CyndiLJ Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 We are midway through our fifth year of homeschooling, and I realized this week that I think we hit our personal "sweet spot". We started out with a charter program, which was wonderful to get us up and running but eventually I began to chafe against it. I wanted more freedom to teach how I knew my kids needed to learn, and to not be held to a traditional school model as much, so we left at the beginning of this year. We have kids all over the place in terms of ages versus grade levels, no one is working across the board in a perfect grade level/age match, but that's OK, it is working for us. There is a more relaxed feeling around homeschooling these days, I feel far less stressed over it all, and we are seeing the results of all our hard work to meet our kids where they are at. One big reason I think I feel better is that I stopped comparing what our homeschooling looks like versus many on these forums. I was bad about that, beating myself up because with our crew and their myriad special needs, we are heading in a different direction than "rigor" as it might look to everyone else. We have our own form of rigor, that's for certain, and it is as valid as anyone else's given our particular kids. It was hard to let go of what I wish could have been, and embrace what is a good fit, but I think we found it. We are not foregoing completely the idea of college, but it is appearing highly likely our kids will be entrepreneurs, all are interested in owning their own business, and we are highly supportive of that route along with training post-high school...or college if some want it. But recognizing there are many ways to be educated, and lots of ways of viewing what a "good education" looks like has been the single best thing I have done for my little homeschooling self. Lately, I see the kids pursuing things out of interest, popping up with things they have learned that I have not taught them but that they pursued on their own self-education journey. It is such a joy! They are articulate, self-motivated beyond most teens we know, responsible, and learning so much. I am finding myself looking backward with a little surprise...this homeschooling thing is really working!!! Hahaha! I know this sounds silly, but when you have kids like ours who started out with so much stacked against them and not able to fit into a regular classroom environment and succeed through no fault of their own, it is almost like a little miracle has taken place at our kitchen table over the past handful of years, and I am finding myself marveling at it. We have a long way to go, but we are in a nice groove now, I have a firm idea of where we are headed, and we are enjoying ourselves completely. It's nice to have "arrived"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Well done!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strange_girl Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Good for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Yay, I'm so glad you guys have found your "sweet spot" — I love hearing about what you and your awesome kids are up to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Cindy, thank you for sharing your journey. I love your positive outlook. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Yea Cyndi! :hurray: Thanks so much for sharing! And I so totally relate! The first 4-5 years of homeschooling were such a gigantic hill to climb here due to trying to figure out learning disability issues and how to address them, and for that student to finally start maturing to a place of catching up and being ABLE to do school and discover interests. So right about middle school years we hit that sweet spot -- and it really was sweet due to the really tough struggle that came before! Blessings and best wishes for continued blossoming! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishMum Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 So glad you have arrived! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyndiLJ Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 Yea Cyndi! :hurray: Thanks so much for sharing! And I so totally relate! The first 4-5 years of homeschooling were such a gigantic hill to climb here due to trying to figure out learning disability issues and how to address them, and for that student to finally start maturing to a place of catching up and being ABLE to do school and discover interests. So right about middle school years we hit that sweet spot -- and it really was sweet due to the really tough struggle that came before! Blessings and best wishes for continued blossoming! Warmest regards, Lori D. Some of ours have caught up, some of ours are compensating well, some of ours are going to live permanently with deficits that won't easily be accommodated. The important thing is that they all feel positive about their futures, are creative thinkers, and are open to possibilities. I haven't heard, "I am just stupid." in a long time, like we did so often prior to pulling from public school. I am so grateful! Though I certainly don't want to rush their childhoods, I am so happy we are through the "fact finding" stage. This is much more enjoyable :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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