Must Love Broccoli

On Monday, we all headed out to our first homeschooling co-op classes. The kids were excited and so was I, but I was also kinda nervous. We had never done anything like this before and even though it was something I had been wanting to get into, it was out of my comfort zone. Getting ready was kinda hectic because we had to leave by 7:30 to get there on time. It was pretty rushed and I have new respect for moms and dads who have to do this every morning! But we made it on time and we were shocked to see how many people were there! There were 88 families with over 300 kids total! It was amazing! After the introduction we were off to the classes. Zachary went right off with his class, he didn't even need us to walk him to his room. He was happy to be in the same class with his cousin Nate so that helped. Katelyn was a different story. As soon as we got to the room she started crying and didn't want us to leave. We eventually got her to stop crying and to agree to stay if I stayed in the room with her the whole time (I was planning on it anyway to help out). Two minutes later she was happily joining in with the other kids and especially loved "gym time" when they did running races. She also made a tie dye shirt, colored, watched a puppet show and learned about how our sense of sight works. Zachary had a good time too. He said his favorite part was playing freeze tag. He is also excited for show and tell next time, when he can bring whatever he wants to talk about. For his Michigan class he has to make a poster about all things Michigan. I think they will enjoy the classes. The people seem very friendly too. I already met some nice women in Katelyn's class. Hopefully, I can get to know some of them better and can give and receive support on our homeschooling adventure!

Although it was a fun and interesting day, I couldn't help but feel like a fish out of water. For some reason, I felt really out of my comfort zone there. I know it was all new, but it wasn't like I had never done things like this before with my kids. I don't know if it was because I was with other homeschoolers and felt like I was being judged on how well we are doing as a homeschooling family. I know that wasn't true but for some reason I felt like I had to live up to some standard of "homeschooler". I don't know why I am so worried what people will think of me and my kids. Is it from my own insecurity of wondering if I am doing a good job with this? Or worse, am I having too much of an ego, thinking everyone pays that much attention to me and actually cares that my child doesn't know the square root of 9 at six years old. I don't put that kind of pressure on my kids to be perfect so why do I put it on myself to prove that I can do this homeschooling thing and do it well. I know my children and I have shortcomings and we are not perfect, but I am pretty sure that there's at least one other homeschooled kid out there besides mine that talks back to their parents or gets less than a 95% on every test! Yet, I worry about the (yes, stereotypical) checklist that runs through my mind when I compare my kids to what I think other homeschooled kids are like. Why do I think that to be the "perfect" homeschooled kid you have to 1) have above average intelligence, 2) are exceptionally well behaved, and 3) can do amazing feats like eat broccolli without complaining. As for the parents, you have to come up with fun and exciting games for every topic and provide endless educational activities to fill the 8am-4pm hours. Is this really the model I've seen in other homeschoolers? Even if this is true, why do I care if my kids and I don't add up to the "ideal" homeschooling family? I know it's just because I want this to work and I want to do a good job. Homeschooling is so much harder than I thought it would be and easier in others. Either way, it is a huge responsibility. Even as a former classroom teacher, it is still overwhelming for me to plan and prepare lessons and activities for the kids. I know sometimes I try too hard and make it more difficult than it has to be but its hard to get this "way of doing things" out of my head. Thankfully, my kids are doing well academically and socially. They are both grasping the concepts I am teaching and it is not much of a struggle. The biggest struggle is actually getting my butt moving in the morning and actually doing school! Hahaha!

Anyway, I still have alot to learn about this whole thing. Being at that co-op made me realize that this is a huge deal. Educating your own children is not for the faint of heart!! It takes real dedication, determination and lots of patience, time and money. To me though, this is about more than mere education, it is teaching and guiding my kids to become the kind of people God wants them to be. It's about helping them realize God's will for their lives and being there for them every step of the way. I don't want to miss a minute of it, even if it means throwing out my checklist. (: