Well, I did it!

I am withdrawing my son from GCA after this school year, and we will begin traditionally homeschooling. It was a tough decision to make (it took me 2 weeks to finally hit the withdraw button), but I know that it was the correct one. We have been using GCA (virtual academy) for 3 years now. I really love the curriculum and the support that you get, but we have outgrown it in a sense.

Initially, I really needed GCA as a guide to educate my son at home, then I used what I learned to begin educating my now 5 year old, and I suppose I will always pull from my experience to continue to home educate all of them. I really love GCA, but I do not love the new requirements and emphasis on “teaching to the test”. What I realized was that I was so pushed to make sure that we never lagged behind with our progress, that I was rushing my son through the day. We were not stopping to enjoy this journey! As I took an evaluation, I realized that the time that we all have living under the same roof, schooling, and enjoying each other will be short lived. I will be sending my oldest off to school in 10 years and I want him to enjoy homeschooling! My 3rd grader was beginning to lose his love of learning, because it was becoming more of a job than it was fun. Daily assessments began to burn the both of us out, and now I have added my Pre-K student into the mix, along with a 1 year old….Can you saw exhausted?! So, we decided that schooling them on our own would be best. I have found my confidence in tackling this all on my own, I am very disciplined when it comes to their education, and I feel that we will be fine.

I am nervous, but excited to face this new challenge, this next chapter in our lives! Follow us throughout the year to see how we are handling this new journey. Believe me, I will be giving you an honest look into our world. Until then, I will be researching, planning, shopping for curricula, and pinning on Pinterest. #homeschoolpower