Some Thoughtful Homeschooling Posts

Young Mom has a post about Why I'm not Sure if I'll Homeschool and I found a post at There is No Wealth but Life (also a k-12 homeschooling graduate) that also expresses strong reservations about homeschooling.   I think that these posts prompt an excellent conversation in the comments about the pros and cons of homeschooling, something that is hard to find as this can be an emotional topic.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 13)

1.  This hasn't been the best week.  Does anyone else ever wonder if they should really be a stay at home mom?    Does anyone feel like they are missing out by not working outside the home?  Is it one of those green grass on the otherside things?  I think I will feel better when I start playing in the symphony again on a regular basis.  I also plan on getting out for a "Mother's Sabbath" tomorrow. 

2.  I'm naturally introverted so sometimes its just hard getting started with the ideas I have for doing things outside the home, which include:   Working up some music to play with my son (and husband?, and sister too?)at nursing homes, playing at church (I have inquired about this before but nothing ever seems to come of it), just picking up my bass and playing at home would be a good start. 

3.  I have mixed feelings about homeschooling.  As of today we are planning on sending Angelboy to the public highschool.  I feel a little sad about this and of course wonder if it is the right thing to do.  But I also wonder of continuting to homeschool would be the right thing to do.  When homeschooling goes well I really enjoy it (and maybe he does too), but at the same time sending him to highscool may quite possibly free up a lot of my time and I may have more time to spend with Angelboy doing things other than schooling.  He really likes the idea of going to highschool as I think he wants to know if he can handle the academic challenges of a more structured environment.

4.  Pumpkingirl no longer gets herself into a tither whenever I suggest she "goes potty."  Perhaps this is a sign that bigger things are to come. 

5.  Tonight is "date night" and I don't know where we are going as I insisted that it be a surprise.  I am looking forward to it.

6.  My current blogging goal is to get at least two posts a week in anyway that I can; the rest is gravy.  This is my third post this week so I'm doing fine.

7.  I haven't done any quick takes since before Lent so it feels good to be back...though I don't know how regularly I will be doing quick takes.  It seems like Friday isn't a very good blogging day for me and (as has been said before) quick takes aren't always so quick.

Have a good weekend and stop by to see Jen at conversion diary for more quick takes.

I love it when a plan comes together! or Another Mundane Post

I took a not entirely intentional break from blogging over Lent.  This turned out to be very beneficial as I learned that there are a few things that I have been ignoring due to my time on the computer (not that I really spend that much time on the computer).  Partially due to my blogging break, we have fallen into a routine that has ended up giving us way more productive school time.  Pumpkingirl, who is two, takes a "nap" in the morning around 10:00 the same time as Smileyboy's (who is 9 mos.)nap.  She doesn't really nap but she likes the fact that she gets to lie down in her bed with her binky.  This is the only time she gets her binky other than her afternoon nap.  I try not to leave her there for more than 45 minutes though it doesn't work out this way all the time.  This gives Angelboy and me time to read religion and history outloud together as I think these are important topics to be able to discuss while reading.

Somehow I find it reassuring to get into a routine and then be able to writie it down.  So here is our morning routine:

8:00 Breakfast for "littles" and me
9:00 Spend time reading and go for walk with "littles"
10:00-10:30 put "littles" down for nap/Angelboy and I read history and religion
11:30 Get lunch ready

Perhaps One Less Thing to Worry About

Thinking about making a high school transcript for Angelboy should we still be homeschooling next year, is a stress triggering idea for me.  However, after talking to a couple of homeschool mom's I know, I have learned that it may not be as bad as I had first thought.  Both of these mom's said they didn't really keep records.  This was a happy thought indeed and may have filled me with both feelings of relief and awe at their devil-may-care attitudes. 

Then it occurred to me that, considering we live in a state where recordkeeping for homeschoolers is at a bare minimum, that maybe this isn't that crazy after all.  Perhaps keeping track of subjects studied and knowing that they have a good understanding of the concepts and subjects studied are the most important things.  This would be something that I can do and perhaps even enjoy. 

