Yesterday morning was a little rough. I was trying to help Carrington with her Math. She doesn't like Math. It is a struggle for her. I was giving her a "Do Hard Things" pep talk and showing her a little bit of tough love at the same time. Not everything we do in school is always going to be fun. Although a lot of it is fun. 2 weeks ago, my children and I were hiding little green paper frogs all over the house. We were reading about the 10 plagues that God brought upon Egypt. The frogs were hidden in drawers, shoes, the sugar bowl, in beds, etc. I'm sure my kids will never forget the 10 plagues of Egypt.......at least not the frogs. :o) Maybe I need to get more creative about Math. *sigh* To help remind myself, and maybe share with someone thinking about homeschooling, here is a list of things I love about homeschooling:
1. My children are receiving a Christian education. (This is definitely #1 for me. I know that there are some wonderful Christian teachers in some public schools. But even if my child had a Christian teacher, that teacher would not be allowed to teach Science, History, or Literature, or anything else from a Christian world view.)
2. When a teacher loves to learn, it is contagious. My children and I have had so much fun learning Greek this year. We love to read and learn about so many subjects! We have had fun doing Science projects and reading history books. We sometimes play games to see who can name the most American presidents. We like to see how many states and capitols we can remember.
3. I just asked my son what is the worst bad word he knows. He said, "jerk". :o) He is 7 1/2. There is no reason why he should know the F word. I learned it in kindergarten because it was painted on a fence at school.
4. We have had a great time listening to classic books on CD in our car. If they weren't with me so much, we wouldn't have time to do that. I LOVE classic books. They teach character and make you think. They spark good conversations.
5. Because my children are with me every day, we have had time to learn about Bach, Beethoven, Leonardo de Vinci, and other brilliant minds.
6. My daughter, age 11, is healthy and feels good about herself. She doesn't have anorexia. She doesn't hate certain body parts because someone has made fun of her at school.
7. My children feel safe in their school environment. In the school district in which we live, there was an elementary aged alcoholic a couple of years ago. There are kids who do drugs. There are bullies. There are school shootings. No, I can't keep my children safe from everything. Yes, I need to trust God with my children. But God has given Warren and I the job of protecting our children. Homeschooling has certainly made that easier.
8. We have met some wonderful, smart, sweet Christian homeschooling families in our homeschool group and elsewhere.
9. I have the opportunity to teach my children about other countries and cultures. (I graduated from high school with good grades. I also graduated from college with a Bachelor's degree in Nursing. But it wasn't until I was out of school that I learned about the world outside of the United States. I knew a pathetic amount of geography.) I want to travel with my husband and children. This is a dream of mine. I have started a fund. :o) I had the opportunity to travel to the Carribean and Europe when I was younger and traveling is so educational, eye opening, and FUN!
10. There is nothing more cozy on a cold, rainy morning, than for my kids to come snuggle in my bed with me while we read books and/or do some schoolwork together. I always say, "Do you guys know how lucky you are?"
I will have to add more later!
