Another year of homeschooling starts for us tomorrow and I'm thinking of the challenges and yet the rewards. For us, to watch our special needs kids achieve and accomplish so much in homeschooling has been so rewarding.

I've watched as Justin went from a little boy, struggling with learning to a fine young man, who reads at university level, does algebra and can add quicker than I can use the calculator. I've watched as Chelsey has struggled with her reading, to this summer finally reading a book. I've watched her design clothes and draw beautiful pictures. I've watched Michael learn to sit for longer than a couple of minutes listening to Bible, history and science. Yes its been rewarding.

For me as a person, I've learnt right along with them. I can now do algebra, which I could never do before.

What is the best part of homeschooling for you.

There are so many things I don't know if I can name them all!

I love learning right alongside ds - I especially loved our ocean unit study this summer. I learned a LOT about sea life. :cool:

I love ds's enthusiasm - every morning when he gets up he wants to know what we're going to be learning about in *school* that day.

I love watching ds grow each day and get better in his studies (I've seen him come a long way on his tracing pages).

I love the excitement in his eyes when we're reading a book.

I love for him to walk up to me and spit out facts (from books we've read) - things that I would have never imagined he really paid much attention to.

I also enjoy learning along with dd, it's amazing how much I've forgotten since high school, lol.

I've seen dd mature quite a bit since we started homeschooling, she was always very immature for her age. This year she seems really mature and serious about learning, which I thought I'd never see. She has learned how to study, which is something that she never learned in public school.

Dd and I have grown much closer and have a wonderful relationship. And dd and dh are spending a lot more time together and have also grown much closer. Homeschooling has made our family much closer and more loving. We were missing out on so many things when she went to school.