Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Ours Is Not To Reason Why

I know, I know, lots of mothers all over the blogosphere are over-the-moon happy today that it is the first day of school.  But while those lucky women dance around their newly liberated households, strewing flowers and kissing school-bus drivers, there is a small group of us moms that is steeling itself for battle instead.  We are sharpening our machetes, as it were, to hack our way through the school-year jungle of workbooks, unit studies, educational apps, and field-trip planning that springs, fully formed, the day after Labor Day.

Yes, the homeschool moms.  It's us.  We feel a tad left out this week.  Behind all our bravado and nonchalance, there is a teeny part of us that wonders what it would feel like to have the house empty 6 hours a day, 5 days a week; we go all aquiver at the thought of our kids getting upset with someone WHO IS NOT US over assigned math problems; in fact, sometimes we even fantasize about nodding sagely at parent-teacher conferences and running the PTA gift wrap sale.  ANYTHING, that is, but do what lies before us.  AGAIN.

Because, yoo-hoo, 6th-grade math the 5th time around?  NOT FUN.  I'll wager I could face down any of you when it comes to calculating fractions and percentages, but the thrill is gone.  GONE.

Sing it, Rosie!
And, yet...it's in our blood.  Homeschooling is a way of life.  And, by the time that first-week-of-school excitement evaporates and the first head-lice notices come home, I and my homeschooling compatriots will have settled comfortably back into the traces, ready to do battle with children who, while able to teach themselves multiple computer languages, cannot seem to remember a basic list of prepositions from year to year.

We salute you happy moms this week, as fellow soldiers in a great battle - we are sisters in suffering, fighting the good fight to get our unappreciative, Minecraft-obsessed children educated, one way or another.  Remember, ours is not to reason why...


[School bus image: Wauconda School District]
[Rosie image: Wikipedia]

17 comments:

  1. My hat is off to you. I could probably homeschool my kids if I had to, but it would not be my first choice. We definitely get along better with a little space in our relationship! And I am still the one they get upset with over assigned math problems, even though I am not the one assigning them.

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  2. Started today and realized that I've "only" been at this home schooling thing for 10 years or so...I have a three year old....oiy.
    Eldest DD started HS. Thank goodness for our co-op...I'm not sure I could do the disection labs...give me fractions, decimals and prepositions...even diagramming sentences...don't make me cut open another "preserved" critter : p
    Welcome to another school year : )

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  3. Happy first day of school to ALL moms, regardless of the education paycheck. The advantage of homeschooling? Parent/teacher conferences are amazingly easy to schedule... heck, I used to have them multiple times each day!

    Once I got up early and made the boys a good breakfast, packed their lunches, and forced them to pose for the obligatory first-day-of-school photographs, I had to pack my own lunch and go to work. I honestly forgot it was the first day by 10am and stayed late to get more work done. My husband was the one who enjoyed the silence and peaceful calm of the house; he was the lucky recipient of the joyful homecoming and tales of the day. (I got the equivalent of reheated leftovers this evening. Now I'm sad...) I miss homeschooling sometimes.

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  4. Good luck! Wishing you a productive year.

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  5. I have a friend who is homeschooling for the first time. She's very excited!
    I still drop my kids off at school and come home to work. At least we are at a different school this year so I don't have to deal with the secretary from the other school telling me that since I work at home I should just be able to drop everything and come in for a few minutes....

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  6. Head lice is a pretty good reason to homeschool. If only I had known....

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  7. I don't want to homeschool but I'm happier when the kids are home during the summer than when they're in school (they're both in high school). School brings so much stress and that gets passed from them to me.

    I'm probably cursing myself but we've made it through 12 years of school with no lice.

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  8. Happy New School Year to you!

    And even though my kids go to school, some how, it is always ME who gets blamed for all their homework.

    What?

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  9. Stay strong, sister. Have a good year.

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  10. As a fellow homeschooler, I join you in the salute... with my Bailey's-creamer-laced coffee firmly in hand.

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  11. Wishing us all a WONDERFUL new school year! :)

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  12. Happy new school year! I am in awe of all you awesome homeschool moms -

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  13. I threw tantrums all weekend because I didn't want to go back to school, not with the bonus baby being a toddler this year. I think it did earn me some sympathy from the teenagers b/c there was less whining than usual, though it's only been 3 days and we only did geometry for one. Love you blog, though I only stop by rarely when I have a free moment and the computer is free. . .

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    1. We always start a tad slowly and then pick up speed. And you can always sign up to have the latest post delivered to your email, if you like. It's over there to the right somewhere.

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    2. We start slowly too, I guess I wondering how to pick up speed this year. I will try to have it sent to my e-mail. I'm sure my 17 yr old can do that.

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  14. More power to you! I struggle just helping my 5th grader with his homework every day. It is rewarding to know you are helping them though.

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