It Begins

I just completed registration as a first time attendee at the Arizona Families for Home Education conference this summer. Yep, I did it. Is it time for me to shop for my denim jumper with apple and pencil appliqué? :) Okay, first of all you have to know that I'm sarcastic... Secondly, I grew up as a "homeschool kid" so I know the stereotypes and probably was them all at one point or another. No worries, I believe I have adjusted to life in the "real" world just fine. However, I'm not too excited to be jumping back in to the homeschool scene. Conventions, co-ops, homeschool 'groups' and all of that are just not something that thrills me. Ya know, Maybe that will change. In some ways I hope it does because I have to tell you, I look upon this adventure with a sense of dread. Not having been one to love school as a kid, I still got decent grades, and graduated from college with a BS in Music Education. I spent 2.5 years actually "using" that degree, as some would say, by teaching music. And I recall one event in particular where I was waiting on a student in my spiffy little soundproof studio door and I glanced around me at the strained, stressed-out faces of my fellow teachers. The thought popped into my head, "This is NOT what I want out of life." So I left! :) Since that time I used my teaching skills in a 3 yr old preschool class, was that ever a hoot! As a nanny to 3 little preschool boys who amazed their daddy by being able to count backwards from 10 BEFORE starting Kindergarten! And now as a mommy I'm learning to teach my own 3 little munchkins. The oldest of which is about to turn that magical age of 5. Dum-de-dum-dum!!!! I always knew that homeschooling would be a likely possibility for me. I've always known that if it came down to it, I would rise to that challenge and take the bull by the horns. The fact that I've always lived in either small towns or rural communities made that possibility even more... possible, and after my hubby and I and our then one baby moved back to his home "town" it became more than a possibility, it became a probability. The schools here are... bad, for lack of a more descriptive word.... actually, there's all kinds of descriptive words I could use for it, but we'll leave it at "bad." So I've always know that if we happened to be here when our kids came of school age, that they would be homeschooling. I did know it... it's not a surprise. But I think perhaps in the back of my mind was always this tiny "hope" that maybe we wouldn't be here and something else would open up, ha ha! Minds are tricky little things aren't they? ;) The fact is though, we are here. And all joking aside, I wouldn't put my sensitive spirited little lad in that school even if I had no choice. BUT I do have a choice, another option, a way out, an escape... or something. And it's called homeschool! Yes, It's not my desire. No, it's not what I really want to do. But YES, it's something that I am willing, albeit reluctantly, to do. It is what is necessary. I'm not going to shirk this responsibility. I think about it nearly every day already and K5 doesn't even start for another 6 months! I want this process to be a success, not only for my little shavers to learn to read and write and to LOVE learning, but also for me. I might be a reluctant homeschool mom, but I want to be the best one that I possibly can be! So here's to the journey!