It's that time again. The start of a new school year! The children are off to school for their first day and photos are flooding our Facebook newsfeeds. I've enjoyed seeing all the smiling faces, brand new outfits, cute little chalkboard signs, etc. And let's not forget the mamas behind the camera, getting emotional over the fact that their babies are growing up way too fast... you all know the drill. Each year, I've joined in on all this excitement too. But, some of you may have noticed, I haven't posted my traditional first-day-of-school photo of Averie and Cavin! Well, before we share our picture, I have a little announcement to make.
Sooooo, you know that thing I said I would NEVER do?? Like never, ever, ever, do? Yeah, well now I'm doing it. We are HOMESCHOOLING! This year has been full of so many new experiences for our family, so why not throw in one more, right?!
Why, you may ask? The main reason is for travel purposes. I took one look at our travel schedule for the next year and started stressing about all the days that I would have to pull the kids out of school. Just thinking about all the absent days and potential makeup work gave me anxiety! I'm so relieved that now we will be able to make our own school schedule, take days off as needed, and still keep the kids on track with their school work.
Another reason we decided to take the homeschool route was to give the kids more time to adjust after our big move. We've only been in Florida for two months now, and we didn't feel they were ready to be thrown into a new school just yet. They both were 100% on board when we mentioned the idea of homeschooling!
I have to admit, the thought of homeschooling was quite scary for me at first! "Will I do a good job? What if the kids get behind? What if I don't explain things clearly. What if I get too overwhelmed? Do I even have time for this? I'm the most unorganized person ever! How will I ever pull this off?" These are just a few of the things that swarmed through my mind. But after praying over our decision many many times, those thoughts soon began to fade and now I feel confident and excited to start our new school year. As always, God's in control.
In order for the kids to stay active, meet new friends, and remain social in the community, we are joining Classical Conversations, which is a wonderful Christian-based program. We meet with a group once a week and a trained tutor goes over lessons with the kids and facilitates activities. The CC community will also offer the support I need and help me stay on track with the curriculum (if you are thinking about homeschooling, I highly recommend this program!).
This may or may not be permanent for us. We will see how the first year goes. For now, I like the idea of homeschooling Averie and Cavin during their elementary years, and then going back to public (or possibly private) school for middle school and high school.
I hope you have enjoyed our "first day" and classroom photos! And a huge thank you to all my fellow homeschool friends who have answered my endless questions and gave me some great recommendations on programs, curriculm, classroom setup, and much more! Your prayers are appreciated as we embark on this new journey! LAWD HELP ME!!!
