In the kitchen, down the hall, by the front door, against the wall?

So last night my husband (Big Papa) and I were talking trying to weigh the benefits of homeschool against public schooling. We have finally reached a decision on whether or not homeschooling is right for our girls. We have decided together that we would take a year off of public school. Our oldest, Chunkey Monkey, will be in the third grade next year. This is also the year she begins TAKS testing if she remains in public school. TAKS testing stresses her out tramendously. We're talking adult stress too, biting her nails, chewing pencils, and even tears. I truly believe that we should relieve this stress for her to keep her as happy and healthy as possible. Our middle daughter, Sugar Booger, will be starting Kindergarten, making it easier for her to be adjusted to homeschooling. Our youngest, Squeekers, will be considered Pre-K in public school, however, because where we live its not a requirement, children are enrolled based on income. Meaning, my husband and I, even though I do not bring in any income, make too much money, and our child doesn't get that learning opportunity.

We are setting realistic goals for us to meet during our first homeschooling year. I am more than sure we will find that our children are overall much happier and still well adjusted. However, we will re-evaluate the situation at the end of the year and decide then if we want to continue homeschooling or put them back in the public school system. I'm sure this time frame will be the much needed time frame to convince my husband that we are doing the right thing for our girls. He still has his doubts.

Now that we've made this decision we must decide where to hold class. I have one month of public school left and three months of summer to get our affairs in order. We considered having a desk for each child toward the back of the living room, but this means we would have to move them up each morning for class then move them back at the end of our school day. Not our favorite idea, but it is definately a possibility. Our next idea is to hold class in the kitchen. Since this truly is where I spend most of my time, this sounds much better to me. The table we currently have will not allow enough space for lessons. We have always talked of getting a breakfast knook type kitchen set. I believe we may do this before its all said and done as this will allow enough for all the kids to work on their stuff without whining about their elbows touching.

Let the organization process begin, Project Carty Homeschool is underway.

To homeschool or not to homeschool? That is the question.

It's been a month or so that my husband and I have been discussing the homeschool debate. I am probably more for it than against it than my husband might be at this time. I would like for our decision to homeschool to be completely made before the middle of the summer. This would allow me time to either enroll my children in public school (our school district requires enrollment of every child, every year) or to purchase curriculum for my new third grader, kindergartener, and preschooler. I would also like to know whether or not I need to plan to attend the homeschool conference scheduled locally in August. I have just about finished both homeschooling book and feel confident that I am more than capable of homeschooling my children. Of course the plan always sounds good until I go to execute it. I have faith though that God will see us through this just as he has with other trials in our family's life.

Just for share, here are two of the packaged curriculums I found more affordable for the budgeting homeschool family. These are also on our list we plan to select from. We are still deciding if we homeschool whether to purchase a boxed curriculum set or mix and match to get all the subjects.

Timberdoodle- Bare bones foundation of core subjects with still room to add extras as it suits your family.

LifePac- Biblically based science, math, reading, etc, all the core subjects you need for grades K-12 with add on electives.

But what about "socialization"?

It's the age old question. I've heard it several times at the brief mention of homeschooling my children. Should we decide to homeschool, and that question is still up in the air, I'm sure we will hear it again. I'm almost certain I wasn't the first to have been asked and I'm positive you'll be asked everytime you meet a stranger who wants to know why you are running around town when your children should be knee-deep in school work while attending public school.

It is not that I believe kids are not social in public school, because believe me, my oldest daughter comes home and receives a number of phone calls throughout the evening from friends. I do believe they are not as "socialized" as we have begun to the think in society. From the start of the day, of at least elementary, they are saying the pledge, taking attendance, putting away backpacks and lunchboxes, and taking care of other things. They'll do a few assignments together, maybe some independent work, then before you know it there spending 20 minutes in the hall having a class potty break. Then its back to the class for some more administrative things and a little bit of classwork. At lunch, they can talk, but only to the two kids sitting on either side of them. If they eat fast they have just a few extra minutes to talk to their neighbors. Then its off for another potty break and more classwork. Recess is only about 15 minutes here, so they don't really get much time to socialize then either. Now most would say what they lack at school with friends they can make up after school and hang out with friends. In our family's case, there is no time for friends afterschool because of all the homework we must do prior to returning to school the next day.

My point is that at least with homeschooling they learn to work with others and all different ages, not just a room of all kids the same age. They learn from life experiences not just what's in a book. We can all face it, in real life, you don't go to work in a building with ALL 25 year olds doing the same work. You could possible have a supervisor who is younger or older. Not that you would need to satisfy another's fears of homeschooling and socialization, but if you felt your children were not getting the social part of life then you could always sign up for other outside organizations. Good examples of these are 4H, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts. There are also homeschool groups all over Texas that you should be able to find one that suits the needs of your family in your area.

In conclusion, socialization fears will not be a factor in our decision to homeschool. We are more worried at this point of what our school district will be like in a few years. We will review everything we've learned before making a decision. Check back soon for a list of compiled curricula.

Texas State Homeschooling Law

I mentioned when I found out more I would post to share it with all of you. Today I read the chapter from the Homeschooling for Dummies book regarding the legal matters of it. What I have found out is that in the state of Texas it is perfectly legal to homeschool your child. Here parents operate their homeschool with the same status as a private school. Just as private schools do, parents have complete freedom to regulate themselves. No daily attendance requirement is set as long you are teaching a basic knowledge of math, reading, spelling, grammer, and citizenship. As your child proceeds to higher grades and becomes college bound, you will find yourself doing more record-keeping compared to the earlier years.

More legal information can be found through the Homeschool Legal Defense Association.

Our homeschool journey started with us driving to The Woodlands area tonight to attend a homeschool gathering. It was advertised in one of my yahoo groups as an introduction to homeschooling for the beginner. What we soon found was that there was no information to be found on how to get started or how to pick a curriculum. We did find however, that if we do come across a subject we are not comfortable with or with little knowledge of, we can sign up for classes offered by other organizations. A valuable resource I am sure, but we are not sure it is one we will use.

We still have not decided whether or not we will homeschool. We are in the beginning stages and are really looking for information regarding homeschooling laws, requirements, curriculum, and the basic ins and outs of homeschooling.

Upon leaving the gathering, we realized we knew nothing more than we knew before we walked through the front doors. With this, we decided we'd drive down the road to Barnes and Noble. We were two parents on a mission. We were looking for any and all information to get us on the homeschooling highway. What we found were two great books we think are going to get us on the right path to making a well educated decision for our family. First up, Homeschooling for Dummies, a wonderful reference to everything you wanted to know about getting started, and The Homeschooling Book of Lists by Michael and Mary Leppert, a guide on teaching methods, curriculum suppliers, state guidelines, tests, transcripts, and more! We feel so far, we have the right tools for the job. I'll post more as soon as I make headway on either book.

Our first step into the homeschool journey starts tonight. We will be attending a local homeschool curriculum fair to see what's out there. We'll be looking not just at the curriculum, but homeschool support groups as well as other homeschooling options. We've lost respect and confidence in our school district this year after a traumatic incident occured at the local high school with my neice. We have not made up our minds just yet on whether or not we will homeschool our three girls but our journey begins here, today.