Evaluation Day!

We had our first homeschool evaluation this morning. Kaylee went to public school for kindergarten and first grade, and this past year we decided to start homeschooling. It has been so great! At first, I think I kind of thought of it as something we would do until we got back to Port Orange and a better school system. After a few months, I though, well, this would be fun to do during the elementary years. And now we know that we will continue to homeschool until we feel called to do otherwise. I can't tell you what a wonderful experience it has been for our family.

The yearly evaluation is something that I have been half dreading and half looking forward to all year. (Am I weird, or what?) Even though I know we have done enough, there is that small part of me that was doubting. Did I do a good job? Have we covered enough material? Have I kept sufficient records of our activities? I was ever so slightly scared that she would look at me and say, "what on earth have you been doing all year?" But she didn't. (She being my friend Stephanie, who is a former teacher, now homeschooling mom who is still certified so she can do evaluations.) She said we're doing a GREAT JOB!!! Yay!!!! It was so affirming to hear those words from someone who actually knows what they're doing! I came away feeling proud of Kaylee and proud of myself. And I'm actually feeling like maybe we're doing too much.

I think I let myself fall into that trap of worrying about what everyone else thinks. My family and friend are very supportive, but homeschooling is still foreign to them. Heck, it's still a bit foreign to me. It's easy to feel like you have to do everything the same way public school does so that no one will think you're doing your child a disservice. But I am trying to let go of that, and not worry about other people's opinions. I am so grateful for Stephanie and the way she put me at ease this morning. And I am grateful to be starting another year of homeschooling.