We are only two weeks into the new school year. I already feel a bit overwhelmed. Our oldest son is almost sixteen and has taken an active role in getting hay put up this season. On top of having a college student, a high school senior and an 8th grade football player, we have decided to homeschool our oldest son who is in the 10th grade.
For years I have admired families who chose to homeschool their children. When I was a young mom, I did not have the confidence to homeschool my own four children. Over the years of child rearing, I have realized education is not a one-size-fits-all situation even in our own family.
Our oldest son has many talents in mechanics, autobody and construction. I am in absolute awe when he pulls a machine apart to diagnose a problem. He then impresses me further when he fixes it and puts it back together again. I do not have the mind of a mechanic. Educating him at home has given us more room to incorporate him into the farm and businesses as he discovers what he would like to do with his future.
Last year, I watched his boredom at our local public school become exacerbated. When I reviewed his grades online, he appeared to be a very good student. He knew he had to apply diligence to his work all week to race his car on the weekend. When he took his end of the year final exams, these scores reflected a different story – he was not retaining what he learned all year. He was simply doing the work, behaving himself and complying with the system. He was not enjoying learning.
I am blessed to have several wise friends who have homeschooled their own children for years. They were generous with their time and advice as I began to explore what the best options for our student would be while educating him at home. We are just a few weeks into the new year and are learning what works well for him. My only regret is not starting this a long time ago.
One of our side businesses is a self-storage business in East Fayetteville. I have had the privilege of serving as president of our state self-storage organization over the past two years. This past week I had to be away from home for a couple of days for our annual expo and convention. During the expo, I was able to accomplish some networking and education for myself. If there is one thing doing school at home with our son has taught me already, it’s this – I still love learning and education.
As a former marketer, I always enjoy a good marketing hook. At this year’s expo, one of our vendors was introducing a product called the Billy Box. As part of the introduction, they brought in a beautiful goat named Butch Cassidy. The farm animal at a trade show was fun and unexpected, as all good marketing hooks should be.
For the two days I was gone, my son had to be a self-starter and complete his schoolwork on his own. When I got back home, we went over it together and made corrections where they were necessary – a beautiful freedom.
Our Washington county fair is this week – it’s a beautiful showcase of everything our local community has raised, created and learned over the past year. I am rediscovering my own education this school year. I hope you find ways to rediscover how much fun it is to learn too, neighbor.
Jody Harris is a freelance communications specialist, gardener, ranch wife and mother of four. She and her family raise Angus beef cattle and other critters on their northwest Arkansas ranch. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Jody, go to ozarksfn.com and click on ‘Contact Us.’
