Donna's Thoughts on Homeschooling

Hi, my name is Donna.  I have two boys, Randy
(9) and Dillon (3). I am 27. This has been our first year homeschooling.
I have been pagan for 11 years.

My decision to homeschool was a very difficult one, coming from a very
traditional family and spending my younger years in the Pentecostal
church. My spouse (not pagan) was also brought up in a very traditional
home; although not a religious one, and was very hard to convince. 
His family was not very supportive either.

Finally after my son getting beat up four times in six months
and the school doing, more or less, nothing. Even after he ended up with
soft tissue damage to his stomach, he was the one who got a detention. 
Finally we got the police involved and school officials were very cold
after that, but at least my son's problems were over.

The final decision came when the principal told our son not to tell his
parents everything that happens at school. Well, between that and
bill 160 and all the violence that was happening at other
schools at the time, we decided that the public school system was not a
safe and healthy place for our children, mentally, physically or emotionally.

The hardest part of our decision was finding a support group. I didn't
even know any other pagans, and was more or less black-listed from the
one homeschooling group I had found because one of the members discovered
that I was pagan.
I thanked the Gods the day I found
Alex.
She has most definitely been a pillar for me. And I thank her
for everything she has done to help. I can't say whether our first year
has been good or bad. It has most definitely been a learning experience.
And one I won't soon forget.

I can't say that my son is different now, I just didn't really know him
before. I discovered that my son was a person with real feelings and
opinions all his own, that were not always the same as mine. This was
very hard for me to accept. But, I managed to choke down my humble pie
and through trial and error (mostly my error) we managed to struggle
through. But don't get me wrong! Our first year was not a bad one. It was
just a learning experience for both of us; mostly me.

There were days when, by supper, neither of us wanted anything to do with
each other. And there were days when we were two best friends against the
big wonderful world. But most days were different degrees of in between.

I found out that my son was very interested in Dinosaurs, and thanks
to running in to an old science teacher of mine he will be spending some
time excavating a mastodon. He is also getting a mentor out of the deal.
This is not something that could have happened if he were in public school.

As the school year ends I find myself a better and wiser parent. I have a
new understanding of my children that I am sure will continue to grow and
change. And I'm positive that Randy thinks differently of me. Although
I'm not sure I want to know what that is right now. As for advice for
homeschoolers: READ, READ, READ. The best book you could read is
THE TEENAGE LIBERATION HANDBOOK. Even if you only read the little
story at the beginning of the book. It will change your views on schooling
forever. Also read anything by JOHN HOLT.

Find a subject that you are interested in and learn about it yourself.
If your child sees you involved in learning and enjoying it, they will
want to follow your example. Not right away mind you, but give it time,
they will show you what they are capable of if you let them. And please
do not try to force feed an education to your child, it will not work!
That is what the public school system does , and look how successful it
has been, NOT! If your child doesn't want to do math today or read a certain
book then don't. They have slow and bad days too, just like we do. Most
importantly, leave the house whenever you can. Go on field trips to places
of interest, or even just for a walk to the park or around the block. It
is amazing what you will learn about the world and each other if you only
open you mind and let your child lead you for a change. And it's a lot
more fun that sitting in the house forcing him to do work that has no
relevance in HIS\HER world anyway. Remember that you were a child once
upon a time,draw from you memories of that and how you felt about the
world then. It will help you to understand your children better.

I learned all these lessons the hard way. And I will probably learn a
lot more Just remember in your adventure in homeschooling a pagan child,
that you are not alone. But, most importantly, keep an open mind.

Until next time, your friend, Donna.