Three Weeks Down -- 33 to Go

Or, Sleep-Teaching -- I Recommend It.

So, we've completed another week of homeschooling here at Siouxsie's house. Things were not QUITE as smooth this week. People had questions about why they have to learn grammar if they are going to be professional skateboarders. "To raise the perception of the intellectual level of the sport" growled Daddy in response. People cried when they had to figure out how many pounds and ounces the zucchini in the picture weighed. They cried even harder when I suggested they figure out the difference in their birth weight (11 lb 7 oz) and their little brother's birth weight (8 lb 12 oz), even when I made a mistake and said "their" birth weight was 11 lb 12 oz). We had people telling me they can't do the program I selected for their language class this year. We had people making humorous videos of homeschooling with lots of photos of their own face making bored looks and emitting huge sighs. And we had small people unloading every shelf/box/container they could get their little two-year-old hands on. And then there were the people who felt very poorly treated for having a long day of school in spite of the fact that there are days when we do almost no school -- they just didn't see that it isn't possible to have an exact 5-hour day every day. And they didn't like that.

Ah, but we read some great stuff and really did make some progress. And my students made some awesome connections -- one of them listened to me read about being optimistic and later commented during a read-aloud that a particular character was very optimistic. I love stuff like that. I'm reminded of how much I like the curriculum I am using this week. I'm reminded of how much I love teaching my own children and what a privilege it is to do this. And how great are kids who will continue on with their work when their tired mother just HAS to have a nap right now? Pretty great, I'd say.

Ever onward, always improving. Looking forward to next week.

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Two Weeks Down -- 34 to Go

Just finished up our second four-day week of school (Labor Day). I am happy to report that it was an excellent week, with many solid hours of instruction and work put in by all of us.

Some highlights of the week:

A science experiment that worked!(photo of the kids' feet demonstrating how our skin lets off water vapor)
Another wonderful poem written by Eli.
More good readings from "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff - for Teens"
Happy, engaged students.
A positive outcome to the tragedy of running out of printer ink right at the wrong time.
Two whole weeks of homeschooling using the same methods and not thinking I need to make any major changes.

Adjustments next week include having Anna-Jessie tackle math earlier in the day since she tends to do everything else first. Also, I want to help her get more organized with her reading. And, lastly, continue to adjust how I give out assignments to students who are in two completely different grades, but doing mostly the same curriculum.

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My Organizophobe's New Organizational Tool

I'm happy to report that Joel's new planner is being USED and it is helping him GET THINGS DONE. I can see how helpful it is for him to have one place to write down things that he needs to do. I work with him every day to create and prioritize the list and then he works to complete the list.

I think it probably helps that he chose the planner himself and he really likes it. It's just a thrill to see this boy completing things that need to be done. Thank you Franklin Covey.

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One Week of Homeschooling Down - 35 to Go

So, we just finished up week one yesterday and I would have to say it gets a big thumbs up. I had two extra long days with my two at-home-full-time kiddos and both days were fun, enjoyable for all of us, and stress-free. Even having Kepler toddling around was pretty easy to handle.

Seems like the difficulties last year helped me figure out what might work better this year, in terms of curriculum and scheduling. And the fact that I don't have to drive to football, soccer, and/or basketball practice at all is making things pretty nice at home.

I was reminded of Stephen Covey's concept of putting the "big rocks" into the schedule first and then fitting other things in as they fit. Defining what the "big rocks" are this year has gone a long way this first week to making sure they actually get covered.

Now that I have gotten a taste of being able to focus on the big stuff, I will jealously guard my schedule from fluff and important things that want to crowd out the most important stuff. Stay tuned!

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Partly Sunny with a Chance of School Starting

I'm trying to figure out how school is going to work this year. I have four kids I'm homeschooling. Two go to the homeschool program two days a week. The other two will be home full time. I have also chosen to have my older two kids do their math at home, and the science outside of the homeschool program. The only catch is this makes ME responsible for the whole kit and caboodle. I know, I know, I AM responsible for the whole kit and caboodle. The kit and caboodle are just a little intimidating right now. My brilliant 14-year-old son, who truly is not one iota less than brilliant, has a mind that works very differently from mine. Therefore, some of the questions I ask him are taken by him as evidence that I do not trust him. Questions like, can I see that website where the list is? He is able to make decisions on a dime and seems to have almost computer-like abilities to process information quickly. I, on the other hand, can make different types of decisions quickly, and I have my own computer abilities. The types of things we process quickly are pretty much opposite from each other. I am not frustrated or angry or disappointed with him -- I see the process of working with him as a very good challenge, one that I enjoy because he DOES think so differently than I do. I'm still trying to figure out how best to frame my questions, encourage him, etc.

