Monday, October 29, 2012
No Case of the Mondays Today....
Today we have moved from our usual 'school table' to our TV room downstairs. We have a fire in the fireplace, school books spread out on the coffee table, mugs of green tea, and the TV coverage of Hurricane Sandy on quietly in the background. I love the flexibility of homeschooling!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Starting Again
Well, I sort of just gave up on the blog for a while (a long while, I know). It's hard for me to talk about myself and the struggles and celebrations, especially when I know I am such a novice! A friend of mine who plans on homeschooling her little ones starting blogging, and when I looked back at my blog I found myself wishing I had written about all the things we had done and experienced since my last entry. So now I will try to be a little more regular in posting. We'll see how that goes!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
What I'm Learning
So the past few weeks have been rough. Really rough. And I am pretty sure that most of it is my fault. Apparently, homeschooling, step-mom-ing, and guilt all go hand in hand.
In picking my curriculum, I really tried to follow what C was doing in school before he left. Homeschooling, for us, is an experiment, and we are taking it year by year. Thus, C knows he can go back in 8th grade, and I know he could go back in 8th grade. I've had a hard time letting go of "what we're supposed to do in 7th grade", so I have been a good little teacher with our textbooks for science and social studies. But you know what? They. Are. So. Boring. They bore me, and I love to read and I really like life science (chemistry I can live without, life science is so fun!). If they bore me, you can bet C hates them. But I have this fear that if I throw out the "what we're supposed to do in 7th grade" curriculum, then he won't be prepared for 8th grade, he'll fail out of 8th grade, and then have a horrible life and it will be all. my. fault. So I've held onto to the horrible, boring curriculum and we have both been unhappy.
Enter Spring Break. All C's friends from public school are on Spring Break this week, so we're doing a sort of break too. His only subjects are reading and math, and we're hoping to have a couple of his friends over one night. I'm really trying to use this time to work on our relationship, because I feel like over the past few weeks I have turned into this bad cop who has ruined his life.
Monday, while he was relaxing outside, I pulled out a first year of homeschooling book in the hopes that I would get some encouragement. Scattered throughout the book are shorts from other homeschooling moms sharing what they wished someone had told them for their first year. One really stood out for me:
"I started out determined to be the 'best' and 'stay focused' on scheduled academics. What I found was that this attitude only results in the same unnecessary stress that the public schools place on students and parents alike." (page 46 of The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child)
Oh I cannot even express how much I needed to hear that. My clinging to a set curriculum and what we needed to get done each day has made our days just like what we were trying to get away from. Soooo....I'm revamping things. I hit the massive used bookstore down the street, picked up books that I though C would be more interested in than these textbooks, and starting Monday I am going to be much more relaxed about school. I'll let you know how it goes :-).
In picking my curriculum, I really tried to follow what C was doing in school before he left. Homeschooling, for us, is an experiment, and we are taking it year by year. Thus, C knows he can go back in 8th grade, and I know he could go back in 8th grade. I've had a hard time letting go of "what we're supposed to do in 7th grade", so I have been a good little teacher with our textbooks for science and social studies. But you know what? They. Are. So. Boring. They bore me, and I love to read and I really like life science (chemistry I can live without, life science is so fun!). If they bore me, you can bet C hates them. But I have this fear that if I throw out the "what we're supposed to do in 7th grade" curriculum, then he won't be prepared for 8th grade, he'll fail out of 8th grade, and then have a horrible life and it will be all. my. fault. So I've held onto to the horrible, boring curriculum and we have both been unhappy.
Enter Spring Break. All C's friends from public school are on Spring Break this week, so we're doing a sort of break too. His only subjects are reading and math, and we're hoping to have a couple of his friends over one night. I'm really trying to use this time to work on our relationship, because I feel like over the past few weeks I have turned into this bad cop who has ruined his life.
Monday, while he was relaxing outside, I pulled out a first year of homeschooling book in the hopes that I would get some encouragement. Scattered throughout the book are shorts from other homeschooling moms sharing what they wished someone had told them for their first year. One really stood out for me:
"I started out determined to be the 'best' and 'stay focused' on scheduled academics. What I found was that this attitude only results in the same unnecessary stress that the public schools place on students and parents alike." (page 46 of The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child)
Oh I cannot even express how much I needed to hear that. My clinging to a set curriculum and what we needed to get done each day has made our days just like what we were trying to get away from. Soooo....I'm revamping things. I hit the massive used bookstore down the street, picked up books that I though C would be more interested in than these textbooks, and starting Monday I am going to be much more relaxed about school. I'll let you know how it goes :-).
