Decisions

So, I mentioned in my last post that we have decided to homeschool Noah and Ethan next year. They will be in 4th and 5th grade. Our decision was not based, in any part, on negative feelings toward public schooling. Our kids have all had fantastic public school experiences. Has it been perfect? No. But, all in all, it has worked really well for our family. As I talked about in a previous post, our kids all shared their faith numerous times with school friends, they built some wonderful friendships, and have learned so much. All of this to say, our decision to take a different path with Noah and Ethan is not because of anything bad or difficult that has happened to them in our public school.

However, our "little" public school has grown so much since we first moved to DuPont that, even after a huge addition just a year ago, there is no longer enough room at Chloe Clark Elementary School for 4th and 5th grades. Next year it will be just kindergarten through 3rd grade. So, the plan is to bus 4th and 5th graders to an elementary school in Steilacoom. Due to the length of the bus rides (45 minutes to 1 hour each way depending on where you are on the bus route) and just our decision to not bus our kids, this wasn't an appealing option for us. We talked about driving the boys to school, but I would spend a minimum of two hours in the car each day just driving the kids to and from school. Plus, we have made it a priority to be involved in the kids' school by volunteering weekly and going on all field trips, etc. This would not be difficult, if not impossible, to do with two schools so far apart from each other. And, so, after a lot of talking and praying and talking and praying (we've known about this situation for several months), we finally made the decision that it would be better for our family to keep the boys home - Noah for just one year and Ethan for the next two years. A brand new middle school with 6th - 8th grades will open this next fall just down the street from us. And if the situation hasn't changed by the time Abby reaches 4th grade (there is talk of building another elementary school here in DuPont), we will probably keep her home for those two years also.

We have decided to enroll the boys in Washington Virtual Academies. This is a fantastic program that is run through the public school (fortunately for us, it is actually our current school district that runs the program for the entire state - so I can just run up to their office up the street if I need to!). All of the curriculum is laid out very clearly, and all of the books, workbooks, art supplies, science supplies, everything is provided completely free of charge and delivered to your front door. If you finish a subject early, you can move ahead to the next level. A teacher is assigned to you and you can call with questions any time, as well as submit work for their review. There is also online instruction for the students. I am really excited about this new adventure (although, if I'm honest, also pretty nervous). I will continue to work from home, although I may have to get up a bit earlier in the morning and work again later in the evenings if necessary. Mark is completely on board, too, and will definitely be a huge help to me. Our plan now is for him to do their science curriculum on Mondays when he is off, leaving one less subject for me to be in charge of the rest of the week.

I will certainly do another post again in the fall once we begin and let you know how it's going! In the meantime, I would greatly appreciate your prayers that I will not feel overwhelmed, that God would miraculously multiply my time, and that, most of all, He would be glorified in all that we do.