Former Homeschooler Working in a Public School... Yes, it's True!

As a former homeschooling mom (check out the "about me" page for more info on this), I have traveled about as far in the opposite direction (to homeschooling) as imaginable. Over the past few weeks I've been working as a lunch lady at a local public school, while my children attend another public school in the same district. I have the unique perspective of having homeschooled 2 children... then finding myself at a public school for nearly 6 hours a day... witnessing firsthand children in a brick and mortar school.

For the first few years of my children's education all I knew (and cared to know) regarding my children's education included daily assignments and a borrowed laptop spread out on our drop leaf table. I took turns with each of my kiddos, one on the computer while the other had a writing assignment, or a math worksheet to complete... sometimes we read, sometimes we colored or created something marvelous. We were always together and I often wondered how the kids down the street faired as compared to my own. I felt bad for them... being away from their moms for hours a day and a heavy sadness for their mothers. At the time... I couldn't imagine sending my kids to a brick and mortar school. The final decision was made for me though... with the impossible challenges of a special needs son and A LOT of prayer, I knew God was guiding me another direction. 

Since those days... which seem so long ago, I can honestly see the advantages to either situation and guess you could say I have grown. My current opinion on the matter of whether or not to homeschool is that regardless of what a family opts to do, it should be without judgement from the community or public at large. There are different seasons in our lives and sometimes the right answer is to bring the kids home. Other times, it's not. Our kids are all so different... as are we. What works for one family doesn't necessarily work for another, and what worked last year, won't necessarily work this year.

Now that my kids are in a public school setting, they look a lot more like the world. My daughter spends a lot of time worrying about what's fair, how her hair looks, and what awards or accolades she gets at school... and just about anywhere else. My son finally has friends. I don't mean to fall into the whole "socialization" debate with homeschooled kids, but for my son at least, he desperately needed to be surrounded by his peers... for social development, and for more than a few hours a week. My son has grown so much at school and we're actually closer than before. My daughter is a lot more sassy, but also more competitive in a good way. She shines at school and loves every moment of it.

I watch the children at the school I'm currently at... and marvel at how well these kids behave. They listen to their teachers and seem to respond well to structure, which is something I was never able to create at home. I'm so far from being a structured person... more of a fly by the seat of my pants type of mom, who enjoys spontaneity and couldn't make that work with a special needs child. My son needed the structure and we are soooo blessed to live in an outstanding school district... known for high standards in education and the best teachers we could ask for.

In any case... God is good. Our lives aren't perfect and sometimes I do miss having them home... being home with them, but we all seem to have adjusted well to being a more mainstream family. One day... who knows when, I do anticipated bringing them back home again. Until then, I'll be a homeschool blogger, recounting days gone by, looking forward to days to come, and sharing what I know to be worthwhile amongst the homeschooling community.