10. We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions.
This one is so timely! This is the time of year I both love and loathe, usually simultaneously. You see, usually by April we are finishing up our year. We are getting done all those last minute lessons that have been put off for one reason or another and making sure the kids are prepped for standardized testing (yes, we do that too!). The signs of spring are in the air, and the kids are re-energized and driven to finish all their work by May. Field trips begin to out number seat time, books are finished and filed and summer is on the horizon!
Unfortunately, this is also the time of year I start planning for next year. Curriculum is cheap on ebay as other families finish up and want to rid themselves of books. Vendors begin warehouse sales and conventions, there is really a whole season underway! For me, this is the most unrewarding and tedious part of homeschooling. Every year I have to sit down and put our family (and myself) under a microscope. We discuss what we loved and what we hated. What worked and what was a huge disaster. Then we look toward what we hope to accomplish and how we dream to get there. While this sounds really exciting as I type, the reality is much less pretty! This is the time of year I second guess myself and my choices. I never know if our oldest is getting enough of the right things, and if I have chosen work that is challenging and engaging without being intimidating. The younger two are easy, it's a "been there done that" sort of path with them. Certainly the books change, but the overall time schedules and subjects are always the same.
Our oldest will be doing 6th & 7th grade this year, and she has a real mastery of most math concepts. Every year I have to search and search for a math text that is not just repetition of what we have already done. I found one I really liked this year, but the whole book was a prep for NYS standardized testing!!! Yes, the WHOLE book! While the content was fabulous, the layout was horribly confusing. I ended up just using the Table of Contents and finding my own lessons on the topics outlined.
I can't wait to have all of our plans and books in place, I really enjoy teaching my children and being there with them as they successfully learn something new! There is no greater joy in the world than seeing your children succeed and feel the pride that comes with hard work.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Day of Silence
http://www.dayofsilence.org/
Religion is not the only thing that doesn't belong in school. I do not believe public schools are the place for certain types of political activism as well.
Did you visit the above link? Did you look at the list of schools that are participating? http://www.missionamerica.com/agenda.php?articlenum=78 Southold is one of them..."right here in River City...."
In trying to be so politically correct as not to offend anyone, we are ending up offending everyone.
Religion is not the only thing that doesn't belong in school. I do not believe public schools are the place for certain types of political activism as well.
Did you visit the above link? Did you look at the list of schools that are participating? http://www.missionamerica.com/agenda.php?articlenum=78 Southold is one of them..."right here in River City...."
In trying to be so politically correct as not to offend anyone, we are ending up offending everyone.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Wish List Items #8 & #9
8. Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.
9. Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.
We happen to be religious, and homeschooling partially for religious reasons, but it did not start out that way. I may have shared this before, I don't recall.
We initially began homeschooling because our oldest daughter needed her family around her, for more than just 3 or 4 waking hours a day. She was experiencing some changes in her life that were causing her physical and emotional discomforts. Couple that with her coming home from school to discover a whole litany of new behaviors from her brother and sister, and you have a small child disconnecting from her family.
It is of utmost importance to me that my children be raised in the teachings of The Bible. It's really wonderful to have the opportunities to weave those stories and values into our everyday lessons and experiences. But there are plenty of homeschoolers, right here in our area, who are either not religious at all, or choosing not to school in a religious manner. Our homeschool group is a wonderful mix of many religions (including no religion) and cultures and lifestyles. There are loads of conferences and gatherings all across the county where homeschoolers can mix and mingle with families of every kind.
Homeschooling is about freedom. Freedom to do what is best for your family, whatever that means for you.
9. Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.
We happen to be religious, and homeschooling partially for religious reasons, but it did not start out that way. I may have shared this before, I don't recall.
We initially began homeschooling because our oldest daughter needed her family around her, for more than just 3 or 4 waking hours a day. She was experiencing some changes in her life that were causing her physical and emotional discomforts. Couple that with her coming home from school to discover a whole litany of new behaviors from her brother and sister, and you have a small child disconnecting from her family.
