The End of An Era

Thirteen years ago, on Memorial Day weekend,  I went to the first of many NCHE homeschool conferences which I would attend.  I only went to the beginner classes and the book fair.  I had a 4 year old daughter who I was planning to homeschool and I wanted to get a head start on it that year.  Someone had given me good advice to take very little money and to gather as many free catalogues as I could.  I followed that advice, bought almost nothing, took home a stack full of curriculum brochures, and spent the next year pouring over them, developing ideas and dreams for our homeschool journey.

Since that day, homeschooling has been one of my chief occupations and it has been way more than a means to an end.  It’s been my method for educating my children, my hobby, it has entailed some of my favorite parts of every day, and often my least favorite too.  It’s been more challenging than I could have ever imagined and more rewarding than I dared to dream.  Through homeschooling, I have made some of the dearest friends and been allowed a front row seat to so many “firsts” in my children’s lives.  There have been days when I have been convinced that my children would be destroyed by my antics, but fortunately, there have been many more where I have seen precious progress.  It has been my joy and my privilege to educate my children for these many years.

In less than a week, my homeschooling journey is coming to end (at least for now.)  I know that for this season of our lives, it’s the right choice.  I’m not giving it up because I’m tired (though I am tired.)   I’m not giving it up because I have something more important to do (as if that were even possible.)  The reasons why we are changing our course for this season are many and varied.  But, ultimately, we feel like this is a time where our children will benefit from relationships that go beyond what we can offer them in our home here in West Africa.  They need some things that are difficult for me to provide to them just now.  And so, it is with a heavy heart that I hang up my apple for at least a little while.

Now, I know that sending my children to school doesn’t make me any less of a mom to them.  I realize that we are going to have many opportunities to make memories in other, different ways.  I think we will all benefit from having the greater community that will come from the school environment they will be a part of.  But, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that there is some deep, deep grief happening in my heart.

Recently, we gave away a kitten we had found when it was very tiny and emaciated.  We nursed it back to health and when it had grown healthy, with a pudgy little tummy and lots of cuddles to give, we chose to give it to another family.  For lots of reasons, we knew it was the best thing for our family and for that little kitten.  Regardless of that knowledge, one of my girls had a little meltdown.  When I attempted to dry her tears she said to me, “Mom, I know it was the right thing to do, it’s just very sad and so, so hard.”  

That’s the place where I find myself now.  I know that putting my children in school is the right thing to do at this time.  But, it is very sad and it is so, so hard.  I think part of the reason I’m mourning so deeply is simply because I know that this is the beginning of the end.  I have junior in high school.  In 2 years, I’ll be leaving her in the States for university, and I will be living on a different continent.  This goes way beyond the fact that we won’t be cuddled together on the couch reading “Little House on the Prairie” together after lunch.   It’s time to give her some wings, but man, it’s hard being a mama!

If I live to be 100 years old, I don’t know that I could find a more beautiful way to employ my time than the investment I’ve been allowed to make these last dozen years.  Here are just a few of my  favorite perks from our homeschool journey...

We haven't been limited to the basics of the 3 Rs.  Home economics, hospitality, character building, and the like have all been key elements of our learning.  

The world has been our classroom.  Grinding on the very stones the cliff dwellers of Mesa Verde used will make a pretty strong impression about how Native Americans lived.

Lots of hands-on possibilities.  Studying Christmas in France?  Why not try making a Buche de Noel?

The friends!  What dear friends we've made on this journey!  There are no limits to the things we could learn and do together.

Meeting the needs of individual children is easy!   If someone needed to learn by doing, we let them!

Plenty of time to read.  Day or night, rain or shine, electricity or headlamp, beach or classroom...there is always time for a good book.

The field trip are amazing!  Ellis Island, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Civil Rights Museums, Natural Science centers... you name it, we’ve tried it.  Sometimes we’ve had to sleep in tents or eat scrambled eggs to save the money to have the experiences, but we’ve been able to give our kids some pretty cool memories.

Togetherness!  The memories we’ve made while reading, playing, making, doing, and leaning together have been so very special.

Needless to say, we covet your prayers as we begin our new journey of learning.  The next week will likely be full of emotions of all kinds.   We are excited to see what kind of special memories and favorite perks we will have to share from this new adventure!