The Healing Continues

As our fourth week of homeschooling begins, I am exhausted but extremely thankful I made the choice to remove ourselves from the toxic environment.

There is always hope.  Even in the darkest moments of the school situation, I was able to find beauty.

The parents, teachers, and children at the school were like the flowers in the picture above.  However, as the year progressed, toxic waste was killing each and every one of the uniquely beautiful flowers.  Petals drooped, leaves wilted and once sweet fragrances turned putrid.  The nasty weeds were at every corner, whispering lies into those who were carefully cultivated, turning the other glorious blooms into wilted intruders.  I refused to allow my Ladybugs to lose their bright and blooming minds and spirits indoctrinated into the lies perpetrated by the poisonous soil.

One of the reasons that kept me at the school for so long was that I had created a field trip for the entire school to see an opera.  I have three current private students, and one former student who are all part of the Michigan Opera Theater Children's Chorus.  I thought taking the school to see their opera, The Happy Prince, would be a wonderful experience, especially for those children who would never attend another opera.  When we left the school, Zoebug was upset about the fact we would not be able to see the opera.  However, a dear friend of mine (and mother of the former student mentioned above) was taking a homeschool group to the opera.  And we were able to tag along!

I was so thrilled to see such talent in young people - and so were the Ladybugs.  It was truly a memorable experience.

But it is not just the "field trips" that make homeschooling the right choice for us.  I am also enamored  by the amount of knowledge Evabug is taking in each day.  Her reading has taken flight and her math skills have increased dramatically.  Zoebug is also doing quite well in the less stressful environment of home.  The dull and dreary days of this school year have been replaced with much more happiness and ease of learning.

The biggest downside is that my life is completely focused on them.  I'm not saying the my focus should be elsewhere.  But I very rarely get time alone, as I am with the girls 24/7 now.  With the exception of when I work, they are my everything.  However, I do believe this is where I am supposed to be - with my blooming flowers in the garden of our home.