2007-10-31

Can I go to School?

Winslow Homer, Boys in a Pasture, 1874

At three thirty every afternoon a dingy yellow school bus rambles past our house. My oldest and I are invariably working on math lessons while the little ones sleep, or, at least, are in their room supposed to be asleep. My son gazes wistfully out of the window wishing he could be finished. Then I hear the dreaded question,

Can I go to school?

Honestly, this hasn’t been much of an issue. My son once stated he wanted to home school in college. I replied, “That is not going to happen, but I will attend university with you, if you don’t mind.” Bug laughed, but I think he got the point. Someday it is time to leave home.

How do I address this question on the occasions it does arise? Knowing my son’s personality, it is not an entirely honest question. It is based on his perception. Multiplication problems are not his idea of fun. The children bouncing on the bus are on their way home to eat, to play, to relax. Or, are they?

Reviewing reality, I discuss our daily schedule versus wake up at 6:30 a.m., eat breakfast, leave, and return home at 3:30 p.m. with homework. Granted, sometimes this idea sounds nice to me. Those days that I want to quit. Those days the dog slurps the spilled milk off the table, and a toddler doesn’t quite make it to the bathroom. Those days lessons stall, because of interruptions. Then I think of what my days would resemble if my son did attend school elsewhere. My house might be clean, but I would miss sharing the daily stuff of life.

My son acknowledges this, too. He realizes we have time. Time to enjoy breakfast. Time to watch the birds. Time to reason. Time to rest. Time to imagine. When I hear the bus coming, I no longer cringe. Remembering the reasons we home school benefits both of us. We do have time. I don’t have to rush. I want to cherish the joy of the moment.

Related posts:

  1. Bad Homeschool Days are like Giving Birth
  2. Camper Bus to Minivan
  3. No Degree Required, Reason 3 Why I Homeschool
  4. Failing Fourth Grade
  5. Overcoming Perfectionism

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15 Comments

  1. Andrea 2007-10-31, 7:52 am

    At one point in our home ed adventure, we just decided it wasn’t an option. (I’m making it a brief story. ;) )
    Nope, nobody is going to school unless it is college. Ever.

    It freed up a lot after that. :D

  2. Robin 2007-10-31, 9:10 am

    Trust me, I’ve done ps with my two older kids, and homeschool with my youngest… and the house never gets clean. There is ALWAYS something going on.
    And those kids piling off the school bus are just as jealous of your kids. Your kids will get WAY more time to play than they do. As soon as they get home, they eat a snack and are rushed off to activities, rush home and eat, then homework and bed…. Next morning, start over.

  3. learningumbrella 2007-10-31, 10:42 am

    Perception is a big part of the problem. And then there is so much popular kids tv and books that are all aimed at making school look like fun. One thing my Mom did when I was little was take me “tour” the local school and point out what was going on there. It was so loud and overwhelming and seemed so uncomfortable to me, that I was “cured”. But that might not work if your son’s personality is different.

  4. Renae 2007-10-31, 10:55 am

    Andrea,
    Home school is not optional here either, and most likely won’t be anytime in the near future. I don’t want to commit to never. :) Although, I can say that public school will never be an option.

    This really isn’t too big a deal at our house. It comes up every once awhile, and a friend asked me how I addressed the question. This is part of my response.

    Robin,
    I hear you. I just have to resign myself to the fact that my home will never be clean. There…now I feel better, at least, until I go into the kitchen and see the breakfast dishes in the sink. :)

    Our neighbor girl thinks home school would be great. She has the misconception that Bug plays all day. He does have quite a bit of time to play, but that is not all he does every day. The grass is always greener, until you cross the fence…

  5. ThirstyJon 2007-10-31, 8:26 pm

    That is a very inspiring post! It makes me want to home school my kids! (Wait, I don’t have any kids - but I will!)

    Don’t let the world define you, define the world God’s way!

    :-)

    ThirstyJon

  6. ThirstyJon 2007-10-31, 8:37 pm

    I “digg”ed and “stumbled” this story!

    :-)

    ThirstyJon

  7. Renae 2007-10-31, 9:56 pm

    LearningUmbrella,
    Yes, you are right. Sometimes we need our perspective to be adjusted to reality.

    ThirstyJon,
    Thank you very much. I am so glad that I inspired you. Now if I can just inspire my kids…

    I appreciate the stumble and digg. I am going to have to remember to use those buttons. I am usually doing good just to leave a comment. :)

  8. Dana 2007-10-31, 10:25 pm

    The grass is always greener. And I don’t think kids ever really appreciate their parents until they grow up.

    I don’t recall sitting around being thankful for the sacrifices my parents were making for us or the times they told me no.

    As an adult, I understand that the times they said “no” even though “everyone else was doing it” has a lot to do with who I am today…the better parts. But I didn’t think that then!

    I think the issue can be the same with homeschooling, but perhaps a little more sensitive as a parent. We work hard at it, and they reject it so casually, because they are not mature enough to see beyond their immediate will yet.

  9. Jacque 2007-10-31, 11:58 pm

    Renae-
    This is a wonderful post. Though we decided we were homeschooling for life from the get-go, I can totally relate to this:
    “Those days that I want to quit. Those days the dog slurps the spilled milk off the table, and a toddler doesn’t quite make it to the bathroom. Those days lessons stall, because of interruptions.”
    Well-said.
    I think we all inspire our children so much more than we know. It’s reciprocal most of the time. And, with inspiration from the Lord, we can do it.
    blessings!
    -J

  10. Anne 2007-11-1, 3:27 pm

    Every once in a while I take my kids downtown and we ride the “bus”. Granted it’s not a big yellow bus, but riding a bus, any bus, it seems, is a big deal at this age. I recommend you do math in the morning and do whatever Bug likes best in the afternoon, especially around the time when the BYB(BigYellowBus) rolls by.

  11. Renae 2007-11-1, 7:10 pm

    Dana,
    That is so true. In fact, I wish that my parents had said no more frequently. They left many decisions to me. I usually learned quickly from my mistakes, but I would have appreciated stronger boundaries even while fighting the ones I did have.

    Jacque,
    Thank you. I wrote this post to encourage myself. :) It is nice to know others are on this journey of faith with me.

    My oldest already knows more about the Bible than I did in high school, so I continue in hope.

    Anne,
    I appreciate your suggestions. We have worked on math in the morning, but have more time concentrate in the afternoons. That is one of the blessings of home school. Adjustments can be made when needed.

    My husband used to drive a school bus, so when Bug was a toddler he had a personal chauffeur. He was thrilled!

  12. Jennifer in OR 2007-11-5, 11:31 pm

    Great post, and I get that question on occasion from my kids as well. We always end up talking about Truth - and how important it is to Mommy and Daddy that our kids are taught true things.

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  14. Marn 2007-11-11, 9:36 am

    Hi Renae!

    I love this post! I wouldnt have to worry much about this scenario when my time comes to homeschool. Hehehe. Because the school bus does not passed by right infront of our house, but only about 50 meters away. Although, the views I’ve got are kids going to school in the morning and going home for lunch, back to school, then finally be home again around 4pm. But as you said, we have stronger reasons why we homeschool. I think that would be more than enough to keep us going and assured that all is well. Thanks for dropping by my site. I miss you! How are you lately? Hope to hear from you again soon. Be blessed!

  15. Bad Homeschool Days are like Giving Birth | Life Nurturing Education 2008-04-1, 2:38 pm

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