Why We Made the Decision:
Honestly, homeschooling was never on my radar. I always thought homeschooled kids and their families were freaky weirdos, and I wasn't interested. And then one night after the kids had gone to bed, the Hubs said, "What do you think about homeschooling the kids?" I am pretty sure I looked at him like he had turned into a goldfish. My response: "No--are you crazy?? Why????" After 9+ years of teaching high school in a small town community, he has seen too many 'good' kids with good, God-fearing parents make stupid decisions because they don't really know what they believe. He felt like homeschooling the kids would be the best way to instill our Scripture-based values in the kids before they are thrown to the wolves, so to speak. I understood where he was coming from and did not disagree with him, but I still wasn't on board with homeschooling. But then the more I thought about it and the more I prayed about it, the more I starting feeling that subtle tap on the shoulder from the Lord telling me "you need to listen to your husband." So I talked to some of my homeschooling friends and went to the Georgia Home Educators Association conference, and I started feeling more and more like this was the direction God wanted us to take with our family. A year and a half later, it is a decision I don't regret.
Why We Are Different from Other Homeschool Families:
There are two common reasons that many people choose to homeschool. Neither of those reasons apply to our family. The first is that some parents want their children to have a strictly Christian education--no secular literature of any sort. Now don't get me wrong, we desire a Christian education for our kids and include a Bible lesson and Scripture memorization everyday. But we are not opposed to secular books and literature or subjects such as mythology, biology, philosophy, etc. Many of the secular classic books still contain the virtues that are taught in the Bible. Subjects like mythology can help students understand other subjects like astronomy and can be compared to the teachings of the Bible for reinforcement. I also think there is value in knowing the beliefs of others. We can expose our children to these beliefs without teaching them as truths.
Another reason that many parents choose to homeschool is because they are strongly opposed to public school. Having taught in our local public school systems for five years and with a husband who still teaches in public school, I can tell you that we have no problems with public school. The system where my husband teaches (and where I taught for the last four years of my teaching career) is a wonderful system with excellent teachers and strong administrators. If we reach a point where we feel our kids are not thriving in the homeschool environment, we would send them to school there without hesitation. We do not feel that our local system is brainwashing the students or filling their minds with propaganda. I do feel that I can take my kids farther faster at home with a one to two teacher to student ratio as opposed to in school with a one to 21+ ratio.
Conferences:
I have traveled three times to two different conferences. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of them and came home feeling really pumped up and full of new, useful knowledge.
Georgia Home Educator's Association (GHEA) Conference
The GHEA Conference is usually in Atlanta (or the Atlanta area) during the second weekend of May. The conference center location changes from year to year. The first day of the conference is on a Thursday and is basically Homeschooling 101: how to get started, what is required legally, the basic ins and outs. For any first timer or newbie to the homeschooling realm, this is a must do. The rest of the conference is broken down into hour or hour and half segments with each segment offering about 4 or 5 different session options and a lunch break. Friday night features a long session or two with the keynote speaker. Saturday night is the graduation ceremony for homeschooled students.
There is a used book sale, and when you register for the conference, you are assigned a shopping time for this sale. While I have never attended it, the line has been out the door both years I went, and it appears to be very popular. There is also a very large exhibit hall with pretty much anything and everything you may want to see. I was introduced to both of the curricula that I have used at this conference and was very happy with both (see below). I have found that most of the vendors are extremely helpful and will stop and answer any questions you may have. There are usually samples of the curricula and you can peruse them at your leisure. I am a very hands-on person, so I loved being able to look at each and every page before making a selection. And as an additional perk, most companies offer a discount and/or free shipping if you order at the conference.
As far as kids and families are concerned, this conference is very friendly and compatible obviously. They offer programs for kids and teens to keep them occupied while moms and dads are busy in sessions or walking around the exhibit hall. You can go to www.ghea.org to register and find out more about the conference. They don't typically post much information about the conference on their website until January or so. Many of the local hotels offer discounts for those attending the conference. You can usually find either a discount code or link to register with the discount on the GHEA website. You can read about my experience at the GHEA conference here.
Southeast Home School Expo
The Hubs and I attended this conference in 2012 and had a fabulous time. This conference is similar to yet different from the GHEA Conference, and personally I much preferred this one. This conference is historically held at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta during the last weekend of July. Just like the GHEA Conference, the first day is a Homeschooling 101 session. Friday and Saturday are broken down into hour or hour and a half segments with each segment offering up to 10-12 different session options (some more than once) with no lunch break.
There is a large exhibit hall pretty much exactly like the one at GHEA. In fact many of the vendors can be seen at both conferences. I have found that most of the vendors are extremely helpful and will stop and answer any questions you may have. There are usually samples of the curricula and you can peruse them at your leisure. I am a very hands-on person, so I loved being able to look at each and every page before making a selection. And as an additional perk, most companies offer a discount and/or free shipping if you order at the conference.
This conference is also very kid and family friendly, offering activities and classes for all ages while parents are in sessions or shopping. You can go to www.southeasthomeschoolexpo.com to register and read about their next conference. This website is strictly devoted to the conference/expo and is updated regularly as new speakers and workshops are added. The Waverly Hotel which is actually attached to the Cobb Galleria Centre offers a really amazing discount for those attending the conference. The Hubs and I stayed there when we attended and found the hotel to be very comfortable and quite lovely. There are several nice restaurants and shopping centers close by as well.
Curriculum
Ready-Made Preschool
I used the Seasonal ABC's Level 1program of curriculum for 3-year-old Kindergarten with B and was very happy with it. Ready-Made Preschool was designed by Kate Funk who is a homeschooling mother of five boys. I met her at the first GHEA conference I attended, and she is very easy to work with and answered all of my questions with a smile. What I love the most about her program is that for a first time homeschool mom, it was a great program to ease me in. The kit includes everything you need for the year--and when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Unless it is perishable or a normal household item like salt or apples, it comes in the box--crayons, paint, glue, tape, paint brush, the whole shabang. Everything you need for each lesson is included pre-cut and sorted. The curriculum is literature based and uses a book to teach a letter each week. I was able to get all but four of the books for the whole year at my local library. It is a bit costly at $275 plus $29 shipping, but for me it was worth it. And I am still using the huge bottles of paint that came with it to do crafts and activities in school this year. You can read more about the program and place an order at www.ready-madepreschool.com.
Memoria Press
From the moment I saw the curriculum, I loved it. I have been using it this year to do Pre-K with B (or Junior Kindergarten as they call it) and we are very happy. It includes fact memorization like months of the year, the five senses, home address, etc. and scripture memorization. Much like the curriculum I used last year, it has a book-a-week letter-a-week layout. It includes the Rod and Staff math curriculum and has plenty of handwriting practice to go along with it. There is also a craft book with a craft for each letter and each book. It was extremely affordable and once again, I was able to get all but a couple of the books I will need for the year through our local library system. I seriously love this company. You can see all of their amazing curriculum sets at www.memoriapress.com.
I supplemented both of these programs with the Bible Curriculum from Abeka.
My Experience Homeschooling:
3K Update
First Day of Pre-K
Pre-K Update 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
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