homeschooling... more than surviving

After a few hard months this fall,  we decided to take our daughter out of public school and try home schooling instead.  I made the decision in November that come January 1 she would be home.  I wanted to have everything planned and organized and figured out. I stressed over what in the world I was getting myself into and how this was all going to work and would I be able to manage everything and and and and... the list went on.   But for Elie, every day that she went to school was one more day of stress for her and as a result, the rest of the family.  I have a friend who has taught her children at home for many, many years.  She gave me the best advice.    

Bring her home.  Read to her. Play with her.  Spend time together doing daily life.  And I promise you will see a difference.  Even before you start any curriculum or lesson plans.  Just bringing her home will make a difference.  

And so I jumped.  After Thanksgiving break, Elie officially became a home school kid.  For the month of December we read books and played games. We shopped and baked and decorated.  We rested and we played.  We learned new words and ideas throughout the day.  And it turns out my friend was right.   Just bringing her home made a difference.  

She is loving being home.  And the differences continue to multiply.   She had so many holes in her foundation that we needed to go back in order to move forward.  Some days her brain is ready and able to take it all in and some days her brain says no.  The beautiful thing about homeschooling is the ability to take advantage of the good days and to do something totally different when we come to a day when it just isn't working.   I will not lose hope that one day the gaps in both her short term and long term memory will heal.  But for now we can provide the space and safety for her to learn at her own pace and in her own way.  She is excited about learning again and the progress she is making.  Her confidence is being restored and, maybe most importantly, she and I connecting in new ways.  

I had no idea where to begin.  So I asked everyone I knew who was either currently homeschooling or had home schooled their children.  I read a great book about choosing curriculum.  Prayed for wisdom.  And then just went for it.  If you are looking for hands-on curriculum that provides some structure but also ideas on different ways to teach each topic, I highly recommend what we are using.  Our reading program is All About Reading.  They also have a spelling program, but for now I am just using the manipulatives from the reading program to teach spelling.  For math we are using an incredible system, Math U See.  Numbers are a very difficult concept for Elie and it is so exciting to see her beginning to grasp the foundations of place value and addition.  Through the help of a friend, we found a wonderful homeschooling co-op that she attends once a week.  I drop her off and she spends four hours learning history, science, Bible, Spanish, art and learning to play the ukulele.  As the director told me... this program was designed for her.  This week she came home bubbling over with joy because she had learned to play a  new song on her ukulele.  A ukulele, friends.  Those who have been with us since the beginning know this photo is a miracle.  

How long will we home school her?  Will I bring any of my other children home?  I don't know all the answers to those questions.  Today it is working.  Today it is healing, not just Elie, but pieces of our entire family.  Some days are crazy trying to teach math with a wild and whinny toddler screaming for attention.  Some days I sit in wonder as my 2 year old is repeating letter sounds and trying to count.  And with all the snow days recently, Faith has often joined in our school day.  She not only enjoys the experience but brings a fun dimension to the learning process by providing a new perspective and some competition.  I can see the benefit of having some more quality time with her and we are seriously considering bringing her home next year too.  And probably the most important person changing is me.   Much to my surprise,  many days I am actually enjoying this new role of mothering.  We will see where the road ahead leads, but for now I have nothing but peace that we made the right decision.