Idaho Distance Education Academy

I’ve already told some people, but our family is going to embark on a new adventure next year.  I have enrolled my oldest two in the Idaho Distance Education Academy charter school.  What does that mean you are asking? Well I will tell you.  It means that I will be the one teaching them next year with some assistance from a certified teacher.  I will mostly be communicating with the teacher by phone and e-mail, so really, I will be teaching the kids.  We will be home schooling them.

There have been varied responses, varied questions, and varied concerns when I’ve told people about our decision.  This is not a spur of the moment decision.  It is something I have been thinking, pondering, and praying about for a long time.  It is also something that I wouldn’t do without Robert’s support and so he has also been praying about it. 

So to answer some questions. #1 why am I doing this?  Well, there are a lot of reasons.  I think that my girls are too young to be away from me for so much time.  They are at a stage in life where I feel like I should be the main teacher they have and that is difficult to do when they are at school for around 7 waking hours and I have them for 4.  Also, there are lessons that I want them to learn that I’m not sure are being taught in schools.  There are better books that they could be reading than what are being read to them in schools, and I want to expose them to the best and not settle just because they are reading.

#2 DoI think I can really do this?  What about my “me” time?  Yes it’s true, I will be with the kids an awful lot without a break.  You see, here’s the thing, I love my kids and I love being with my kids.  I will grant that there are times that I lose my patience, but that is usually when I am doing things that aren’t really worthwhile and I’m feeling guilty.  I am so much more organized when the older kids are home, my house is actually cleaner when they are here and our lives have a tendency to run smoother and more structured.  Right now I’m looking at our lives and seeing where I can fit some math in, or some spelling or science.  It isn’t going to change that much for us so yes, I do think I can do this.

#3 What about their social time?  Well, here’s the thing, I’m pretty social myself.  That means that we are going to be going out and being around people, and we are going to be inviting people to come to our house.  I will be teaching them to be polite, to share, how to be a good hostess and how to be a good guest.  Those are skills better learned from me than from other kids their own age, don’t you think?  With the exception of those few years they spend in school, people are not usually kept in social groups of peers their own age.  Many of the friends I have now are closer to my sister’s age than my own, or they are older than me.  Learning to relate to people of all ages is a better skill than just people your own age and experience.

#4  Won’t they fall behind?  No, I don’t think they will.  You see, children have a natural desire to learn.  If we provide them opportunities and inspire them, then they will learn.  I am wanting to learn, too.  It is something we can do together.  If they seem Mom wanting to learn, they will too.  If we are reading, talking and discussing things together it only builds upon that desire.  That is what we are going to do.  Yes, it takes dedication on the part of the parent, but when you make life about learning, not just learning to pass the test, well, that is when it really sticks.

I am really excited about this journey we are taking.  I am a little nervous, too, but mostly excited.  I will have help and support from a certified teacher when I need it.  My children will still take the state mandated tests to see where they are at.  I have friends to help guide me and help me along the way.  Above all, I have a conviction that this is what I am supposed to be doing right now at this time in our lives.