So what moves one career-oriented mama to give up her
professional dreams and embrace a way of educating her child that is often viewed
by mainstream society as a path only chosen by socially isolated, Bible
thumping weirdos?
This guy:
His tough guy alter ego: And my lizard wrangler:
When we first relocated to Hawaii, Noah was still under two years old - nowhere even close to compulsory school age. That didn't stop parents of school-aged children from filling our ears with complaints about the poor quality of Hawaii's public education system...or stories of the infamous Kill Haole Day - as if it were a part of some obscene Hawaiian tradition. So, we find a good private school, I thought. Ha! That's before Chris and I investigated the cost of such schools. I don't know about you, but the prospect of paying $6K (or above...some on island private schools charge a flat K-12 tuition rate of more than $15K) a year for a kindergartener's education seemed a bit preposterous to me. Nevertheless, I spent MONTHS investigating preschools, public schools, private schools, religious based institutions - all in the name of avoiding the one viable option available to our family that could ensure a quality education coupled with a reasonable price tag...homeschool.
Ahhhh...homeschool. Let's explore the stereotypes for a moment, shall we? You've got the religious zealots - aka "Jesus Freaks" who read the Bible all day and whose only social activities include Sunday School and door to door "Jesus Saves" pamphlet distribution; the Duggar style families - large broods of children, long homespun dress and stiff collared shirt wearing, anti-technology folk who only read literature published at or before the "Little House on the Prairie" era; the hippies - who bestow names like "Moonflower" and "Rayne" upon their vegetarian from birth children who avoid traditional schools to keep "The Man" from making their offspring conform; and finally the "fearful families" who only seek to shelter their oh-so-fragile children from the big bad world.
Trafficking in stereotypes is so much fun....particularly when they're so outlandish and outdated. :)
Truthfully speaking, however, I can't say that I didn't fall to fall prey to at least some of the negative stereotypes regarding homeschoolers, especially when tackling the dreaded "S word" (as we homeschool families like to call it)....socialization. Growing up with Chris (yes...we've known each other since 6th grade), I witnessed an entire community ostracize three of his siblings - who were all homeschooled - for being "different." The only real difference being...was that they didn't go to public school. I didn't want Noah to have endure such social punishment, therefore it took me a long time to realize that homeschooling and social interaction were not mutually exclusive, and that their experience and my misconceptions of homeschool were largely products of small town dynamics.
It's now March and our family has been homeschooling for exactly ONE YEAR. That year has taught me that homeschool education is not so much about the sacrifices you make, but the moments you have gained. The beauty of homeschool is so much more than a "custom fit" or tailored education - it's knowing that I, not an outside teacher, get to experience Noah in his best moments...not only during his pre/post school "blues"; that we truly get to know, love, and understand each other as a family, not just accept peeks and glimpses of each other as we run off to our various jobs and independent lives; that Noah has the freedom to have more time with friends, less time with bullies, and know that he is more apt to follow his own heart and conscience rather than be swayed by the negative peer pressure that rules traditional education; that we build a real foundation in our community and our world - that true socialization is more than just "conformity" within our limited peer groups, but actually learning and communicating within a broad and diverse group of people; that he gets to simply be a kid - time to daydream...play...be creative...and do all those things in an environment in which he's unafraid to just be...HIMSELF.
Homeschooling has become an integral part of our family...a lighted path...a way of life.
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