Tuesday, January 1, 2008
"I'd Never Homeschool..."
You've heard it before..."Never say Never." I had that saying slap me upside the head a time or two. Such was the case when we were lead to homeschool the kiddies--well, actually I was dragged kicking and screaming I think. LOL
We started out in the public school system like many families do each and everyday. Kyle's kindergarten experience began with what seemed to me like a novice first year teacher that I was pretty sure he was habitually "eating for breakfast" daily. I'm actually quite sure he did because at the parent/teacher conference, she informed me he was "doing fine" and "did not have a problem sitting still" when I questioned her. I knew my child and this simply could not be. My suspicions were confirmed at his first grade conference when this time around this seasoned teacher proceeded to greet me with a forced grin, sat down at her desk, began shaking her head, and then proceeded to slam her head down on the desk. When a teacher begins a conference..."Where do I begin?"...you know you are in trouble. She proceeded to tell me what I already knew about my son--that he could care less about doing schoolwork, that it was not a lack of ability but a lack of interest, that he had difficulty staying engaged, and that she was having difficulty because there are 27 other kids in the classroom. When I heard the same anthem at his second grade conference, I knew I had to do something. I started checking into private schools and picking the brain of my master's prepared school teacher sister who informed me that my child "has been labeled" and that I had to make a change in his current educational path. After we weighed the options of private school--which meant taking a toll on the pocket book and still a classroom full of kids, homeschooling seemed the only logical answer. Homeschooling was never something I had ever even considered.
To read about what we are doing in school now, click here.
We started out in the public school system like many families do each and everyday. Kyle's kindergarten experience began with what seemed to me like a novice first year teacher that I was pretty sure he was habitually "eating for breakfast" daily. I'm actually quite sure he did because at the parent/teacher conference, she informed me he was "doing fine" and "did not have a problem sitting still" when I questioned her. I knew my child and this simply could not be. My suspicions were confirmed at his first grade conference when this time around this seasoned teacher proceeded to greet me with a forced grin, sat down at her desk, began shaking her head, and then proceeded to slam her head down on the desk. When a teacher begins a conference..."Where do I begin?"...you know you are in trouble. She proceeded to tell me what I already knew about my son--that he could care less about doing schoolwork, that it was not a lack of ability but a lack of interest, that he had difficulty staying engaged, and that she was having difficulty because there are 27 other kids in the classroom. When I heard the same anthem at his second grade conference, I knew I had to do something. I started checking into private schools and picking the brain of my master's prepared school teacher sister who informed me that my child "has been labeled" and that I had to make a change in his current educational path. After we weighed the options of private school--which meant taking a toll on the pocket book and still a classroom full of kids, homeschooling seemed the only logical answer. Homeschooling was never something I had ever even considered.
It turned out to be the best "decision" we have made to date for our family.We are closer to our kids and making lasting memories. Our kids are happy and healthy. Most importantly, they are learning what they need to know to be successful and it is from a Christian perspective.
What started out as something we "had" to do has become something we "get" to do.
To read about what we are doing in school now, click here.
Meet My Crew...
My name is Amy Doty and I am the rambling writer of this blog. When I am not being wife, mother, teacher, housekeeper, and referee of squabbles, I do manage to do a little scrapbooking and shopping (nothin' excites me more than a great deal!). I also work part-time from home as an on-call triage RN for a local homecare agency. I also enjoy traveling and spending time with my family and friends. I am a bit of a social person who says what she's thinking....as you may have seen on my posts here. I truly feel blessed by God and am so grateful for the many blessings in my life....a few of those blessings are below. Read on...
To read more about Amy, click here.
Kirk is the Man of the House and does a bang up job in that role! He loves to do so MANY things! (just check out my basement sometime---it's housing his many hobbies.) He enjoys rock climbing, scuba diving, street hockey, hunting, hiking, and anything outdoors. He is a lover of nature and spends all the time he can out at our 47 acre parcel of woodland. More than anything, he enjoys taking his kiddies along for the ride. He is a Journeyman Lineman by trade (yeah--one of those crazies who likes to play with high voltage electricity at high heights). He is currently working as a General Forman for Intren (formerly known as Trench-It). He is a loving and patient Christian man and I am so happy to be his wife. (I can be mushy as well as silly, can't I?)
To read more about Kirk, click here.
Kyle is the oldest(4/97) of the bunch. His big love is COOKING! He can spout off a receipe at any given moment and is always asking for new ones.
Kyle enjoys doing anything with his dad--which usually involves hiking, fishing, dirt biking, hunting, and anything else they can come up with.
Kyle also loves video games,yo-yos,and movies. He would watch movies all day if you let him. His favorite color is black. His favorite foods are steak, chicken fingers, and spagetti. He is torn between being a vet or a cook when he grows up.
To read more about Kyle, click here.
Keaton (7/98) is the second born son. He's the one with the killer rock star hair do--complete w/ highlights. He is also Party Animal of the family. The boy never sits still---unless he is sleeping. We call him the "Freakshow", and it fits! The boy is a show all by himself.
He loves to be active. Any sport will suit him--he likes soccer, dodge ball, and football. He likes to be outside. Dirt biking, fishing, paintball, street hockey,yo-yoing, and shooting guns with his dad are some of the fun things he loves to do.
He's alot of fun. He wants the world to know he ROCKS at Guitar Hero and wants everyone to send him money.
