Why I Will Homeschool My Girls

I have two beautiful daughters, one is five and one is three. They are smart, hilarious, and kind. They are also crafty, creative, and if the moment calls for it, pretty sneaky. Annika is my third child but my first daughter, so while I am used to being a parent, I'm still figuring out how to parent a girl. It's still fun to buy dolls and walk through the girly aisles at the store, even five years later.

Annika goes to regular kindergarten right now. It's not ideal--there are 34 kids in her class for one thing, but for the time being it's better than having her home. I am planning to fold her into our homeschooling next year, for which I will probably need therapy, but I'm really excited to keep her with us. It's just been a recently that I've realized how important it is for me to homeschool my daughters. Let me tell you a story.

Annika's class had a Valentine's Day Party, pretty standard fair for a kindergarten. She dutifully made her 34 valentines and one for her teacher. I helped, but she did most of the work. She proudly put them in a bag and took them to school to hand out to her friends. This is where the story might get confusing. I think her party was on a Thursday. Annika has pull-out speech therapy on Tuesday, so on the day the kids made their Valentine's bags she was not in the classroom. Instead, on Thursday morning, Annika's teacher pulled her into the classroom to finish the bag. Annika did and put it on the drying rack so it would dry before the party. (I didn't know any of this before I picked her up.)

I picked Annika up from school and asked her about the party. I asked to see her valentines before we left the school grounds and she told me that she didn't have any. I couldn't figure out what had happened so I asked her if they didn't have a party or if they didn't hand out valentines after all. She said they did and she handed hers out, but that she didn't get any. I talked to her friends that were standing there and the girls had all gotten valentines. It was all very mysterious. Annika's teacher was still there, so I asked her and immediately the teacher figured out the problem.

Annika's bag was still sitting on the drying rack. The teacher forgot and Annika didn't want to make waves so she didn't say anything about it. So my little girl put her valentines in the other kid's bags knowing that she wouldn't get any herself and never saying anything at all. It broke my heart and I couldn't figure out why she didn't say anything to the teacher about her missing bag.

It all turned out in the end, there were valentines left over and most of them were just sitting on the teacher's desk. The teacher gave those to Annika in the bag that she had made and Annika was just thrilled. She was okay originally, but she was so excited over those valentines.

Annika is a nice girl, mostly a good girl. She doesn't make waves at school and can easily blend into the background. Her teacher didn't even know that she could read for a couple of months after she started. Annika just wants to be liked by everyone there.

At home, she's completely different. She lets her needs be known, she is sweet but it's not fun to cross her.  Annika knows what she wants and she will get it, by hook or crook. While it can get annoying at times, I'm glad she does. Annika needs a place where she can be "bad" and know that she will still be loved. I work hard so she knows that she is an important part of our family and she is allowed to express her opinions. (She has a lot of them.) She doesn't need to be indoctrinated into the thinking that in order for people to like her, she must be quiet and well-behaved. I don't want her ever to think she's bothering someone for sticking up for herself.

So, along with reading, math, and spelling, I plan to teach my girls to stand up for themselves. To make sure they are treated fairly, even if it means they stick out. I don't want them being "nice" in order to be liked. I want them to be liked for themselves and to have the strength to know who that is. I don't want them to miss out on something because they didn't raise their voice. There will not be another Valentine's Day without valentines. This is something I know I can teach better than the schools.

And that is one of the big reasons why my daughters will be homeschooled.