Me on Homeschooling!

I am extremely passionate about my choice to homeschool. To me it is make or break for Emery's (and the rest of my children's) future. I believe they are individuals with unique qualities and it is that in which they will find their passion and purpose. Sending my child to a school (ESPECIALLY FLORIDA SCHOOLS) Where people are making them feel as though they are only worth something If they can pass a test... well it makes me absolutely sick. To think of my children feeling inadequate because they don't read as well as Suzy Q or didn't score as high as Jimmy on the FCAT... makes me want to cry. My children will be allowed to pursue whatever they are passionate about and there is NO GRADE to put on passion. To be happy, purposeful, and passionate we must constantly enlighten and empower our bodies, minds, and souls. School is becoming a place where children are pressured to memorize, memorize, memorize. As though they are factory workers. As though If they do not know how to memorize numbers and letters they will not have "success" in their life. Schools have less recess, music, and art time (IF ANY!) That is disturbing to me. We are so afraid of our children learning about sex early but we begin robbing them of their innocence the minute they begin school and we tell them they have to FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS. Of coarse they don't want to focus on that lame curriculum that is teaching every child to be exactly the same. AND IT DOESNT WORK! BC THESE CHILDREN ARE DIFFERENT! They are not allowed to explore their minds and imaginations. They have to be prepared for FCAT and If they are not than we believe our children have ADD. ITS NOT ADD IT IS BEING BORED!!!!! When I was little I wanted to be in my imagination world all day. I didn't want to be interupted from my belief that I could do anything I could imagine. We are doing just that to our children. We are making them believe that the possibilities are limited by their scores. I meet so many people who are still in and OUT of school and they have no clue what they want to do with their life. This is because parents and teachers are too busy cramming fast paced curriculums and the idea that grades are the only thing that matter in the big picture of life. We should be fostering a deep relationship with our child's mind and imagination! I see people in college changing their major, driven and motivated high schoolers with perfect grades just choosing a path that will seemingly work for them bc "have the grades to do it" or have no clue what else they could do. This does not equal happiness. This does not equal fulfillment. This does not equal passion & purpose. This is just a way of society judging each other. When someone brags about their children's grades or the college they got accepted to..I think it is great that they have stayed motivated through the rigorous process of weeding out the children who don't memorize well or care to put their energy into test scores and an idea that this is success. HOWEVER...I recognize that this has nothing to do with their peace of mind and desire to obtain mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual fulfillment. AND THOSE ARE THE ONLY WAY TO TRUE HAPPINESS. I do hope my children are passionate about reading and writing. I do hope they take pride in being intellectual beings. I especially hope that they believe they can do anything they set their mind to and I know and admire many teachers and parents in their efforts to educate children. I also know it is a ladder and teachers and being forced to teach specific curriculums and that their pay is even being based off of test results. I do not agree with any of this nor do I want to subject my family to the political aspect of it. My plan is to instill in my children a desire to grow as an individual on a daily basis. I will do this through creative teaching and my children will spend countless hours exploring nature, sports, music, books.. My "HOMESCHOOLING" will be 24/7. Not a sit in a desk and stare at a paper for hours memorizing something that will be forgotten in a week.

I hope I don't seem extremely pessimistic about this lol Just extremely passionate. I want my children to feel on the deepest level of existence. This means more to me than any trophy, certificate, grade, or test score. I want them to experience life for all that it is worth and never be afraid that they don't "have what it takes."
I really suggest Resa Steindel Brown's book, "The Call to Brilliance" It is an eye opener and has taught me SOOOOOO MANY THINGS and I am only on the 3rd chapter :))))