Let me see if I can address all the questions... :)
Why? I had homeschooled for 4 years, and the bottom line is that I felt like that season had ended. It was a great experience. It really was. It was hard. Really hard. But I know I wouldn't go back and do it any differently. It was just the right amount of time. It fit.
But then it didn't. It was getting harder and harder to address everyone's academic needs, as well as, physical, emotional, and disciplinary needs. Four is a lot of little people to tap into. Everyday there was an area where I felt like I had really blown it that day. Maybe we got all our school work done, but I had yelled all day in the process. Maybe we didn't get any school work done, and now I was personally responsible for my kids' lack of education. :) Dramatic, yes. But it is a difficult juggling act! Homeschooling is so so fun. It's flexible. It's insightful. It's hard. And for me, it was starting to become grueling. So grueling in fact, that it was majorly affecting my relationship with my kids. It was becoming harder and harder to enjoy them. They weren't doing anything wrong. It just developed into an unsavory fit for our family. The season was over.
But what then? Public school? Could we? Enter freak out mode. Oh man. I did SO MUCH praying. It was never really over IF we should put them into public school. We knew that was the best option for us. It was more over "Lord, please help me get a grip over my irrational fears. Help ease my anxiety. Help me hold fast to what your word tells me. You protect us. You are faithful. You go with us wherever we go."
The more I prayed, the less anxious I became. Funny how that works, huh? The more we talked about it with the kids, the more interested they became. The more I looked into our "new to us" little district, the more I fell in love with it.
A small community. A close community. A few schools all in a row on the same street. Great schools. Great school pride. Reputable athletics. Neighborhood kids in these schools. The prospect of friends that live close by! It was all sounding so perfect.
If you know me, you know I like simplicity. I like home. I have a hard time with busyness. The idea of my kids being 4 miles down the road at school, in our little city, at a great school, meeting sweet friends... well, it's almost as if the Lord orchestrated the whole thing. Oh. He did. :)
He knew our season of homeschooling would come to an end and we would need a school district we felt comfortable in. He knew this before we knew it. One of the biggest things I have been reminded of through this whole process is how much God loves us, how deeply He cares for us, and how much I can see both that love and care in the smallest of details.
Like for example, the first time we visited the school... everyone was so nice and warm. They were genuinely excited that we had come for a visit. They answered all of our questions, walked us around, and my kids (and I) left feeling excited!
On Meet the Teacher Night, I got in the car afterwards and got all teary. The Lord had given my kids such good matches for their personalities. Jack got an older, sweet, sincere teacher who as soon as he walked in wrapped him up in a hug and said, "Jack, I'm a hugger. Are you a hugger?" Ummm. That's his love language! Bella got a spunky fun teacher that is a mom to 5 girls! They immediately hit if off, and I had to pull Bella out of the room so other families could meet the teacher. I was overwhelmed with God's attention to our important details.
So, we are 4 days in...
The consensus is that WE ALL LOVE IT.
I know, I know... 4 days does not a year make. This will get tiresome just like everything else repetitive in life. I'm a realist. But that being said, our little routine is going really well this week.
Bella is making so many friends, being a leader as class ambassador, trying to find shy girls that look like they need a friend, learning her way around the school, and having fun doing her school work.
Jack, our sweet timid Jack, is soaring! He is more and more confident everyday. It makes me teary. This boy has grown so much in his courage. He is making friends, loving (and getting loved on by) his teacher, having fun in p.e., and assures me he is paying attention and using his "yes ma'ams". :)
Max is being big brother at home to Finn. They are playing and getting along so well. All day long, I hear their sweet little voices talking and laughing with each other. I have started preK/K with Max, and he is doing great. He is a quick learner, has good attention, and I think is enjoying his one-on- one time with mommy.
Finn is devouring his brother time with Max. He absolutely loves having Max's time and attention. And he is getting good naps in.
Mark is taking Bella and Jack to school every morning before heading into work. He says he really enjoys dropping them off and watching them interact with their friends. It sounds like they've got a good little drop-off routine.
And me... well, it's AMAZING. I'm laughing as I type that. It's a giddy laugh. It really is so wonderful! For SO many reasons. I love love love a schedule. I can't help it. I just do. I love getting up early and getting the day started. It is amazing what I have accomplished before 8:30am this week. Haha! I love sending Bella and Jack off to a school that I know they are loving, where I know they are cared for, and where I know they are growing and learning and making friends. It's so refreshing that for the first time in a long time I get to miss them! I look forward to picking them up and hearing about their day. I have the capacity to talk to Bella all evening about whatever is on her mind. I have really enjoyed my time with Max and Finn. I love getting to do a little bit of school with Max each day. Running errands with only two kids is where it's at. I love that these two boys play so well together, and it allows me to clean, organize, do my bible study, work on projects, finish the laundry in one sitting, type 3 blog posts in one morning.... all things I have done in 4 days. I love feeling like I have the time and emotional health to love on each of my kids individually, as well as, my main man.
These are all the roses. We still have bickering, discipline, whining... the usual.
But, nonetheless, it's been a really good week. We have high hopes for this year. I continue to pray daily for this year, the growing we are all going to do, the opportunities to be a light in the dark, the easy lessons, the hard lessons, the fun, the tough stuff...
My sil sent these verses to me Monday morning, and we prayed them over our children. And then we squeezed them tight and sent them off to school.
"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1: 7-9
 |
| All back together after the first day! |
No comments:
Post a Comment