These mom's had only first year high school students so it is possible that they will start thinking more about recordkeeping further along in their child's high school career.  In the meantime I feel that I don't have to let this stand in the way of homeschooling Angelboy through highschool.  I still feel I need to do more looking into what is required of me for homeschooling highschool but for now I feel less daunted.

Okay, With a Few Adjustments---Maybe It Won't be so Bad After All

Well, we are back to the dreaded homeschooling.  That's right. Dreaded. 

I was not looking forward to starting again.  I was seriously thinking of sending Angelboy to the public Jr. High full time as soon as Christmas break was over. 

I dreaded the task of organizing the week and telling him what we were doing and when.  But you know what I did?  I gave him the books and had him organize the week and what we would be doing from each book.  This included: math, science, and language arts so far.  I'm giving the resonsibility (well a lot more of it anyway) to Angelboy to make sure we get schooling done.  He just tells me what to do and I will do it.  I'm here to help out if he needs me.  Well it probably won't be that simple but the idea is that I need and expect him to shoulder more responsibility for his own education.   I think he will do well with this.

O.K. the other reason I was dreading it was because he is fourteen and sometimes it seems like he has an opinion about everything which means that it seems like he contradicts me on everything.  When did this start to happen? It has become more and more apparent that the teenage years are here. 

There does seem to be a glimmer of hope though.  We both agreed that everything seemed much clearer after the break and we actually enjoyed the schooling that we did together.

Maybe we can do this.

Seven Quick Takes Volume 8

1. I had a beautiful Christmas. Although there were disappointments like my sister not coming and not being able to get very much alone time in with my husand, I felt that the consistent practice of our Advent devotions had the effect of making a little bit more room in my heart for Jesus. For me this meant things such as being touched by the fact that Almighty God became a helpless baby subject to human care. God is truly humble.

2. Here is a picture of the dutch oven my husband gave me for Christmas:

It's really beautiful. The picture doesn't do it justice. My husband also got me the cook book Soups from a Monastery Kitchen by Brother Victor-Antoine. Here is a picture of my cut-up vegetables, carrots, celery and turnips, that I used for making soup out of the book:

Many of the soups have relatively simple ingredients and are surprisingly tasty despite that.

3. I find myself looking forward to Monday when we will begin homeschooling again after a looooong amount of time off. I am having Angelboy plan what he will do next week with Math, Science, Language, and Geography. I may plan history, religion, and whatever else. I hope having him plan his own work and take more responsiblity for his own learning helps cut down on what I have to do. I was seriously thinking about having him go to public school full time after Christmas break because I didn't feel I was doing a good job of keeping on top of things and was worried about him getting a good education. We will at least finish this year at home. Next year is high school so we will see.

4. I think Angelboy would probably do well with keeping his faith and morality if he did go back to public school. I think having him home for the past 3+ years has been wonderful for grounding him in the faith. It's also been 3+ years since I have been in public school teaching. I am certain that much has changed in that short amount of time. They were just beginning to deal with the cell phone issue back then, but now I think that cell phones among teens is much more prevalent. Face Book is also much more widespread than it was just a few years ago. I know there is a lot of bad things that go on in public schools but there are also a lot of good kids and teachers. Its difficult deciding what to do.

5. One thing I would really like to do this year is get up earlier in the mornings on a more consistent basis. I would exercise and blog among other things and have time to plan my day. I need to reflect on what I would like to accomplish this year and make plans. Some solid plans to change certain behaviors and attitudes would certainly be a good idea. I need to work on patience and accepting times when things don't go as planned.

6. Last year I made the resolution to go to monthly confession and followed through even when I really didn't want to go. I need to make another commitment like this. First Friday Mass? Weekday mass at least one day a week? Daily rosary? Any ideas?

7. Well I need to get ready to go to church now. My husband is making blueberry muffins. Yum! One of the accomplishments I can claim for this year is more regular posting on my blog. Granted it started later in the year but it happened none the less. I look forward to another year of regular blogging. It is certainly one of my favorite things.

