Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

20 Comments

  1. LeeAnn Kopp says:

    Hi there,

    I am considering homeschooling my 8 year old daughter. She is having such anxiety at school from something that happened last year. (a kid in her class threw up in class right beside her and she had to sit there until it was cleaned up) She just can’t seem to get over it. Every morning it is a fight to get her to school and she cries all the way to school and at least through the first class. What I’m concerned about is that maybe the isn’t the right situation to pull your kid out of school? What will it be teaching her for the future, that she can run away from anything scary? Or is this the type of situation where I take her to a christian councellor and keep taking her to school? I am so confused as to what to do. I have 2 older girls that would still go to school because they like school so that may make it harder as well. I know its hard for you to give me your opinion without knowing us but I thought I would ask because I really like your blog. Thanks!! LeeAnn

    1. Thanks for commenting LeeAnn. Yes, my honest answer is that your situation is probably not the best reason to homeschool. I would definitely get to a counselor as soon as you can and talk through it with a professional. If after talking through it the counselor suggests homeschooling, then yes. But for now, and especially b/c your other two are in school, and it doesn’t sound like you were considering homeschool for any other reasons, I say keep her in school.
      I actually had some similar issues at your daughters age after a boy in my class threw up as well! I was terrified of getting sick in class and it seriously affected me every day. Looking back I suppose I am glad my mom kept me in school, though I did call home “sick” a number of times over the next year or two. I’m glad my folks didn’t turn it into too big of a deal, but looking back, counseling might have speeded up the process! 😉 All the best to you, and keep me posted! Aloha-

  2. Than you, thank you! Your first reason you love homeschooling…. Those hectic often angry ridden mornings with a traditional school schedule is my main motivation to try homeschooling. I hate those mornings… I couldn’t have said it any better. I was also feeling like that reason was selfish and not enough to pull my kids from school and try homeschooling, I felt like I needed a better reason.

    Your vlog really hit home as … The flexibility and freedom homeschool can provide is exciting. I just have a hard time with the confines of regular school. Thank you again .. While we might not do it this year … I believe homeschooling may soon be in our future! Much love to you and your beautiful family. Thank you!

    1. Thank you Anna! So glad to hear my Vlog encouraged you a bit. Yep–there’s plenty of good bringing the kids home, but everyone’s situation and timing are different! Hope you find the perfect fit! Much Aloha-

  3. Thank you
    My son ill did home instruction
    (His teacher taught and I did homework etc with him)
    Considering home school

  4. Aloha
    I’m not sure how I found your blog, but boy am I ever glad I did. This particular topic (homeschooling) is in the forefront of my mind of late. My husband and I are faced with trying to decide what comes next for one of my five kiddos. I was kind of hoping two of the five would want to get on board with the idea and so far there hasn’t been a whole lot of enthusiasm. However, while I am on the topic of enthusiasm, I haven’t seen any of that for a long time. I also haven’t seen anything new, original or creative come home from school with them. I haven’t seen my kiddos develop their own ideas or thoughts or feelings about anything. It’s as if they have become mindless sheep that are being fed through the same process over and over and over again. Our school is a nice school, but they lack originality and new ideas and the first thing my daughter (6th grade) said when I picked her up from her first day back to school was, “BORING”. My son’s reaction was, “It was fine.” That’s it?! How are they going to learn if they are excited about anything or enthusiastic about learning? It’s not so much the stress of morning routines, etc…that bothers me because we are pretty good at getting things ready the night before, it’s the dull, lifeless attitude that seems to meet each new day and the same thing at the end of the day that bothers me. Sorry to be cliche, but where’s the joi de vivre, or the aloha spirit in kids now days?
    Here’s my biggest concern. College. How well do colleges take to accepting a child who has been home schooled? Furthermore, will home schooling hurt their chances of getting into college? Just wondering if you have any thoughts on that concern?
    By the way…I grew up in Kailua Kona, but loved to travel to the North Shore for the big waves and for some Matsumoto’s Shave Ice.

