Coming up for air... again

I've made an important decision in my life and so I've been pretty much neglecting most everything else -- that is secondary -- to get to whatever I needed to do to make this happen. I've decided to homeschool Joshua. I'd been considering it pretty much since he started school this year. I don't agree with the methodology of their vocabulary/spelling program. I don't like the way they've instructed him to write the alphabet. I don't agree with the entire idea of teaching these children around a TEST rather than teaching them for the sake of providing them an awesome foundation which to build up on. I live in Texas where they have the TAKS test. Since the 3rd week of school, it appears this test is brought up daily in class.... "if you don't master this, you won't pass the TAKS" or "this is on the TAKS, if you don't get this, you won't go to the 4th grade." With this kind of input from the children's leaders, it's no wonder that on TAKS days, there are children at this school in the nurse's office throwing up FROM STRESS! Stress in the THIRD GRADE. It's ridiculous. Couple that with the fact that about once a week, they are asking for donations for something... and their methodology of punishment is ridiculous. You really can't just TALK some things away. The music teacher... I have NEVER seen her smile. Why is she in teaching if she hates her job so much?

Then I had an epiphany. I was actually terrified of having my son's future in my hands. And I realized what a moronic thought that was... I should be MORE terrified of having his future in someone ELSE's hands.

NOW I will have the opportunity to engage in daily bible studies and we can talk about God and not have all the other "agendas" being forced upon him by the "California" state of mind that is slowly trying to take hold and make things main stream that certainly ARE NOT.

Yesterday, I went and met with a great friend of mine, Dee, and had lunch with her and her two adorable children... Tyler and Trinity. She's a veteran homeschooler and co-coordinator of a Christian Homeschool group. It's quite overwhelming but I know that in my heart of hearts, it's the right thing to do for Josh. He HAS friends... he IS socialized. I will keep him involved in outside activities so that he will have exposure to other children and social arrangements. I will also NOT continue to home school him forever... I really feel, however, that these early years... this is when it's most critical for him to be a sponge... and if the methods they are using to teach him just aren't working -- I need to intervene and make his experience a successful one.

So, now I've confessed, and I have a request in return -- prayers. :) Thanks!