what WE do...really

How many times have you read an article on home schooling and thought, 'oh, I wish my family could be like THAT'? I know! I know because I've heard from too many people (outside of talking to myself) that this rosy picture is not what we see reflected in our own homes (and schools). One dear friend of mine, who is preparing to begin home schooling, always tells me I am one of the first people she calls when she has a school related question. Why? As she tells it, not because I'll have the perfect answer, but because I will tell it to her like it is. Now, I'm not on any mission to convert the world to home schooling. I will be the first to admit, it is not for everyone. There are simply no perfect answers, no perfect solutions, no perfect schools. So we make the best decision that fits our families. There are days (and days) where I question if home schooling is not even for me. But for now, it is the our best solution for our family, and we stick it out.

My biggest complaint would have to be what many people cherish about this lifestyle. You are always, always with your kids. Now, there are benefits to this. It does make for a very tight family and there is barely anything I as a mom "miss". I see and hear all. Really. And some of it warms you to the core, and some tempts you to run off to foreign lands. Add to this fact that not only do you rarely get a break from your own kids, they don't get a break from you nagging them nor the constant presense of thier siblings. Togetherness can be a good thing, but what do they say about too much of a good thing?? Yes, it leads to a lot of bickering, squabbles, fighting, screaming, crying...ugh. Eventually it all ends with me threatening bedtimes at starting at 5:00 as I've heard enough by that point of the day. All I want for Christmas is one quiet evening!

So as far as our home school, this is what we really do DO...

As pictured above, yes, school is done in pajamas from time to time. I usually insist on the kids being dressed to start lessons, but hey, if I've got their attention and willingness to start work without an argument, I could really care less what garments they are wearing.

The younger ones really do learn from the bigger ones. It is amazing how much gets passed down. Number four has so much exposure to EVERYTHING as compared to the first. And it shows.

We do school (our formal written lessons) at our dining room table. We started out in the basement, created a nice, finished faux classroom. It was really neat. And it didn't work. Being below ground, no matter how nice, just felt too much like we were being confined (albeit self-confined). The dining room table allows us plenty of workspace and best of all - sunshine.

Now one thing I will state, is you can tell a home school home usually upon entering. There are certain characteristics you just wouldn't normall see elsewhere. I know Greg has been resistant to many of these things, but as our school grows, it is just a natural coarse. For example...

Our china hutch doubles for glasswares, and a library. Granted, these are not even close to the number of school books we posses. This is just what we pull from on a daily basis, mostly workbooks. Behind the closed doors and in the drawers are most of our art & craft supplies and other miscellanious school supplies. I will take a picture of our "other" library when it is decent enough to take a picture of! We have five bookcases in our basement over full of childrens books we have collected with the intent of homeschooling. This, I have found, is a trademark of a home school.

A book book here, a book book there, here a book, there a book, everywhere a book book.

Well, that's a scratch on the surface of the life of a real home schooler.