Before I began homeschooling, I was so worried that we would not find anyone who could be accepting of us as liberal, secular people within the homeschool community.  I, like many others in the public school world, believed that pretty much everyone who homeschools is extremely regilious, and we just wouldn’t fit in. 

You can imagine my delight when I found a large active community of inclusive, eclectic homeschoolers right in my back yard.  It is a group that welcomes people of all belief systems.  We have those that are extremely religious, those that are agnostic, athiest, wicken, jewish, muslim.  Differences extend to politics as well, and we  range from ultra liberal to ultra conservative.

What is most gratifying is we ACCEPT the differences.  Members of our community do not feel the need to change anyone else.  You are free to believe whatever you want.

I am searching for bloggers who are tolerant of secular homeschoolers, or secular themselves.  I don’t want to read a blog that is anti-religion, and I don’t want to read a blog that is anti-no religion. (Does that even make sense?)

If you know of some good homeschool bloggers, please post in the comments!  If you write one, please post in the comments!  I would love to have the list in my sidebar.

I’m wrapping up my first year of homeschool, and my husband and I have spent some time discussing how it has gone.

Socially?  We agree that Emily is a happy, well adjusted girl who is welcoming to all.   She counts many children as friends(funnily enough, last year she only considered 1 or 2 other kids “friends”).  She interacts well with people of all ages, as recently demostrated at my Grandmother’s funeral, where she played her violin.  The funeral was at the retirement community where Grandma has spent the past 8 years, so many of the other residents were there and spoke to Emily afterwards.   She listened and responded accordingly, thanking them for their kind words.  She has chosen to leave situations with neighborhood children when she wasn’t happy/having a good time/and didn’t like the topic of conversation.

Family Life?  We agree it is WONDERFUL.  The girls get along so much better than they did last year.  They can spend hours playing together.  My husband, with his odd professor hours, gets to spend more time with her.  We have time during the day to go places without dealing with the crowds.

Academically?  Weeeeellll, here’s where I feel a bit guilty. I feel like I am TOO lax, especially lately.  With the pregnancy, flu, and 3 trips to Kansas in less than 3 months, we just have not done a lot of “seat work”.  Does that mean she hasn’t learned?  Absolutely not.  I think she learned more in the first semester of homeschooling than she did the entire year last year.  And I am not exaggerating.  But is she feeling challenged?  Am I doing enough?  Do I need to be more rigid?  Follow a schedule?  We do math, reading, and handwriting every day.  She’s gotten a ton of science, social studies/history/spelling etc on and off thru the year.  She does music every day(practicing violin).  We go to the library weekly and she does gymnastics weekly.  She does Options every Tuesday, and volunteers in the preschool classroom of her sister once a month.  We do Girl Scouts twice a month, Science Club and Book Club once a month(when we are healthy).  She’s learning some computer programming with Dad and they are going to work on fashion incorporating technology(LEDs and such, I think) when finals at the colleges are over.

But I just have a nagging feeling every so often we should be doing MORE, especially since the TV has been on a little too much this week as I’ve recouped from last week’s Kansas trip(it took a huge toll on me physically and emotionally).

I am trying to relax a bit about it, as I have decided we are doing year round school this year(to enable some time off after this baby is born) and I think the summer is prime opportunity for fun unit studies and field trips for both girls, as Camille will be joining us fulltime in June and begin her Kindergarten year.

But then there is that nagging self doubt again that we should be doing more. 

(Or are those pregnancy hormones acting up?)

When you start homeschooling, you often hear the same comments from many different people. I don’t know if the comments are different for people who never sent their children to public school. Here are the 5 most popular that I have heard this year, and how I would REALLY like to answer them!

5.  So, will you have Prom in your Living Room?

My kid’s 8…..is prom something YOU are concerned about?

4a.  Isn’t the local elementary school good enough for you?

Nope, its not good enough.  Not even CLOSE to good enough.

4b.  Well, did you think about sending them to the other schools in the area?

Really?  There are OTHER SCHOOLS?  Boy am I an IDIOT.  I didn’t even THINK to research other public and private educational institutions in a 30 mile radius before I chose the most LIFE ALTERING option there is. 

3.  What about SOCIALIZATION?

Well, I am trying to keep her locked in her bedroom alone as much as possible, but damn, she figured out how to open her lock with a penny and I’m back to square one.  Have any suggestions?

2.  Wow.  I could NEVER do that.

Why?  Are you stupid?

1.  WHAT are you DOING to YOURSELF?

I still haven’t come up with a comeback for this one.  If you have one, let me know.