The current struggle is over the chemistry assignment he has to complete before the first day of class. I want him to do it well, to have the finished product show clearly his writing ability, his grasp of the material and evidence that he spent some good time researching, thinking and processing the info. I came upon him this afternoon, switching from window to window -- first the info site, reading a few sentences, distilling the points, then back to the essay page, where he would insert his thoughts. To me, that seems like a lazy way to do the work. Lazy is a pejorative word -- maybe efficient is a better word. Ultimately, though, I don't see that method as requiring much of him. And with the capabilities he has, I want him to use his brain and heart and mind to do hard things well.

He has the ability to see the bigger picture, and the connections he makes are often pretty cool. But those connections come when he really cares about what he is talking about. I don't think he really cares about this essay.

So, after he made his case for doing his way, I said ok. Go ahead. Do it the way you think you should. Two minutes later, he tells me he thinks the way I was suggesting is better and he's planning to work on it as soon as he has some toast. Go figure.

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Senior Info - Yearbook - Dilemma

So, the seniors have, to one degree or another, completed this questionnaire about some of their favorites. All of them except for one are what you would expect from young Christian men and women. The last one, though, may have filled this one when he was in a snit about school. One of his favorite memories was making a particular teacher angry. I know, because I know the teacher, that his unwillingness to cooperate just about did her in. She cares deeply for the students and didn't know what to do with a student who obviously did not want to do the work. Also, he lists his favorite books and sayings and quite a few have a theme of rebellion. Perhaps he is just messing around, but I'm not so sure that's it. So, now I'm wondering -- do I censor what he has written? I'm putting in the other students' questionnaires in their entirety. But even if he would like to be immortalized (I can't imagine there will be more than 20 copies!) this way, is it fair to everyone else to put this info in? My inclination is to leave out the items that I think will be hurtful to others. And, yes, I would have to make some judgment calls here if I decide to leave something out.

Here are his actual answers:

Likes: music, cars, revolution
Dislikes: school, liberals, country music, snobs
Advice: Stand up for yourself
Favorite sayings: “Take what you can, give nothing back” “Revolution gains freedom”
Favorite teachers: Mr. Z, Miss M, Mr. G
Friends: My bro, S, T, E G, B, J
Favorite songs: [removed after I read the lyrics!]
Favorite Foods: protein shakes, malts, seafood
Favorite Time at the homeschool program: Making Mrs. H mad
Things I want to remember about this year: nothing about school
Favorite color: Turquoise
Favorite restaurant: Maggianos
Favorite books: Communist Manifesto, Frankenstein
Favorite activities: working on cars, golfing, playing music with my friends, conspiring against the Brethen!

Stewing here.

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I'm on the Yearbook Committee.

Oh, wait. I AM the yearbook committee. See, last summer, I had this great idea that we should do a yearbook for the homeschool group we are a part of. My daughter and I were going to head it up and make it happen. Never mind that I already had a full, yea verily, overflowing plate. It was a new idea and I am always quite enthusiastic about new ideas! Yes! I can do it! It will fit in! Somehow!

So, we started sending out emails to students saying things like, "Join the yearbook committee! Students needed to do photography, layout, [and other really cool things]." Soon we had a LIST of people! People who said Yes! I can do it! I am interested! Week after week went by and we didn't get ANYwhere. Mostly, I suppose, I don't really know how to let it be up to the students.

Later in the year, when we hadn't gotten beyond sporadic emails, I finally admitted I couldn't make it happen. I gave the whole kit and caboodle to another student who really wanted to have a yearbook for her senior year. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to make it happen either.

Did I just say ok well we won't have a yearbook, just like every other year, and that will be ok. ?? Did I? No, I did not. I said, ok I can do it. But there weren't exclamation marks anymore, just lower case letter and very slow typing. yes. i can do it. i think.

So, today I am going to make this yearbook. {grits teeth} I am going to get this thing done. {grinds teeth and grimaces}.

My FINE husband yesterday reminded me that this is a good thing I am doing and that the kids will have this yearbook for years. So, I really did change my attitude. All the gritting and grimacing is just for effect for my readers. Oh, how I long for Microsoft Publisher, no doubt a totally outdated program, but boy could I use it. Right now I am trying to use Adobe CS InDesign. It doesn't work the way my brain works. So, I'm going to give it one more chance to shape up. If it doesn't come around, me and MS Word are going to finish the job.

