I started as a home schooling blogger on Families.com about a month ago. My introduction post is a little overdue, but I wanted to share with others a bit about myself and my background as a home schooling single mother.
My two oldest daughters went to public school all the way through high school. A move to a rough area of Baltimore had me quickly pulling my three youngest out of school and home schooling them myself. It was a decision I wish I had made with my older girls. Live and learn though, right?
For the most part I used the Charlotte Mason method of home schooling, but I also incorporated some of my own ideas such a whole curriculum using art, history, or social studies lessons. Being a frugal person with my time and money, I needed to get the most education I could out of everything we tackled.
About 6 years after I started home schooling my girls, I was divorced for the second time. Although my nerves were just about frazzled beyond recognition, I simply tied them in a knot on top of my head and went about my life. Having the kids home all the time did contribute to a bit more mess, but we have memories that could never be replaced had I sent them to public school.
Along this path I was also a work at home mom. I didn’t want it any other way and couldn’t see any other way to make our lives work. If I had a 9 to 5 job then who would watch my kids and be their teacher? I surely wasn’t sending them back to public school, which I aptly called “Kiddy Prison.” Like all self-proclaimed Super Moms, I found a way to make it all work.
The level of education my girls received compared to their public schooled friends is beyond anything I could have imagined. We simply did what was fun and interesting, and things that were logical and necessary. For any parent who has home schooled, I’m sure you know the joys—and pitfalls—of being parent and educator to your children. And for those parents who are thinking about home schooling but aren’t quite sure about it, let me tell you that it’s the most rewarding path you will ever take with your kids. You have a front row center seat as you watch them blossom and grow.
I look forward to sharing more of my experiences as a home schooling parent and reading about yours as well. I’d love to hear why you decided to home school.