Homeschooling - Year End Review

My goodness, we are coming into the home stretch. Only a few more weeks of school to go!! This year has been a roller coaster to say the least. On the high notes, Sarah and I learned so much. We were challenged by each others personalities and getting used to a different aspect of our relationship. Visits to Virginia were a lot easier on her, school days were shorter and we were able to take quit a few field trips!

So what have I learned...

Sarah is almost as stubborn as I am. Thank goodness I have a few years on her. When we first started homeschooling, things were all rosy. Then role clashes began. Sarah was used to me being in the mom leader role, but had some challenges adjusting to me being the "teacher" as well. It took almost 6 months to iron those out! At some points, Daniel and I were ready to pull our hair out! But God is faithful. Earlier this year, Sarah started to calm down and accept her role as a student. She had a choice of going back to public school or straightening out. Since she enjoyed the more robust curriculum, she decided to straighten out her behavior. We still have challenging days, but nothing compared to what we were experiencing in the beginning.

Next, I have to be on the ball with lesson plans. This one was a tough one. I'm not the best at being super detailed in planning. When I did this poorly, our days suffered. When I took the time to write everything out, our days went more smoothly.

Another key to homeschooling is to not get involved in too many things. Daniel and I decided to sign up for a home school group. I think this would have been a great thing, but for our first year it came to be too much. I gave up on the Monday classes about 3 months into the school year. It didn't help that we faced 3 family crisis' around that same time and had Sarah on the swim team. The key to beginning home school is to start slowly. Once you have the basic schooling down pat, add in the extra things. Next year, I plan on trying to join the home school group again. It's a great way for Sarah to get to know other homeschooling children.

Last but not least, flexibility is key. Sarah whizzed through Science and History but had some issues in the beginning with Math and Health. Because we were homeschooling, I was able to stop moving forward and focus on the areas where she was having problems. This improved her confidence in both subjects. She will now tell you that she finds math boring even though it's one of her best subjects!

As for next year, Daniel is planning to teach the Language portion of Sarah's curriculum. While I'm good at Language, I in no way compare to him. I believe that Sarah will get more out of that section and that her writing will improve with his guidance. He also plans on starting to teach her music. I can't wait to see how that works. I'm really excited to see what he will do with Sarah.

I will continue teaching Sarah all the other core subjects. I do plan on adding in a bible curriculum and an art aspect as well. I didn't do so well at keeping up with daily devotions this year. Nor was I able to effectively incorporate art into our days. Lord willing I'll be able to manage it all.

As I said before, planning and time management are key. This summer I hope to write out all of next years lesson plans before the school year starts. I also want to research some interesting field trips that are within driving distance and space them throughout the year. Daniel and I plan on using spring break next year to do another learning vacation. We were blessed to be able to take Sarah to Charleston this year as part of our beginning study on the history of South Carolina. In addition to that, our friend Marci treated us to a trip to the Georgia Aquarium and the Natural History Museum in Alabama. We also made it to the Columbia Zoo and the Greenville Zoo.

I can't wait to see what next year brings. I really believe that next year will go a bit more smoothly now that we've gotten our feet wet!

Homeschooling a Child with Spring Fever

Ahh, the sound of chirping birds awakens me most mornings. It's a great thing. The weather wonderful and I can leave the windows and doors open during the day. Spring flowers are starting to bloom all around the house and the neighbors yards. Even the cats have taken to spending more time outside.

For me, this is a great time. When Sarah is done with her work early, we all get to go out and play. But lately, Sarah has been a bit mopey when it comes to her work. I started noticing it a few weeks ago. Then Daniel mentioned that his students go through a stage of Spring Fever right before Easter break. They get distracted and unmotivated. For Sarah, she just decided to spend 1 1/2 on every subject (and that was on good days)!

Well, last week I decided a cure had to be administered. I believe it was Thursday that she had an extreme desire to not complete her work. By 3 o'clock, I had had enough. I told her that her teacher sent home a note and she was grounded for the rest of the day! Since her teacher and I are pretty tight, I had no doubts that Sarah needed a bit of correction.

Most parents think a good grounding will do the trick right away. Not so with Sarah. She normally doesn't mind spending a day in her room too much. But, the weather is now warmer and the days are longer. And our back yard connects with two other backyards where all the kids play. On top of that, her room faces those backyards. Therefore, she can see and hear all the fun that her friends are having without her. It's a rough dose of medicine.

Friday came and went with a totally new attitude from Sarah. Things still were not perfect, but the work was completed. Now we get to Monday and the testing of the cure for Spring Fever came back in full. (Kids always like to make sure that we are really going remember previous disciplinary decisions.) So once again on a beautiful day, Sarah got to view the neighborhood kids from her window for the night.

I must admit to you that it is hard to make her stay inside on a lovely day. Children are meant to run free and have fun on days like that. But this medication strategy has paid off. Today she stayed focused on school, did her chores and went to play outside with her friends. I have a feeling that the rest of the week will be the same! And, we may even get to the park!

For the moment, Spring Fever is cured!

Homeschooling Week 1

I'm beginning to think that I'm learning just as much as Sarah is in this new adventure. Each day we begin with a prayer and a some form of devotion. I've been helping Sarah learn Psalm 23. She almost has it down pat. We discuss how to apply that to our lives, what it means to walk through a valley or feast with our enemies. I really enjoy that time with her.

Right now we've had many successes. Sarah is picking up cursive again. As long as she holds her pencil correctly, her penmanship is excellent. She doesn't like math, but picks it up insanely fast. Her love of science compels her to get to know more about all subjects. In addition to that, she loves learning about artist. That in particular makes the artistic side of me smile!

On the other hand, I've determined that I set the mood for the day. If I'm tired and moody, Sarah is tired and moody. My tone, my body language and my seriousness all have an effect on how well our day goes. I've become better at encouraging Sarah. I'm getting better at keeping her focused during the highs and lows of learning. My mission is critical and my dedication has to be at a hundred percent all day.

I'm also learning to add more fun into the day. Last week we were very task oriented. I'm a pretty tough teacher. She felt strapped to the chair. Today we took a break and will pick it up tomorrow. That means that we'll have to double lessons on two subjects. We agreed that it was the best choice for today. Tomorrow we'll add in an art lesson. I'm aiming for two a week since she loves art.

Sarah is also getting a little sad about not having Celia home during the days. She's missing the kid time. I'm going to add in a trip to McDonald's once a week and library Wednesday's. We start a co-op group in September. That will allow both of us to meet other home schooling families.

Next month, my home schooling friend from Virginia will meet us here. We'll then go on a two day field trip to Georgia and Alabama. As we move forward in our adventure, I will post updates.