Monday, February 13, 2012
A Reading Milestone
So today, C actually was so into his book that he read past his 1 hr of reading mark, didn't jump at the chance to stop when we needed to leave the house, and actually took his Kindle with him in the car once we left (I waited 20 minutes to let him 'get through the good part' before making him get up and move). My little homeschooling heart jumped for joy. He has never, ever, been that absorbed in a book.
C is not a reader. In the three years that I have known him I have brought book after book into the house to encourage him to read. He's hated it every step of the way. Despite that, I have kept pushing him to read.
Reading is my answer to everything in the Language Arts realm of education. If your child is struggling with spelling, I'd suggest reading more. Slow reader? Read more. Reading Comprehension? Read more. Writing, Grammar, or Vocabulary? You guessed it - read, read and read. I've seen it work with my siblings and other friends who homeschooled, and I am already seeing a small (slow and steady wins the race, right?) difference with C.
Our approach to reading every day is simple, and modeled after what my mom did with my siblings and me. C must read 1 hr a day and log what he reads, with a sentence or two either reacting to or summarizing his reading. I use the reading log as an accountability device, and a way to make sure he is making progress in his book. His reading must be done before any screen time, and he usually does it in the afternoons, after all of his other work is done. I give him a lot of choice in what he reads, and try to shoot for that 80% - 90% comprehension range level in the books he reads for free reading. If he's hating a book I don't make him stick with it too long, but I balance that with expecting him in general to finish books. He's not reading especially great or famous literature right now, and that's okay. I just want him to get used to the feeling of sinking into a book and getting lost in another world. Today was a small but significant step in that direction!
C is not a reader. In the three years that I have known him I have brought book after book into the house to encourage him to read. He's hated it every step of the way. Despite that, I have kept pushing him to read.
Reading is my answer to everything in the Language Arts realm of education. If your child is struggling with spelling, I'd suggest reading more. Slow reader? Read more. Reading Comprehension? Read more. Writing, Grammar, or Vocabulary? You guessed it - read, read and read. I've seen it work with my siblings and other friends who homeschooled, and I am already seeing a small (slow and steady wins the race, right?) difference with C.
Our approach to reading every day is simple, and modeled after what my mom did with my siblings and me. C must read 1 hr a day and log what he reads, with a sentence or two either reacting to or summarizing his reading. I use the reading log as an accountability device, and a way to make sure he is making progress in his book. His reading must be done before any screen time, and he usually does it in the afternoons, after all of his other work is done. I give him a lot of choice in what he reads, and try to shoot for that 80% - 90% comprehension range level in the books he reads for free reading. If he's hating a book I don't make him stick with it too long, but I balance that with expecting him in general to finish books. He's not reading especially great or famous literature right now, and that's okay. I just want him to get used to the feeling of sinking into a book and getting lost in another world. Today was a small but significant step in that direction!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
3 Weeks done!
I have finished our first three weeks!
I have a decent idea of what our days will look like, and C is settling in too. Here's what we're learning:
- Getting up and started by 8 makes a totally different day than getting up and started by 9 (although I really get my best sleep between 6-9. I was not made for mornings).
- I am learning that I have to give up how I want homeschooling to look in favor of how homeschooling will work best for C. What worked for me is not going to work for a student who has been in public school for so long.
- Time management, for both C and I, is important!
- C is a much, much happier child now that most of his evenings are free. He has not argued about bedtime once! My husband loves the difference.
- Dogs are a real hindrance to homeschooling. If I had a dollar every time I'll have to say "stop playing with *insert dog's name here* and pay attention" in the next few months, D could quit work.
- Couponing will really help our grocery budget. More on that later....
- Homeschooling, for us, really is better. I think C has learned as much if not more these past few weeks than he would have in public school, and we're doing in a setting that is better for the emotional health of us all.
I have a decent idea of what our days will look like, and C is settling in too. Here's what we're learning:
- Getting up and started by 8 makes a totally different day than getting up and started by 9 (although I really get my best sleep between 6-9. I was not made for mornings).
- I am learning that I have to give up how I want homeschooling to look in favor of how homeschooling will work best for C. What worked for me is not going to work for a student who has been in public school for so long.
- Time management, for both C and I, is important!
- C is a much, much happier child now that most of his evenings are free. He has not argued about bedtime once! My husband loves the difference.
- Dogs are a real hindrance to homeschooling. If I had a dollar every time I'll have to say "stop playing with *insert dog's name here* and pay attention" in the next few months, D could quit work.
- Couponing will really help our grocery budget. More on that later....
- Homeschooling, for us, really is better. I think C has learned as much if not more these past few weeks than he would have in public school, and we're doing in a setting that is better for the emotional health of us all.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
I had a "mom" dream
So I've heard through the years moms talking about the nightmares they have - the dreams where something is happening to their child, and they wake up terrified and have to check on their kid.
