I wish I didn't need encouragement, but…

  Ha ha ha!  Why do homeschool mom’s do this all the time?  You are not alone in your inner turmoil, let me assure you!  I find myself doing this at least 2-3 times a year since I started 2 years ago. 

  Take it from me, I DID send my first child to a public K program.  In grade 1 she still didn’t know the sounds of the letters in the alphabet even though it seemed to me that’s all the real “learning” they did in gr. K really.  It was a very difficult struggle teaching that first year and, allthough, I don’t think it was just because of the public school foundation year (I hadn’t discovered CM the first yr of HSing her), I do believe it was a contributing factor.  Math concepts were very difficult as well as beginning reading.  She came home a lot with “information” that I thought she had no business learning as well as a lot of other unwelcome things that really came from the K class.  I wasn’t impressed.  She is doing better now.  And, just so you know, she is a very bright and gifted child.

  Now lets take a look at my second one who I decided to school at home right from the beginning using CM this past year.  He is rambunctious, has a hard time sitting still for “group times” and doesn’t concentrate well if he has to stay still.  He is 5 and a half.  He is also able to do grade 1 math in his head and is reading.  He gets as much outside time as is required to “get his beans out”  and doesn’t have any of the other rambuctions, mischevious little boys around who don’t come from as strict moral background filling his head with images and ideas that would be detrimental to him.  My daughter was very affected by some of the other kids and it came out in things like bad dreams, tears and worried, anxious thoughts and actions.  I’m pretty sure my son would be deemed outright “unsuitable” for school or ADD or some such thing if he were in class all day.  Yet, he is reading and doing above grade level math at age five.  Yet, my calm, book loving, able to listen quietly daughter was the one who had troubles beginning!  This really confused me until I compared the Kindergarten years.  Now, it all makes sense and CM makes even more sense! 

  Please, know that you are doing enough!  Your son will be getting exactly what he needs because you will be observing him as he goes and be able to adjust and meet the needs accordingly.  He will more than likely be a little ahead academically as far as reading and understanding goes and he won’t be labelled anything just because he is a rambunctious little boy who needs to be outside.  He will be free to be doing what God made him to do.  You will get to find out his learning style earlier and be better prepared for grade 1.  You will find a routine while he is still little and have a whole year to adapt and get used to the foundational CM methods before things get stepped up a notch in gr. 1.  This is good, now rest!

I am starting CM as soon as finish these crazy workbooks/texts I bought for this past schoolyear.  We have already implemented some of CM’s methods, and WOW, what a difference it has made!  My oldest is finishing up 1st grade, and my next is finishing K.  I also have a 3yo and a 1yo.  I can’t wait to fully implement her methods.  YES, it will be MORE than enough, because it’s way more than even our church’s grade school is doing with Pre-K through 8th grade.  (And private schools are usually better academically than public.)

BTW, I, too, have skeptics in my family.  I find it is actually encouraging to have to prove it to them (maybe that’s my stubbornness, though, idk 😛 ), and it is also encouraging in light of Dave Ramsey’s quote: “Live like no one else so later you can live like no one else.”

Above all, listen to your heart and to God’s calling.  He will show you what is right for your own family, not the status quo.  🙂  Have fun teaching!

Sara  🙂

Yes, less is more….

For my son, when he was K age, we did Reading Instruction, and Reading of books (ie, House at Pooh Corner, Beatrix Potter, etc.)  That was it.  No math except where it was real life stuff (ie, we are baking something, and I’d say something like – we need 3 eggs, I have put in 1 – how many more eggs do we need).  No writing, no picture study etc.

He is doing great with Year 1.  and I have no regrets.

His younger sister is doing more – because she wants to be like her big brother.