Amazing how much simpler it is to homeschool four teens than it is to homeschool seven, with the youngest still in diapers!

We've been through it all, and I wouldn't trade a moment. Well, maybe some of the messier ones... Now, with the kids old enough to work independently, and older ones able to tutor younger ones, it seems so simple.

Laura
Mom to Eight

We have homeschooled, and sent kids to private and public schools. Currently there are kids in a public elementary school, in private and public high schools, and one who goes to school part-time and is home schooled part time. My kids enjoy sports so the main reason they aren't home schooled as teens is so they can play on the football or basketball team. I'm not about to discourage this, as we have gotten some scholarships out of this. The irony of this is: I teach at a college that offers free tuition for the children of teachers. So far only one of my kids has enrolled at this college, but the others got enough financial aid that there hasn't really been a hardship...yet.

GG

I have only recently begun home-schooling my son. This year marks our second full year of full-time home-schooling. I know that I will home-school with all of my future children as well. It's just so much more enjoyable and less stressful than having to fight to get my son up in the morning and onto the bus, only to have the same fight later in the day to get him to do his homework after being stuck behind a desk for hours on end all day.

Now, learning and exploring go hand-in-hand and we both enjoy the benefits of home-schooling. We have grown closer and find at least one new thing each week that we have in common. I remember growing up, as a public school child, not knowing who my mother was as a person. I don't want my son to go through the same thing. I want him to know me, not just as his mother and facilitator, but as a person. I want him to know that I can be a friend as well as a parent and, thanks to home-schooling, he does.

Just this week, my husband paid me one of the biggest compliments he has doled out so far about the decision to home-school. He said that he had his doubts that we were doing the right thing for our son because he was used to the idea of public school and classrooms and teachers. During the first year, that worry was compounded by the fact that we moved twice and had a lot of other stressors influencing our son's learning process. However, this year he said that he has seen a new person developing. He loves the fact that our son gets to learn so many different things and explore not only the things that life has to offer him but that he has to offer himself. He has become a stronger, more confident and more responsible young adult.

My husband's compliment was that he was so proud of the fact that I stuck with this even though it was harder in the beginning and he can see so many positive developments in our son that he has no more doubts at all about home-schooling and agrees that we should continue to do this with all of our future children. Having his support and having him believe in me both as a mother knowing what is right for her child and as an educator/facilitator for our son makes me feel so sure of myself on many levels when it comes to home-schooling. Now, we're even talking about turning the old master bedroom into a home-schooling school room with lots of fun things that kids would never come across in a classroom and also plan for more family field trips.

I'm so grateful for the fact that he wants to become more involved and actually create a warm niche in our home to fit the needs of our family as home-schoolers. I know that my son and I will enjoy it now and we can change and add to the room as our family grows.

Kevin is now more involved in homeschool since he came home to work. It is really nice.

Laura
Mom to Eight

lwheelr wrote:
Kevin is now more involved in homeschool since he came home to work. It is really nice.

Laura
Mom to Eight

That's fantastic! We've been looking into alternatives so that Pat can work from home once he returns from Iraq as well. We've been giving some serious thought to the possibility of having him return to school (even if only online) to complete a Medical Transcription course. Does anyone have any input as far as that field goes? Is it a feasible option for a large family financially speaking?

Don't waste your money. Seriously. Medical Transcription is a field that is screaming for EXPERIENCED workers ON SITE. Home workers are not in demand, and you have to have YEARS of experience in this field before they'll let you work from home.

Companies that sell those packets are half-lying. Even those that supposedly have a good reputation.

Have him get ahold of me. If he truly wants to work from home, it means self-employment. I am a microbusiness startup expert, and web development pro, and I don't push anyone at any "programs". Just so you know, I do know what I'm talking about, and I have years of experience in the shoestring startup arena.

Working from home means assessing your strengths and limitations accurately, determining what is the best option, then creating a smart plan to get there, followed by working it consistently.

There are a very few jobs where employers do hire home workers, but they are high competition, and not generally full time.

Statically, people who work full time and make a living from home fall into two categories: People who have a long history with a company as an employee, or those who begin a business. And MLMs almost NEVER fall into the second category.

Laura
Mom to Eight

Thank you for saving me $1600 in advance! I will forward the information to him and let him know about your offer. As I said, this is something we're thinking about for after he returns from his deployment. I will take what you've said to heart though and remove that from the list of options we had.