Mommy = Teacher???

Hi Friends!!!!

I hope this beautiful Spring season is finding you all happy & well! I'm proud to say....our family is doing great....staying busy, of course, but doing well! As expected, our lives have been in overdrive since my last post, which was Spring Break. So much is running through my head right now...I can barely type fast enough! So, I'll try to keep this in some sort of order, ok? Bare with me though....First of all, I have some exciting/scary/unexpected news to share. Nope...not pregnant, so forget that :) As many of you know, Noah has been in full-time Pre-K this year....his schedule has been pretty rigorous....some of that I expected...some of it I did NOT expect. He is up every morning at 6:15 a.m., and is out the door by 7:15 a.m. I pick him up at 2:15.....and, the rest of the evening is spent doing homework (not too much this year...but, he still had his share of it!), practicing his writing, reading (he's a great reader....actually, advanced in phonics, vocabulary, and word recognition!), preparing for his weekly show/tell, bath, and finally bed....sharp at 8:45 p.m....lights OUT! Lucky for Noah, I've had him on a schedule since his birth (thank you Babywise & Secrets of the Baby Whisperer!), so he adjusted to "school life" seamlessly. Sailer has even adjusted well to the demands of his schedule by waiting until Noah gets home from school to take her afternoon nap (thanks sweet girl! Mommy needs that time with Noah!). But....(yes, there is a "but" here)......this year has been a bit much for me....in several ways. From the very first week of school, Noah shared with me that another student was poking at him, bothering him, saying bad words to him, shoving him, pulling out his hair.....yep.....a 4 year old was doing this! Unbelievable! Little did I know, we would continuously have to "deal" with this student alllll year long....sometimes, weeks would go by without even hearing his name....then, all of a sudden, we'd begin to hear the name again.....everyday....it was endless. I spoke to Noah's teachers several times about this, and I was surprised (and somewhat relieved) to find out that other students in the class were scratched, punched, and stomped on by this boy as well. The school DID suspend him several times.....he spent much of his center time in the director's office, and had to be picked up early many days from school. Still...he remained enrolled....for what reason, I'm not sure. It's been a struggle...to say the least...mostly b/c Noah is highly impressionable, a little naive, and trusting of everyone....not to mention, he is one of the youngest in a class of 20 students. At my final parent/teacher conference a few weeks ago, Noah's teachers told me that Noah was finally standing up to this boy.....but, not in a good way. Bottom line...he'd been pushed to a point, and was starting to verbally resist this bully. On one hand, I was glad to hear this, but on the other hand, not so much. This is not how we're raising Noah. Anyway, he ended up having a couple of rough days, and this bully's influence in the class was becoming a major distraction to Noah's learning and development. Still....his conference was outstanding....showing that he was excelling in every area of the Pre-K curriculum.....which was terrific news for me! I couldn't have been more proud....yet, still, I had this nagging and uncomfortable feeling about what he was being faced with over the course of this school year. It bothered me. Nonetheless, I went forward with registering Noah for Kindergarten in the public school system in our district.

So....I guess I should just get to the news, right? (After all, you've probably already guessed by the title of this post!) I've decided that I will be home-schooling Noah this next year. Throughout this past school year, I've explored many options for alternate education for Noah....it's not that I've lost faith in the public school system. But, I feel a tremendous responsibility for my children's education, and I believe that the Lord has placed me in a position where I can provide this, if needed. It may not be permanent....and, I am fully aware that I cannot shelter my children forever...and, honestly, I wouldn't want to do that anyway. BUT.....am I ready to place Noah in public school yet? No. Not even. So...that is where we are. I feel as though I can fully maximize our time together during this next year, especially since Sailer will be in preschool 2/days a week. My vision for my children is that they appreciate education AND still have freedom to be what they are....creatively and spiritually. Equally important....I want them to be kids! I want them to have their afternoons to enjoy playing, going on day trips, and I want them to have time for extracurricular activities. I don't want to see them tired, overworked, or stressed because of unnecessary demands of their time and attention. With that said, I LOVE the flexibility that home-schooling allows. I love that I can give Noah that special attention and cater to his personal educational needs. I look forward to that....and, thankfully, the Lord has provided me with a very special woman that I've been able to draw information and encouragement from. It's been insightful and exciting! She makes me feel as though I can do anything! It's been a huge confidence builder for me...and has helped greatly with my insecurities and uncertainties about taking Noah's education into my hands.

