My Musings on Homeschooling the Parent

Homeschooling has been a strange journey for me. I brought my child home because she was about to drown in the 30 child classroom. I saw she needed more one on one than they could possibly give. I spent the first year working on figuring where she really was, getting her caught up and getting a schedule that worked for all of us. This year she is mostly caught up and now we are getting into really interesting information.

I have learned so much information that I had no idea about. For instance, Mesopotamia means between the rivers and hippopotamus means river horse. I've also learned why chicken eggs are different colors and that a platypus is a mammal even though they lay eggs. Those are mostly useless, yet interesting, items to know, but I've also learned new grammar things. For instance, you can sit down but you set something down. I can't sit a baby in her crib, I set her in her crib. I can sit on the couch or I can set myself down on a couch. This is news to me.

I have also learned things about myself on this journey. I am not very predictable. I don't like doing the same thing everyday. I like mixing things up. I don't mind reading everyday, but does it have to be at the same time in the same place everyday?

More importantly, I've learned that I haven't dealt with all the pain my undiagnosed dyslexia had caused me in my childhood. I wanted to do good in school and be smart, but struggled with my reading so much it was impossible. Everyone thought I was being lazy and just not doing my school work to reflect my ability. Truth was, I had no idea what was going on most of the time and was just able to "perform" to the teachers liking in class. I see this in my daughter and it scares me. So, I am having to deal with my own pain issues as I teach my daughter that she is smart and I see her trying hard too! I, to this day, hate reading out loud. It's hard to do for a dyslexic. My daughter wants me to read to her all the time and I struggle (even with kids books, I'm afraid) but this too is a lesson for my daughter. She can see that a woman can be successful and still struggle with a reading difference. I think she's not going to struggle as I have. And I pray she never feels the pain of not feeling good enough as she gets older!

I know homeschooling was the right thing to do for my daughter. I have a feeling it'll be good for my son. But now I can see that homeschooling was great for the mother! Praise God I obeyed and brought Katie home for school!