Can I Go to School?
September 21, 2009 by Renae
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. Once my son stated he wanted to home school in college. I replied, “That is not going to happen, but can I attend university with you?” My son 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? First I remember that his request is based on a false 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.
Renae teaches her eleven-year-old son and two little girls at home. She has prepared lesson plans, enjoyed children’s literature, and delighted in discovery with her children for five years. By studying Principle Approach philosophy, she realized what she always suspected: the Bible lies at the heart of all subjects. Find her reflections at Life Nurturing Education.
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Tiany on Mon, 21st Sep 2009 11:21 am
Great post! We have seen this question coming up often on THL lately. Great answers!!:-)
Our boys want to homeschool in college too! LOL
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Christin on Mon, 21st Sep 2009 4:14 pm
My daughter has mentioned “wishing she could go to school” before. But her’s are purely social reasons. I haven’t been as prepared as I would like to answer all the “why” questions, except that this is what God asked our family to do and we are obeying. She seems satisfied with that thus far.
Christin´s last blog ..If Mama Ain’t Happy…
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Angela Mills on Mon, 21st Sep 2009 6:42 pm
My 6 year old asked the other day after getting her shots for school…”So am I going to school now?” Apparently she misunderstood when daddy told her she HAD to get these shots for school. I was kind of shocked and instantly sad, she’s always been the one that raves about homeschool, but it turns out she didn’t really want to go, she was relieved when I explained it all.
I better gear up now so that when she gets a little older and asks to go to school I don’t burst into tears!
Angela Mills´s last blog ..Two Words I Can’t Stop Saying
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Angie @ Many Little Blessings on Tue, 22nd Sep 2009 1:43 am
My boys went to public school for 2 – 3 years each before we started homeschooling. The first couple of months were kind of rough. The younger of the two boys (he was in 2nd grade at the time) missed seeing everyone at school. (Plus, our backyard neighbor works at the school and told the boys that “everyone missed them,” which made him start crying.) So, then he asked to go back. I was just about ready to do it, figuring I had really made the wrong choice.
But, after some great advice from friends and giving it a little time, I discussed it with the boys and the one that wanted to go back said that he didn’t actually want to go back, he just wanted to see everyone. And, the oldest had already made it known that he didn’t want to go back at all. We have reconnected with a kid or two, but they mostly have just made friends within our homeschool group and at church, so they don’t ever really ask about going back. In fact, because they have gone before, they seem to remember all the bad things about it.
Angie @ Many Little Blessings´s last blog ..Homemade Cake Donuts
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