A Mother Trying to Homeschool and Failing
by Diane Clarke
Feeling Like a Homeschool Failure
To make a very long story short, my husband lost his job over a year ago and we ended up having to leave Texas to come to Toronto Canada, where we are presently living with my sister-in-law. We have absolutely no support from all my in-laws or from my side of the family in homeschooling our kids. My husband is trying to get a job in the states, either in Houston Texas or Florida, etc. in Radiation Therapy (his profession). He is going through a recruiting company, because they would pay the expenses for the interviews, etc. But it is taking long. My husband can't work in Canada legally. He is trying to get back to Houston to stay by my oldest son in their tiny apartment; so he'll take any work for now, until the recruiter can help find him a job in his profession. We have absolutely no money except what my mother-in-law gives us for gas and a few food items. With all my heart I want to homeschool and my husbands wants our two boys to be homeschooled. We took them out of school over a year ago, when we lived in Houston because they were being influenced by their peers negatively. I started homeschooling my two oldest boys in kindergarten and first grade and then we put them in school and they went down a road that was very bad with their friends. They dropped out of school and are struggling now. I personally feel inadequate to homeschool my boys in junior high; I need tutoring help. I can't afford any curriculum for their grades, so I just have them reading and doing the very basics of arithmetic and I have some simple books from the dollar stores and thrift stores for science and social studies. My boys are about a year behind. My 13 year old who has A.D.H.D. is very concerned about being behind and wants to go back to public school. He has no confidence in us that God will provide the support and help that is needed to help them get caught up. This is the painful reality that we are faced with and dealing with right now. We are Catholic Christians and our moral values and beliefs are the major reason we homeschool. Educationally my boys are behind. Morally they have grown so much in character and we have become closer as a family and closer to God. I cannot do it alone! I need help, serious help! It will break my heart to send my boys to public school. I will not go down without a fight, but I can't do it alone. I believe with all my heart that it is God's will that we homeschool our kids, but I have no support and no help. When you are poor your options are very little. People usually offer suggestions that you should just do this or just do that, but it is hard to do anything without money and a stable living situation. If you can offer any help in any kind of way, please write me back very soon. Thank you for listening and please pray for my family and me (Brian-my husband, Joseph-my thirteen year old and Joshua is 11 1/2 and Diane-myself) Also please pray for my two oldest boys as they struggle to get their lives together. One son is in Afganistan and the other is in Houston struggling to find a decent job, because he has not got his G.E.D. yet. Click here to read or post comments. |
