Rowden Academy

So, I realize I'm not exactly queen of frequent blogging. Except for the most recent post a few days ago, I haven't posted anything since January. And even then it was just ONE post on January.

Despite my lack of posting, there has been a lot going on in the Rowden household. Actually, I guess a better way to say it is that there has been a lot going on in the Rowden household, and that explains my lack of posting!

I wish I could say it has all been fun and fantastic (and certainly, there has been some of that), but actually, a lot of it has been nursing sick folk back to health. At one point, there were 4 bottles of antibiotics being consumed by 4 different persons, all for strep throat. That's a lot of strep throat. Between that and sinus infections, and ear infections, and breakdowns (see last post), and bronchitis, and runny noses galore, we've made many a trip to the doctor and could probably take out stock in facial tissue.

But in between all the blowing and sneezing and medicine-taking, we've had other things going on, including making a big decision. Are you ready? Drum roll, please...

After much prayer and careful consideration, we've decided to home school.

Don't worry, I'm pretty sure we weren't delirious from medication when we came to this conclusion (but I guess whether or not we really are sane remains to be seen). Ha!

But seriously, beginning in the fall with Cole's kindergarten year, we will be giving home school a serious go. At this point, we are only committing to one year, so we can see how it goes and if it is something that will be well suited for our family before we continue. And I have to say, I am very excited about the prospect!

Our decision was more "pro-home school" rather than "anti-public school" (although there are certainly things about public school we don't like). I'd been thinking about it on and off for a couple of years, but the icing on the cake came recently when I was reading Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson. (A must read, by the way, for anyone who is, well, bringing up boys.) In it, there is a chapter called "Boys in School." The information in that chapter combined with bits and pieces I'd heard and learned over the years laid a pretty good foundation for us to consider homeschooling as an option for our family. So we prayed and talked and prayed and talked, and well, here we go!

But for all the excitement, there is still some apprehension about how everything will come together. For that reason, I'm glad it's only March and I have near 6 months to sort through all my questions and get myself organized. I am so thankful for the plethora of resources out there to help me along. And if anyone reading this has any experience in home school or teaching, I very much welcome any suggestions or comments you may have.