19th August, 2008
Obligatory Annual Curriculum Post- Part 1? Oi vey.
Well, here it is. My declaration of intended curriculum for this “school year”. I am very happy with our choices this year and I feel like Joe is progressing to an interesting place academically. We are working this eclectic version of the classical spiral. I am informed that we are in the Logic Stage now. That is hilarious to me because, honestly? I feel completely illogical when faced with adolescence. Like getting into a shouting match about who tossed the paper towels down the stairs and whether my aim was off or I meant to hit him in the head illogical. So I feel about as surefooted as a tight rope walker this year.
On the other hand, there are more “things” he wants to do and have now. I can totally blackmail him into more algebra. Speaking of curriculum (word I used to love and now fight vomit out of my mouth when I say it), here is our list for the year.
Math- Saxon Algebra ½- I like the straightforwardness of the Saxon program, the fact that it goes all the way through high school, and the step by step/constant review features. So even if I feel like he has a good grasp on a skill I can skip the lesson knowing that he will at least get some practice later.
Language Arts- We are trying a few different things this year. We had been using the straight up Rod and Staff hardcore Amish grammar series. I think Joe was ready for something different and a little more cohesive. We are trying out Learning Language Arts Through Literature. I skipped him to 7th grade and right now that looks like the best choice. It seems to be a little below level to start…but maybe my expectations of 7th grade work are a little off. This series reminds me of Saxon because of the integrated steps. You don’t have a section on just nouns or verbs, they are all woven together with passages from great literature as examples. I thought that would be a great way to up his diet of classics. We will also do some book studies with this program, previously I had devised my own, and that will be a nice timesaver for me.
Writing- Writing Strands had worked really well the first two years we schooled, and late last year Joe got tired of it. It’s a great program…it’s just all the same. I’m glad there are so many choices out there because as Joe’s needs change there is always something for him. I ordered a new program called Wordsmith (by the same publishers as LLATL) Apprentice. It looks pretty neat, the kids pretend they are working at a newspaper and there are cartoon strips featuring messages from their editor. The editor gives them assignments and the student uses real newspapers as a resource. It seems like a great idea, let me know if any of you have used it. I’d love some more feedback.
I’ve worn myself out now, I’ll get to the other subjects another day. My inner Scarlett has kicked in. *swoon*
Posted at 9:23 pm | Comment (0)
14th August, 2008
Brownie Support Group Activities
We had our home school association meeting this evening and boy are my jaws tired. Actually my belly hurts due to the ingestion of the most awesome peanut brownies EVER. I love the whole dessert social concept. I really think skipping the potluck was an excellent idea.
Our group is nice, all-inclusive, come- as- you- are party. I really like the spirit of cooperation we have going on. Two of the events we do monthly are a Project Day and a just for fun skating party. The project day has always been my favorite because it gave the kids a chance to show off their work to someone besides grandpa. Along those lines, we are also working on getting a web-based site/newsletter/yearbook/brag board. Kind of like an online refrigerator to hang good work on.
Science club was another topic bandied about. We want to do something for our older middle and high school age students. Anybody have any ideas? I am working on partnering us up with the local college students/faculty. If anyone has run something like this I would love some input.
The number of activities we are talking about really amazes me. We didn’t do much of anything last year for schedule reasons and the first few years were just catch as we can. This year…we are going to have so many opportunities to get together…well, let’s just say no one could dare call us unsocialized.
So what cool things are going on in your groups…do tell while I finish this heavenly, peanutty-filled confection. Nom, nom, nom…..*bliss*
Posted at 11:01 pm | Comment (1)
25th June, 2008
Vacation…all I never wanted
So today is like most days this month. We are wrapping up a lot of loose ends for portfolio review. We have been concentrating on history because that is the subject that suffers the most during the times I am busy with school. My goal was to make it through the revolutionary war. I am however making an executive decision to pause at the French and Indian War. It just feels like I am rushing to “get through” a time period that is so important and interesting. We have kind of a weird schedule. Joe is taking July off, but then we will we be back to work in August and September. Once I start student teaching Joe will lay low and unschool for that time.
I am not sure how well I am handling the concept of summer vacation. I would rather do maybe 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off kind of rotation. With my own school schedule, it just doesn’t quite work. I know that it is hard for Joe when all of his friends are at their leisure and he has to get his work done before he can go outside. Honestly, I am not forcing him to slave away by candlelight like some medieval scribe. Especially right now… it’s just a few things we need for portfolio filler. I have always been in the year round school camp. Joe thinks I am torturing him slowly. I feel like, we don’t get time off in the real world (because what is more real than homeschooling, honestly?) and it cuts down on incessant reviewing. Plus, it’s not like we are stuffing him in a classroom for 8 hours. Sheesh.
So what are your feelings on summer vacation, do you vacate the learning just because it’s warm out? 
