Good Influences

I was thinking about last summer today and my frantic homeschooling research. I wrestled with the decision for months. I prayed and researched and prayed some more. Homeschooling seemed to work so well for many families I met and I wondered if it would work for us. One day, a few weeks before school started, Nicky sang a cute song I'd never heard before. I asked her who taught her that song and she said it was Mrs. Baker her preschool teacher. Suddenly, I knew the answer to my prayer. Nicky was supposed to go to Kindergarten and it was ok for her to be influenced and taught by someone else.

Sometimes, when I'd read about homeschooling, I'd read a lot of negative things about teachers and public school. I was totally floored by how our Kindergarten year and teacher compared with some of the things I read. Ms. H is a phenomenal teacher. She taught Nicky to read, write 100 times better, and memorize more poems and songs than I can count. All of this happened while she taught 25 other unique little bodies to do the same stuff. To top it off she actually had tears in her eyes when she told the moms at the Mother's Day makeover how much she loved our children.

As time passed this last year and I continued to send Nicky into the arms of Ms. H for learning, the thoughts of being teacher and mom grew more lackluster. I'm sure there are bad teachers out there and we may have to experience one someday but, oh, how I am thankful for the many people who influence my children for the good. I love Nicky's school teacher. I love Nicky and Andy's primary teachers. Tonight, I love a speech therapist who taught my toddler to push his fists together and say, "mo" (more). I love singing to him and at the end of each song, I love to see the frantic fists and hear his little "mo" almost muffled out by his snotty nose and green binky. Most people out there rock! I have some lucky kids in my house.