A Quick Homeschool Update

I have been asked by family and friends alike what our status is with homeschooling so I thought I'd throw a quick update here.

This being my first year as a homeschooler, I hope to blog about it. Don't really care if anyone actually reads it -- I want to get my thoughts out and this seems the most likely source.

For our first year out, I decided to go with a Charter School for Homeschoolers. The school manages and maintains all records for me, supplies our curriculum & text-books and has avenues for elective & enrichment courses. Should he choose, Gabriel would be eligible to participate in statewide educational competitions such as Science Fairs, History Fairs, Spelling Bees, 4-H Competitions etc etc.

The Good: I don't have to worry about curriculum and if I'm missing things. I don't have to use their curriculum if I don't wish to, I can supplement anything I want to, for any particular subject. Gabe can meet other kids during the enrichment course classes & field trips. I can work ahead of schedule if I want to. They supply a stipend monthly for Gabe to take elective classes outside school (guitar lessons, art classes, drama, sports).

The Bad: The enrollment process has been a little jumbled. Valley Oaks Charter School requires an orientation before enrollment, which I attended on Monday, August 17'th. I am now awaiting word that Gabriel has been registered and assigned a Resource Teacher. Once the Resource Teacher has been assigned we can then meet with him/her to discuss curriculum and recieve textbooks. At this moment, I have not had any phone calls and school starts Monday, August 24th. So, effectively we will be starting our first year homeschooling a little bit behind the pack!

Which brings me to my only other bad point about going with a Charter School. While I am allowed the freedom to choose our days of instruction, and can work ahead of schedule - I cannot design my own school schedule. I kind of have to start and end (or be finished) by the time Valley Oaks is ready to be done with the school year.

I have been reading "The Homeschooling Handbook" and the more I read, the more excited I become. The more excited I become, the more I start to think that this will not be a temporary practice, but a more permanent way of life for all my children.

Which brings me to my next post ..... "What are our Goals in Homeschooling?"