Big changes in the Moore household...

or should I say, in Moore Elementary. Yes, you heard it right. We have decided to homeschool Ethan. After one glorious, and event-filled week in the public school system, we have brought him home to be "learned". Uh oh, is he in trouble! I jest...no, Ethan and I are both unbelieveably excited on our new adventure. For those of you who are shaking your head wondering why we would pull him out of a perfectly good school system, knowing that you went to public school and you turned out okay (well, are you sure about that...HA!), are reeling about the affects on his social skills or lack thereof, and think that he will be placed in this little bubble to never be seen, nor heard from again, let me say:

1. We have prayed long and hard about this decision and it wasn't just a whim. We have actually been considering it for several years.
2. We want to incorporate Christian values and Biblical knowledge into his curriculum and simply can't afford Christian private school tuition.
3. We feel as though a 1:1 teacher student ratio is just a tad better than the 1:18 ratio he was receving in his elementary school.
4. Who knows his learning style & personality better than his parents? We can pinpoint which curriculum will be best suited for him, and work at our own pace.
5. If you haven't researched homeschooling resources lately, you will be astonished at how far it has come. We will be taking many field trips, classes at the local co-op, and lots of hands-on projects.

These are just a few reasons that I had time to post. I know that homeschooling isn't the "norm", but it is right for us. I have always felt as though the Lord led me to get my teaching degree for something other than teaching at a public school. I never could reason why I would spend 7 1/2 years struggling to get through college only to teach for 2 years. I belive wholeheartedly that this is the reason. I can teach my own children what I want, and in the manner that the Lord sees fit. I don't want my children to learn how to put on a condom in the 6th grade, or that evolution is a fact and "intelligent design" is a theory. I want my children to see the beauty that God has put all around us as His.

I am not opposed to public school and I don't think that children are doomed in the public school system. I think that the teachers are in a terrible position having to teach all levels in their classroom. They try the "integration" approach and it is wonderful for the lower level students because it forces them to push harder. That is all well and good, but what about the other students? I'll tell you what happens, the upper level students get left to fend for themselves. The teachers simply don't have the time to spend with them to help them reach their full academic potential. They are either given busywork, or get bored and in trouble.

I feel as though God has blessed me with the ability, the tools, the support, and the desire to do this for our children, and I am going to take the full opportunity to do it until we are led to do otherwise. I want to pour as much truth into my kids for as long as I can. They are bombarded enough with negative influences even with us being very mindful of what they do, what they watch and listen to, and who they are around that I want to shield them from as much of it as I can and introduce thing when and how we deem is appropriate. I don't want my kids to be naive, but I don't want them to be too wordly too soon. My children don't need the 'birds and the bees' talk when they are 7. Yes, a friend of ours has had to have that discussion with her 7-year-old because of some things she was coming home with that she heard on the playground. 7-YEARS-OLD!!! I want their innocence to stay with them for as long as I can, and I make no apologies about it.

Okay, off of my soapbox, it is time to get to work, I mean school. I'll let you know more about it later. Wish me luck!