    1. Hi Susan–I loved reading your comment, thank you!!
      You had me smiling the whole time–I totally relate to that. It is sad when kids aren’t excited about what they are learning!
      As far as I’ve heard, colleges these days are really fine w/ homeschooling, esp. private/Christian schools. I personally work w/ someone who has credentials to give ” transcripts” to homeschooled students, so most colleges will actually see my boys transcript and assume it came from a private school. (tricky, right/ :)) Of course I will not hide that they were homeschooled, and it may come up in their essays and what not, but overall, I am not worried.
      There are also great curriculums out there where you can work w/ the institution and it is “accredited” so they receive graduation paperwork as if it were a private school. If your kids are really smart, I’ve even heard that universities like Stanford have this as an option (you have to qualify, of course. :)) Just some options, and there are many!!
      Mucha aloha and do keep me posted on what you do!

  5. Thanks so much for your input! I also wanted to adopt children but my health threw a monkey wrench into that idea 🙁 but sounds like a great idea for you. I do think I will leave him in school… Makes me sad that homeschooling isn’t an option really for his situation. But I guess I have to go with the hand I’ve been dealt, right? And you’re right, Lyme disease IS awful. I’m sorry to hear your friend is dealing with it too. It is actually epidemic in this country but tragically it’s not being talked about or made known as it should be. But that’s another story! Btw, I was just in Hawaii with my husband and youngest son to visit my oldest son who is stationed on Oahu 🙂 it was our second time getting to visit him and we just loved it there! Didn’t want to leave! It was a long trip though since we are in Florida :-/ What a blessing for you to LIVE there! My son has been fortunate enough to be there for 4 years… But he will be leaving in November. By the way, I never did get a confirmation email, so it looks like there is a snag somewhere. :-/ let me know what you think I should do… Should I try subscribing again? Thanks again! I enjoy your blog 🙂 take care and God bless you!

  6. P.S. Please subscribe me to your blog. I tried signing up above but it said there was an error. Thanks so much! 🙂

    1. Shelly–Thank you. I did try to subscribe you and it said you had subscribed, so hopefully the error was actually an error. haha. (did that make sense?) If you do not get a confirmation email, plz do let me know. I’ve kind of had a flood of new subscribers so I’m wondering if it is causing a problem… Keep in touch. 😉

  7. I had been considering homeschooling my 13 year old for 8th grade this year and praying about it, but since his older three siblings are all grown and out of the house now, and since my son has no real friends in the neighborhood, I worry about him being lonely. When I told him I was praying about it at the beginning of the summer, he didn’t seem very happy about it. Interestingly enough, I homeschooled my older three kids for 7 years before I had some serious health problems and had to stop homeschooling. But my youngest, my 13 year old, has never been homeschooled. Also, the dynamic was much different when I homeschooled my older three. They had friends in the neighborhood, friends at church and each other, as well as extra-curricular activities. So they had plenty of social interaction with kids their age. Whereas, because of ongoing health problems for me (undiagnosed Lyme disease for over a decade), my son doesn’t get to be as active as I would like. He is quite a musician and takes piano lessons once a week, but again, that is a solitary activity basically. So, I’ve gone back and forth about homeschooling him. I REALLY loved homeschooling my other kids, for some of the very reasons you mentioned… But I also loved teaching them and enjoying the process together. So I do know there are many blessings that come with homeschooling. It just may not be the best situation though for my youngest. He really is looking forward to being with his friends at school again soon, so I hate to take that away from him. So as much as I wish I could homeschool him, I’m just not sure if that will be the best situation for him. Let me know your thoughts. And thanks so much for the video. Wish I had seen it sooner!

    1. Thank you Shelly.
      Honestly…from what you shared, I’m thinking you might should just leave him in school. Unless you are seeing signs that he is headed the wrong direction, or not getting enough academically, it sounds like that might be best. Keep praying of course, but at this point, that’s what I would say. 🙂
      I know that I”ll be facing the same thing in a few years when my youngest is home all alone, and homeschooling will look very different. It concerns me enough that I sometimes talk about adopting another child so he can homeschool with a buddy, haha. 🙂 (I don’t think public school here is an option, or I would be thinking that way.) You’re doing amazing, and I’m so sorry about the Lyme disease-_I have a good friend who was just diagnosed after many years of being undiagnosed as well. it sounds awful.
      Keep in touch and let me know how things go! 🙂 aloha

  8. Rachel Johnson says:

    I just watched your vlog and was really encouraged by your words and your smiley face! I have two little boys, and homeschooling has been on my heart since the oldest was born. I agree with pretty much everything you said and am glad to hear it has gone well with your boys!

