Homeschooling...

I know I write a lot about Homeschooling.  But it is one of the big changes my family made when moving here.  And I have a lot of you who read who also homeschool.

Homeschooling sounds fun and glamorous, I know.  Well, it isn't always.  I have such a wide range of schooling going on in this house.  Erika is a beginner in so many ways.  She is beginning to write, read, add...  Tori is in the middle.  About to start High School next year.  And Josh is about to end High School next year.  They are all such different learners too.  Such different personalities.  And some days, it is just plain exhausting.  That and dealing with all the other things my day may entail.

And one is strongwilled.  This can be one of my biggest challenges.  Erika is extremely smart, but also, extremely strong.  She does not receive correction well, and well, that is part of school.  If she writes a letter or a number incorrectly, I have to make her redo it, but it is not without much pain.  But then, when she does something "right" and "perfect", there is much rejoicing.  I never know what is going to upset her.  Sometimes she wants me to help her cut some things out, sometimes she screams because she wanted to do it "herself" and now I've done it and the world is about to cave in.  So far, this week, she has lost the privilege of playing on my old ITouch for two weeks (because she loves technology so this is torturous).  But today has been a much better day because of it.

But on the other side, it truly is exciting when my kids "get" something.  I was proud of them before, but now I am in the midst of the struggle with them, so it is more exciting.  

We registered Josh for his SAT in December.  He may take it a couple of times.  I just want to see how it goes.  That was a big thing for me.  A scary thing.  We will have to drop him at a college in Belize City for a morning.  Thankfully, we have already done it once with Wini last year, so at least it is not totally unfamiliar.  But this is the beginning of letting him grow up.  It is hard to believe he is almost 17.  But it is harder for me to let him grow up living in a foreign land with high crime.  He recently started going once a week with some guys from our church to the city to watch one of our kids from church do a live show.  He loves going and has even been seen on TV (although we don't have TV).  But it is still hard for me to release him and not worry.  I also know the Lord does not want me to worry.  He is a great kid and I trust him thoroughly.  I just don't trust the criminal activity that is high in the city.  It is much harder to be an American kid growing up here.  All his friends in the states have their driver's licenses.  He cannot even get his permit until he is 17.  His friends have lots of school activities, can go to the movies, out to eat with their friends.  It is just different here.  But the Lord provides other things, other oppurtunities.  But I know he misses so much from the states as well.  Like even McDonalds.  Yeah, I know it is gross food...but still it is convenient and cheap.

Well, I need to wrap this up.  Erika just finished her Pace Work and I need to go work with her on some things.