Yesterday we started this conversation about homeschooling – so lets pick up where we left off.

Why are we thinking about it now? We’ve always thought about it. I loved my experience with homeschooling. I was part of a Tutor program that was more like college for high school students than sitting at home with my mom. In fact, I don’t really remember ever doing that. I had teachers and was responsible for getting my work done on time and could go as fast as I needed to, wanted to. I could work and do school. I could take college courses at the same time. I did all of it. I loved it.

There wasn’t any drama from cliques at school. I didn’t feel like I had to be a smile on someone’s arm, I could be me and people cared that I was in the room with them. I wasn’t faced with peer pressure in the hallways, I didn’t look in the mirror in between classes and see the glances of other kids in my reflection – all I saw was me, washing my hands and getting ready for my next class.

Was it all peaches? Nope. I had to learn the hard way that my schedule was often more important to me than my school work and I had to catch up, retake and redo things. I actually failed a computer class (college course) and it was all on Word. WORD! Showing up helps your grade, by the way.

I’m probably one of the kids that would have greatly benefited from being homeschooled during middle school/high school. I think it’s different for each child and every family.

After 3 years and three different schools for our daughter homeschooling is on the table as an option because of traveling. In the month of January she’ll be in school all of two times. She’ll be out because of the tonsillectomy and then again because we’re going to Oklahoma for the last half of the month for Aaron’s work. Exercising her brain is a must. Not doing any kind of academic planning or work is just not an option.

But where do I start?

I’ve started talking to her teacher and am hoping to get some idea of where her class is going to be so we can keep our daughter on track and reintegrate her back into her classroom in February. She has friends and loves school – we’re not taking her away from it. Not at all.

But knowing how to do this and that this is an option in our lives for the next year or so is really just refreshing.

I’ve learned not to say things like: This is exactly how it’ll happen! Or, And when we return, things will go back to normal!

Never say never. Who knows what this will do, maybe I’ll love it and she’ll thrive!?? Maybe we’ll find some social outlets we didn’t know about before and it’ll completely change our minds about homeschooling as a way of education. I’m not saying no to anything, but I’m not saying yes either.

We’re mobile, we’re fluid. That’s our life.

I think that’s my word for 2011. Fluid.