As our first school year of homeschooling comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the ups and downs of this past year, the strides we’ve made and the improvements we can strive for. The inevitable question has arisen between Vinny and myself, “should we enroll the kids in traditional school next year?” In many ways, I have doubted my abilities to homeschool because our days seem like they are always in flux and don’t at all resemble traditional schooling. Some days, our math lesson is weighing grams for a loaf of sourdough, science class is running down the street to our retired neighbor’s house to plant flowers and learn about humming birds, history is pushed off for a day or two because of a no-napping toddler, and gym? Well, that consists of riding bikes up and down the driveway and around the neighborhood. Nope, our days don’t at all resemble a traditional classroom. And in many ways, this has been the greatest blessing because, no matter what, in the chaos and in the beauty, we are all learning together, everyday, with and from one another. We are learning how to be a more patient mother, brother, sister, father; we are learning how to do school amidst a crying toddler; we are learning how to be respectful when a sibling is learning a new concept — we are learning how to be a loving, joyful family all (er, mostly) the time. ❤️
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So the answer Vinny and I came to when we asked ourselves if we should enroll our kids in traditional school next year is, “no, because there’s so much learning taking place right here.”
