One week down and I can already feel that 14-15 is going to be a stellar school year. Our charter's theme this year is "The Journey" and I've been thinking about our homeschooling journey over the past three years. Choosing this path of education is not simple. It comes with risks, challenges and struggles but the reward is always worth it in the end. I've realized in the last few weeks that the journey is so much more than we even imagined it would be. We started homeschooling for a better education, but it has blossomed into so much more than we could have imagined.
I met a new homeschooling dad at the park the other day, as part of our charter's "Not Back to School Picnic". He's taking on the challenge of homeschooling is first grade daughter. He said to me "I've learned so much about my daughter and my relationship with her in just one short week." He was passionate, excited and had a look of pure delight at these new revelations. We spoke for a few minutes and I could tell that he still was nervous, but also feeling so joyous and confident in their decision to homeschool.
This is where the beauty of homeschooling lives. In those personal moments where you have a deep connection with your children, where you have a window to their souls- these are the slivers of time to deeply appreciate. This is the magic, the sparkle and the opportunity that homeschooling brings to a family's life.
Entering our fourth year, one would think I had my son all figured out by now. But I realized after talking to this dad at the picnic, I still learn new things every day. Just this week, in our first week of school, I discovered something unexpected. My son has always been motivated by competition. But the nuanced truth is, he's motivated by competition with himself. He wants to level up, to beat his high score or do it faster next time. He wants to be better than himself the last time. He doesn't enjoy beating others and in fact, will sometimes throw a game or competition to make sure the other person has a chance to win too. Thinking about it and talking it through with my husband, we both realized this is also why the kid doesn't really enjoy team sports very much. For him, if you can beat your personal best and still lose, that's no fun at all.
Kids also learn a lot about themselves when homeschooling, that they might not otherwise understand until much older. My son had high hopes of a high school geometry class at our local high school. However, the spots were all given away by the time they got to 7th grade priority, except in a 3pm-4pm class. I was such a proud mama when he said "I really wanted geometry, but I know that 3pm is not a good time for me to do math. We'll just study on our own." He knows himself well enough to understand that math at the very end of his school day is not a good option and to let it go, even though it meant so much. That takes a massive amount of self-awareness, understanding and confidence to not only understand but to say. It was a bump for geometry, but a win for true knowledge.
Last night, we were at a pool party at a family friend's house. In short introductions to new people, of course homeschooling came up. As always, someone had to ask the socialization question. I turned to the pool, where my son knew one person but was organizing a game with eight kids between the ages of 10 and 14 and introducing himself to everyone. It was the first time I heard this question and didn't feel defensive, annoyed or frustrated. I looked at him in the pool, smiled and turned back to the mom.
"Are you worried about socialization though if he's not in school?" she asked.
"Nope," I replied, simply marveling at my son. "He's got this."
Homeschooling isn't just a journey about books or curriculum, but about education, love and insight beyond a textbook. I am grateful and appreciative of the opportunity to be on this journey and to soak up every bit I can along the way.
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