Starting July 1, 2015, I will attempt to homeschool my two daughters.
My goal is to homeschool them for the entire month of July. I will record our daily achievements and failures here. I’m sure there will be plenty of both.
I have yet to decide if I will operate on a 4-day schedule or a 5-day schedule. I should make up my mind now because if I wait till Friday morning to make up my mind, I know now what I will choose. There is no amount of coffee that will make me jump out of bed and skip over to the school desks. Plus, I don’t drink coffee. I prefer tea and tea doesn’t have nearly enough wallop in it to motivate me.
But, why am I challenging myself to homeschool my children, especially when Elly had an ideal first year of preK? Everybody should have a school experience like she did.
Elly was in a classroom with 11 other kids this past year and the best preschool teacher in town. Her principle was also amazing. I couldn’t have found a better learning environment if I scoured the surrounding area.
Perhaps the best answer is that I want to. It would be fun and rewarding. (Somebody remind me of this statement on day 10).
Another reason is that as wonderful as Elly’s teacher was and as many good friends that Elly made, it was a struggle to get Elly to school everyday. Elly was excited about school if there was a field trip or a special party. If it was an ordinary day and too many days were ordinary days, Elly complained, threw her shoes informing that she was not going to school, and rattled off all the reasons she hated school: it was boring, she didn’t like anybody, she had to sit still forever and she missed her family (all far-fetched tales except the last). There was a stretch there where Elly cried everyday before and after school. It was heartbreaking and then it started to wear on the family. Brooke picked up on Elly’s dislike of school and now she mentions that she doesn’t want to go either. It did get better the last 2 months. Elly cried less, but she seemed to regress in other areas.
Will next year be better? Well, she will be 2 months older and God willing 2 months wiser, so I would hope so. Yet, it’s not looking good. Four days after school ended, Elly has started her campaign called “I’m Never Going to Kindergarten”. Actually, if I’m honest, the campaign started after her class took a tour of the Kindergarten class about a month ago. The tears have already started to flow. When the tear tactic doesn’t work, Elly resorts to negotiating. She has wonderful suggestions. Some of them include never growing up and never learning anything. Then, she thinks that she wants to be a scientist or a farmer, but she would just do all of her learning at home.
Maybe Elly will want to go to school when she sees Brooke going to school too. It’s possible, but it’s also possible that Elly will dig her heals in and pitch a fight no matter. She is remarkably stubborn. It’s a fact I am proud of and extremely frustrated with.
Am I rewarding my daughter’s bad behavior?
I’m not sure stubbornness is bad behavior, but if it were, I would say no, I am just not putting all my eggs in one basket. Homeschooling is legal and a better alternative to playing hooky.
What if my July Homeschooling Challenge is a resounding success?
I don’t know where it leaves me. I don’t know if I should homeschool my daughters for a year or for any amount of time.
My only hope is that I learn something this month that will help me make an informed decision. If nothing else, I will learn if I can stick to a teaching plan for 30 days. You will be my witness. I apologize in advance for the whining and crying you may hear.
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