An Educational Swim

Miss G has really taken to swimming lately. I must give credit to the Red Cross swimming lessons that she recently completed. Their courses and instructors were great. The level of supervision was very comforting to the parents. There were only 4 kids in her Pre-K class with one instructor, two assistants and one life guard assigned just to them. I'll take a 1 to 1 ratio any day. As a result of these lessons, Miss G has become really confident and has begun putting her face in the water. She wants to swim every day.

Yesterday was a beautiful day. A puffy, animal-shaped cloud day with an amazing blue sky. We decided to go. As we drove up to the pool, negativity started creeping into my heart. At these moments I try not to say anything out loud because I don't want Miss G to catch or learn this annoying habit I have of looking for bad things. There, parked and taking up half of the parking lot, was a big yellow school bus that said "Kinder Kare" on its side. I glanced over at the pool and sure enough the "kiddie" part of the pool was swarming with little ones. I decided that I wouldn't let this sway our resolve and destroy Miss G's happiness and we'd swim anyway.

We found a spot beside the fence for our bag and towels and ran-walked to the pool. Miss G was undeterred by this hoard of little ones, in fact, she was excited that there were so many kids for her to play with. We found a narrow entry into the pool and took our spot. As soon as I sat down in the water I was swarmed by children. "My name is Marshall. My name is Joshua. Watch what we can do!" They all began to show me how they could swim and dive underwater. They crowded in until they were touching me and they all started talking at once. Thank goodness I'm not the least bit claustrophobic or I would have panicked. As I tried to keep an eye on Miss G, they continued talking and showing and touching. I thought to myself, these kids are starved for attention. They'll do anything to have me glance their way or acknowledge their presence. As I got around to talking to all of them, the hubbub quieted and they started to play with one another again.

I looked around for the people in charge of these little ones and I found the two. They were standing a good 30 yards away guarding the 3 1/2 foot line, making sure no one got past. I think how hard their job must be. How can two people care for 25 - 30 kids from the age of 4 to 7? That is an overwhelming responsibility, especially in water.

Miss G packed 2 water guns and a boat for our trip and asked if she could get them out. Knowing the issues that 3 toys will cause among so many but unwilling to say no, I told her that she would have to share. She agreed and got the toys. Again, we were swarmed. I got them all together and told them that we could all play with them if they could follow the rules. They would have to share and they could not squirt anyone in the face. They all agreed. They happily began to play with the toys. They even took turns trading with one another. This went on for a good ten minutes when one of the caretakers noticed they were playing with the toys and told them that wasn't allowed. The children could not understand why they weren't allowed to share the toys and I couldn't either, especially when they were sharing so well, but I obliged and put the toys away.

As Miss G continued to play, the children continually approached me. They wanted to talk and be heard. They wanted to touch and be touched. They wanted to tell what they knew. One even jumped on my back in a half hug, half tackle. Was God reminding me how blessed I am to be able to go swimming with my daughter in the middle of the day?

These children seemed smart and funny. They seemed to be well rounded, except for the one who spit on me. Why would they instantly take to me? Do I have one of those motherly faces? Did they crave an adult's attention so much that they would throw themselves at me? It struck me instantly that this is exactly what I'd been mulling over in my mind for the last several weeks about our decision to homeschool Miss G. This was exactly why we are willing go against the grain and homeschool our daughter. I want to talk with her...all day long. I want to see her...all day long. I want to touch and love her...all day long. I want to know exactly who she is and what she's thinking and judging by these children, that is exactly what they want too.

Homeschooling has lots of advantages for your child's education. Curriculum can be tailored to their needs. You can advance as quickly or slowly as they need. Your child receives hours of one-on-one "teacher" time that they wouldn't receive in public education. No one will care more than you do if they actually learn. All these reasons have been listed by other homeschoolers before me. They are not new, but they are valid and a small part of our decision to homeschool. If we only wanted to grow a highly educated young woman then here our reasons would stop.

Education is a good goal. Heaven is a better one. I want to be there, everyday, all day, to help grow her into a Godly woman. I don't want a stranger to instill their own agenda into her while I'm away. I want her to learn about all cultures and all governments and all the ideas of our history from a Christian perspective. I realize that there are good schools out there that can do all those things for their students. I just want to be the one to take that walk with her.

Homeschooling isn't for everyone. There are good schools whose education is top notch. There are fantastic teachers who go way above and beyond to help their students (my mom was one of them). Not every parent wants or can spend that much time with their child...but I do. I'm trying not to have unrealistic expectations. I know that it won't be easy and there will be hard days. Will it be worth it? Absolutely! Looking into her eyes and heart everyday, watching her grow in love and wisdom, is exactly what this mother wants. Ultimately, it's what every mother wants for their child no matter what their educational choice.