How Many Moms Does It Take to Graduate Eight Boys from Homeschool?

Three years ago, a post a entitled "Graduating and Graduating Some More" was written on the day that our daughter graduated from the local high school.

Only a few months after that, our son, who has never found education to his liking for more than a few minutes at a time, was so unhappy that he began to rebel against education and his parents. Not good. Over his years in public school, both teachers and administrators had suggested that we consider homeschooling, and early his sophomore year, we took the plunge. During that time, I have learned some things that didn't work well for him, and some that did. In some ways, homeschooling is no different than public school education. For instance, taking the ACT involved getting up early on Saturday, just like it does for public school students. Formal dances require flowers, spiffy clothes, and all that is left are the pictures, and that is just like public school, too.

In other ways, homeschooling is more like college. Until I embarked upon the homeschooling journey, I did not know that there are homeschool "groups" and "co-ops" and private tutors who cater to homeschooler families. The state of Georgia also allows homeschoolers to enroll in online classes via the Georgia Virtual School. During our three years of homeschooling, we have experienced all of those. Actually, not only are there many options open for educating, there are also opportunities for socialization, from drama groups to homeschool swim day, skate day, winter and spring formal dances, and bowling leagues. And I learned that one can order everything from entire curriculums with books, tests, and DVD instruction; to invitations, a diploma, and even the cap and gown. I've met a number of interesting people, including my son's tutor, his music teacher, and a number of other homeschooling moms. Without participating in homeschooling, and a homeschool group over in Hall County, I would never have known about the Frances Meadows Aquatic Center, Yonah Skate and Bowl, the nifty ice cream cones at the Corner Drug Store on Thompson Bridge Road, the HEART co-op, Nuçi’s Space, Camp Amped, Baxendale Guitar, the Athens School of Music, Oasis Bowl, and I probably would not have visited nearly so many churches and parks in Hall County. My car has added a humongous number of miles, too. (Thank goodness, it is Honda.) As I look back on it, there are many activities we did not do. I don't see how anyone could come close to doing them all.

When I was in graduate school, studying English and education, a chronologically gifted professor had us read The Sabre Toothed Curriculum, a satire which points out how old ways remain a part of schooling, far beyond their usefulness. Things have not changed much since its publication in 1939; schools still teach outdated skills. Some homeschool families have made it a priority to teaching their children life skills, rather than merely to sit still for long hours. The group instruction model does not take into account individual learning styles, either. Among homeschool moms, there are discussions about the Charlotte Mason method, Classical Conversations, and whether Saxon math is better than Teaching Textbooks. My curriculum and methods classes at Piedmont College did not cover the myriad of choices available to enterprising moms who choose to homeschool.

My daughter had gone through four graduations before her high school ceremony, and my son had also gone through four previous ceremonies, from preschool to middle school. Despite his lack of interest in the homeschool ceremony, our son did agree to this last ceremony, so he graduated, along with seven other young men, at a church in Hall County. All the moms have helped with the preparations, so the answer to my title question is eight, plus eight dads, and a number of siblings and friends.

Quite honestly, homeschooling has not been easy, nor inexpensive, but it is often a better plan for children. Most of the homeschool students I have met are more polite, more social, more mature, much more moral, and usually smarter than their public school peers. The bullying and moral decline evidenced in many public schools is reason enough to consider homeschooling. The main problem with it, other than time and expense, is the prejudice which is better summed up by the video than by me.

New York, New York

My youngest sister, who never graduated from high school but did graduate with honors from Augusta College, treated my daughter to a graduation trip to New York City, and invited me to come along. A word of warning, this is a long entry, but you’ll know what we did and have links to lots of pictures along the way.

From the minute we left our jet at LaGuardia, we saw the I Love NY logo everywhere— on shopping bags, coffee cups, and tee shirts. The taxi ride resembled the last time I was in a bumper car ride, but the driver didn’t actually hit anything. The Hilton at 1335 Avenue of the Americas is upscale and in a great location; theatres, Times Square, and many restaurants were within walking distance. Don’t do NYC without good shoes and some stamina for walking, however. We took one of those “pedicabs,” a rickshaw with a bicycle front, to dinner at an Italian restaurant recommended by the hotel concierge. The ride was hilarious, with my six foot one sister perched on my lap, as the seat is for two and not three. The driver said he was already off duty, so he took us for a tip; we walked back to the Hilton. After picking up a coat, we walked to Rockefeller Center and bought tickets to see “The Top of the Rock” which is the observation platform. This is really incredible, and the view of all of those lights reminded my daughter of Christmas. It is interesting to see the Empire State Building all lit up, surrounded by a city of lights. It is hard to describe but very much worth seeing.