Oh, by the way. Will you sign my yearbook? Or at least my yearbook post?

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Another Post!

There's probably some official blog word for clustering posts. But, hey, at least I am actually posting, unlike the rest of my family who all started blogs and are hardly EVER posting (hint, hint).

I have learned much about the process of writing this year. I am thankful to have had some help teaching my kids about writing because I found out this year that there were a FEW things I didn't even know to be looking for. I think I am a better editor of their work now. I don't remember ever learning this stuff in school or college, but surely I must have learned some of it sometime. I had my freshman composition course at Bob Jones University, and I am completely oblivious to anything that I ever learned or heard in that class. Such an important course should never be relegated to the first semester at such an extreme place. I was culture-shocked and was so worried about making sure I didn't break any rules (why, oh why) that I didn't have any brain space to care about whatever that composition teacher might have been saying.

So, one good thing about homeschooling is the mom gets to learn right along with the kids. And I love that.

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Friday. Finally.

This was the last week for the kids' homeschooling classes, so it was a busy week finishing up all the homework that was due and/or overdue on the part of one young man in our home. Val finished up everything pretty much on her own. Joel and I had a nice, exhausting day finishing up his work. Not that I did his work for him, mind you, just sat upon him, more or less, to keep him focused and making progress.

Wednesday, the very last day for the year, kept me busy with a used book sale I had organized. It was quite enjoyable, but as usual on Wednesday, I ended the day pretty much used up physically and emotionally.

Yesterday, I started the process of digging out from under all the things I had postponed while trying to finish up the year.

Ho hum. Not too terribly exciting, I know. But things are always hoppin' around here and I guess I kind of like the idea that I am SUPER BUSY and always have lots of things to accomplish. Because I still have many things to do and ideas to implement and hobbies to start and emails to write and places to go and books to read. I like being busy, but I hate being so busy that I don't have any time to just hang out and do something I really want to do.

So, I guess the moral is. Busy good, if busy with stuff I want to be busy with. Busy not good, if I'm just having to do a bunch of stuff I do not want to do.

Thank you for listening.

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Planning for Next Year

Yes, we will still be homeschooling next year, and I am hoping to have a more active role in teaching the older kids. They have been going to an extension program for all of their classes this year, so I have had little ability or opportunity to be involved with what they have been learning. Next year, they will go to the same program, but for far fewer classes.

I have been enjoying surfing the internet looking at math programs and trying to figure out which one would work best for Val and which would work best for Joel. I don't think the same program will fill the bill, even though they will both be learning Algebra II next year.

Think I know where that economic stimulus check is going to go -- buying curriculum for next year!

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Fine Arts Night

Last night, my daughter's hard work in chorus saw fruition as they performed at the Fine Arts Night program. Students played the violin, piano, electric guitar, harp, flute and several students sang, beautifully. Student artwork was displayed around the room - wow, can some of these students create some beautiful stuff or what. I was proud to be associated with an organization that is dedicated to preserving and displaying beauty in a time when a lot of what we hear and see is not beautiful.

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Fussing About Education for THIS Year

Having to post a bit of a rant here. I'm sure I've mentioned the AMP (Absent-Minded Professor) here? My 13-year-old son? He has one class, Composition, that he doesn't really enjoy much. That mystifies me because he truly loves to write. I have TWO kids in this program, and between them they have NINE teachers. THREE of the teachers changed partway through the year. TWO of the teachers are shared by both kids. ONE teacher is shared during the same hour. ONE teacher is shared but on a different day. Got all that? Every teacher has their own method of communicating. Some email the parents AND the students. Some email the parents only. There is no standard method of communication. So, I have NINE teachers to keep track of. Here's the problem. More than ONE of the AMP's teachers tells him different things at different times. The AMP does not take notes and never has any written documentation to take back to the teacher to say hey here's what you said last time.

VickiVonVicki overheard AMP's composition teacher talking the other day about how AMP isn't going to make it next year if he doesn't start engaging with what he's doing. And AMP's history teacher told me the other day that AMP is drifting off to sleep during class. AMP says he only looks like he is sleeping but he is actually taking notes, which he showed me today.

My irritation relates to two things: 1. changing assignments, and 2. issues staying unresolved so long that "proof" papers have been discarded or lost.