To read more about Keaton, click here.
Ms. Abby (4/01)is stylish and sensational. She is all girl. She loves to put together outfits and always looks fantastic. She is very artsy as well and enjoys any art projects. She is doing very well in her homeschooling.
She is shy and reserved. Once she is comfortable though, she can be a wild woman.
She enjoys animals of any kind---in particular, her grandma's chihuahua Poncho. She loves to shop and can shop for hours! I believe I read somewhere that is a genetic trait--which she inherited from her mom. Her favorite food is bacon. Her favorite color is pink (of course!) and her favorite movie star is Hannah Montana. She also loves American Girl, Webkinz, and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
To read more about Abby, click here.
Miss Alexa (2/05) is the babe and completely silly! We call her Midge. She is the youngest and from the time she entered the family we referred to her as "the midget" and it has since been shortened to "Midge". It has stuck!
She is very busy. When she is not single handedly destroying something in the house (in a sneaky manner), she has many interests. She loves High School Musical ANYTHING, dressing up and getting glamorous with all her lovely jewelery, and anything hands on.
She has never met a stranger--much like her mother. Kirk and I have talked about it and I think we have decided to keep her.
To read more about Alexa, click here.
To read more about our family in general, click here.
Everyone Has a Story...Here's Mine:
To sit down and write out how it is that God has made Himself known to me seems an overwhelming task. How do you sum it all up in a paragraph or two and do it justice? Really, it can’t be done—not to the degree He deserves. But, I will share with you a few things about my journey…
I was born the first child to parents who were children themselves at that point and had some growing up to do. Mom’s parents were/are two of the finest Christian people I have ever known to date. So, you can imagine their disappointment when news came that I was coming along. Despite this, they were loving and supportive of our now young new family. A sister and a brother soon followed. Gram and Gramps were always there and were a Godly influence for our family. I remember going to Sunday School at a early age and I think it was sometime in early grade school that church became a more regular part of family life. I became very involved during my late elementary years and even attended church camp. It was there that the gospel was presented to me in a way that made sense and I remember raising my 10 year old hand up in the air to accept Christ at campfire that last night. I was baptized the following Sunday at church. Seemed that it was more so during my high school years, though, that I felt more of an urgency to work on developing the relationship. Thru some wonderful influences in my life, I was learning to live the life that God had for me. I was letting the Holy Spirit guide my decisions. I saw prayers answered and they all the more confirmed the realness of a God who heard me. There was one prayer request I had begun making at the age of 14. It was about two years before God answered that one, but He answered it far more abundantly that I could have possibly imagined. His name was Kirk and I had no ideas just how much of an answer to prayer that he was for me. As it turned out, this quiet, meek, and socially-timid guy would turn out to be one of the most amazingly faithful, servant-minded Christian people I have met to this day. He is the spiritual leader of our home. I am so grateful to have him in my life. He keeps me accountable—and I love him for it (well, usually! Sometimes he tells me what I need to hear and not what I want to hear!). I’ve had my not-so-on-fire times as well. I don’t pretend for a second that everything is always been great in my walk. I let the busyness of life be an excuse to neglect the One who gave it to me—which is really horrible when you think about it. But I will press on with the aspiration to grow closer to God and continue to thank Him for all those blessings He has bestowed upon me. I don’t feel worthy of it all and recognize that I really am not worthy. It’s a gift and I’m grateful.
And the saga continues. Click here to read the most recent chapter.
I was born the first child to parents who were children themselves at that point and had some growing up to do. Mom’s parents were/are two of the finest Christian people I have ever known to date. So, you can imagine their disappointment when news came that I was coming along. Despite this, they were loving and supportive of our now young new family. A sister and a brother soon followed. Gram and Gramps were always there and were a Godly influence for our family. I remember going to Sunday School at a early age and I think it was sometime in early grade school that church became a more regular part of family life. I became very involved during my late elementary years and even attended church camp. It was there that the gospel was presented to me in a way that made sense and I remember raising my 10 year old hand up in the air to accept Christ at campfire that last night. I was baptized the following Sunday at church. Seemed that it was more so during my high school years, though, that I felt more of an urgency to work on developing the relationship. Thru some wonderful influences in my life, I was learning to live the life that God had for me. I was letting the Holy Spirit guide my decisions. I saw prayers answered and they all the more confirmed the realness of a God who heard me. There was one prayer request I had begun making at the age of 14. It was about two years before God answered that one, but He answered it far more abundantly that I could have possibly imagined. His name was Kirk and I had no ideas just how much of an answer to prayer that he was for me. As it turned out, this quiet, meek, and socially-timid guy would turn out to be one of the most amazingly faithful, servant-minded Christian people I have met to this day. He is the spiritual leader of our home. I am so grateful to have him in my life. He keeps me accountable—and I love him for it (well, usually! Sometimes he tells me what I need to hear and not what I want to hear!). I’ve had my not-so-on-fire times as well. I don’t pretend for a second that everything is always been great in my walk. I let the busyness of life be an excuse to neglect the One who gave it to me—which is really horrible when you think about it. But I will press on with the aspiration to grow closer to God and continue to thank Him for all those blessings He has bestowed upon me. I don’t feel worthy of it all and recognize that I really am not worthy. It’s a gift and I’m grateful.
And the saga continues. Click here to read the most recent chapter.
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