Can I Really Do Home Schooling?

I have to admit that I in many ways am still trying to get off the conveyor belt. A part of me still wonders if Isaac, my 5-year-old son, should be getting on the bus that takes the kindergartners to school that passes our house everyday. Most of his peers whom we have known from infancy are on this bus.

When I hear the other parents talk about how wonderful their child's teacher is, or "My son is starting to read," I think to myself...Can I really do this? Isaac can't even identify every letter of the alphabet yet, let a lone phonetically sound out new words. Am I really cut out for this? Isaac can not begin to compete with what his peers can do academically.

I then remind myself that academics are not a competition. Although Isaac would much rather swing and jump on the trampoline (what 5-year-old boy wouldn't) than formally sit down and learn his letters, I believe deep inside that I can make this work. Each day, Isaac's primary curriculum is to learn: appropriate relationships, how to work, and our faith. Every once in a while he is interested in a letter that he naturally finds in his world around him.

Today I had an "OK, may-be home schooling will work" moment. As I was watching a 3-year-old little boy, Isaac asked him to come sit down so he could "read" a library book to him. Isaac preceded to tell the story in his own words to his friend, page by page. It was awesome. I was amazed at Isaac's ability to recall the story that he had only heard once, and how excited he was to share it with his friend.

I hope to someday have Isaac try to teach his younger sisters to read. I guess right now I am going to trust my instincts that he will have a desire to learn to read on his own as long as my husband and I continue to exemplify reading and learning.