At the beginning of the school year last year, there were several threats reported in our district. Honestly, I freaked out. As someone who is impulsive and prone to making rash decisions, I wanted to pull them. However, the threats were assessed, Gabe and I talked and decided to keep them in for the remainder of the school year. There was a lot of stepping back, praying, and observation.

Part of the reason the kids were in school was due to my not-so-fantastic mental health. Life was a lot and there was a lot of unresolved trauma. The school district is honestly wonderful (thanks tax dollars) and, at the time, pros outweighed cons. We don’t want to “shelter” the kids from the world, but instead to instill a firm foundation of values and integrity at home. We want them to interact with a diverse network and learn respect for teachers and support staff.

So why, therefore, did we decide to homeschool for the foreseeable future?

God. There was a strong leading away from my fears and self-doubt. A deep pull into trust and surrender.

The ultimate argument that swayed Gabe in favor of homeschooling, was that he works two jobs and the vast majority of weekends are spent away from home. His days off are during the week, so homeschooling gives flexibility for more family time and Dad involvement.

The goal of parenting is to see our children THRIVE. And for each of the three who attended school this past year, that was not happening.

For Lily, she loved Kindergarten and learned in leaps and bounds. However, it was a half-day program. Throughout the school year, her teacher was frequently in contact about Lily’s challenges sitting still and paying attention. I could see the writing on the wall, that a full day of sitting still was not going to be a good next step for her. She can listen and learn, but also while being intense in volume and motion. Thriving for her involves a lot of time away from screens and running wild in commune with nature.

For Elaina, we had hoped a year away from school in second grade would help give her an identity foundation to combat mean girls and encourage her to be herself. It did not. For example, I was making her a board for her new room to put pictures and letters. She brought a polaroid to school for friend pictures to add to it, and not a single kid would take a picture with her. She’s a gem and has fantastic friendships at church and American Heritage Girls, but these teen wannabees at school are toxic.

For Xabier, there was also a lack of thriving. He had finally formed a good friend group in fifth grade, however it wasn’t enough to feel like school was the best fit for him. Diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD (no surprises), sitting through redundant and uninteresting material was torture. Not to say all education is going to be a party of fascinating stuff, but I definitely see that he is capable of thriving on a deeper level, when his interests are taken into consideration.

I have been exploring material and homeschool methods, discovering what would be a good fit for our family. It’s an exciting new chapter, with 5 at different levels. But I feel God immersing our family in abundance with what’s next.

Paperwork has all been filed with the school system, so it’s all official!