Thanksgiving #18...

could also be called Reason #46 for why we love Homeschooling. Flexibility is what I'm thankful for today.

Interestingly enough I received in yesterday's mail my HSLDA magazine with its title article on, "Reading in Bed: Homeschooling with a chronic illness or disability". Recovering from back surgery screams that flexibility is required in our home education plans or much other types of screaming would ensue.

Our school year starts in June so by the time this unplanned surgery became planned, we all ready had over 100 days tucked away and finished. That's a big boon when only 180 days are required. We always school until the curriculum is completed but meeting the state requirement is also no small feat and one we look forward to with the last attendance sheet dance done usually in March. This year the dance may occur later as we take some of these weeks off to literally get back onto my feet, but I do not worry that the requirement will not be met.

And even for these days when I cannot stand at the white board putting up diagrams, there is still much in the way of schooling I am able to accomplish with reading aloud, discussions, questions and answers, investigations and projects. The boys are independent enough to work on a project of study and bring the completed work to me. A red checker pencil and teacher's corrections work whether lying down or sitting at a desk. Flexibility is one of the key reasons we chose to homeschool and its benefits continue to prove themselves for us. It makes my head ache to think of how many details of a school calendar I would have to manage through other people if we were in the traditional system.