2nd Grade with Mom

 

Teachers BIG helper!

Cooking her own eggs, with out help!

This past week I have seen several posts and blogs about their children’s first day back to school.  My heart has ached with each Mom as they send off their child to school.  I remember that feeling when I sent my oldest to Kindergarten.  I was so proud that she was old enough to be going to school; she walked in with no problems.  I had the problems, I left her and cried, and I couldn’t wait to pick her up again.  I worried if the teacher would love her, if she would make friends, if she would do well on her work.  Throughout the school year each day was easier…until she broke her leg and I felt like I was starting over. Would she be accepted in a wheelchair, who would help her to the bathroom (thankfully Kindergarten was short), would her friends still play with her?  Thankfully I trusted the teacher, and she became very popular with all the kids, they all wanted to push her around.   As her leg healed and her cast got shorter she was getting in and out of her wheelchair and getting around by herself.  Watching her walk again after 9 weeks of being in a wheel chair reminded me of her first steps, I was so proud of her.  Those were some tough weeks; she went for being totally independent to totally dependant on me.  I LOVED spending more time with her, taking care of her and then watching her gain her independence again was bitter sweet.

That was my turning point, when I realized that I wanted more time with my child.  Even though I helped every Friday for 2 hrs in her class and served on the PTA (a little) I didn’t know what she was learning, I didn’t feel a part of her education.  The teacher and Mom inside me became the same person. (That is a whole different story.)

We homeschooled first grade and LOVED it.  Sam is an A type of person, she LOVES school, loves doing worksheets, playing games and doing crafts (she didn’t get that from me, I do not do crafts).  We had good days and bad days; we had easy days and hard days.  She went on field trips, mostly with her cousin, thank you Celest, because I was teaching every day.  We did school before preschool, at lunchtime, after pres-school, on weekends, & holidays, whenever we could.  Some days we didn’t even do school (gasp!).   She helped me in the preschool and learned how to talk softly to the children.  It doesn’t surprise me that she wants to be a teacher when she grows up, though she can’t decide if she’ll be a dance teacher, a swim teacher or maybe a singing teacher.

This year as I read the posts I am grateful for being called to home school my children.  I know that my children will be loved by their teacher, I know what they are doing in school, how to help them & what to teach them.  I don’t have all the answers but I know with the Lord’s help I can do it.  Homeschooling isn’t for everyone, but I’m grateful it’s for me.