Welcome to the new site and the new blog. It's all still raw but eventually it will feel just like home lol. I do hope you enjoy the new place and visit frequently.
Some of you know that we are home schooling this year. I am really excited as all the previous research seems to be paying off. Different states have different laws on how home schooling is to be done. After several months of researching our options, we decided on Christian Lighthouse. Because they are an umbrella school, I will not have to pay the local school board for administrative fees. Nor will I have to be a licensed teacher when he enters high school. Instead, I will pay Lighthouse Christian Academy, who will assign a personal advisor, and give us full support in this new endeavor.
For one benefit, the curriculum will be based on scripture and Christian principals. Something sadly lacking in government run public schools. They also provided diagnostic testing of the basic subjects, to see if there were any learning gaps. A valuable aid since public schools are promoting kids to the next grade whether or not they have learned the material in their grade level.
By the end of this week, we will have the first half of the school year curriculum. Any learning gaps will be done first so that Sidney is where he should be at for his age. Each subject is divided into PACE'S. They learn at their own pace, and it is ensured that they will grasp and understand all concepts before going on to another level. That's a far cry from public schools which pressure them to learn quickly or be left behind. Last year I watched Sidney struggle as they would move onto new mathematical concepts after only a day or two.
How good it is to know that our family values will have priority, while Sidney will actually learn all new material before advancing. No more being at the whim of teachers who are rift with their personal idiosyncrasies. Just back to good basics with many options for expanding interests.
I already have two new filing boxes set aside for this. Record keeping is a must, with attendance charts and test scores. I plan to update you as this progresses, and perhaps you might decide to home school as well!
I remember thinking about home schooling over the years. Always, I was afraid to seriously consider it. I thought I wasn't smart enough, or due to working, wouldn't be able to devote the time. And even if I didn't work outside the home, how on earth could I stand to be a teacher every day for 7-8 hours? Oh how I wish I had bothered to find out the real truth all those years ago. But I do believe that God knows best how to time these things. And this is coming together in the right way, at the exact right time.
For those of you who may have considered it, but too insecure to attempt home schooling, here is what I learned that enabled me to undertake home schooling.
First of all you don't have to be "smart enough". These lessons are all designed so that the child can work on their own to a large degree. There is all the support needed for the parent in the curriculum and personal advisor. I suspect many more tools will be revealed as time goes on.
Secondly, you do not need 7-8 hours a day. No time is wasted on transportation, whether it is by bus or car. Core curriculum is all that is offered. They don't junk it up with unnecessary/liberal agendas. And even though you are home schooling, you still have access to school events and all the sports participation. Home schooled children are not left strictly to their own devices. There will be field trips just as there would be in public school, with a definite advantage of more one on one interaction, and being able to linger for further exploration of a museum or historical site.
And to further ensure plenty of time to devote, I am going back to working at nights. That will eliminate constantly changing day schedules, with varying days off from week to week. When my corporation recently decided to allow a computer to decide our schedules, it has thrown everything and everyone into chaos. There are never enough of us scheduled at the same time, and it has become extremely stressful. Working nights will mean the same hours, with the same days off every week. I'll always be home in the mornings so school work can be done, and then I can get my sleep. He will have me with him all day, and he will have Dillard with him all night. He won't lack for supervision or protection.
We are both really excited about all of this. I'll be sure to keep you informed as this saga unfolds. There will be learning curves that I will pass on for the benefit of anyone considering home schooling. It's the right thing to do for us. Who knows? Maybe it will be for you too.
Happy Easter ! 
I hope you visited the website and saw the awesome stuff that is going on--especially the brochure! Thanks for the prayers and concern too. 
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