Tuesday, September 20, 2011

A New Ride

I've stirred the pot again. I agonized all summer about what to do with Romania for school this year. He's been at the charter school since the middle of first grade. Now he's going into 5th grade. I did not know where Holland would be attending school for the whole year. Since school staff take the summer off, nothing is ever decided until the new school year starts. He has aged out of his current placement, but we are in limbo waiting for the new school to have a spot for him. What was so hard last year was the different schedule times of the boys' schools. I would drop Romania at the bus hub, race back home to get Holland in his ride to school. Then he got home at 3 and then I had to wait until 4 to leave to pick up Romania. I was sick of leaving the house every day. But homeschooling two students, especially one that hasn't been home since he was 6, was a huge decision to make.

I made a list of pros and cons for both. That helped me to see better what I was thinking and why. Even though sending him somewhere to be educated seemed easier, I wasn't just worried about his education. I was worried about his heart. He is surrounded by so much turmoil at home. And he was coming home from school so tired, so stressed out from the long day, and not wanting to do anything expect sit and watch tv. It was hard to spend one-on-one time with him and encourage him in the way he should go.

So all the deliberating turned into a decision and I started ordering curriculum. I started to get excited about what we were going to be able to study. When I had Holland home, I found this wonderful literature-based history study. Holland loved it. I just kept putting books on hold at the library and we read as much as we could. When I decided to homeschool Romania again, I was excited to start another of the books with him. The bookstore where I go has a great selection, and the staff is well versed in the different varieties of curriculums, subjects and programs. Turns out on the day I went to buy the history book, they had just that morning received the newest book in this series called "Beginnings" As the book says, "The Grand Unveiling of human history". And boy are they right. Just the couple days that we have read it, the Bible is coming to life. I am having trouble finding the resources she is recommending, but I kind of figured that since it's a Biblical study of history. Hopefully I can find enough to fill us up!

I can tell my next few posts will be about our new adventure in homeschooling!