I had one of those last night, and man it sucks. Loving a kid so much is a little scary when you consider all the ways in which they can get hurt.
I know I am not C's mom - I try to tread so carefully when talking about my parental feelings for him, because I really don't want to step on anyone's toes. But I do think my dream is part of the whole step-parent journey.
He laughed when I told him about it (it was a pretty dumb nightmare, really - sinkholes in our backyard and tie-ins from the latest book we're reading), but I think he likes being worried about.
I had one of those last night, and man it sucks. Loving a kid so much is a little scary when you consider all the ways in which they can get hurt.
I know I am not C's mom - I try to tread so carefully when talking about my parental feelings for him, because I really don't want to step on anyone's toes. But I do think my dream is part of the whole step-parent journey.
He laughed when I told him about it (it was a pretty dumb nightmare, really - sinkholes in our backyard and tie-ins from the latest book we're reading), but I think he likes being worried about.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wait.....how did we even get here? (Part One)
If there is anything I know about homeschooling, it is there are many paths to becoming a homeschooling family. It's interesting to talk with people about their motivations and reasons for making this choice. I may say I'm not a typical homeschooling family, but the truth is, I don't think there really is a "typical" family anymore!
When I graduated from college, my five year plan didn't really include homeschooling a child in the seventh grade. Step-parenting wasn't something I had really thought of all, as very few of my friends or families were blended families. When I met my husband D, however, step parenting was something I had to consider - he had full custody of a then ten-year-old boy. Those first couple of months were tricky. At the time C was very reserved, and I'm not sure we had an actual conversation until I'd been dating his dad about 6 months. There were some strained and awkward moments at first!
Helping C with his homework was one of the first ways I got to know him. As I spent time a couple evenings a week at their house, D and I began to share homework duties. It quickly became evident that school and C didn't really get along well. My husband was working hard to give C a good education, but single parenting and a curriculum that didn't meet C's needs was not helping. Before I came along, he'd spent large amounts of money on tutors and extra help, and C was still struggling just to be an average student. There were days I felt so bad for both of them - learning was such a chore, and honestly, sometimes his assignments were so stupid. Lots of busywork came home, and not a lot that actually helped him master the skills he needed. D had just finished fighting a huge fight with the school to hold C back a year - the school was so motivated by NCLB money it was willing to pass a student who had mostly F's. Their situation was a prime example of the public school not working.
While I was seeing what it was like to parent a child in the public school, D was having some of his misconceptions about homeschooling changed. Until he met me, the few homeschoolers he'd met were the underachieving, not-really-taking-care-of-their-kids-type. He thought homeschooling was a way lazy parents took to keep from having to get their kids on the bus in the morning. Then he met my family and friends! After meeting my siblings and the many homeschooled adult friends I have, he realized that homeschooling was not a sure fire way to ruin a child.
After dating about 8 months or so, D and I began discussing our future together, and one of the subjects was, of course, homeschooling. I wanted to have a child or two, and I wanted to at least consider homeschooling our children if we were able. D was very agreeable, and we soon began talking about homeschooling C as well. It had become evident by this point that C and I worked well together, and that I was able to teach concepts in ways he understood. We agreed that if it was something C wanted, and we could swing it for me to stay home, homeschooling was something we would consider.
Shockingly, as we began to broach the idea of homeschooling to C, he was thrilled. I don't think I can express just how much C hated going to school. He would get ill some days from worrying about it. It was so unhealthy! We had all the usual conversations about how homeschooling wasn't a free pass, he'd have to really work, and if anything, homeschooling would mean more work and higher level work. He was in on all of it.
So the "almost decision" had be made - we were going to consider homeschooling C!
When I graduated from college, my five year plan didn't really include homeschooling a child in the seventh grade. Step-parenting wasn't something I had really thought of all, as very few of my friends or families were blended families. When I met my husband D, however, step parenting was something I had to consider - he had full custody of a then ten-year-old boy. Those first couple of months were tricky. At the time C was very reserved, and I'm not sure we had an actual conversation until I'd been dating his dad about 6 months. There were some strained and awkward moments at first!
Helping C with his homework was one of the first ways I got to know him. As I spent time a couple evenings a week at their house, D and I began to share homework duties. It quickly became evident that school and C didn't really get along well. My husband was working hard to give C a good education, but single parenting and a curriculum that didn't meet C's needs was not helping. Before I came along, he'd spent large amounts of money on tutors and extra help, and C was still struggling just to be an average student. There were days I felt so bad for both of them - learning was such a chore, and honestly, sometimes his assignments were so stupid. Lots of busywork came home, and not a lot that actually helped him master the skills he needed. D had just finished fighting a huge fight with the school to hold C back a year - the school was so motivated by NCLB money it was willing to pass a student who had mostly F's. Their situation was a prime example of the public school not working.
