I loved being a homeschooling mama and love being a homeschooling grammie even more! There are so many benefits to homeschooling. It may not be for everyone, but for many, it is the best and most positive way to learn.

My beautiful granddaughter’s confidence was all but shattered by the time I asked her mom to let me homeschool her. She was having outbursts before school, throwing her clothes all over, screaming and cursing at her mom, and one day she left school and walked home. So unusual for our mild mannered, happy-go-lucky little girl. It was determined that she has dyslexia. There are few resources or time to help kids with learning disabilities (even though one in ten people have dyslexia!), and she was feeling more and more humiliated by the day. Add to that a teacher that was not good with kids, and we had a disaster on our hands. It was wonderful that my daughter and her family moved near me last January, because that gave me the opportunity I was waiting for, to teach her.

There are a lot of myths surrounding homeschooling and some fairly strong opinions. But allow me to set the record straight. Kids that are homeschooled still have lots of socialization with activities, neighborhood kids, and other homeschoolers. They are polite, can converse with any age group, are mature, have a well-rounded education, and are better ready to enter the real world after school. They also retain information better because their studies are tailored to their interests, making it far more interesting for them and fun. There are no bullies, wasted time, or burnt out teachers to hinder them. There are no budget cuts, lack of art supplies, or twelve hours of school and homework. Most children do better in a homeschool environment. Kids were never meant to be cooped up in buildings all day being taught what someone else deems right. Granted, some kids thrive at school and love it. That is wonderful!

Maryjane stays with me part of the week to do her studies. It is so much fun! She has her coffee (she is at her grandma and grandpa’s house, after all) while doing her times tables. We work through workbooks, and frequent the library often. She creates art work in my she-shed, and cooks and bakes in my kitchen with me while practicing her fractions. She went from not being able to read at all, to being roughly second grade level in less than five months. That is the benefit of a loving, encouraging atmosphere where there is no judgment, no races, and for goodness sake, no timed tests! It should also be added that I am instilling her beliefs that I feel are important, not what the government feels is important.

The other day, we drove her up to the mountains for a beautiful hike. It was a burn area, and there were charred pieces of wood, new growth everywhere, interesting mosses, and bird song. As we hiked along, I said, “Oh, we should have done school today!” To which she replied, “Grammie, this is school!”