Why We're Homeschooling

The first day of school went really well (from my perspective)!  We ran into some technical issues getting started but it was nothing my technically-gifted husband couldn't figure out.  I'm anxious to get more firsthand experience with the material, however this morning I was busy keeping Reni out of their hair and the washing machine going, not to mention cleaning up after that special first-day-of-school breakfast I made. ;-) 

Preliminary Observations:  1.) this is something I think I can do when Nathan's not around (yes, I lean on him like a major crutch), 2.) from the parts I did see, I think this will keep Ellie's interest more than I expected, 3.) we've gotten some wonderful encouragement from homeschooling friends (thank you Corrina, Rachel, Kelly, Jennifer, Steve, and many others!) that this is something we'll enjoy, and I have to say, so far they're right on.

We committed to homeschooling late this summer after coming to the understanding that there really was no other educational option that would work for our Ellie this year.  Initially I had a LOT of fear and trepidation about the concept of homeschooling right now -- the discipline/time it would require, pushing through with Ellie when she didn't want to "work", missing out on a vital connection point with our small town community, etc.  If you've read our blog at all this year, you probably remember that we wrestled with the idea of retaining Ellie in Kindergarten, only to determine that she needed to move on to first grade.  

After committing to this plan, we brought her to visit her new grade school a few times over the summer to get acquainted with the facility.  We were nervous about transitioning to a new school where we knew few people and few people knew Ellie, but we were also excited to see her blossom into an independent student in first grade like the principal assured us she would.  Somewhere though between those visits and leaving for vacation July 30, we got a better picture of what first grade would look like for her at her new school and we got really concerned.  Because she's on an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), her options of classrooms were extremely limited (there are only 2 collaborative classes in her grade), and due to the fact that we were notified of her placement less than 2 weeks prior to the beginning of school, there was even less flexibility in getting her into the classroom that we felt would best suit her.

Given that we believed we could lose hard-won ground if we sent her into a situation where we didn't think she would succeed, we had to consider alternatives to public school for this year.  Private school didn't seem like a viable option because of her individualized needs, so home schooling was all that remained.  And while we weren't opposed to homeschooling, we hadn't anticipated beginning so soon. Up until this point we have always accepted any help professionals wanted to give us in understanding and teaching our daughter.  We had excellent resources for this first with First Steps, and then at the Early Learning Village (our county-wide preschool and Kindergarden).  What she really needs is individualized instruction and it occurred to Nathan and I that short of hiring a full-time private tutor, who can give that to her better than us?

In retrospect, the timing of home schooling this year is pretty ideal.  Last year, during Reni's first 9 months at home, Ellie attended all-day Kindergarden which freed us to give Reni some special one-on-one time to bond with us.  This summer allowed us to have Ellie home all day with us again, and no one enjoyed it more so than her little brother, Reni.  They became best buddies and I'm sure he'd be lost without her if she was gone from 7:30AM til 3PM every day.  This fall we start this school year a stronger family unit which I'm sure will be even stronger when complete this home school "experiment!"

Speaking of "understanding" Ellie, we were notified this afternoon of a cancellation at Cincinnati Children's which allows them to move her appointment up from early December to mid-September!  We are really looking forward to this evaluation, though I'm praying about how to prepare her for it while minimizing her nerves. ;-)

And speaking of appointments, Reni has his 6-month appointment at Shriners on Friday.  We're hoping that they will fit him for a new set of legs (he's way outgrown his last pair)!

And since every post is more interesting with photos... Here's Ellie with some Sunday afternoon company.   The Jeep is Ellie's, the guns are Reed's.  I think the pink/purple jeep makes them a little less scary, but Ellie seemed to enjoy holding up her mom a little more than I liked.  Whadya think?  The A-TEAM?

Sunday night we showed Soul Surfer at the center and served fruity frozen drinks.  Ellie and Reni both went ape over the tiny umbrellas and both would call my name and hold the umbrella over their head like, "Look, I know what this is for!" or "This is too small for me!"

  On a related note, walking in the rain to the cafeteria on campus today, Reni uttered his longest sentence yet, "Oh no, Mommy!  The water is making the cars wet!"

Take care!