AMP had a quarterly reading project due at the end of third quarter. The syllabus was unclear and I made him do it the first week of third quarter. At that time, he had a long list of possibilities for the assignment. He did one of the possibilities: "Write a two-page summary of the book." He turned it in. The teacher gave it back and said it wasn't due but he could turn it in later. Which he did. Here are the comments on the paper: "AMP, This is a summary of the book, which I don't need. The assignment was to give me a paper on the themes of the book or the way the character grows throughout the book, in 3-5 pages. I need a new draft, edited and with the changes. It is due in 2 weeks." On the syllabus, however, here is the assignment: "Write either a prologue, afterward, or alternate ending." The original full-page list of possibilities, handed out in late December, has been lost or possibly thrown away.

I find sorting all of this out very very confusing and frustrating. The kid did the assignment ages ago; we no longer have the library book obviously; and I think the two weeks is coming up right pronto, but there are no dates to look at.

I like this teacher, but what I'm making up about his attitude toward AMP is that he thinks AMP is a slacker, and should know how to do these things right the first time. His notes often say things like "We went over this in class." "I already told you this."

On his last grade report, he says he did not receive a bibliography assignment, and consequently the AMP only received a C+ in the class. He suggested that if AMP could show him the graded bibliography, the grade could be brought up from a zero to whatever he received on the assignment.

AMP is severely challenged to get THIS week's assignment turned in THIS week. To ask him to come up with something he did or may have done 6 weeks ago is out of the question. This grade does not reflect the abilities or efforts of this child.

And that is my biggest frustration with this program that AMP and VVV have been in this year.

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Musing about Educational Options for Next Year

We used to say that we would take each child's needs into account each year and do whatever was best for each child, educationally. One year, Kids 1-4 were in public school until fourth quarter, when we withdrew ActionJackson. This was when TheLittleGuy was a newborn, but this was clearly the best thing for ActionJackson.

This past year I have had two children VickiVonVicki (age 15) and The Absent-Minded Professor (age 13) in a homeschool co-op type thing, but it's more like school "light." They go to class two days a week and then work on assignments the other three days. (Theoretically.) ActionJackson (age 12) and WebkinQueen (age 9) have been home full-time along with TheLittleGuy. There have been both pros and cons, but a RILLY RILLY BIG CON has been all the driving I have had to do.

A typical week had me driving the kids 12 miles Monday morning to their classes, working the morning at a part-time job, then hanging around until 2 to drive VVV and her friends another 9 miles to practice. Drive 9 more miles home, then leave shortly thereafter back to class location to pick up AMP from Spanish. Total Monday driving time: 2 hours. Tuesday total driving time: about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Wednesday: 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Thursday: about 1 1/2 hours unless we had a game in Timbuktu -- add an additional 2 hours. Friday: about 1 to 1/2 hours plus another 2-4 (yes, driving) if we had a game. Did you get all that? Let's add it all up: Some weeks I drove as many as 12-14 hours JUST driving the kids here and there.

After basketball season ended, I began to regain some semblance of sanity, slowly. And I started thinking that maybe it's not worth it for me to drive the kids to these classes twice a week. Maybe I should actually homeschool them at home. I began to look into Sonlight Curriculum.

What I have loved about their classes is the strong emphasis on a Christian worldview. But I don't think this has been the very best setting for the AbsentMindedProfessor. He finds the classes relatively boring, and has a very very hard time getting his work done and turned in all in one fell swoop. I have been a super duper micro-manager this year helping him get his work done and into his backpack.

The schedule for next year is finally posted on the internet. There are two locations for this program and we have gone to the northernmost one, even though the other one is much closer to home. This decision was made due to social considerations.

The closer location has a great schedule next year. VVV would get to take a Christian worldview class from a teacher I GREATLY respect, and AMP could take Spanish III at this location (but not the other). Also, the closer location's meeting days do not conflict with basketball practice days, which would be a great bonus. Another bonus: AMP's composition class would be taught by another teacher from whom I would LOVE for him to learn. Cons include having to get to know a whole new group of kids, and missing friends from the northern location. Plus, at either location, it is a relatively expensive program.

I'm leaning toward putting them back into the program but at the closer location. I know VVV wants to be home full-time, and AMP wants to go back to the farther location, but I would like to have them closer and go on Tues and Thurs rather than Mon and Wed.

Those are my musings for today. VVV and AMP read my blog -- no decisions have been made kids. These are just my thoughts right now.

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