This is the end of our first full year of homeschool with all three children. It has been a learning experience for the whole family. Not only are we homeschooling but adding new family members to the mix, we have had some growing pains. But things are smoothing out and we are hitting a pretty good stride.
Every family has their own reasons for choosing the the methods they do for educating their children. When we first had Pooh Bear, I wanted to homeschool. Then knowing she was special needs and would need extra assistance for learning, I felt I did not have the ability to educate her at home. I though public school was the best and only choice. When Snoopy came along and was severally to profoundly deaf we felt he needed the language base that a deaf education could offer him. Therefore we choose public school.
At first it was a good choice. Things were going great and both were learning a lot. Snoopy was learning sign language faster then I could follow, and both loved school. Boo did not start school until after we moved to Denton. That was when things started to go south for all three RainDrops.
Dealing with the special education in Denton ISD was a nightmare. After a year I brought the girls home. Pooh Bear was bullied relentlessly, and the school would do nothing about it. I was told on more than one occasion that they did not have a bully problem they were an "Exemplary School." I told the principal that just meant they had taught the kids how to pass the TAKS Test. Later I put them back in the same school when we ran in to some health issues with The Man of the House. They were back in school for about a year and a half when things started going south fast for Pooh again. She was being bullied again by the same group of girls. She was diagnosed with dyslexia and the school would not take the findings. They insisted they did not show anything.
Snoopy was sick a lot that year and missed quite a bit of school, not to mention knee surgery. The school was the ones telling me not to send him then, because he could not walk on the knee for weeks before the surgery. The next thing we knew they were telling us we had to go to court for truancy!
We have had CPS called 2 times for Ashlyn having an ear infection (MRSA) for a year. By the way we were at the doctor's office discussing IV antibiotics when they were knocking at our door. And once when Snoopy lost his hearing aids! We are raising him deaf, it is a choice!
After all of this we decided that enough was enough. Satan was attacking our family. After much prayer, talking, discussing, and research we decided we were no longer going to allow our family to be attacked like that. We brought all three RainDrops home, and opened up the RainDrop Academy. That was the best thing we have ever done.
I have seen a huge change in my kids this year. Pooh Bear is becoming more of a leader again. She has confidence in her abilities again. Being 13 is hard of course, but she is moving forward in a much more positive way. Snoopy was ahead of the kids in his deaf ed and regular ed classes. But even with that I am finding he was being held back. He has skipped a whole grade! Boo is loving the way she can get things done for school and have the rest of the day to devote to what she is interested in. Her art skills are growing by leaps and bounds!
Character development and scripture study are a huge part of our homeschool day. Learning why they are here on this earth has given the children more understanding of life. Of course not everyday is that understanding at the front of their minds, but he base is there. They are understanding that learning is a life long process that will continue on once this life is over.
The story
13 years ago
