Monday, June 06, 2011

Should I? I think so!

The girls drive me crazy.  I love them, but they can be such a handful at times.  I understand the underlying reason why they drive me crazy.  They want attention.  Plain and simple.


There are some days when we don't really stick to a routine and those are the days that they go wild.  The days I sit with them and we do activities, they are very tolerable and even fun to be around.  They just want me to be with them.  Sweet children!


For the decision that Jorge and I just recently made, the fact that the girls are so content when I play with them was what ultimately lead to the final conclusion.


I had been going back and forth whether or not to enroll the girls in school here.  There are several reasons and they vary.  I had decided to just enroll them and deal with all the issues that it might bring.  But every time we would drive by a school here, which is frequently since they are all over, I would start to get stressed.

(Want to do this scrap fabric letter project?  CLICK HERE)

The other night I couldn't get to sleep thinking about it.  And the next day decided to contact a bunch of friends that currently homeschool or are teachers themselves.  From all the conversations I had, it made me feel confident that I could do it, homeschool the girls.


I've decided that I will homeschool the girls, figuring out what works for us as we go along.  That way I can keep them on track with the standards for schools in Indiana.  We can concentrate on the basics and whatever else interests us.  It will allow us to be flexible and hopefully strengthen my relationship with the girls.  We will just make sure to stay on course with the standards of what Indiana expects so when we go back they can flow right into a public school if that is the course we choose at the time.


After looking online at all the resources and possibilities, I am surprisingly excited to do this.  I haven't been extremely active in working with the girls but have started working daily with them so we can get into a routine.  They seem to really love it.  I am sure that they are happy that they get attention without having to demand it.

If you have any resources that have worked for you with homeschooling, feel free to send them my way!  

6 comments:

Jackie said...

Hi Valarie! I'm a teacher and I've home schooled children before. Well, they weren't actually children, they were teenage boys that had been expelled from the American School, so they were a bit of a challenge.

But in both cases, their parents had a program from the Internet for me to follow which made it quite easy. I think the key to being successful with home schooling is to be organized and have a routine that you need to stick with.

Good luck and keep us posted.

P.S. I commented to my husband that I found another Gringa that blogs and he told me that you're from "Jalos." :)

Unknown said...

Jackie, I sure am from Jalos! We are only about an hour and a half from Guadalajara. Our Carnival that happens in the end of Feb/beginning of March is quite known, I believe. So, maybe that is why he knows of "Jalos". :)

I do agree with you on the organization. Luckily for me, I am a very detail oriented person, so that won't be a problem for me. I like routines, too.

I was just talking with my mom and told her how much easier the internet makes all things.

Hope you are handling the heat well. Hopefully the rain will start up in the next week or two. I am looking forward to a cool down!

Jackie said...

Oh, this is too funny! My husband actually said, in a very respectful way, I must add, that Jalos is known for having very beautiful women! :)

And I actually like the warm weather...it's cold weather that I'm not too fond of. I lived in Vallarta for almost 18 years, so the heat here in GDL is nice and dry.

I'm waiting for the rain because it will save me time from watering the garden. :) Unfortunately, GDL floods and there are lots of traffic accidents. :(

Unknown said...

Jackie, "beautiful women" huh? :) Actually there are lots of pretty girls running around here. I always feel out of place because I am a jeans/t-shirt kind of girl. When you walk down the street here, looks like you are walking into a fashion party. I guess image is a lot here...

The cold is a lot to take without having heat! All the rain is great but flooding isn't good. The traffic in GDL is already horrible enough. I can't imagine adding pouring rain to the mix. I would just stay home those days!

Anonymous said...

I would not home school them. They are so lucky to be living the experience of another country..don't isolate them away from other children. Let them experience >CHILDREN< , not just interacting with mom all day and getting "mom's view". You will have time to give them your dose of "Indiana standards" after they get home from school. Most Mexican schools don't go as many hours and days per year as Mexican schools. "When in Mexico...do as the natives do"! ...or anywhere in the world you may visit/live.
Linda retired teacher INDY/Veracruz

Unknown said...

Linda,

Thanks for your input. I do wrestle with the fact that if they went to school they would interact with the other children.

But, I am comforted that they do spend time with other kids here and go to different events that let them have the social experience.