The bell has rung and school has started!
For some, you are waiting until the day after Labor Day. When I was a homeschool mom, we would begin our studies the day after Labor Day.
For the month of September, I will be posting on the subject of homeschooling. Whether you are a seasoned homeschooler, just beginning, just curious or you would like to be an encourager to a homeschool family, this is the place for you.
First of all, congratulations, Mom and Dad for deciding to take on such an endeavor to educate your own children. You are in for a treat in the way of being with and enjoying your children each and every day all the while training and educating them for their future.
If you are like I was, you are a bit scared. When our Patti was just a toddler, I made a comment that I would love to homeschool her. I didn’t know anyone who was homeschooling, I had just read an article about it in a magazine. I didn’t have the first clue of how to go about it. As time went on and Patti began Kindergarten at a school nearby our house, I volunteered for everything possible. I helped the teacher with anything she needed. That same year, a friend from years ago introduced me to her homeschooling lifestyle. I loved it! She became my mentor in anything homeschooling. So for Patti’s first grade year, I began. I think I might have failed to mention that we didn’t have any extra money for anything out of the normal living expenses. I could write an entire book on homeschooling with zero money. I think they call that “homeschooling on a budget.” Well, our finances were so tight, we didn’t even have a budget.
That first year, we used the Alpha Omega Curriculum. It seemed the easiest to follow for me since this homeschooling way of life was so new to me. I loved every second of it. I had my daughter at home with me and our little boy, Nathan was 3 at the time and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world.
Things were humming along and one day right after lunch, our door bell rang. When I answered the door, a man introduced himself as the Truant Officer and he was there to find out where my daughter was. I explained that we were homeschooling that year and all was well. He then told me to fill out papers for the school administrative offices and to call the superintendent of schools. I made the call and as I explained what we were doing, the man on the other end of the phone said, “Mrs. Dillow, in the end, we will decide what is best for Patti.” Fear hit in the pit of my stomach to hear someone tell me that they would decide what was best for my child. Fortunately, at the direction of my friend/mentor, we joined the Home School Legal Defense Association. Their advice was to not sign any papers and if we heard from them again, they would take over the situation. Fortunately, I never heard back from anyone. Many years later, both of our children graduated from our homeschool program with flying colors.
All that to say, I learned so much during all those years. I hope to share with you things that will help you, encourage, to stay strong and enjoy your years of homeschooling.
During the month of September, I will cover these topics and more:
Mission Statements and Goal Notebooks
Homeschool Mom Image
One Home Schoolhouse
The “S” Word
Where Can You Find Encouragement
Home Sweet Home
My Favorite Homeschool Things
We will even have some profiles of Homeschool Moms that have made it through. I love success stories, so we will have a few of those for sure.
Plus, many more topics that will hopefully encourage you and for those curious, will help you understand the homeschool way of life.
See you soon!
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