That is the question that gets asked of me every time someone learns that Lucy is homeschooled. The first thing people assume is that we are hippies or that I hate the school system. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have done it all. Our Kids were in the public system successfully and then we found private schooling which I love and prefer to public school. My eldest went through private secondary school and my son is now there.
And here we are now with Lucy doing distance education. Would I prefer her to be at school? Yes and no !!! I would love her to be healthy enough to go to private school and be with friends and hence give me some free time, but I am glad she is not in public school. The negative about home schooling is that I have no free time - in the beginning that was hard but now we have a routine and it works fine. The positives of home schooling is that Lucy has a personalized program and one of the things I sure don't miss about public school is the politics and a child coming home being upset about one thing or another.
Homeschooling is a huge committment and I look at it as my job. I have friends that work and they can't do stuff because of work and neither can I because this is my job. That's not to say we don't have the occassional day off or if James is available I don't meet friends for lunch or whatever. We have a pretty strict routine but we do break it now and then.
The biggest thing to establish is a good routine and have the kids know what is expected of them. The aim is to produce independent learners for life. Lucy has gained so many skills doing distance education that I don't think she would have learnt being in the public school system.
Here is what our classroom looks like. It is in the corner of our dining room which is open plan with our family room and kitchen. I could have put the classroom in our spare bedroom or office but I find it works better here. I can do things in the kitchen and still have Lucy ask questions etc.
Home schooling has always been popular in the U.S. but not so in Australia. The only kids that used to do it were those that lived in the outback and were isolated. I am finding it is becoming more of an option now here too which is great. If someone had asked me five years ago if I would home school my child I would have said "HELL NO" but I am glad to say it is a great option for our family right now.
