Homeschool Update

I haven't blogged very much about the in-depth and extensive process of how and why we decided to homeschool. I spent months researching and working on a binder compiled with information and notes and printed out blog posts. David wasn't as on-board in the beginning but the more we discussed and the more I researched, the more comfortable he became. I hit a point where I got a little burned out with all of the facts/figures, and honestly a little turned off because so many homeschoolers are all "public-school is the worst! Anyone who would send their child to public school is uneducated about ____." And I don't feel like public school is the worst. I feel like public school is a great resource for many, many children and it is filled with teacher who care and work extremely hard to see their students be successful. But I also think that homeschool can be a beautiful and wonderful thing. 

In the end, the decision was more emotional than logical. The pro's and con's list was never ending and there were a hundred and one reasons to choose either way. I had to step back from the research and all the words and influences of others and then go with what I felt in my heart. Honestly, I wanted to homeschool. I want to homeschool. The choice became less about what was the "right" thing, because I felt the push of the Lord to know that either way, He would be there to make up the difference - to make up for the "cons" of either choice. The choice became more about what I wanted. That's been a really empowering thing for me to learn this year - the fact that I have so much power as a mother to create the home that I want (obviously I mean that David and I have the power as parents to create the home that we want - but the lesson has been very personal and very tied to my motherhood). Heavenly Father will lead and guide, but He also gives us the ability to choose for ourselves - and He wants us to choose for ourselves. He wants us to be able to think and choose and discover the things that will be the very best for us, even without strong promptings from heaven saying "You have to do this!". As soon as I decided for sure, "I want to do this" - the next step was "Can I do this?" 

A very personal and powerful experience that I had, that has brought such peace to my soul through this experience, was as I was praying and thinking about homeschool I went to the temple. I was sitting in the Celestial room reading through some passages in Nephi. A verse stood out to me, 2 Ne 4:34-35 "O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. [...] 35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen."

The thought came to me that if I truly trust God, then He will give me the help and ability that I'm asking for. I feel that He approves of my decision, and if that's true then I know He will help me be successful. The next thought came to me, clear and powerful: "If He thinks that some day I can learn to be like Him, then surely He can teach me how to successfully teach my own children." The thought was more direct, coming to me - about me, but the thought that if I truly believe that I can become like my Heavenly Father, why should I let the negative thoughts that I might not be good enough to teach my children stop me from doing something that would be so good for me and for my family. 

It was reassuring and the last thing I needed in order to say, "Yes, I want to do this. I can do this! I am going to do this." 

I'm so grateful that David, my ever-loving, ever-supportive David, jumped on the train with full encouragement. And it. has. been. so. wonderful. 

Lydia is thriving. Austin and Caleb are, too. And me? This is the best life I can imagine. We aren't perfect- and there are so many things I want to do that I feel like we run out of time for. But I can't imagine a better semester than this past one. 

Some things we've been up to: 

Language Arts

We're using The Good and The Beautiful language arts curriculum, and it's... good and beautiful! I love that the stories are filled with positive, happy, meaningful things. The spelling words include things like "faith" and "Jesus". It incorporates art appreciation and poetry. Plus, it's really working for Lydia and she really enjoys it. 

The Velveteen Rabbit at the Hale Center Theater Orem

We organized a small outing with our co-op to see a youth-production of the Velveteen Rabbit at the HCTO. It was fun to take Lydia and share something that I love with her. We read the book throughout the week before and the play was so cute and well done. 

Basketball Class @ Dimple Dell in Sandy

Both Lydia and Austin took a Basketball class at the rec center in Sandy through the month of October. They both really enjoyed it. Their classes were back to back, so I worked with each of them on their other schoolwork while the other one was doing the class and it ended up working really well. 

Cornbelly's

We went on a field trip to Cornbelly's. It was great. Ha.

Hutching's Museum

 Field trip to Hutchings Museum animal show. We learned about a lot of different types of reptiles/amphibians and the kids really enjoyed it. I was sick. SO sick. Baby #4, pregnancy sickness, kicked in and by the end I wasn't sure that we'd be able to even make it out. But I sat down on the floor and rested for a while and the kids didn't even notice because they were so engaged in the things that they were looking at and exploring. Plus, we went to the animal room and saw a chameleon eat a bunch of crickets for lunch, and that was really cool!

Christmas Around the World @ BYU
This was a cultural celebration filled with dances from countries all around the world. It actually had nothing to do with Christmas - but was really cool regardless. David stayed home to watch the boys and I got to go with just Lydia and it was so fun to just be with her and experience the magic of music and dance and the excitement of the huge crowd together.

My Mother

My mom. She's the best. She was a teacher for years and years, and she knows her stuff. She's been incredibly supportive and wonderful through our homeschool year. She comes down about once a month to stay with us for a couple of days, and it's the highlight of my kids lives. She reads to them and teaches them and loves them. Also, she talks to me, and teaches me, and loves me. She helps me know specific things that I can do to help Lydia, she gives me things to think about, and resources to look into. I love her so much and I'm so grateful to have her on our Homeschooling team. 

Sledding

We went sledding with the Middletons to this little spot that they knew about in the Salt Lake Mountains. I thought that we'd be out in the cold for an hour, tops. But we ended up being there for almost three hours. The kids just couldn't get enough. And by the kids, I mean Lydia and Austin. Caleb was unsure at best. I left him in the car for the first little bit (we were only standing a few feet away) because I didn't want him to get too cold, but when I went to check on him he had found my lipstick and tried it out himself. Ha. After that, I pulled him outside with us and he just stood there the whole time watching, but not really smiling, and making a big effort not to move at all. Lydia and Austin went down the hill with Henry and Andi again and again and again.

A note from David about Homeschool: 

I am so grateful for Shantel and all that she does to care for our family and especially for being willing to do homeschool because that is what is best for our family. It is a huge sacrifice for her to be at home caring for these children, for our home and for me. She could do anything in the world and be so successful. However, nothing is more valuable than what she is doing and I am grateful for her. It has been wonderful to see Lydia flourish in home school. I think the impact on her has been tremendous. She has learned to love school. She gets to spend time with Shantel and her siblings. It is fun for me to come home and see what she has worked on. It is certainly different that going to public school, but it has been the perfect thing for us this year. One of my favorite things is the different adventures they can have. Going to Hale Center theater for a play, visiting cousins and grandparents, going to museums and science experiments at home. I'm excited for the rest of this year to see how Lydia continues to grow. Thank you Shantel.