Lucy is in first grade and doing great. She has 4s in reading and math (4 means exceeds grade level and they are very hard to get). She loves learning, but is bored in school. Almost every piece of work comes home with drawings on the back and perfectly colored. And then we have this homework that is just pure busywork. It's so frustrating that she can't do it at school and it takes a lot away from our family time.
I'm terrified of junior high for her. I think she would be fine, it's the other girls that scare me. I don't want her to be consumed with things (Ugg boots, North Face jackets, the latest technology). I want her to learn without the fear of bullying and questioning her worth. We live in an excellent school district. There's a lot money here, too. Which means the majority of the kids get what they want, when they want it. All that takes away from the learning, it's about keeping up and surviving, not learning.
We had been thinking about homeschooling for junior high. Then there's an overnight field trip for fourth graders, and I really don't want Lucy going on that. Which made me think about starting homeschool in fourth grade. And then I was talking to one of my friends who homeschools and she said, "I would do it sooner than later." I started researching for real. Oh my goodness there is so much out there for homeschooling! I didn't want to even begin homeschooling until I knew with confidence that I could provide Lucy with a better education than what she would be getting at public school. I narrowed down the style and decided that a classical education would be the best fit. It would definitely challenge Lucy and keep her engaged. Then I went on a curriculum search for a classical education. I narrowed it down to a few different options and started talking to some friends. One of my friends does Classical Conversations, which was one I was considering. I looked at the curriculum and was blown away. It's a lot memorization, which I think is great for Lucy. There's Latin! The math component is amazing (multiples up to 15, squares to 100, and roots). There are over a 160 historical milestones that get memorized. My friend's group has an opening in their CC group. So we're going to visit and hopefully register. At this point, it seems like a done deal for Lucy to be homeschooled next year.
We're going to send Gus to kindergarten and first grade at the public school. It's really great for him to do things without Lucy and not lean on her. He'll learn to read and punctuate. Plus, it will give me time to figure out the whole routine of it with Lucy. Judson will go to preschool three mornings a week. Right now, the easiest combination of having two kids at home is Lucy and Judson, which works out well for me.
Lucy is ridiculously excited, maybe even more than me. I am so excited about being able to take charge of her education and be more intentional with it. She is reading like crazy right now and I can't wait to go to the library and pick out books that coincide with what we're learning. I am so excited about the crafts and the baking and just being involved.
The house and all its projects are almost done. I'll have time. I want to make time for this. We only have 11 years left with Lucy before she goes off to college. It's a short time in the big scheme of things. One of my friends said to me, "So you're doing homeschool with Lucy because both of you are bored." Yeah, pretty much. It'll keep us occupied and out of trouble. Never in a million years did I think I would homeschool, but here we are.
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