Yesterday we went to a nearby National Park for some hiking and a picnic. Yeah, we just skipped church to go. Sometimes I feel so much closer to God while we rejoice in His creation, rather than sitting in a building. It's great to fellowship with other believers, and also necessary...but there's just something missing sometimes. I need the joy back. I need to look up at the sky, face to the sun, and smile, "thank you, Lord, for this indescribable, amazing beauty!!"
Besides, we had to take advantage of the awesome weather yesterday. It's dropped 30 degrees since then. Argh! I reeeeaaaallly need sunshine. Really. Days like today just start to wear on me pretty fast.
So, anyway, I got to talking to a young mother at the playground area, after our picnic and hike. She was nursing a baby girl, while she watched her 2-year old son play. This woman was very sweet...very talkative, and I soon discovered that she is a cross country runner for NSU, and an early education major. She is about to gradate, but wants to stay home with her kids. Only problem is that hubby wants her to go right to work. Hmmm...
So, anyway, I got to talking to a young mother at the playground area, after our picnic and hike. She was nursing a baby girl, while she watched her 2-year old son play. This woman was very sweet...very talkative, and I soon discovered that she is a cross country runner for NSU, and an early education major. She is about to gradate, but wants to stay home with her kids. Only problem is that hubby wants her to go right to work. Hmmm...
I promised to pray for her, for God's leading and guidance. I really feel for her. I'm so thankful that I have my husband's support to stay home and educate our children.
I mentioned to her that we homeschool and really enjoy that. This opened a whole new can of worms. Apparently she had been "homeschooled" for two years, 8th and 9th grade...except that she "did nothing." She said she literally did NOTHING. It was boring and she got terribly behind her public school peers. They had NO curriculum or assignments, field trips, etc. This is was a total shock to me. WHY would someone keep their kids home, with no intention of teaching them? Wouldn't it be so much easier to send them to school?
Anyway, this is now the view that she has of homeschoolers. Do others share that view, I wonder?
Because I can tell you that the vast majority of homeschoolers work their tails off. It's a never-ending, amazing, complicated, tiring, stressful, but completely joyful and satisfying job. Seems like an oxymoron, but that's the only way I can describe it. I wouldn't give it up, even after stressful days like today. It is fun, rewarding. And I learn as much as the kids do!
Most of the homeschool moms that I know share this same feeling. We may get overwhelmed, but we stay the course. I do know of a few out there who just don't make school a priority. To those I will say: put your kids in school or make school at home a priority. Not to say that we don't take days off or get behind sometimes...I'm talking about the people who "do nothing" for two years. That just isn't acceptable.
Because I can tell you that the vast majority of homeschoolers work their tails off. It's a never-ending, amazing, complicated, tiring, stressful, but completely joyful and satisfying job. Seems like an oxymoron, but that's the only way I can describe it. I wouldn't give it up, even after stressful days like today. It is fun, rewarding. And I learn as much as the kids do!
Most of the homeschool moms that I know share this same feeling. We may get overwhelmed, but we stay the course. I do know of a few out there who just don't make school a priority. To those I will say: put your kids in school or make school at home a priority. Not to say that we don't take days off or get behind sometimes...I'm talking about the people who "do nothing" for two years. That just isn't acceptable. We talked about a few other things: breastfeeding, church, childcare (which is what she is so concerned about, possibly going into the workforce soon.) Fred laughed about it on the way home. Men get to know each other slowly(talking football for 6 months?) , but women just jump right up on their soap boxes and go to town. :-)
11 comments:
Ah,girl! You know God sent you into that young woman's life that day! She needed your support!
:0) YOu are so loving, tender, kind, and thoughtful...what better way for God to comfort her or bring her peace???
BTW....LOVE your new header....lol!
Oh my!
I do know that there are some naysayers out there about homeschooling,I am not a home schooler and I know a few that believe that way,unfortunately.The few give a bad name to the many.
The photos are beautiful,I love that kind of stuff!!
I love your header too!!!
Love, love the NEW header!!! You've got to tell me how you did it!
I agree God must have sent you to that woman in His perfect timing to provide her godly counsel and companionship. Isn't it wonderful how He works when we least expect it?
As for the HS thing, I think you are so right - there are as many different type of HS'ers as there are different people and personalities. When I was growing up, it was usually large families, all dressed alike in prairie-garb, and we just thought they were "weird."
Now, though, so MANY people do it, and do it well, I think the view is changing. Our church is very progressive, and I' d say we have at least 50% HS'ers. More power to you!
That was a fun day!
Thanks for helping with my site!
You know.. that sounds like what a lot of ppl think about stay at home moms as well. That we just sit around and don't do anything all day. Oh wow.. if only "they" knew how I'm spending my 10 minutes of free time on the puter! lol Sure, you CAN decide to be a crappy stay at home mom, or homeschooler.. but I think most women choose to do a great job! To the extent that we often wonder if we're even doing enough. I'm so glad that you got to talk to that woman and not me. lol I probably would've said, in responce to her husband telling her to go to work as soon as she graduates, "Umm.. I wouldn't let him tell me I had to work.. I want to stay home so I am!" That just gets to me I guess! I typically am a "follow your husband" kinda gal, but her husband doesn't seem to be taking her and the baby's best interest to heart. (all about the money!) I'm with you.. I'm so glad my husband WANTS me to stay home to care for our kids. And, I have to say, I don't feel we're sacrificing ANYTHING monitarily for me to do it! In all honesty, we seem to be financially better off than most ppl we know... and I can't help but wonder if that's b/c we know we only have one income so we've spent the past 7.5 years being great money managers? lol
I love that waterfall pic!
That is a new beautiful banner on your site, and it has the verse our pastor preached about this Sunday. I feel really strongly about getting into nature to think about God. I have a quotation about it somewhere, but I'll have to find it.
It's really sad if some people think that homeschool kids do nothing. I'll tell you something, though: I was homeschool AND public schooled throughout my extraordinary education adventure that was high school, and I felt more bored, and like I was doing "nothing" in public school. I've shocked professors with some of the stuff that Dad and Mom thought to teach me about literature and writing. None of that stuff is from public school.
I've heard they're conducting some public high schools a little differently now--or at least my niece Kristen's school. They're letting them pick "colleges" and take extra classes in their areas of interest. I like that. She's doing fine arts and taking lots of drama classes, which she loves.
I don't know if I'm going to homeschool or not, but I'm going to educate my children whenever they ARE home regardless. I want to pass on my philosophy that we should always be learning, growing, testing our limits and setting new goals.
I love the frames you put around your pics. They look lovely!
You should give that mom some homeschooler blog sites so she can see the amazing things that homeschool moms are doing these days. I actually just put my oldest two into public school because I wasn't able to keep up with the work load while pregnant and I knew I couldn't just do nothing with them for a while year. I'm sorry she had such a bad experience.
I had a friend tell me that she "bristled" at my title, because we WERE having church! I hope it wasn't offensive to anyone else. It was meant to be funny, but I have a weird sense of humor. Fred tells me that all the time. ;-)
Mandy, I know what you mean! I think we are great money managers, because we have been forced into it!! The less you have, the more careful you are with it. I *try* not to take anything for granted now.
Arato girl, Amen sister!! I think we all learned more at home than we did in school. Of course, with super intelligent parents, that was bound to happen! :-) But, hey, I am the one who taught your upper level math. Hope that it stuck!
Ice Cream diary, I did tell her to look it up!! I suggested our local homeschooling group for info, and also told her that I have a blog...so maybe she is reading??
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