You see I was in public school until 3rd grade. I was pulled out because there was an abusive situation in our classroom (me included unfortunately)... and it was that situation, coupled with the fact that my very smart, ADHD brother was struggling in school, our parents decided that God was calling them to the homeschool road. From what I remember, and understand, my older brother was bored. He wasn't being challenged.. and as a result he was getting into trouble.
We took to homeschool pretty well, although I remember mom struggling to keep my brother on task, and I always struggled with math and often needed the aid of a math tutor. We changed curriculum often to try and find what fit best. Some of my favorite memories of being homeschooled are what brought me to even consider homeschooling my kids...Being able to get my schoolwork done in a few short hours, then having the rest of the day to do as I pleased. We lived on 5 acres and had a menagerie of animals. I took a special interest in horses, and got involved in 4-H. I spent so much time running in the woods, the field, playing by the creek looking for crawdads, building forts, and spending countless hours in my room reading piles and piles of books. We traveled with my parents, and we able to do that without concern about school schedules. Our school day was customized to fit our personalities and learning styles. We were also involved in a weekly co-op of other homeschool families to collaborate and teach more specialized classes... chemistry, Spanish, art, drama, speech, poetry, sewing... these are just a few that I remember. I have great memories of homeschool and some of the freedoms that came along with it, but there were some struggles too. As I got older, my mom and I didn't see eye to eye on a lot. As my studies got more advanced and required more one on one tutoring I lacked motivation. We fought constantly. In hindsight, I also wish that I had gotten involved in a team sport. There are friends that I know, that did a sport all through school, and they have built skills in that area along with lifelong friendships having that sport in common. I was involved in the horseback riding and competing, but I was expensive (although team sports often aren't cheap either).. and I eventually had to sell all 3 of my horses.
When I was a sophomore in homeschool, I summoned the courage to ask my parents if they would be willing to consider allowing me to enter a private school setting my junior year, (as opposed to public school)... after some thought they decided I was mature enough to handle it so we gave it a try. There were things about it I loved-- Band for instance. How fun! I played the percussion, rotating from snare drum, to bells, xylophone, triangle, cymbals, crash cymbal... we even went to 2 competitions.
Which brings me to my {2nd} junior year... my parents and I agreed that attempting public school my final year of highschool might be ok considering I had adjusted so well to the private school setting. A lot of the curriculum I knew already, and in some ways it was boring for me. The only problem is that when I attempted to transfer into public school my Bible class credits did not transfer.. So I had a decision to make. Continue on the 1 hour drive, expensive school for 1 year, or 5 minute drive free school for 2.... I ended up choosing public school and actually redid my junior year. I had quite a bit of free periods because of the amount/type of credits I was lacking. I spent much of my time in the photography lab and pottery studio which is what ignited my passion for both.. most of the other classes were pretty lame to be honest. I learned little, and spent a lot of time watching students around me with bad attitudes and petty drama. But I can honestly say im glad I was able to experience this last schooling time. If not for it I would never have had the chance to do what some people would think to be silly. I would've never been to a homecoming football game. Never have been a prom princess... Never have learned to use a locker combination.. but most of all, never had the chance to learn about ceramics and photography. I use these skills still today and they are a big part of who I am.
Seth on the other hand.. he was in public school from start to finish. He graduated valedictorian from his class (show off ;) ) But he doesn't feel like much of highschool really prepped him for the real world, or for college with the exception of one humanities class..
So we have all of these experiences to pull from, and one really big decision to make. But how do you decide for someone that isn't you?... How do you know what is best until you try?
So. This past year, I decided that I would homeschool Ethan instead of sending him to a public pre-school. I was determined to do it, and do it well, and even had hopes of enjoying it. I to, got him involved in a weekly co-op and he has been enjoying it. This last week as I shared, he wrote his name for the first time, and I cant begin to tell you how accomplished that made ME feel. Wow! He really is absorbing some of this stuff! But the downside, (there always seems to be one?)... We struggled, Ethan and I.. struggled to focus, struggled to stay on task, I struggled to keep my cool. I spend my whole day correcting, teaching, guiding, refereeing... and on TOP of that to add school, its just so much. To be honest I think he has begun to hate the sound of my voice (the hint I got was when he covered his ears and yelled "PLEASE STOP TALKING")
With all this being said, Seth and I have always just had a sense that our sweet Ethan guy would potentially get lost in a public school system. When he had his official Autism/ADHD diagnosis, it further confirmed our thoughts about that. I am certain that there are excellent schools, along with incredible teachers (ive experienced a few) that long to teach and see kids truly reach their potential. But we just feel like Ethan in particular would struggle in the larger, streamlined environment.
So writing off public school and homeschool doesn't leave a lot of options really... So I started looking into the local Christian private school. It wasn't around when I was in school, how handy would that have been? I spent some time there yesterday, meeting with the kindergarten teacher, observing the class, and also spent some time one on one with the administrator... What a great setup. Class sizes no larger than 16. Teachers who are Christ-followers, passionate and great at what they do... they have 1 child who is on the autism spectrum in kindergarten, so its not a new concept to the school. The teacher mentioned that if a child was having struggles, they were allowed some quiet time in the office, or even a nap if necessary...They recognize and accommodate the state IEP, which was a HUGE deal for me, incase Ethan needs one. They even said I could bring Ethan by to tag along and be a kindergartner for half a day, to see if he likes it. How awesome!
I know what you are thinking.. "Awesome! Sign him up!" Haha.. me too. I told Seth, wow, Ethan would LOVE this place. He loves people. He is not good at carrying a conversation, we are working on his social, and verbal skills, but he LOVES being around friends. This all seems way too good to be true. So we decided to pray about it more. We want to do what is best for Ethan obviously, but there is one more barrier to get past. Tuition.... WHY does private school have to be so spendy? We have applied for financial assistance through the school, and haven't yet heard back if we qualify, but unfortunately, even if we qualify, the most it would cover would be 40% of tuition... were still looking at several hundred dollars a month over our budget. Its just not in the piggy bank..And so we are praying for open doors. I am standing in faith that if God wants Ethan to be there, He will provide. I am so excited at the peace I have about this whole situation... God is so good, and if it doesn't work out, we will cross that bridge when it comes, if it comes...
meanwhile, back to working on letters, numbers, and manners. :)
