Hoping to Homeschool
By michelle | February 19, 2010
I have never wanted to homeschool my children. I can remember a time when my husband thought it might be a good idea (he was homeschooled until he was about 10), but when we encountered some of the social concerns we have for Punky, we decided it would be best to place him in school, where he can have time to interact with children his own age. On top of that, I tend to be the type of person who would obsess about lesson planning. I used to be an English teacher, and my favorite part of the job was lesson planning (and I liked grading, too. I know…Weird, right?). But I am certain that I would spend hour upon hour planning lessons for the children, even with all the wonderful curricula that is available. It is not something that I think I could handle.
But . . .
My husband and I were talking one afternoon about how we would like our children to learn Latin (and Greek), so I googled “Latin lessons” and discovered a local Latin School based off of the prestigious Highlands Latin School, which has a 99th percentile rating for their K-8 students and a top 5% of the country for their SAT scores.
The local Latin School is a cottage school for homeschoolers, where children will be taught two full days per week at the school and then parents will homeschool the other three days. All curriculum is provided by the Latin School. Parents guide their children through the curriculum as it is being taught in the classroom. T
he children will begin to learn Latin in second grade. “Learning Latin forms the mind to think logically, memorize, and pay careful attention to detail. Latin is considered by classicists to be the foundation of all learning and a good way to learn English.“ The “school creates an environment conducive to academic excellence and the formation of Christian character. [They] believe wisdom and virtue must walk hand in hand.”
We had to opportunity to attend an Open House a few weeks ago, and we very pleased with what we saw there.
I sent in Punky’s application and now we are just waiting to hear back if the Headmaster would like to interview him for the school. We are praying that he will get into the school because we do not want to homeschool him without the Latin School.
Please say a prayer that we will be called and our boy will receive an interview.
9 Comments
Deven Swan on February 19, 2010 at 10:51 pm.
Definitely praying that things work out. Sounds very interesting. I’m considering homeschooling our kids, but I have another year to think about it.
Pres. kathy on February 19, 2010 at 11:36 pm.
We will pray~
Elizabeth on February 20, 2010 at 3:45 am.
Praying earnestly!
Learning Latin is a wonderful idea, and certainly makes a huge difference to appreciating and using English grammar correctly.
Martha on February 20, 2010 at 7:25 am.
I think you are doing a wonderful thing! In today’s world, there is so much lacking…there is so much wasted time in schools. Doesn’t everyone want to LOVE learning?
Trish on February 20, 2010 at 8:17 am.
Sounds wonderful and balanced. I’m sure he will do great in his interview. He’s such a sweet kid.
grandma on February 20, 2010 at 9:06 am.
Thumbs UP!!! Praying with you.
leah on February 20, 2010 at 11:04 am.
Oh Michelle, I can definitely relate. I, too, never thought I would homeschool, taught English, and undeniably enjoy and obsess over lesson planning way too much. I pray this works out for you. I’m only at the beginning of the homeschool journey but am finding it rewarding in many, many ways.
H West on February 20, 2010 at 11:16 pm.
You might want to look into homeschooling a bit more before you make a firm decision if the Latin school doesn’t work out. ‘The Well-Trained Mind’ is an excellent book. You might also want to find other homeschoolers in your area and check out what they do. You also might want to read up a bit on ‘socialization’. There is a book called ‘The Well Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling’ that you might want to check into. There is a lot of misunderstanding with regards to the proper socialization of children roaming about. Putting a child in school in order to interact with kids their own age may not necessarily be the best answer.
Annie Luidhardt on February 25, 2010 at 9:49 am.
Sounds like an awesome plan for you guys!! I’m excited for you guys, you will be a great teacher to your children!! I’m actually going to check out a latin program this weekend at he Homeschool convention!! WE would like to start some latin soon as well because it is soo good for them!!