The following is part of our new guest series called Embracing Homeschool by Lourdes Resendez.  Lourdes is a mom of four as well as a birth doula, midwife assistant, and childbirth educator.

It’s hard to believe that in about a week we will be starting our fourth year of homeschool! Where has the time gone? This year I will be guiding my high schooler through the last few months of his homeschooling journey as he finishes his senior year *tear* and beginning pre-k with my 4 year old.  I am excited to see where James’ dreams leads him after he’s done with school. Beginning homeschool at pre-school and Cyber elementary school has me a little nervous about being the primary educator for Elijah Blue from the very beginning, but it paid off greatly. There’s a great upper elementary school in the area so I might consider sending them there when the time comes.

Our homeschool journey began probably years later than it should have.  My oldest son, James, was in 6th grade the first time he ever asked me to bring him home to educate him.  I don’t even remember the reason anymore. I kind of blew it off.  I didn’t even give him a chance to provide information on why or how this would be a benefit (great parenting skills, right?); not because I didn’t value his opinion regarding his education, but because I didn’t think I could do it.  I was a mom, a wife, a student, a doula, and I had a full time job.  Where would I fit homeschool into that equation?  I didn’t know many families who homeschooled, or at least I didn’t think I did.  As time went on, James continued to ask me to homeschool him and I continued to say no.  When I finally brought up the idea to my husband, he was quick to shoot it down.  He said there was no way I would have the patience to do it, nor would I be able to teach James everything he needed to know.  Without the research to back up this request or good friends who had tread this path with older children before to lead me in the right direction, I felt I had no chance at changing my husband’s mind.

Fast forward 4 years, a divorce, a new home, and now potentially a new school with new friends.  James BEGGED me to homeschool him.  I was still hesitant, resistant even. I told him I would look into it, but in the meantime, he had to prepare to go the new school.  We registered for school, picked up a schedule, and picked up text books.  James had kept up his end of the bargain, now I had to keep up mine.  RESEARCH. I spent several weeks talking to friends who had homeschooled several of their children through the high school years.  I talked to my aunt who had homeschooled all four of her kids.  I went to a local homeschool bookstore and had a consultation about how to homeschool a highschooler. The introduction of educational therapy, which is a specialized form of intervention that focuses on addressing learning challenges and supporting individuals with learning difficulties or disabilities, helped me start in this journey.  I attended free information sessions about homeschooling.  I became part of local online homeschool support groups, read the archives and asked lots of questions. The more research I did, the more queasy I felt at the thought of taking on this responsibility, and the closer James got to the first day of 10th grade.  Finally, the day came for school to start.  Noah woke up and got ready for his first day of school.  We took pictures, prayed, and sent him on his way to start his first day of his last year of elementary school.  Then, James, Elijah Blue and I loaded up into the Suburban and headed to the high school, James’ textbooks in hand.  We sat in the parking lot talking.  My stomach was turning.  James had a look of worry in his eyes. What would mom decide?  Where would this school year lead us?  The decision had been made.  The 3 of us got out of the truck, marched up to the front office, I handed them our letter of intent to withdraw with the reason being “HOMESCHOOL”,  and James turned in his textbooks.

That was the day our homeschool journey began.  It would be a year of ups and downs. A year of frustration, arguments, tears, learning, but most of all, LOVE.  James and I learned a lot about each other and about ourselves that year.  It has brought us closer than I ever could have imagined.  James knew all along what was best for him.  Why had I not listened?