My Announcement

I have been working and planning and jumping through hoops recently and I am finally ready to share here what I am planning for September.

Prince Charming and I have decided that the public school environment is not the place for my girl right now and we are going to be homeschooling starting in September. I get so much further at home with her than her teacher does at school. I understand her and how her mind works.

I truly believe that she is suffering in a public school and that it will only get worse as she gets older. We are left with the feeling that she is a burden on the teachers day because she needs more help and guidance. She comes home from school wondering what is wrong with her. It breaks my heart. The teachers say she needs one on one help and I feel like at home with me is the only place she is going to get the help she needs and I have experience from college in teaching one on one and in group settings so I do feel like I am capable of doing this.

I have picked out a curriculum that I am supplementing. These will cover all the important subjects she learns in school. One thing I am looking forward to doing is creating Unit studies in addition to this curriculum.

For me, I am going to be homeschooling because I truly feel that Princess Belle's difficulties are making her get left behind the others in school. She is a LOT of work to educate and she frustrates her teachers on a regular basis. She needs one on one attention and at home I can do that. I never thought I would homeschool, but as with all things as a mom, I do what it takes to give my girls the best start in life I can.

I would like to note that there are parts of her personality that don't fit in when she is in school that I don't want to change. She is completely unique and wonderful and I can work with that instead of against it. I don't need her to be like everyone else, I just want her to be the best her she can be but also an educated her. I just feel like in school the things about her that are unique are the things that they would like to stamp out, to make her fit into that square mold. And over time some of these things may alienate her from the kids in her class. Her friends know her and are accustomed to the way that she is and they like her. But in a classroom setting, these things are so much more pronounced that I am worried she will start to feel bad about herself about how she is different (I have seen it happening already). These little things would in no way hamper her as an adult, don't hamper her when she is not in class, and I see nothing to be gained by making her feel bad or feel like she has to be like everyone else.

We haven't told her yet, I have felt her out about it and she has actually come out and asked me to do it, but I am not telling her it is for sure until we have told her teachers. I am joining Home School Legal Defence Association of Canada next week. I will have her curriculum completely purchased and our application in to the board of education next month. So as of the end of May we will be all set to start on our new journey.

As for socialization, we are joining a homeschool support group that serves our area. Moms (and some dads!) meet on the last Monday of every month and there are field trips and regularly scheduled outings such as Interactive Fitness, swimming (or skating in the winter) once a week.

I am so excited to be doing this. I truly feel I am doing the best thing I can for my girl and this is a new beginning for us. I will love having her home more than just a hour before school and 2 hours before bed. She is funny and energetic and I love how her mind works. I will get to enjoy that so much more now. I know there will be hard days, she is still Princess Belle and she is still tough to contain sometimes, but I am coming at this from a place of love and I truly believe that if she feels like we are working together, she will enjoy this so much more as well.