Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Yes, you CAN!

It's that time of the year when homeschool moms start thinking about the upcoming year.  Some already know what curricula they will use for their children.  Then there are others like me, who have tried a few, and are now ready to settle in using a different one and praying this is the one that works for all parties involved.

I have been doing research, and had found the one curriculum I think will work wonderfully for my active boys.  The one that will keep them interested in the lessons, and with plenty of hands on activities for them to enjoy (and burn some energy). I downloaded sample pages and the more I looked through them, the more I liked what I saw.

I really should have stopped then.  I came across a post on a facebook group where someone mentioned this other curriculum, and then this other... Before I knew I was second guessing myself and the choice I thought I had already made.

Thing is, I never second guessed the education my children were getting when they were attending a brick and mortar school.  I never asked to see the lesson plans, or the textbooks that would be used to educate them.  I blindly trusted someone else, a stranger, to make those choices for me.  

{Not trying to start a debate between school vs homeschool.  This is just my personal observation, that affects solely the people I gave birth to.  You do what you believe is best for your children. I am doing the best by mine.}

So here I was, on a late Saturday night, ready to pull my hair because I couldn't figure out which of three curriculum I was researching was the best one for the boys; and I couldn't really figure out what math would work best for my daughter.

In a moment of (rare) sanity, it came to me.  I know my children best.  I have watched them learn for two years at home; and I know what works for them, what gets them excited about learning, what helps thing go smoothly.  
How the lessons are presented is just as important (to me) as the material that's being taught.  

Why didn't I ever question the curricula the school chose for the kids?  Maybe because I am a product of regular school.  Maybe we are taught not to question those who educate us.  I honestly don't know why I never did.

What I do know is I am quite capable of picking the curriculum that it's going to allow my kids to learn and still have fun doing it.  I understand that sometimes they need to stand up and move around while I read to them, or that they need  to burn some energy off in between their lessons.  
I know that they are auditory learners, and what that means when it comes to how they learn.

I know my children and I CAN choose what works best for them to make their learning experience a happy one. I should trust my choice just as much (or more) as  I did those choices that were made for me when they were attending school.