I love the idea of homeschooling.

As a kid, I went to public school, and really hadn't heard of homeschooling.  I had some great teachers and got a good education.  Plus, my mom's a teacher, and last year she became an elementary school principal.

But I still wanted to homeschool.  Even before Chickpea was born, I dreamed of homeschooling her.  When she started showing an interest in reading, we bought Hooked on Phonics and I taught her to read.  It was so much fun for both of us!  I always assumed we'd homeschool full-time when she got old enough.

Now here we are.  She's about to enter first grade, and for the past few months, the issue has been on the front burner.  As much as I wanted to teach her at home, as much as I was looking forward to it and had my heart set on it, it doesn't seem to be God's plan for us right now.

It broke my heart.

DangerBear tried to comfort me by reminding me that I could still do homeschool-type things at home, and that in reality, EVERY parent is a homeschooling parent.  That's totally true, by the way, and besides, academics is only one part of a well-rounded Christian education.

It still broke my heart.

On thinking and praying, though, I'm able to see how God has orchestrated this.  Even though we're in a pretty rural area, there's an excellent Christian school nearby.  I've set up a meeting with the principal and the first grade teacher, and the principal is incredibly nice and enthusiastic.

We haven't made a final decision yet.  The meeting is tomorrow, so it depends on the answers to the questions we have.  If you have a moment, I'd like to ask for your prayer.  I know God has a plan for Chickpea's education, and we want to follow it!  I'd also love to hear about your experiences, whether your children attend public or private school or are homeschooled.