Posted at 8:22 pm | Comment (1)
21st June, 2008
Schedules and other middle school mayhem
Well, this year has gone fairly smoothly, save some scheduling and completion issues. I can definitly tell that Joe appreciates the opportunity to homeschool after having been in public school some last year. We had to rearrange some things in our schedule to help it fit my school schedule. I am student teaching in the fall so we are working through June, taking July off, starting again in August and September, and then having a fall break in October and November. That made my head hurt just to write it. He is not loving working in the summer, I do however remind him frequently that if he would do the work when he is told to do it in the morning…. he wouldn’t be missing time with his friends later. Honestly that has been our biggest issue this year. If Joe is not completely feeling up to it he either “forgets” to do his work or says it was hard and “I answered the best I could.” Last time I checked, “sort of” was not even a mediocre answer to the question, “Did Johnny Tremain agree or disagree with Sam Adams’ actions via the Sons of Liberty and why do you think so?” We have really been in get it done mode, so maybe it is time for a break and things will be better in August. He is excited about starting some new texts that he views as advanced. I think I take for granted the things I believe him capable of. He is superhuman, right? Capable of understanding 7th grade literary analysis in a single bound!
Posted at 3:16 pm | Comment (1)
11th January, 2008
First week of the rest of my life
Well we made through the first week of homeschooling with few hiccups. It is really amazing what a short stint back in public school did for Joe’s attitude. We are focusing on tying up some loose ends while we wait for his books to come in. This past week we reviewed our Latin from last year, restarted Japanese, and picked in history with the War of the Roses. He is doing a novel study on a Wrinkle in Time and just finished The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull who also wrote Fablehaven series. Oh yeah, and Writing Strands Level 4. I thought I would be incredible nervous going back into this, but honestly?, it feels like coming home. I love doing this. I love knowing what he is learning and passing on the topics, subjects Ithink are important. I love giving him the space to choose how he arranges his day and get a peek inside his creative mind. I thrill at being able to provide the atmosphere that lets him learn and grow, not be stressed and weary. I’ll probably have more thoughts to relate next week about some topics that have arisen this past week in education. But for now, I am content and blessed to have a happy, healthy, and eclecticlaly educated 10 year old boy.
Posted at 4:32 pm | Comment (1)
11th December, 2007
Finish what you start.
I haven’t written anything for a long time. Mainly because we haven’t been homeschooling and I lost my haphazard drive to blog once I didn’t need to document anything. We tried public schooling with Joe this year for 5th grade. I am sure it could have been more disastourous. He was pretty miserable right from the start. “What do you mean I have to raise my hand to go to the bathroom?!?”, “Why do we have to eat lunch sitting in alphabetcial order?!?” (honestly that one threw me too), “We never do anything interesting!” and on and on and on. The probelm I had was that all of his statements were completely reasonable and valid. If these children are in 5th grade, ready to shoulder some responsibility, why not give them some? I will not digress into all the reasons we disliked 5th grade. That isn’t the total reason we are back to homeschooling.
When Joe first started homeschooling a couple years ago, we noticed some motor tics creeping up. His doctor said let’s keep an eye on it and see what happens. If you think it is getting worse we will reevaluate. For two years he had them on and off, but not really a big deal. Once he started 5th grade, all of sudden we had full blown simple, complex, motor and vocal tics. Everyday, all day. In October Joe was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome. This is not some devastating thing to us, he is still Joe. I also kind of thought that was what we were dealing with all along. It does however, give me the iron clad reason to homeschool again. Not that we felt we needed a condition to homeschool. We approached this year as, “ok you wanted to try out public school again. We will finish an entire year. No quitting just because you don’t like it.” We wanted him to be a finisher. But clearly this is something beyond finishing what you start. He is withering. He is trying to inhibit his tics all day long, which is impossible. He hates it there, is under enormous stress. Some children are making fun of him and there seems to be little intervention in that department. We decided that the next few years of his education were to crucial to risk being turned off by education all together. So we are bringing him home. Maybe, in a way, this is what God had in mind all along. He really did want us to finish what we started.
Posted at 12:38 pm | Comment (0)
18th May, 2007
Books and Birthdays
Today is a weird day. Tomorrow my precious baby turns 10 years old. We are hosting a sleepover tonight. I will have no food left tomorrow. I know that most of you see the passage of time like the hands on the clock spinning out of control. I definitely see it that way. I was updating or What We’re Reading section and it floored me that Elijah has now discovered the beloved Dr. Seuss. These were Joe’s favorite books since infancy. He would rock to sleep in the rocking chair every night to The Sleep Book, or If I Ran the Zoo or the Butter Battle Book etc, etc. I guess the fact that our family has made it this far amazes me because of where we started and all the bumps we endured along the way. Joe’s birth marks the fragile beginnings of our family life together. I was 18 years old when I found out I was pregnant with Joe. My husband and I had only been seeing each other a few months and secretly at that because of the disparity between our ages. It was a nightmare. The guilt and the shame are incomparable to anything I had ever experienced. I had grown up in the church. I loved God. But I think I was always looking for confirmation of love elsewhere. At barely 19, I gave birth to a son. My adult life began with his first breath. Joe and I are so close, it is like we have a vulcan mind meld going on. But it isn’t that strange when, for the first few years of his life, he was my best friend. I was so very alone. As we tried to deal with being thrown together, he kept me going, kept em from running away. I get sadder every year as he pulls away a little more. It’s the way it is meant to be. I can’t hang onto him forever. I can already see the stirrings of adolecence creeping up in his speech and glances (read: glares).
