Decisions, Decisions

It seems appropriate for a first post to discuss the decision that led me to take up homeschooling. Of course, I say that, and then immediately realize that it wasn't just one decision, but a domino chain of choices made by both my daughter and myself that has finally brought us here.

I was not someone who wanted to stay at home with my child and homeschool her from infancy through to her first Nobel Prize. I was afraid I didn't have the patience to do it, and I knew I didn't have the kind of money that would allow it. So it was with great relief that I put The Girl into daycare just short of her first birthday. She loved it. She had great teachers in a pre-school that was underwritten by a local ecumenical organiztion. The affordability and exceptional staff made it the perfect solution for us.

At that time I had left education and was working in the IT field. The hours got longer as I moved up the ladder, and eventually I found that The Girl was spending almost 50 hours a week in daycare. I decided that was a bit too much of a good thing.

In order to spend more time at home with my daughter, and to escape the stress of the IT industry, I moved to the country and started my own business, eventually combining the business with teaching part-time at the local elementary school.

While I was happy to be home with The Girl more, I still did not seriously contemplate homeschooling. I didn't feel up to the task, and I wasn't sure where I would find the time. The local elementary school was good. I liked the building, the teachers, and generally I liked the curriculum. It never entered my head that I might look for other options.

But now, here I am choosing a curriculum. More on how I got to this point in the next post...