February 3, 2024 - In the beginning...

Let's flash back 9 years.  I am a stay-at-home mom with a 4-year-old, 2-year-old, and a third son on the way.  I teach a couple of community college classes each semester.  My days are full.  Overfull. My husband comes home, and I mention that we should start thinking about kindergarten for our oldest and perhaps tour the local public school.  He says, "what do you think about homeschooling?"  

After scraping my jaw off the floor, I explain that it had never occurred to me...that I had been looking forward to days at home alone with the children at school since the oldest was 48 hours old...that I really didn't think I was homeschool-mom material (surely, he has noticed my lack of patience in general....no?)  However, being the researcher that I am, I started investigating.  

Having grown up in the Midwest attending the neighborhood public school system, I had never heard of charter schools. Wow! So many options!  Some of them offer Lego Class!  Students can start second language studies in first grade! I can choose the curriculum we use! No whitewashed history or simplified science! We can travel easily and have experiences!  We can spend time as a family learning together. So, I agree to homeschool if it was through a charter (yes, yes socialization...), and if my husband takes on sole responsibility for math instruction (not that I can't do it, but I am not sad to have left that subject behind in college).

And that is how 5H Schoolhouse came into being.  We strive to create a culture of learning in our home. Every room contains books, clutter, learning opportunities, more clutter, board games, and, you guessed it, even more clutter.  

Every day is NOT a joy, but in the end, I wouldn't it trade it for all the days alone in the world (probably some, but not all).