It is of utmost importance to me that my children be raised in the teachings of The Bible. It's really wonderful to have the opportunities to weave those stories and values into our everyday lessons and experiences. But there are plenty of homeschoolers, right here in our area, who are either not religious at all, or choosing not to school in a religious manner. Our homeschool group is a wonderful mix of many religions (including no religion) and cultures and lifestyles. There are loads of conferences and gatherings all across the county where homeschoolers can mix and mingle with families of every kind.
Homeschooling is about freedom. Freedom to do what is best for your family, whatever that means for you.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The School Threat, Part 2
My husband is a wonderful man...but not today!
For those that don't know, dh and I also work together. I was feeling very good about myself yesterday after getting up early, feeding all the animals, throwing in a load of laundry and sitting at my desk by 7:30...yes, that's a.m.! Then my cell phone rings at 10:00, unfortunately the babysitter had been in a car accident and was unable to come (she was unhurt). I called home and told dh he was on his own, that I would do the tasks he left incomplete the day before and I would try to be home by 2:00.
Well, 2:00 came and went, as when dh is not in the office I am next in line for whatever problems arise. So I called at 2:15 to tell him he didn't need to come in, I would finish getting everything together and all was well. Then, silly me, I made the mistake of asking him if he was enjoying his time with the kids. His response? "They need to go to school."
This really hurt my feelings, which is unusual, and caught me a little off guard. I first thought I was upset because he put himself behind homeschooling and has been pretty supportive, in his own way. I felt a little betrayed, and annoyed at the prospect of explaining all over again why I thought homeschooling was the right choice for our family. You see, I think I have previously told you that we review our decision every year, for every child. Part of the reason for doing that is so that we ensure we are still doing it for the right reasons, but also so once the decision is made we don't have to rehash it until the next year. But after having some time to think and reflect, I realize that wasn't the real reason my feelings were hurt.
Homeschooling is a lot more than teaching your children the basics of reading, writing, math, history, etc. Homeschooling is a lifestyle choice, it is about raising your family with all of the morals, values and traditions that are important to you. It is keeping them close to you and nurturing them right where they are. For me, it is more important to raise strong, moral, Christian adults than to make sure my 4 year old knows how to write her name.
Time is short, and life can be taken in a breath. I hope and pray my children will outlive me, and I will grow old with lots of beautiful grandchildren. But there are no guarantees, and I intend to cherish each moment God gives us together. A very wise Mama told me "Childhood is not a dress rehearsal." This really was a special moment, and one I try to recall in those times when I wonder whose nasty children came down for breakfast!
You only get one chance to raise your children, they are not an inconvenience to be suffered, they are blessings to be honored.
For those that don't know, dh and I also work together. I was feeling very good about myself yesterday after getting up early, feeding all the animals, throwing in a load of laundry and sitting at my desk by 7:30...yes, that's a.m.! Then my cell phone rings at 10:00, unfortunately the babysitter had been in a car accident and was unable to come (she was unhurt). I called home and told dh he was on his own, that I would do the tasks he left incomplete the day before and I would try to be home by 2:00.
Well, 2:00 came and went, as when dh is not in the office I am next in line for whatever problems arise. So I called at 2:15 to tell him he didn't need to come in, I would finish getting everything together and all was well. Then, silly me, I made the mistake of asking him if he was enjoying his time with the kids. His response? "They need to go to school."
This really hurt my feelings, which is unusual, and caught me a little off guard. I first thought I was upset because he put himself behind homeschooling and has been pretty supportive, in his own way. I felt a little betrayed, and annoyed at the prospect of explaining all over again why I thought homeschooling was the right choice for our family. You see, I think I have previously told you that we review our decision every year, for every child. Part of the reason for doing that is so that we ensure we are still doing it for the right reasons, but also so once the decision is made we don't have to rehash it until the next year. But after having some time to think and reflect, I realize that wasn't the real reason my feelings were hurt.
Homeschooling is a lot more than teaching your children the basics of reading, writing, math, history, etc. Homeschooling is a lifestyle choice, it is about raising your family with all of the morals, values and traditions that are important to you. It is keeping them close to you and nurturing them right where they are. For me, it is more important to raise strong, moral, Christian adults than to make sure my 4 year old knows how to write her name.
