Let's Try Again

Let's Try Again

We started this blog a few years ago to map our homeschool journey.  We began well, and then life interfered. We ended up with a very sick family member who derailed our homeschool blog but, thankfully, not our homeschooling journey.  Our sick family member has gone to be with the Lord, and so our spare time can now return to the more nonessential things, like blogging. 

Like any good reality TV show, we will begin reporting the news from our homeschool a little behind the actual events (at least until we catch up). Hopefully, you will enjoy the posts of our learning adventures.

If you know our homeschool at all, you know that we have a homeschool made up of several different families.  And how did that come to pass? 

Well, it all began with Grandma, who had seven children.  In the beginning she was a normal, working parent who sent her children to school.  The oldest 3 went all the way through Christian school and public high school (except for one year of homeschool for one older child between jr high and high school).  Then, when her special needs sons (children number 4, 5, and 6) who could not handle the school environment, she made a decision to homeschool first one son for a year alone, and then to bring home the next two sons, also.  Her youngest was a toddler when the boys came home to do school, so she joined them and never went to traditional school.  So, for 11 years Grandma homeschooled her four youngest children.  All the while, her older children were having their own children and the family business grew. 

Since Grandma made homeschooling look like so much fun, other family members wanted to join her school.  Sarah (the oldest) planned to homeschool her children from the beginning and since she was already always at Grandma's house to work in the family business, it worked out great for Grandma and Sarah to homeschool together.  Sarah had just come out of teaching in a public school classroom and Grandma had years of homeschooling experience, which turned out to be a great combination since Sarah had lots of unlearning to do to become a homeschool teacher. 

So, Sarah's toddlers began tot school, while Grandma continued teaching her youngest children.  Then, son number 2's family and extended family wanted to be a part of the homeschool.  So, we added two more students full time and two toddlers part time.  Those toddlers have since turned into full time students, as have Sarah's toddlers.  So, for two years we had 10 students, until sickness took one away.  This year we lost that one student to heaven and gained another student from a cousin's family. 

So, now, three years after we started with all the families combining into one school at Grandma's house, we have two school-to-work, special needs adults, a high school senior, an 8th grader, a 5th grader, a 3rd grader, a 1st grader, 2 kindergarteners, and 1 preschooler.  That is a grand total of 10 students everyday for 2 teachers.  To steal from the opening of the Duggar's reality show - it isn't always easy, but somehow we make it all work.

Here is our first day of school picture.