The Homeschool Option

     Hi, I'm Annie! My husband, John, and I have four handsome boys. I'm a stay at home mom; have been since 2009. I'm starting this blog mainly so I have a record of 2020-2021, even though I'm starting this in September. I thought it would also be a good way to keep family and friends in the loop now that we're homeschooling this year.

     Everyone has and will have a Coronavirus story to tell, won't we? In 5, 10, 50 years, God willing, we'll all remember 2020 in a million different ways. My family's memories will be those of near-constant togetherness and wiping down groceries in the garage between the months of March and June. After that, we'll remember slowly reaching out to see family here and there. Then in the summer of 2020, we'll remember the weeks we spent discussing the decision we'd need to be making about school for our boys. We've been married for 12 years, and this felt like the biggest decision of our life together.

    The boys are going into grades 6, 4, 3, and 1. Our Catholic school is right behind our house, and it has been a great school for us since 2013. But Covid put a big, stupid wrench in our life. We were uncomfortable with sending our kids into a school with a virus still wreaking havoc in our area. John and I began to feel very guilty about sending them to school in masks all day, in small groups of kids, and on rainy days, having no choice but to stay in the same classroom for 7 hours. 

    This led us to the homeschool option. I'm a stay at home mom who never had any desire to be in charge of her boys' education. And I have an Education degree and taught at a Catholic school for 3 years. But as the summer progressed and more announcements were made regarding school for the 2020-2021 school year, it seemed as though God was pointing us to homeschool. We unenrolled from our Catholic school and filed the paperwork for our state that we would be schooling our children at home. It was happening.

    John and I took a very fast, overwhelming crash course on the multitude of homeschool options and curriculums. We decided to go with Seton Home Study School, a Catholic, traditional, and accredited school. They've been around for over 20 years, and they would send me all the materials needed for all four boys. I wouldn't have to hunt down any books or activities. If we decide to go back to our school next year, Seton will transfer the boys' transcripts. John has been amazing through all of this. He is still working from home, but we both understood then and understand now that the majority of the homeschooling will fall on my shoulders, and he's been wonderfully supportive. Love you, John!

    Our decision was made in late July. I knew I wanted to start school in mid-August, so that left me about 3 weeks to get our homeschool room set up, plans and books ordered, and lessons organized. I've loved flexing my teacher muscles again. I'm the weirdo that enjoys organizing and planning, so this has been a fun challenge. 

    How do the boys feel about everything? We didn't really give them a choice, because they're the kids and we're the parents. But we had a lot of talks with them about the information we were receiving from their school. Once they realized "regular" school would look and feel much different this year, they were fine with homeschool.  They miss their friends, but seeing friends at school this year just won't be the same. And because they are boys, they were really pumped about getting their work done in two hours and getting to play outside and wear athletic clothes all day. Their excitement and willingness has been a great relief to me. 

    How did I feel about this huge shift in our life? Once we made up our minds, I felt, and do still feel, an incredible amount of peace. It was nice to know that we would have stability this year, instead of worry about schools being closed or classes being quarantined due to covid outbreaks. However, last year at this time, I was a free woman; I had just sent my baby off to kindergarten. After having one to four kids at home with me at all times since 2009, I finally had the house to myself and the freedom to do chores, run errands, read a book, or watch a show in the middle of the day. John and I even met for coffee on Fridays when he had a break in his day. I've had to grieve the loss of that freedom (and quiet.) But, it really came down to the fact that we want what's best for our kids. Teaching the boys at home feels like what's best for our family.

    I also want to add that we recognize how lucky and blessed we are that homeschool is even an option for us. I'm not working, we have a dedicated space for our school days (Goodbye, rarely used formal living room!), and I don't have a toddler or baby needing my attention. John and I believe the Holy Spirit has guided our hearts through these past few months.

    We don't yet know what we'll do next year. Who really does? For now, we are happy. I don't mean to paint this pristine picture of everything being sunshine and daisies. We are finishing Week 4 today, and there have been a few "off" days. For instance, I didn't realize that writing spelling words in alphabetical order could cause such distress in a 3rd grade boy. And there are those who complain about having so much work. They've been done by 11:00 every day. *Rolling my eyes* 

    Today is Friday, our day for Art projects and Science experiments. So, I'm signing off here to go re-learn the color wheel and gather supplies. 

    Thank you for reading! We are so thankful that our family and friends have been so supportive of our decision. You are all in our prayers. 

    St. Roch, patron of plagues and patron of our homeschool, pray for us!