Homeschooling on the rez

Annika, trying to carve into the rock.

I've said it before, but it's worth stating again that I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to homeschool my kids.  I never thought I'd have the desire to homeschool, but after moving to Virginia, the 3rd state in 3 years, and knowing that would possibly be the pattern for the next 20, it seemed the right thing to do.  I'm thankful for the chance to spend so much time with my children, to learn with them, to have the flexibility to learn outside of the "classroom", to travel anytime we want to, to show them the world.  However, just like being a parent, it comes with a huge and sometimes heavy responsibility.

Exploring a female hogan

 Although going to public schools was a great experience for me, I know that I am lazy when it comes to school work.  Somehow I was able to get by with good grades, even being in the honor society, without much studying, or hard work.  I was able to juggle many extracurricular activity, take college prep classes, and hold a job all while succeeding in school-however I realize now that I failed myself and did not retain the things my teachers taught me.  I know you can only retain so much information, and you retain most of what you use on a regular basis, but I was able to store the information fed to me in my short term memory for the tests and release it once I didn't need it anymore.  I am hoping for my own kids, that learning together, and through experiences, they will retain more of what I am teaching them.  Relearning along side my children, I am able to try and help them connect what they learn today with the things we learned in years past.

However, there are many nights that I lay awake and pray that I am not failing my children.  I do not have the schools or other teachers to blame when they are struggling with something.  I cannot write the teacher a letter and tell them that my child needs more help in a certain area.  The responsibility falls on my shoulders when they need more practice or a little more tutoring to succeed.

Mykah displaying her stone cairn

Often times I have to remind myself that the things they struggle with, they would struggle with in school and I have the ability to give them more time and more practice then they would get in school.  I remind myself that in their struggles they would either be singled out into "special groups", labeled, or left behind-which could hurt their self esteem and prevent them from reaching their full potential.  I have to remind myself that everyone learns or makes connections at different times in their journey, and while one child may excel in one area, another excels in quite a different area- but in their differences they will succeed in being what they were meant to be.

Isaak racing through the trail in Arches National Park, UT

In Virginia, they had the opportunity to join a co-op where they had the opportunity to be in classes with friends, and learn from other mom's who had different teaching styles and gifts.  Here in Kayenta we are seeking other opportunities.  Again, I have to remind myself that it took over 2 years to find the co-op that fit us best, and while there are not co-ops here, there is the opportunity for them to join the specials at the local elementary school.  I am looking into that and am hoping it will be a positive experience.

In Virginia, we were blessed to have many friends who were homeschooling their kids.  I enjoyed the support and camaraderie of friends who were on the same journey as I was, to be reminded that everyone has struggles and to be able to brainstorm ideas to help one another and share stories of successes.  My kids also enjoyed being surrounded by other kids who were home-schooled, which gave me a much needed break each day.

We have only home-schooled in Virginia, a state and an area that is saturated with homeschooling families.  Homeschooling on the reservation is a new experience, with new opportunities and experiences.  Our kids are being immersed in a new culture, they are experiencing a new area of the country that is completely different from any place we've ever lived before.  Together we are able to volunteer at an animal shelter, an opportunity that I know they would not be able to have until they were teenagers in any other place.  They have responsibilities there that most people don't have until their first job and are learning such valuable skills and gaining such a unique experience that has already changed them significantly.  I know that they will retain these things that they are learning, because they are experiencing them first hand.

In the times I am stressing out, that I am not doing enough and I see the laundry piling up and the boxes, still needing to be unpacked.  As I dream of projects I'd love to work on, or things I'd love to do for myself, I am constantly learning to be thankful for this time in my life.  I realize how quickly time flies.  I have to remind myself that there will be many hours when the kids are grown up, that I will be able to work on my projects and my house will someday be cleaner, but I will long for these moments of time with my kids.  And my prayer, is that as a result of this experience, the kids will be able to achieve their goals and aspirations.