their education stretched out before us.
We started Daisy Duck off at a charter school for Kindergarten. The same charter school both my husband and I had graduated from--a place that, to this very moment, we still trust implicitly. All the same, there were moments that a familiar, loving voice whispered to my heart, think about it.
When Daisy Duck would come home from a field trip, my heart would soar for her! What fun! What experiences! Such friends! And yet again, that still small voice would say with a smile, don't forget.
And those times she would come home bored, and clearly not challenged, the voice seemed a littler firmer. You could teach her.
When I would teach Brother Duck at home, and wonder to myself how such a boisterous, adventure-loving wanderer would fair in a classroom setting, the voice was there. Think about it.
Never chiding, never pushy, never angry. Just there. As my Father in Heaven usually is, He simply knew my heart and my needs, and was willing to offer a word when needed.
So as we approached the end of the school year for Daisy Duck, I began to explore the possibility in earnest. And without boring you with the long stretches of fear, and the short bursts of enthused determination that ensued over several weeks, we did finally decide.
Homeschool.
That term that causes the socially aware to cringe. The one that conjures up images of strange kids, with their odd families, and their opinions about politics and the school systems and the moral state of our country, et cetera, et cetera...
And yet to us, it is really just a new reality. The reality that I, as their mother, know them from the inside out and from birth to present. I know what they know, and more importantly, I know what they wish to know. And that knowledge will allow me to teach them what they want, when they want, and at the pace we all feel comfortable going at. In short, my friends, it's all about them! It's not about the government, or the bullies, or the teachers, or the system, or the world at large. It's about Daisy Duck, Brother Duck, Curly Duck, and Baby Duck, and what they might need. Its about what I can give them if I'm willing to dig deep and give it to them.
So with that in mind, here's a blog I may or may not use. I'd like to have it here as a waiting frame for whatever adventures I feel I'd like to chronicle. It might be nice to have a journal going of what we learn.
Either way, welcome to the window, and enjoy looking in! It's pretty entertaining to watch the Auchlings paddle through life.
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