Gratitude Challenge: Grateful for Home Schooling

Over at Garden of Learning, my friend Brenda is hosting a blog challenge for the month of November.  Participants are asked to post something they are grateful for each day this month.

Today is day 9.   You may notice that I did not post a gratitude post yesterday.  I found myself in a funk.   I just didn’t have the desire, energy or motivation to find the silver lining in my dreary day.  

Today however, I am inspired and motivated to write about my gratitude for the freedom to home educate my children.  Yes, FREEDOM.   I am grateful that I live in the USA and that I live in a state that recognizes the efficiency of home education.   The law recognizes that home education may take less time than traditional classroom education and states that we are to provide instruction “equivalent” to 1000 instructional hours.

We started investigating home education 14 years ago.   It is not without it’s limitations and like any other educational choice has its pros and its cons but I am grateful that I have the choice.  I am responsible for the education of my children and I am grateful that I have the freedom to choose whether to home school, private school or public school my girls.

I am thankful for the flexibility home schooling affords me.  When I plan out our school year, I am able to plan for days off that fit our calendar such as Feast Days.   If something comes up and we want to take a day off, we can.  That doesn’t mean that we just let school go.  For my family it means making the decision to open textbooks on a Saturday morning or doubling up on history or LA lessons in order to get the day off. 

For example I planned on taking Veteran’s Day off.  Honeybear gets a paid holiday for November 11.   I did not plan on him taking Friday off as well.   The girls will double up on some assignments tomorrow, due some assignments on Thursday (the scheduled day off!) so that we all can be off on Friday.

I am grateful that by home schooling I can tailor responsibilities, requirements and expectations to reflect the individual girls in my school.   I can blend my own requirements with their interests to customize their education.   If something is not challenging her enough, I can add more work to Turtlegirl’s list.   If the work is moving at too quick of a pace, I can slow it down for Supergirl.

I’d like to say thank you to the men and women, the husbands and wives and children who fought for the right to make home schooling LEGAL in all 50 states.   I’d like to say thank you to the members of our armed forces who have defended our freedoms in this country and that includes my freedom to educate my children at home.