The first time the thought of home schooling came to mind was when my husband suggested it. For months I had been worried about registering our little girl in public school, and I was having trouble with the image stuck in my mind from 5 years before. Her brother had been crying as we turned our backs on him to leave the auditorium his first day of school. He had to cling to a stranger (his new teacher) for comfort.

To me, it wasn't natural. To send a 5/6 year old out into the world (a sometimes cruel world) to make it on his own. So we postponed sending my girl to public school (kindergarten is not mandantory in Texas), in order to investigate the possibilities of the homeschooling option.

Needless to say, my investigation came out positive. I spent the rest of the year preparing a curriculum and gathering materials. My girl started school the same day her brothers went back to class.

She was my guinea pig; and looking back she handled my being a novice like a trooper. Novice is right!

I made some mistakes. When she didn't understand her English paper, I just couldn't understand why. Was she playing dumb? Of course not! It was ME. I was plain dumb. I expected too much from her. But she waited patiently until I learned the home-schooling approach.

The year of experimentation proved successful because of the Prototype. The next year, it came time for her two brothers to join the Home School. My daughter and I both have fond memories of when it was just the 2 of us... when we both learned a lot about patience, guinea pigs, and expectations.