sillymommy Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 We are in the middle of our 3rd yr of homeschooling. We use suggested curriculum from TWTM. I'm struggling to keep up with our 4 kids, their educational needs & personal needs. I need some encouragement from families who have homeschooled in the classical method and have success stories to share. I'm in the trenches & wondering if all this is really worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbabe Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Bumping for you. We don't really teach with the classical method... but for me, I can tell you that homeschooling has been more than worth it for me. My children are good, respectful gentlemen. I have a good relationship with each of them (ages 16, 13, 8). I wouldn't change that for the world. We enjoy each other's company, they don't have the bad attitude that their public schooled peers have. I sometimes feel like a failure at it all... but I don't regret one minute of it. I have been able to spend every day of my children's lives watching them learn, watching them grow, and watching them bloom. So worth it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 I have been around the block with myself about what constitutes "the classical method." There are so many slight variations on it. The bottom line, though, is that I have focused more on who my children are than what I want them to know. If that falls in line with a classical method (for one child it does, for the other it doesn't as much), then great! If it does not, then I take a different track. "Classical" is not the be-all and end-all. Your child's accomplishment as an individual, as a whole person, is. That is what makes homeschooling worthwhile, and yes, I really believe it is worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 I think it depends on why you are homeschooling. What are your goals? Maybe it isn't 'worth it' for you, and that is ok. Not everyone wants to be parent and teacher to their kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Homeschooling four children is hard hard work. It's exhausting and mostly thankless. When my children were around the ages yours are now I was exhausted and didn't know if I could keep going. I actually went to an open house for school. I just kept feeling like it was the right thing for our family even though I was drowning. Fast forward eight years and now I see what all the work was for. I have two teens and my relationship with them is why it was worth it to continue homeschooling. I have good kids. They aren't perfect at all. I seriously doubt they would be who they are today if we hadn't stuck with homeschooling. I believe that because they weren't bombarded with peer culture through the middle school and early high school years they were able to develop into individuals. They have lots of friends now and are very socially active. They still want to have a relationship with me and they are both close to each other (when they aren't fighting :bored: ). If you feel in your heart homeschooling is the right path for your family I encourage you to push through. I've heard homeschooling described as a cocoon. All you see is this ugly shape. It seems to be unmoving. It seems as if nothing is happening. All of the hard work makes no difference. Then suddenly one day a beautiful butterfly emerges. You realize that all the toil and sacrifice helped to create this beautiful creature. God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Yes, the answer to your question very much depends on what the payoff is that your are expecting for your effort. There are no guarantees with any route, schooling in the home not. But, you can evaluate your own goals and determine the way that they are best reached. You can even revisit those goals and your progress and change your mind. ;) Everytime I start to change my mind though, I get a reminder of why I'm doing what I'm doing and head back to the trenches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Rigorous homeschooling is worth it. Whether or not it is worth it to follow the WTM to the letter is something each family needs to decide. I used the ideas in the WTM as a springboard but chose resources and techniques that worked for each individual child. A straight WTM approach would not have worked for me or for either of my children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Anna Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 I have three kids whose ages cover some of the same spread as the ages of yours. We've schooled from the beginning - which was pretty early for our oldest - and it's gotten harder as we've added more kids into the mix. I'm not ahead of you, so I can't give you an idea of what your kids "will be like" based on mine, but I want to point out that (in my experience, at least) schooling with a 2-year-old is the hardest time. Happily, it doesn't last more than a year or so. :) As your kids get older, they can work more independently and things will likely morph into something less difficult. Hang on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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