  9. Gosh I really enjoyed this vlog and would love to have a follow up! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂 My question is the financial aspect of homeschooling as compared to private/charter/public schools. Without giving specifics, how do you think it compares? Has it been financially different than maybe you expected? It’s still a few years off but we have already started thinking and praying about how schooling is going to look for our family. Thanks, Monica! And enjoy the boating vacation – it sounds amazing!

    1. Sorry it took a while for me to get to reply to comments…About homeschooling and the financial aspect: (and I don’t mind giving specifics…) I know some people find creative ways to homeschool for next to nothing. There are so many free resources online, etc. As for us, I spend about $800 a year on each kid’s full curriculum package. It is always a hard pill to swallow because we order them all at once, and I’ve never gotten good at budgeting throughout the year for it.
      I think the cost is WAY better than any private school (at least here in Hawaii,) but obviously more than public. We do get to re-use some of the books for the younger boys who are coming up, so some years we save a couple hundred…
      I think our curriculum is pretty average for homeschool package curriculums.
      Feel free to ask anything–I was not at all prepared when my boys were young, so I think it’s great that you’re thinking ahead!

    2. As for costs, there are varying factors.
      We have up a 12 mile, 35 minute commute to private school, the cost of separate school lunches, etc. Our friends who switched from public school to homeschool gave up extensive school supply lists, expensive clothes etc. in keeping up with what everybody else wore etc.
      I always bought supplemental or special materials anyway when my kids were in a traditional school setting, so now we just get to use that money towards whatever materials are interesting to us instead of in addition.
      We do pay for a couple of ‘co-op’ type classes, great if you have older kids needing a more formal science lab once per week. Search online in your area for costs. There are also used curriculum sales etc.
      It’s cheaper than private school, more than a very basic public school education. But if you find yourself very involved in your child’s education when they’re not at school and would be spending money for supplemental or interesting items & outings anyway, then homeschooling isn’t going to be much more expensive.
      And what you do gain is priceless.
      However, if your child would benefit from a specialized magnet school for art or language immersion or special needs, and that’s their ‘calling’, then it may be better to choose that for a season.

  10. Have a fantastic trip with mom and dad,maby I see you under way somewhere in Canada,just got back from Iceland 2days ago still recovering,head north on the23rd if all goes according to schedule.Hugs.

  11. Megan Leigh says:

    Thank you so much for sharing! I have 3 boys (5, 4 and 10 months) and love your blog:) my oldest is starting kinder in 3 weeks and homeschooling has been on my heart since he was born. I’m really worried how it would work while I still spend so much time with the baby (nursing). Also, my 2 oldest are 18 months apart and while best friends they fight a lot too. I wonder if separation would be good for them. Lastly, I’m afraid I will lose friendships as those moms send their kids to school and have all this “free time”. Would love a follow up vlog!

    1. Thank you Megan! Those are all excellent things to consider. The baby factor is a challenge (esp. when they hit the busy young toddler years.) We had a part time nanny help with our youngest when he was two and three so I could homeschool the older three, and that made a huge difference. When brothers have school work to keep them busy and focused, fighting isn’t such an issue (I have a much harder time with sibling squabbling on weekends than I do on school days. :)) And yes, I do miss out on some social things, but I schedule time when I can to do the things I want to do most…It is a sacrifice for sure–but one I wouldn’t trade. 🙂 I will keep all of this in mind for a follow-up Vlog for sure. 🙂 Aloha!

  12. Very interesting, Monica! Even though I am a teacher, I sometimes fantasize about home schooling. Losing the morning stress and shouting could be reason enough! Thanks for sharing. I am always interested in learning about people’s lives- especially those different from mine. Enjoy the sailing trip. What an adventure!