On our first full day we had trouble getting daughter up; then we wandered the streets, seeing Pershing Square and walking by Grand Central Station and when we needed to sit and rest, having lunch at Johns’ Pizzeria. That food was good, but not up to the rest of the trip. After all that walking and eating, we ended up doing the wax museum in the afternoon instead of the morning; this attraction is great for teens; however, since may of the figures are modern entertainment celebrities rather than the historical ones I expected. We got a lot of pictures and enjoyed the attraction quite a lot. That evening, we had tickets to one of the hot plays on Broadway, Wicked. As daughter said during our walk back to our hotel, once you have seen it, you’ll never view the Wizard of Oz the same way. The play was stylish, funny, and reflective of the pinnacle of theatre in America. The lights and set design were particularly well done, although I could not fault any aspect of the production.

Day two, we still had trouble getting teen-aged daughter awake, so we were barely able to get to the Circle Line Cruise dock on time, and that with the help of a taxi driver that sister flagged down near Times Square. The boat left promptly at eleven, about five minutes after we boarded, and we had a scenic tour of the area near Ground Zero, plus a ride by the Statue of Liberty. Picture perfect weather helped us enjoy the entire trip, but it was especially helpful on the seventy-five minute boat ride.

Another taxi driver provided transport from the dock to a row of restaurants across from the Majestic Theatre, where we had a fantastic lunch at Sardis, with caricatures of famous entertainment figures surrounding us. After jaywalking across the street, we were in the Majestic Theatre, which is not misnamed, for the longest running Broadway show, Phantom of the Opera. Although I have been a fan of Webbers’ music for a long time, this was my first opportunity to see a live version of one of his musicals, and it was not a disappointment. The orchestra was superb and the actors were not wearing microphones, which was remarkable in such a large theatre.

We wandered amongst the wares on the streets as we strolled back to the Hilton and had dinner from the street vendor across from the hotel; I stayed in after dinner while sister and daughter rambled around the street vendors and had dessert at Lindy’s, which claims to have the best cheesecake in NYC. I really could not hold another bite of food and was glad for a chance to rest and chat with hubby in private. During the trip, daughter bought two handbags, sunglasses, an iPod case, and souvenir tee shirts from the street vendors. Sister bought a handbag, sunglasses, and a scarf. Our last day, which was only a partial day due to an afternoon flight, was spent at Central Park, after a subway ride to 72nd Street. We rode another train back to 50th, and daughter made her final purchases from the street vendors.

One more taxi ride got us to LaGuardia with lots of extra time, and the Air Tran jet not only was on time, it was half an hour early, so we had to wait a couple of minutes for another plane to leave the gate so we could disembark. As we came home, we stopped at a Cracker Barrel, since we needed some fried chicken and sweet tea to help us know that we were really back in Georgia.

My sister, who graciously paid our way to NYC, did a great job in planning our trip, getting tickets to shows we really wanted to see, and guiding us around the city. Certainly, she deserves kudos for wanting to treat daughter to a trip she’ll always remember, and I was most fortunate to be along for the ride.

Graduating (and graduating some more)

My soon-to-be eighteen year old daughter is graduating today. While she knows it is an important milestone, the idea of graduation has been cheapened by all the previous ones. Nowadays, in our neck of the woods, children graduate from preschool, kindergarten, fifth grade, eighth grade, and now high school. Hopefully, there will be a couple more, for we expect her to finish college and graduate school. For her, this graduation is bittersweet, in that she leaves behind some friends, but she will also leave behind a school that she has outgrown, intellectually.

We live near the local schools, and traffic was a bit of a mess this morning as parents and grandparents were making their way to the high school gym, where the kindergarten ceremony was about to take place. The fifth grade graduation will take place today; the middle school held their ceremony last night. Indeed, folks who have several children or are related to those who do, have to shuttle around to several of these events. As a teacher, I attended quite a number of high school graduations, and as a parent, this makes seven graduations.

The ceremony tonight is almost secondary to all that goes along with it— establishing a bank account to deposit monetary gifts and to pay bills in college, going to goodbye parties, attending the senior breakfast, going to “Intro,” which is the program for incoming freshman at her chosen post-secondary school, and then moving out of our home. These transtional months are a pivotal time, and much of her future happiness and success will depend on what happens as she begins college.

Like Janus in classical mythology, this is a time to look forward, and to look back. We’ve gone through some pictures and other memorabilia, to decorate for her graduation party. As we looked though the boxes, we laughed at her kindergarten class picture and put back some really embarrassing yearbook mug shots. My daughter may not realize the momentous aspect of this hour of her life, but hubby and I do, so we will no doubt be a bit misty eyed, as we watch her pick up the diploma that acknowledges thirteen years of her life, and of ours.