University Model School

Brad and I are very excited about the opportunity for our children attend a university model school. (Side note: Makin will not be starting here this year, but we plan for him to go to Kindergarten there next year. He was very, very sure that he wanted to do preschool this year, so he will be going two afternoons a week, and will get his very own post when he starts! :) ) It was a huge draw to bring us back to the area. It does not seem to be a very well-known type of schooling, so I thought I should give a little more information about it.

I first heard about it around 4 years ago when I worked a short shift at the church pumpkin patch. The mom I was there with just quickly explained why her daughter was not in school that day and I got a glimpse of the idea. Then I got to know another woman from church who became a teacher at that same school a couple of years later. It was always in the back of my mind as, "wouldn't that be nice..." and eventually became, "this is what I really, REALLY want for my kids."

When I explain it to people in short I just say that I love it because the kids go to school two days a week, and then we do home school the other days.  This particular school goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. UM schools were actually started in Texas, so there are quite a few around the area. There are other states that have them, but they are not really wide-spread yet.

What we love about UM schooling.

1.) We are still a huge part of our children's lives and able to teach them how we want. I love being able to teach/nurture etc with what we feel is important in steering them toward what God wants for their lives. Quality family time is very important to me and this gives us that, especially in these years we are still working so hard and building that strong foundation when they are so young and easily influenced.

2.) They get to experience having classmates and teachers. That was my main concern with home-schooling. Brad and I both had great experiences both making friends and with teachers. (The bad with the good, of course.) I love that this gives our children a chance for friends their own age consistently, as well as a chance to learn from another adult other than their parents. This is also important to me because both kids seem to be extroverted, and I know how much they love having friends to spend time with.

3) I do not have the stress of making sure all the requirements are met, like when they need to learn to divide or spell "rhinoceros". The layout of the lessons is given to me each week. I can elaborate however I see fit and tailor the lessons to each child. I can gear it more towards their learning style, or we can spend extra time on something if its really interesting to them. The teacher in me loves doing a lot of this, but I love that I am not solely responsible for it.

4) A Christian Education. Now, we had this at L's previous school, but its still worth mentioning. Brad and I both grew up in public schools but in strong Christian families, which is GREAT. In our small communities, we didn't have any other choices and thankfully many of the families we grew up with shared our morals. I love that in a Christian school you get so much more knowledge of the Bible than I ever spent time working on. Not to mention they are great about really focusing on, "What has God made you for?" and prayer. I am so excited to see L and M's faith grow through all of this.

To read an even better explanation, check out this blog...she knows exactly how to put what I'm thinking into words!
http://thehumbledhomemaker.com/2014/08/what-is-a-university-model-school.html


Another question we often hear is to what age does the school go? You can attend UM schools all through high school. I recently heard the idea of "no school decision is a forever decision" and I really felt relief when I heard that. While I think this is going to be the perfect fit for our family, I also have to keep in mind that it may not be the right fit forever. All I can do is give 100% to my family and pray about what is best for all of us each year. That being said, I'm so excited to see what the year brings! :)