Time

Yesterday I took Hope to a pitching lesson at 11:00 in the morning and I thought to myself, "This is another reason I am thankful we home school."  The kids have more time and we can be a lot more flexible.  I don't think the normal school system schedule could ever align with our schedule as nicely as having total freedom to decide ourselves.  Don't get me wrong.... Hope and Sam have things they need to complete by a certain time, but they have the freedom to schedule their tasks.  (This is another huge lesson they are learning, especially as they get older and I let them take over more and more of their scheduling and work more independently.)

I also think about when I was in school and how much time was wasted getting to and from school, walking between classes, stopping at my locker, settling down a classroom before a teacher can start, etc.....    My kids learned pretty quickly as they got older that they had a lot more free time if they got their work done during the day.  Then they have the evening to spend with their family, babysit, develop a business, do chores, listen to radio dramas they enjoy (They love Adventures in Odyssey and Jonathan Park, for example.), play outside, etc.....  I think back to my friend's comment about sending her kids to school all day, then fighting over homework all night, and I am so glad we don't do that.   We do struggle sometimes because they may put something off, but when do kids not do that?

One very important thing I have to mention is that we never let them watch TV or online shows during the day.  That would be a time-sucker and be counter-productive.  (I have to admit Rosie gets a half hour a day to go on Grandma and Grandpa's i-Pad.)  In the evening after all of the work is done, Hope and Sam have been watching old TV shows on Netflix.  The latest favorites have been Leave it To Beaver and The Dick Van Dyke Show.

I have also found that the older kids get up and work out in the morning and then shower.  How many teenagers would love to shower after gym in their own bathroom!

Here are some examples of times we have taken vacation from school:

When Aunt Ging had twins a couple years ago, Hope was able to go spend a few days helping.

We planned a vacation in late January and we don't have to worry about school schedules..... except they are missing one day at co-op, I guess, but ultimately I am the teacher and I don't plan on counting the missed day against them.  Hope was actually quite upset she was missing it and I had to reassure her many times it would be OK. :-)

My aunt's funeral a couple months ago was on a Friday and we all took a day to go to Fairmont, MN.

The kids go on lunch or breakfast dates with Mom or Dad and we get some great one on one time in the middle of the day.

If Terry and I need to go out of town on business, we can schedule for the kids to stay at their aunt and uncle's (or wherever) and not worry about missing school.


The last thing I can think of before signing off for the day is that the kids have time to focus on what their passions are.  There is time to work on being excellent at something.  Sam has picked baseball. There is time to do specific workouts, throw the ball against a wall, swing a bat, run, study the game, etc....., but the school work also has to get done, of course.  Hope has more interests, but the same idea still applies.  She has time to focus, even if it is on several things at once. LOL

Well - I've got to get Rosie off the iPad now! :-)  LOL again.

Go to School, Get Good Grades, Get a Good Job.......

Does anyone really believe that anymore?  Yes - we talk to a lot of people who really actually do.  I cringe when I hear someone say they are going to college and they don't know what they want to do yet.  They will have so much debt!  There is now more college debt in America than mortgage debt...or is it credit card debt?  Either way, that is a lot.

So when the kids get a job, if they get a job in their field even, are they happy?  Are they passionate about what they do?  Some are.  Most aren't.  I was pretty excited when I got my first engineering job.  I guess I am grateful I proved I could survive the college experience with what would look like flying colors to the average onlooker.  Thanks to the amazing generosity of my parents (for the first two years), a paid engineering co-op position, and lower tuition costs in the late 80's and early 90's, I left college with absolutely no debt.  Amazing.  Does that happen any more?

There are a couple of things I realized after working for a while.....  1) After you get your first job, no one asks for your transcript anymore,   2) Continual hunger to learn means everything, and 3) A lot of employees scratch their heads and wonder how their superiors ever got to where they are.

Where is the real leadership?  People know deep down when it is messed up.

I am thankful that the classical and leadership education (whether it is classic literature or contemporary information) my children are getting will equip them to do anything they want in life, and to do it with confidence, compassion, drive, humility, people skills, and leadership.  If Sam wants to play professional baseball, I really truly hope he gives it everything he's got, struggles, and has a victory while being an awesome example all the while.

A great book by top leader, Chris Brady, is Pails.  I have started giving it out as a graduation present.  He does a great job walking through how to plan your life from there (or later).  How many people actually plan their life?  Bets are (and history has played out) that those we look at as successful are planners of their lives.  "Go to school, get good grades, get a good job" is not really a plan.  We think it is, but it falls quite a bit short.  There is more to it, and Mr. Brady does an amazing job of explaining, so read his book if you want to know more.  (Another good book is Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki.)

Time to go play card games with Rose.  (It is on her schedule Papa helped her make this morning, clipboard and all. :-))

Statist Control (Common Core)

I was reminded this morning of another  reason I am thankful we are home schooling.  I received an update from ParentalRights.org .  The specific article is here.

I am thankful that we know all of the content our children are getting and we don't have to battle with anyone in the school system to keep our children out of certain "classes".   We also don't have to worry about them making those tough decisions if there are any surprises at school.   And as long as we can keep Common Core at bay, we home schoolers can avoid that nonsense as well.  (See link.)  I thinkit is hardly alarmist to believe that the children of a country are the future of a country and whoever holds the educational content and methodology in their hands controls the future of that country.  As the older kids and I read history without the state-approved textbooks, I am learning things my public education never taught me.  Other interpretations of history are very important.  If there is only one and it comes from the government, we are all in trouble.  If we give the kids the different viewpoints and reason through it - they are less likely to be duped later.  History keeps repeating itself.  There is nothing new, just different names and backdrops.