Although I haven't officially declared my intent to home-school with the county, I plan to do so by the end of June.....I still have a few things to consider and specifics to pray about. I'm a person that like guarantees, and, unfortunately, there are very few in this world. But, one thing is certain...I know that the Lord will not leave me or allow me to fail in this....and, I find comfort in that. A few weeks ago, our pastor, the incredible Mike Stephens, made mention that "there is NO WAY that we will not reap the benefits of prayer IF we approach God with a genuine and faithful heart." Sounds close enough to a guarantee to me! I truly am approaching the Lord with a genuine desire to educate my children in His name, fill their lives with Him, and help them grow their faith. That is certain. Please pray with me as I embark on this!

Also, if any of you have any resources that you'd like to share with me, email me at jspendley21@yahoo.com. That would be wonderful!

Now, of course, I wanted to include some pictures too with this post, and I will....promise! But, I first wanted to include a special recognition that Noah received from his soccer coach about two weeks ago as Spring Season was wrapping up....I received an email with the team recognitions since we were not able to make it to the soccer banquet. Here is the quote that Coach Fred sent me....

Best ball control award: Noah

By far and away Noah demonstrated the best control when he dribbled the ball and when he had the ball it was very difficult to steal it from him. On top of this skill Noah also made some phenomenal defensive stops during games and practice. Using his patented 'feet-set, legs-spread, knees-bent' trapping technique he was also an immovable object. There were several time when larger and faster players would try to go through Noah with the ball only to end up bouncing off him, and when they got up off the ground Noah was the one with the ball. His 'Cat-who-just-ate-the-canary' smile he had after one of these stops was also priceless.

For those of you that know Noah, his challenge with soccer has been learning to share the ball, learning that it is okay to steal the ball from the other players, and learning the value of team work. The first season, which was Fall, was sort of like an initiation of sorts. Spring season started out much the same way....Noah was still timid on the field. His strength was his height and speed. But, during the last two games of the season, we saw a different Noah emerge. He became increasingly assertive, even aggressive, at some points on the field...AND, he scored 3 goals his last game! Wow! Not what we were expecting! So, to receive this recognition from his coach was a big deal. We are so proud! Can't wait to Fall season 3!!!!

Now...photos..finally! The following are an assortment of pictures....some from Mother's Day, some from Noah's School Field Day, and a couple of photos of Noah that I heart so much! :) As we draw nearer to Noah's official Pre-K graduation next week, I'll be posting more....we just ordered cap/gown pics, and they are precious. Can't wait to share them with you all! Until next time....

What a precious soul that the Lord is allowing me to shepherd.....I adore you Noah!
Mother's Day was the most crisp, beautiful Spring Day we've seen in awhile....how perfect for "ring around the rosey...."
A few pictures below of Noah's first School Field Day....his class was the red team! They won their first tug of war! And, all 34 pounds of our sweet boy was in the front pulling with all of his might!!!! lol!

How am I doing, mom????
Grrrrr......
Lovin' those flushed cheeks!
This makes me laugh! Watching the kids trying to bust a balloon with their tushes was a sight!
It popped!
Standing with Daddy...this game was hilarious! The director put Vaseline on the noses of all of the daddies, and they raced back and forth to see who could keep a cotton ball on their nose the longest....I have to say, I'd never seen this game before, but it was priceless! I got a really cute picture of Jason running with his nose in the air, but he would kill me if I posted it.....so, we'll just leave it at that.....:)
Sailer was UNinterested....she just played games on mommy's phone....:-)

And, here's our Super Hero taking pictures for his b/day invitation! Doesn't he play the part well??? He said..."Mom, if I wear this cape, I have to save the world!" Haha! Ambitious, huh?

Hiiiiiiiii-----Yaaaaaa!
Here he comes....it's a bird, it's a plane....NO!!!! It's Noah, the Super Hero! (if you think I'm cheesy, I am! I'm completely ok with it too...lol)
My favorite action shot!
And...the finished product! We love the invitation that Daddy made for Noah's 5th B/Day!!!! Jason & I are bursting with pride at Noah turning FIVE! Can't wait to celebrate with our family & friends in a few short weeks!!!