So many times I would begin to guiltily wonder what my life would have been like had I toed the line. I don’t get too far into that daydream though. After the first few steps it feels wrong, meaningless. God’s providence has given us a wonderful life. We have made a lot of mistakes, and not all of them in the past. But God always steps in, dusts us off, and says, “My, my you have really made a mess of things. Let’s use all this for the something wonderful I have in mind for you.” How blessed we are. It is sad to watch your kids grow up. But how glorious it is to know that God will turn their nightmares into sweet dreams.
Posted at 4:23 pm | Comment (1)
16th May, 2007
Soooo….
I feel little like Mr. Rogers updating on what is going on in the neighborhood. I will probably add some more stuff this post later. I just really need to document my life in a medium where thousands of people could look at, but most likely no one will. :)
We found a super cool math quiz for metric prefixes. There is also a ton of other math stuff at this web site. Really cool for the older ones. Joe was drivin me crazeee with the constant guessing of answers. After a few tears, I finally got him to sit down and slowly go through the problem to get the answer. Then he used our little chart all by himself. Then he didn’t need the chart at all. I love it when I am right!
Joe also worked on this art/science project. Step 1 is to draw the world map onto a piece of poster board. He got the Americas done today. I must say, he is an excellent sketch artist. I was way impressed. This will eventually lead to a lesson on plate tectonics but we’re takin it easy for now.
Posted at 10:31 pm | Comment (1)
14th May, 2007
Slacker Mom
I have been so neglectful about posting. Even though I know that we will still consider ourselves homeschoolers after this year is over. But I started this blog to chronicle what we did all day. And so come what may. I will try my best to do that. I have been very pleased that even with my intermittent posting to find some really nice peeps to share ideas with. Thanks! *hugs*
So as per usual I planned this totally awesome unit on plants….AND now we are interested only in rocks. Figures. If this journey has taught me anything it is 1) Don’t plan anything and 2)Don’t buy anything. #2 is by far the hardest for me. Our bookcases are groaning with my rehabilitative backsliding. Anyway, we read about minerals and started a crystal growing experiment. His interest was peaked after a cub scout field trip to the geology lab at our local college. So rocks and the rock cyle will be next. That Geology Badge is in the bag,baby. Math we reviewed a bit. Joe does really well with concepts, but computation still frustrates him. I think we need some more fun ways to play around with basic facts, especially multiplication. He checked out The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the library, but ended up reading Matilda for most of the day today. Fine with me. I did find a great reading motivator web site. Joe was having trouble starting a book and then never. finishing. it. :( Drove me crazy. Then I found Bookadventure.com … so cool. This web site is free and run by Sylvan Learning Center. You and your child register, then pick a list of books to choose from. You select grade level, challenge level and interest categories. Then they read some of the books on the list and can take little 10 question quizzes on them to earn points (You can only take the quizzes twice, be forewarned!). They can redeem the points for the FREE prizes on the site or you can make your own prizes. They cannot receive a prize until you approve it by email. It really gave Joe the little push he needed to get back to reading again. Give it a whirl and tell me what you think. Slacker Mom is singing off to go lay in the bathtub. I might shave, meh, whatever.
Posted at 9:34 pm | Comment (1)
6th April, 2007
The Great Social Experiment
I am feeling a little sad. We have been making lots of decisions about school around here. My husband and I decided a few months ago that we would keep Elijah in public school next year for 1st grade. I have 1 year of school left to complete and to homeschool to kids with that schedule would have been to much for us. Our family would suffer, our education(s) would suffer, and our business which is our only source of income right now. From these discussions Joe has decided that he would like to go to 5th grade next year. He wants to use his “last chance” to be in elementary school and be with his brother.
I have to say that I don’t feel like a failure; I always thought I would if Joe decided to go back. He seems to be approaching this with the attitude of an anthropologic field study. We’ve talked about still continuing with history, science, and our foreign languages at home (because they for sure do not come close to covering them in ps). You know, just for fun. 
Joe looked at me and said, ” Mo-om (just like that), I’m still homeschooled, I just go to a school at the same times you do.” He is so cool.
I am however pretty certain that he will not be going to middle school. It scares me. Even more after being in the teacher training program. I sense this very toxic environment of children who are trying so hard to prove they are grown up. Many of them who have no compass to guide them. There is so much focus on peer groups and how they dominate everything from what you wear to how you feel about yourself. No thanks, amigo. What do you think about middle school? Or is high school worse in your opinion? I find the subject interesting.
Posted at 10:11 pm | Comments (3)