Time for History!

Dumbing Us Down

I recommend this book for whoever is thinking of home schooling.  Dumbing Us Down, by John Taylor Gatto.

Mr. Gatto is a former teacher (30 years) and was actually Teacher of the Year in New York State.

Hope read this book in January of this year and I read it a few years ago.  It is very eye opening and counter-cultural.  Be ready to have your previous beliefs about school challenged. :-)

Great Link with Common Questions

Here is a cool link that was emailed to me from HECOA :  Click Here

They answer some common questions people have who are thinking about home schooling.

I listened to some of these ladies' answers to these questions and they seem straight from the heart, knowledgeable, and respectful.  If any reader wants to know how I would answer these questions, let me know.  I will do my best to answer from my perspective.

When Do I Get a Break?

I know this seems like a strange title for a blog entitled, "Why I am Thankful I Decided to Home School", but I often hear from moms that don't think they can home school that they need a break from their kids.   No shame in feeling that way.  I think all moms do at some point....or many points.  :-)

I guess my perspective on that, for whatever it is worth, is that there is a time to get a break from kids other than sending them to school, if that is the only reason a person is doing it.   And if a parent continues to feel this way even while their kids are attending a school outside the home, is sending them to school really the solution to feeling overwhelmed?

I will get down off of the soap box now.  :-)

I am thankful that we chose to home school because I totally believe we have a better relationship with our kids precisely because we home school.  We are definitely not without struggles and issues.  People are people.  Kids are kids.  Parents are parents.  However....I think they learn more about how they should behave while at home with us.  In addition, the book list we incorporate into school teaches values like those in Little House on the Prairie.  One of Carol's favorite sayings is, "If you are not sure about a fiction book and the author is not dead, don't read it to your child."  I probably didn't quote it exactly.   (I think I have managed to climb back up on the box.)

This post is definitely sounding like I am trying to convince people they should home school.  (Should I think that without coming right out and saying it?)  I know everyone is in a different place and I can't presume to know what's best for other families.  But maybe, just maybe, there are people out there who would do it and love the results of it if their fears and reservations were alleviated.  So - if you are in that camp, read on!  If not, thanks for sticking with me this far.


P.S. My husband is wonderful at helping with the kids when I need a break.  Right now, that mostly means Miss Rosie Rose (6).  Hope and Sam are 16 and 13 and work independently most of the time.  I keep track of what they are doing, of course, and am in communication with them for direction, feedback, and encouragement.

P.P.S.  I have to say, I needed a break from Rose yesterday, but her being in school wouldn't have helped the situation because it occurred at night!

Choosing your Childrens' Mentors

This week the older two and I are looking through the a la carte classes available at South Heights Christian Co-op for next semester.  (There are many other similar co-ops in the Twin Cities area like CHAT and YEAH)  As we are doing this, it makes me think of another reason I am so thankful we chose to home school.  We get to pick our children's mentors in all subject matter.

Years ago, Hope took art classes from Kathi Mann in Eagan, MN.  She is amazing!

At South Heights, the tutors there (yes - tutors - because mom and dad are still officially the teachers) are amazing as well.  They don't teach there as a career.  It is usually a person who is passionate about a subject and wants to share it.  They must qualify, obviously, and it seems to draw mostly home school parents whose children are a little older.  I always loved teachers who were passionate about the subject they were teaching.  First level Chemistry at Marquette University was looking tough for me when I had to put it on my schedule as a freshman, but the cute little old guy (I don't remember his name, ugh!) made it so fun!  I loved chemistry.  Who knew?

My very good friend, Mary, will be Hope's tutor next semester in "Essays and College Prep".   Now, stop and think about it.  That does not sound like an exciting course at all!  But we know Mary!  And it will be phenomenal!

Terry and I get to be the kids' teachers in History, Leadership, Finance, and Economics, just to name a few.  Of course, we rely on the historians and statesmen we respect and learn from.  (Orrin Woodward, Oliver DeMille, Richard Maybury, Michael Farris, Ludwig Von Mises, etc.....)

I also have to give huge kudos to Mark Ball (Tutoring with Mr. Ball).  He is the most passionate math teacher I have ever come across.  Hope and Sam have been a part of his South Metro Home School Math Team for several years and they both love it.

I know there are amazing teachers at every public and private school and everyone can name a teacher or a coach who meant a lot to them, but I really love being able to research and pick those people myself.  What are the chances of all of the people I mentioned above all working for a teacher's salary at the same school and have it be in my school district?

I must add that I didn't magically know or know of all of these people when we started home schooling.  I didn't have a grand plan and know how every year would go.  (In fact, I figure it out as we go each year.)  All I had was Carol Joy Seid's book list and her seminar under my belt.  Beyond that, it was sooooo helpful to join a co-op and learn from other home school parents who had all different levels of experience.  There are also conferences we can attend.  (MACHE in Minnesota has a conference every year, for example.)

Well - I've got to run!
Time for History!

P.S. On 12/15/14 ... I had to add this note here.  The kids' math team coach has been a great help in guiding Hope and Sam's math curriculum.  It is very individualized attention to what they need.