Time is short, and life can be taken in a breath. I hope and pray my children will outlive me, and I will grow old with lots of beautiful grandchildren. But there are no guarantees, and I intend to cherish each moment God gives us together. A very wise Mama told me "Childhood is not a dress rehearsal." This really was a special moment, and one I try to recall in those times when I wonder whose nasty children came down for breakfast!
You only get one chance to raise your children, they are not an inconvenience to be suffered, they are blessings to be honored.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The School Threat
My husband is a wonderful man, he is kind, hard working, thoughtful...and a complete idiot sometimes!!!!
Today we had some of our homeschool group to our house for a music class. We were anticipating approximately 20 kids and a half dozen or so adults. So I decided today was as good a day as any to clean the first floor and catch up on some laundry. At breakfast I asked the girls to please remove all of their things from the kitchen and put them where they belong. 15 minutes later I am alone in the kitchen with tons of stuff that does not belong to me or the kitchen. Silly me decided to complain to dear 'ol Dad that his children weren't listening to me and I was frustated before I had my coffe (never a good sign). His response? "Put them in school."
Now you tell me in what perverted universe will putting my children into school improve their behavior? And who is going to drag them out of bed in the morning, dress them, pack lunches and backpacks and have them on a bus before 8:00? And who is going to get them off the bus and feed them a snack and do their homework and put supper on the table? And if they decide they don't want a bath on a given night who is going to fight with them to take one anyway so they don't go to school dirty? Who is going to shop for and construct the 8000 stupid projects that the kids hate? Who is going to explain to them why we don't believe we came from monkeys and that the world just blew up into exsistence? Who is going to comfort the child who got bullied, or picked last for dodgeball?
Now, I fully recognize that many of the above annoyances are important, character building experiences. But the whole reason we have chosen to homeschool is so we can control the circumstances surrounding these events, and make adjustments as necessary. If my 10 year old wants to skip a bath and read a book till midnight, she would be unable to wake up for school and be smelly to boot. If my 4 year old decides to be a bully, we can pull her aside and explain right then and there why that behavior is unacceptable and guide her into a more appropriate method. If my 6 year old wants to learn how to build a birdhouse before he learns how to tie his shoes, I can be there to tie his shoes for him (and hold the nails!).
Homeschooling is a challenge; it isn't always pretty and we sometimes don't all like each other very much. But we get through it, together, and that is a lesson that cannot be taught in school.
Today we had some of our homeschool group to our house for a music class. We were anticipating approximately 20 kids and a half dozen or so adults. So I decided today was as good a day as any to clean the first floor and catch up on some laundry. At breakfast I asked the girls to please remove all of their things from the kitchen and put them where they belong. 15 minutes later I am alone in the kitchen with tons of stuff that does not belong to me or the kitchen. Silly me decided to complain to dear 'ol Dad that his children weren't listening to me and I was frustated before I had my coffe (never a good sign). His response? "Put them in school."
Now you tell me in what perverted universe will putting my children into school improve their behavior? And who is going to drag them out of bed in the morning, dress them, pack lunches and backpacks and have them on a bus before 8:00? And who is going to get them off the bus and feed them a snack and do their homework and put supper on the table? And if they decide they don't want a bath on a given night who is going to fight with them to take one anyway so they don't go to school dirty? Who is going to shop for and construct the 8000 stupid projects that the kids hate? Who is going to explain to them why we don't believe we came from monkeys and that the world just blew up into exsistence? Who is going to comfort the child who got bullied, or picked last for dodgeball?
Now, I fully recognize that many of the above annoyances are important, character building experiences. But the whole reason we have chosen to homeschool is so we can control the circumstances surrounding these events, and make adjustments as necessary. If my 10 year old wants to skip a bath and read a book till midnight, she would be unable to wake up for school and be smelly to boot. If my 4 year old decides to be a bully, we can pull her aside and explain right then and there why that behavior is unacceptable and guide her into a more appropriate method. If my 6 year old wants to learn how to build a birdhouse before he learns how to tie his shoes, I can be there to tie his shoes for him (and hold the nails!).
Homeschooling is a challenge; it isn't always pretty and we sometimes don't all like each other very much. But we get through it, together, and that is a lesson that cannot be taught in school.
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