While I was seeing what it was like to parent a child in the public school, D was having some of his misconceptions about homeschooling changed. Until he met me, the few homeschoolers he'd met were the underachieving, not-really-taking-care-of-their-kids-type. He thought homeschooling was a way lazy parents took to keep from having to get their kids on the bus in the morning. Then he met my family and friends! After meeting my siblings and the many homeschooled adult friends I have, he realized that homeschooling was not a sure fire way to ruin a child.
After dating about 8 months or so, D and I began discussing our future together, and one of the subjects was, of course, homeschooling. I wanted to have a child or two, and I wanted to at least consider homeschooling our children if we were able. D was very agreeable, and we soon began talking about homeschooling C as well. It had become evident by this point that C and I worked well together, and that I was able to teach concepts in ways he understood. We agreed that if it was something C wanted, and we could swing it for me to stay home, homeschooling was something we would consider.
Shockingly, as we began to broach the idea of homeschooling to C, he was thrilled. I don't think I can express just how much C hated going to school. He would get ill some days from worrying about it. It was so unhealthy! We had all the usual conversations about how homeschooling wasn't a free pass, he'd have to really work, and if anything, homeschooling would mean more work and higher level work. He was in on all of it.
So the "almost decision" had be made - we were going to consider homeschooling C!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Day One - A Success
Our first day of homeschooling has passed, and it was quite the success. C and I worked well together, and he enjoyed the one on one attention and the encouragement that he gets when it is just us two.
The day started off, unfortunately, with a dental appointment I was not able to put off. I hated starting that way - the dentist called and asked me to come in early, so I felt as though I just threw some work at C and ran off. Not the way I expected things would start!
However, when I got home, C was so excited about what he had completed, and he really had done well. One of my goals in homeschooling is to teach C to work independently and teach himself (success in college!), so it was very encouraging to see him work on his own. Guess I learned something today too!
The day started off, unfortunately, with a dental appointment I was not able to put off. I hated starting that way - the dentist called and asked me to come in early, so I felt as though I just threw some work at C and ran off. Not the way I expected things would start!
However, when I got home, C was so excited about what he had completed, and he really had done well. One of my goals in homeschooling is to teach C to work independently and teach himself (success in college!), so it was very encouraging to see him work on his own. Guess I learned something today too!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Last Day of the "Normal" Life
I walked away from work today for the last time as a full-time, benefits carrying, earning my own paycheck kind of girl. Today was my last day clocking in (I'm pretty sure I forgot to clock out....), and my last day actually managing people. Today was my last day going to meetings, running reports, and helping people solve problems.
However, today was my first day as a real "homeschooler". I enrolled in a church-related school on my way home, and perused the curriculum options at my local little homeschool shop. When I got home, my stepson and I had a little "hooray" moment. Today I went from normal to homeschool mom.
These past few weeks have been a little surreal for me. I am so, so, so excited about homeschooling. My stepson is so, so, so excited about homeschooling. It's a little frightening, however, to no longer be earning my own paycheck. For the first time since college graduation, I will not be primary on my health care. And I have six days (6!) to finish assembling my curriculum, decide how our school days will look, and figure out how I am going to take on the awesome responsibility of my stepson's education.
For the last year, as I talked about homeschooling and all the things I wanted to do when I was (finally!) a homeschool mom, I mentioned more than once that I wanted to blog. I wanted to blog about more than just the minutia of my days. I wanted to blog about educational issues, strategies, the ups and downs of homeschooling a child I didn't meet until he was 10, and the many, many facets of what a homeschooling life can look like. So here is the blog. I'm kicking it off on my final day of work and my first day of being an official homeschool mom.
However, today was my first day as a real "homeschooler". I enrolled in a church-related school on my way home, and perused the curriculum options at my local little homeschool shop. When I got home, my stepson and I had a little "hooray" moment. Today I went from normal to homeschool mom.
These past few weeks have been a little surreal for me. I am so, so, so excited about homeschooling. My stepson is so, so, so excited about homeschooling. It's a little frightening, however, to no longer be earning my own paycheck. For the first time since college graduation, I will not be primary on my health care. And I have six days (6!) to finish assembling my curriculum, decide how our school days will look, and figure out how I am going to take on the awesome responsibility of my stepson's education.
For the last year, as I talked about homeschooling and all the things I wanted to do when I was (finally!) a homeschool mom, I mentioned more than once that I wanted to blog. I wanted to blog about more than just the minutia of my days. I wanted to blog about educational issues, strategies, the ups and downs of homeschooling a child I didn't meet until he was 10, and the many, many facets of what a homeschooling life can look like. So here is the blog. I'm kicking it off on my final day of work and my first day of being an official homeschool mom.
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