Hi, I'm Kristi. I write Here in Idaho, which is a whole lot funnier than this blog is going to be. That's because this one's going to be dedicated to homeschooling: how we do it, who does it better, what we use, frequently asked questions, and why teaching your kids at home is very awesome.
Let us begin, shall we?
How the Harrisons Started Homeschooling
I realized I wanted to be a teacher when I was pregnant with my third child, Ava. I wanted to impact young lives. No, I wanted summers off. So I suffered through a year-long alternative certification program in San Antonio, sent out my empty resume, learned how to give killer interview answers and got my first job teaching kindergarten in the Southside of San Antonio. All this happened in the year of our Lord 2003.
My first year was a little bit of a nightmare. I had five ADHD boys who ruled the classroom, one of whom was later suspended for attempting to choke his first grade teacher. I honestly didn't know the first thing about teaching, the first thing being classroom management. I also didn't know the second thing, which is teaching kids how to read. I sucked at teaching.
Over the summer I read, read, read. I spent time with better teachers and tried to learn everything I could. I entered my second year confident and ready. Only my second year was going to be very different.
To begin, Charlie, my son was going to go to school with me. He was going to start kindergarten next door. Secondly, his teacher was someone I didn't know. She was new to our school, but a ten year veteran of the classroom. More on her in a minute. Third, our school district had made a deal with the Devil, I mean a curriculum company. We had to follow scripted lessons in exchange for free curriculum. More on this in another minute.
So Charlie started school. Charlie, who is my most well-behaved child, who knew his letters at the age of two, my sweet little boy, gave me the surprise of my life by sucking at school. He couldn't focus, he could read, but he wouldn't write. Every single complaint I had about my little ADHD boys from my first year came back at me in the teacher's lunchroom. He'd come home with homework I had created and he wouldn't do it. I remember having one multi-hour session at home one night, yelling and begging and fussing and pouting and fighting over these stupid worksheets. He was miserable at school.
So while he was stinking at school, I was stinking at this new curriculum. I hated it. Our kids were going to be tested mid-year and the curriculum was moving at a snail's pace. So I dropped the mandatory curriculum and secretly taught the kids how to read using Charlie's teacher's methods. She was and is an amazing teacher. Particularly when it comes to literacy. My entire approach to teaching kids how to read comes from what I learned from her.
So. The end of the year came and we had a problem. My husband's job was in jeopardy. Co-workers were being layed off, the management was crap, he was coming home miserable. We made the decision to leave our cozy life in San Antonio and move to Sandpoint, Idaho. IDAHO? Yes, Idaho. And guess what? I couldn't find a job in Sandpoint, Idaho.
A few weeks into first grade, Charlie's teacher tactfully addressed what I already knew: Charlie wouldn't focus. And that was when the decision was made. This child would either spend the rest of his life being a bitter disappointment to his teachers, or I could pull him out and teach him myself. And that's what I did.
I started homeschooling in November of 2005 and haven't looked back. Charlie, who couldn't 'focus' to save his life, can recite The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere from memory. We start third grade in a few weeks, with middle sister starting first grade and baby girl doing some preschool.
Here's what I want you to get from this story: don't presume your kids' teachers know what they're doing. Don't presume they have your child's best interest at heart. They are there to do a difficult job, one that most people wouldn't want in a million years. But when it comes to your kids, you you YOU are ultimately responsible for all of it, their education included.
Which is why our family made the decision to homeschool.
A few weeks into first grade, Charlie's teacher tactfully addressed what I already knew: Charlie wouldn't focus. And that was when the decision was made. This child would either spend the rest of his life being a bitter disappointment to his teachers, or I could pull him out and teach him myself. And that's what I did.
I started homeschooling in November of 2005 and haven't looked back. Charlie, who couldn't 'focus' to save his life, can recite The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere from memory. We start third grade in a few weeks, with middle sister starting first grade and baby girl doing some preschool.
Here's what I want you to get from this story: don't presume your kids' teachers know what they're doing. Don't presume they have your child's best interest at heart. They are there to do a difficult job, one that most people wouldn't want in a million years. But when it comes to your kids, you you YOU are ultimately responsible for all of it, their education included.
Which is why our family made the decision to homeschool.
7 comments:
I have a Bachelor of Education (with distinction) and a teaching license in 2 provinces (Canadian), but I don't think I could teach my own kids at home. I love the classroom and I want my kids to experience it.
Honestly, until I read this post, I could never understand why anyone would want to homeschool their kids. Your argument for Charlie makes sense to me. And good on you for starting up this blog! To share resources! And ideas! Like a true teacher...beg, borrow, and steal!
Thanks so much for the comment.
Homeschooling does lend itself to sacrifices, and my girls are very bitter about not going to public school. I'll compensate with gymnastics, girl scouts, Awanas, and as much flexibility as I can muster in our school schedule, but it's still a very hard thing to hear:
"But I wanna go to regular school!"
It's tough, but I'll stick by my guns. And if I let the girls start calling the shots now, imagine how the teenage years are going to roll out.
PS - Nickonchuks: homeschooling is MOS DEF' not for everyone. My best friend has vowed she will never homeschool in a million years. And I know my husband, for example, would die before attempting to educate our kids.
One of the things I want to accomplish with this blog is to encourage parents to accept the responsibility of educating their kids, whether they send them to ghetto-school, or pre-Harvard. No parent should EVER blame their kids' teachers for their child's inadequacies. Am I right? You know I'm right. You're a teacher, duh.
"Don't presume they have your child's best interest at heart."
Ooooh, so true. My kids have been mostly VERY lucky with their teachers so far, but next year, The Boy - my sunshiney little guy - is getting the teacher that my husband and I dubbed "The Devil" when she was teaching our daughter in first grade. We are so considering homeschooling...
A-frickin-men to this post. It gave me chills. You are so right on about it being OUR responsibility to see that our kids are educated and that WE know what's in their best interest better than anyone. I learned that the hard way when I sent my oldest to preschool... and then promptly pulled him out six weeks later. We've been homeschooling ever since.
Rock on!
Kristi,
You are absolutely right about making parents take responsibility for their own children's educations, regardless of where they go to school. So many parents blame the teachers for everything without taking their own measures to rectify the situation. I am really digging this blog.
BTW - I am Sarah from Cheeze Whiz and Mustard, but it's not linked to my blogger signup for some reason.
Great post and story. I spent the last year, my son't first grade, dealing with the teacher telling me how Ben won't "focus." *sigh* He's now seeing a therapist because I am doing due diligence for the possible ADHD thing but also because he is very high anxiety and I want to help him with that. Anyway.... I keep saying to him, "just homeschool," but he's against it. Glad to see you took a stand with your girls. Maybe I'll do that too, if second grade starts going the same. We live directly across the street from my son's school, so we might have to move. :)
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