Back Story

This blog is dedicated to the adventure of learning.

Last year when my oldest son was in first grade it became clear to me that I would need to home school him.

I have my master's in education. I had every intention of teaching in the public school system. I have taught in both private and public schools. With everything going on right now with the California school system I was unable to attain a job when I graduated. So I stayed home with my kids, enjoying the time I would have with them before they become too old for me. :) In 2009 my son entered the 1st grade. I thought his teachers were great and was excited for the new year. I even signed up to be the room mom. Unfortunately, the year did not turn out the way I had hoped. After a month in school I started to notice that my son's disposition was changing. He was coming home depressed and started to hate school. I began reading all of the books I could get my hands on about helping your children through school. My favorite was "The Trouble With Boys" by Peg Tyre. When I would come to the classroom to help, my son would be sitting outside. When I asked the teacher what had happened she would always respond, "He's a good kid, but with the amount of students I have in my class I can't work with him interrupting all the time." (He likes to ask a lot of questions.) I took him to a psychologist to see if there was more going on. He was diagnosed with a mild form of Asperger's. It was also brought to my attention that he was being bullied in school. When I brought these things up with the school I was told that due to budget constraints my son would not be able to meet with the school psychologist for two months (which meant he couldn't get an IEP, which is a plan to help him cope in class, until that time). I was also told that they could not afford enough people to watch the playground to stop bullies. One day I came to school and found out that they had LOST my son for 15 minutes. No idea where he was. I went home and got on my knees to pray. I had no idea what to do or where to turn. I had met some people who were homeschooling which planted the seed in my mind. I asked God to show me what to do. Give me a sign or something, anything! The very next day my son came home and very quietly and directly told me he wanted to be with God. I asked him what he meant by that. He said he wanted to die and be with God, because no one loved him at school, he wanted to be where he was loved. Needless to say I was reduced to tears. It was mid-December, and that was his last day at public school.

I knew at that point I was meant to home school. I had my degree and had taught before, so I was ready to go. Last year was a bit of a struggle. It took a few months to get my son back. He was still hurt in many ways and it took him a while to work through the bullying he had experienced, but he came back to the normal playful boy I had once known. Many people were worried that if I pulled him from school he would become a social recluse. If you know my son you would see that is far from ever being possible. He is a social butterfly...part of the reason he had trouble in class :) So this year is my first full year of homeschooling. My friend and I have started a small private school to help parents who have made the same decision for their family. I have a 2nd grader and a four year old.

My philosophy on schooling is that children learn best when they have hands on experiences. When you can move at the pace of the child, speed up or slow down, to make sure that they do not become bored or overwhelmed the child will have a better time with learning.

So I am looking forward to this year. We have a lot of activities planned and I cannot wait to get started! Join me on this journey. If you have any questions feel free to ask...any ideas, feel free to share! My ultimate goal is to bring this type of education to the masses. Make it easier for children to get the full hands on and caring educational experience they need and deserve!