Hold Your Breath, Kids!

Let me start by saying I've homeschooled before. Sort of. Well, yes, I did, but you know, it was Kindergarten, and I've actually been a Pre-K teacher, so it wasn't all that difficult. Back then there were practically no resources. The homeschool curriculum section in the local school supply stores took half a shelf. The internet had information, but nothing definitive I could put my hands on. But, hey, I'd done it before, I could create lesson plans again, and scrape together materials from various places. I was like a little beaver, gnawing away on trees of information, stacking them just so, and presenting them in (what I hoped was) a fun and interesting way. My kids did great. No bragging on me. In fact, I think they survived Homeschool because of their strength of character and inherited brain power. I'll take credit for their intelligence, though, because I like to think my brains went somewhere during the whole pregnancy/delivery scenario.

Fast forward a few years, and here we are, as a family, at a crossroads. We had put both children into a Charter School. We were very excited. We wanted them to be around a variety of kids, plus we felt they could get a feel for the "real world" (as in how corporations work). In theory, this was an excellent idea.

After long and various issues with the school (and countless meetings, conferences, and bending over backwards in positions I haven't achieved since I was eleven), our children are now being homeschooled. I have a son with suspected Asperger's Syndrome, and a daughter who will one day rule the world (if only they'd use their powers for good!). Both are gifted. Both crave knowledge. I taught them the last few weeks of the last school year. We all learned a lot, and had some fun doing it, too. I was in a positive frame of mind, pumping myself up for homeschooling. Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!

Then I started thinking about the upcoming school year. All my doubts resurfaced. Could I do this? What sort of mom would I be if I failed them? What sort of philosophy would I use to teach? What sort of program? What about social interaction? What about...what about...repeated over and over, like a bad seventies song you can't get out of your head. I mean, they eat homeschoolers, right? At least that's the reaction I got when I informed the school I'd be homeschooling. That by the time I was done teaching them, I'd be tossing them into a world where anyone taught at home would be ripped to shreds and eaten by the oh-so-smart brick-and-mortar educated people. Could they be right? Am I setting up my children up to be devoured by the ravenous beasts of the world?

That's what this blog is about. One mom (and dad's) attempt to take up the mantle and teach our children. It's not like it hasn't been done before. In fact, before the federal government got involved, children were educated at home, or in small community school houses by teachers who were approved by the local citizens. Plus, I don't have to teach to a test. I can teach to the child. That has to have some merit.

So here I sit, waiting for my shipment of "Everything Your x-Grader Should Know" and the accompanying teacher's books. Yes, after much deliberation, the Core Knowledge ideal is what I've chosen to go with. Will it work? I hope so. Will I be organized enough? Doubtful, but I'm optimistic. Will the kids pick up some knowledge that will actually help them? Even if it makes me crazy, yes, they will. And if I need to, I'll even pack animal repellent in their luggage when they go out into the "real world".

So hold your breath kids, cause mom is about to try to teach!