SJ’s Story
SJ is a working mother of two who came to homeschooling accidentally. Although, she knows plenty of people who felt strongly about homeschooling prior to their child’s conception, she came into the fold reluctantly. She had actually never heard of homeschooling prior to her first child’s hideous preschool experience. That experience ended abruptly and left her scrambling to find an appropriate kindergarten experience for her son. After many sleepless nights, she came to feel that none of the public or private schools in her area could really meet the needs of her child, who had attention and sensory issues that could not be accommodated in a classroom setting.
At first, she thought homeschooling would be a temporary endeavor and buy her enough time to find the right school for her son. But, that year provided many opportunities for her to learn and read about educational philosophies, kids’ learning styles and what compulsory school actually provides (as opposed to the empty promises it makes). Despite her initial doubts, her children also found abundant educational, social and extracurricular activities in their community.
At times, homeschooling has been hard and it definitely changed her original life plan, but the joys and the benefits have outweighed any of the hardships.