Home schooling has its perks

They can do their work with no shirts on LOL

So I never imagined being a homeschooling mom.  It is not what I would have picked for my path in life but something happens when you become a mom. Life stops being just about you and its about all these little life's and what you can do for them to give them the best opportunities.   We had been very frustrated with the help we weren't getting in public schools.  We had gone to the district to get approved for Payton to be held back for his third grade year and they wouldn't let us.  It seemed so crazy to me to send my 8 yr old to third grade when he couldn't even read.  What I didn't know is that in the public schools a decision like that isn't up to me and Alex it lies in the school.  Even Payton teachers didn't think he should go to third grade but some man that had never dealt with him had the final say.  Crazy but that's another post in itself LOL.   So In January we decided that we had to do something different .  Payton our sweet carefree boy that had never cared what anyone thought about him was starting to change.  He was loosing his spark that made him so special and it scared me so bad.  I was so afraid that the challenge of being in a classroom full of kids and never being able to do anything they could do was going to break his beautiful spirit.  I couldn't wait for someone else to care like I did about this.  Its almost like his teachers just saw him as a burden instead of seeing this amazingly gifted little boy.  He is seriously one of a kind.  I know I am his mom and I am suppose to love him like that but the truth is he is really that special. The kind of passion this kid has always had is unbelievable and a gift from god.  He was really put on this earth to change it.  I know without a Shadow of a doubt that he will leave a big mark on this world.  My fear got so overwhelming that for Christmas I decided to make Payton a video of how I see him so that he could be reminded that he is special and that even though he learns different he has a gift that not to many have.

This is the video I made him.

After giving Payton this video and seeing the spark come back in his eyes I made the decision to pull him from school and teach him myself.   I also had found a part time home school based private school that he could go to a couple days a week for three hrs a day.  When we getting ready to pull Payton I asked Jaxton what he wanted to do.  Jaxton is our very sweet boy that is always worried about other people and he was so worried about Payton having to go alone that he decided that he was going to go with his big brother.  I was so proud of him for taking a stand for Payton like that.  Especially when Jaxton did great in public school.   When we got the boys to the new part time school they tested them to see what grade level of work we needed to put them on.  I was stunned to find out that while paying so much attention to Payton who couldn't do most of the stuff he was suppose to that Jaxton was not even close to being challenged.  He tested at a third to forth grade level in every subject.  I felt like this horrible mother.  How could I have not noticed that he was way above what he was doing in his first grade class.  Needless to say I am so grateful that I pulled them both cause now I have them both on the work that they should be on.  I have been creating all of Paytons work around crocodiles and snakes and he is starting to retain.  I am so happy with the progress that they have both made.  There are days that its so exhausting cause I am now a full time teacher, mom, housekeeper, wife, and its been hard to figure out how to balance it all.  I know I am doing whats best for our kids and I have to remind myself that on days were everything I am teaching Payton isn't sticking and when there are days when I can't awnser Jaxtons questions cause he knows more than me :)  What an experience and I am growing from it.  These kids bless my life so much.  I have always doubted my own intelligence cause I struggle with retaining just like Payton. so its been good to remind myself that I am capable as well it just doesn't always look like the norm. 

So on days like today it helps me remember that there are perks to homeschooling.  We went to the Zoo for a family field trip and did some great learning.  Here are the pictures of this experience.  I know its a lot of pictures but I want to remember it all :)

So at the end of the day I am grateful that I am a homeschooling mom.  There are times I doubt it but these great moments out way any frustration I may ever feel.