Homeschool At Last

We are homeschoolers. Did you all know that?

In some ways--the most important ways--all literate homes are homeschooling homes, regardless of whether the kids go "off to school" at some point. And literate homes don't start at a certain cut-off date. Generally, it's a from-the-cradle kind of atmosphere, or else it's not really a literate home.

All of which is to say that I've thought of my family as a homeschooling family since Gemma was born.

And I've been a homeschooler at heart for 13 years now. Seriously. I met my first home school family when I was in grad school in Ohio and had a pretty good idea then that this is what I'd want to do.

On our second date, as Bryan and I sat in the ice cream shop in Lebanon, Ohio, talking seriously about what we were looking for in a marriage (Yes, we actually had that conversation on Date #2, and yes, I know that this puts us into a certain class of Dorks), I told him that if I ever had children, I'd want to homeschool them.

He thought it was a great idea. Specifically, he recounted how his chief memory from childhood was a general sense that his mother spent copious amounts of time with him and his siblings, and that he figured homeschooling was a version of this.

So, last Spring, as I looked forward to this Fall, whence Gemma would officially be a "kindergartner," I was trembling with anticipation. I hadn't let myself start "early" with her in any formal way because it didn't seem fair to impede upon her pre-school time just because I couldn't wait to get started.

In June, with the diagnosis, came less than a nanosecond of reconsideration.

My Mom expressed surprise: "You're still going to homeschool?!?"

I'm pretty sure she said it in concern, picturing some great effort that would be exhausting during a time when I would be easily exhausted.

But, come on. We're talking about kindergarten here. And we're also talking about Gemma, who seems to be a very traditional learner. This was a very low-pressure situation.

On the other hand, enrolling her in a school would have invited some seriously mid-grade pressure into our home.

• Getting a kid to school at 8 AM 5 days a week?
• Helping her complete homework each day? (Yes! Kindergartners get homework around here!!! It's madness.)
• Remembering which day to bring a snack for the whole class?
• Bathing her every night?

Forget about it.

I sleep late when I need to. I nap when I need to. I cuddle up with the kids and read books with them all day long and we spend all of 10 minutes each day on her math lesson. Heck. I recommend homeschooling your kindergartner to every chemo patient out there!

We sallied forth as planned. Part of the plan was to meet with a co-op of other homeschoolers. Last Spring, I got a group of families together and over the summer we firmed up our schedule. We meet twice a month--7 mothers, 14 kids--rotating houses. Whoever hosts also presents the lesson/activity. All the others bring the food for the potluck.

The kids range in age from 11 down to 2. Gemma has 2 girls and one boy her age, and it's healthy for all of them to have a lot of big kids around. I was careful to invite terrific women, and we all love our co-op as much as the kids do. It's a wonderful social time for everyone, and I am so thankful that God put it together back in the Spring, to be in place for such a season as this.

I could go on for a long time about how much I love homeschooling and why it is so great for our family. And there will likely be more posts that mention our homeschooling as I am, after all, chronicling the times of our family.

But for now, here is the one unexpected blessing of homeschooling that I've seen now that we are 10 weeks or so into it:

I do not know what memories Gemma and Joshua will have of the time their mother had breast cancer. They've seen me naked, bald and tired. So there's reason to think it will be an odd collection. . .

But I do know that they will remember the following from this time as well: most days, sitting on the floor of our cozy room playing with math manipulatives; reading to each other on the couch; doing projects together and then telling Daddy all about them while we eat dinner.

We are having precious, peaceful, joyful moments together and Gemma and Josh both get that Mommy is not too tired to learn with them.