For more quick takes go to conversiondiary.com

Get yourself recollected

If I thought homeschooling my oldest was hectic with a toddler and a new baby, then I wasn't thinking how much more difficult it would be with ds1 taking classes in the afternoons at the Jr. High on top of that. This also happens to be my two year old daughter's nap time; the time I used to be able to look forward to going over together what we could not get done when she was awake and needing attention.

I am trying to have a plan ahead of time. I was reading in Kimberly Hahn's book Homeward Bound that the little ones should be made part of the homeschool. I guess I'm trying to do this by figuring them into the plan for our day. For example, I have my two year old daughter watch the "Elmo's World" portion of Sesame Street so ds and I can use this time to go over things together. Or perhaps we work some school time in before dd gets up in the morning. I try to think of the things that I would like to do with ds1 and the things that he can do on his own. My goal then is to do the things we want to do together when the opportunity presents itself or by creating opportunities by planning activities for dd such as drawing with her crayons so I don't get so frustrated trying to school when little kids want my attention.

That's not to say I still don't get frustrated. I'm trying to practice the virtue of recollection by focusing on one thing at a time and doing that one thing well. Ds1 and I have read about this in The Virtues of Jesus by Quentin Hakenewerth, SM. This book is part of the Catholic Heritage religion curriculum for 7th grade. Recollection is about the" sacrament of the present moment." By being attentive to what is required in the present moment we are able to know the Will of God. This idea as it is known to me is from the great spiritual classic by Jean-Pierre de Caussade. Here is a quote:

You are trying to discover the secret of how to belong to God, beloved sisters. But there is none, unless it be to take advantage of every opportunity. Everything leads to union with him; everythings brings about perfection excepting sin and what is not our duty. Only take things as they come without interfereing. Everything guides, purifies and sustains you, carrying you along, so to speak, under God's banner by whose hand earth, air and water are made divine.

Taking a Baby Break

Our first official day of homeschooling was on Monday (Hard to believe that was only yesterday.) This week will be our trial run. It was exhausting trying to occupy the toddler and keep the baby happy while at the same time focusing on our studies. Today it didn't feel as crazy though I'm not sure why not. Was I better rested? Perhaps.

DS is really excited about starting schooling. We are making a galliant effort to be more organized this year. I am trying the basic version of Homeschool Tracker to record what we will be working on and to keep track of what we have done. You can pay a one time 50 dollars and get the plus version which I think I will do when I'm feeling less like I need the dough for other things. I hope we can keep it up.

"Nature Walk"

Yesterday my almost two-year-old daughter and I just went around the corner a little ways from our house on a "nature walk." Here is what we brought back with us. A still maturing apple and a sprig of Queen Anne's Lace (or is it wild carrot?) I'm so excited to post a picture of a homeschool "project." In the top picture my 13 year old son is holding up his sisters hands holding our new found treasures.

On the Homestretch

I am working to get my son through the end of the year and trying to push him through until July (this is when the baby is due). Our goals are to get math, Rome, and writing done.

Math- This would be getting through Saxon 7/8 2nd ed.

Rome-This would mean getting through the Haaren's Famous Men of Rome.

Writing & Language-This would mean getting through Sandra Garant's Writing Workshop. We signed up for this through Catholic Heritage Curricula. I would also like to have him complete the first half of Linga Mater: Language Lessons from Literature by Margot Davidson but this may not happen.

Religion-We were working on St. Joseph's Baltimore Catechism #2 but haven't done too well since Easter. We had also been working on The Virtue's of Jesus

Other-G also takes Spanish and Orchestra at the local Jr. High every other day as well as participating in a local Future Problem Solvers homeschool group.

Fresh Start for Schooling

Well we've had a nice long break from schooling or at least from floundering schooling. I think things will be back on track now. We're getting a strong start.

Math-Gabriel does his math during the day and I check it and he corrects it in the evenings therefore we can go onto the next lesson the next day instead of having one lesson drag over two days.

Language-We are using Mater Lingua- We didn't do this today partly because we finished week 9/day one yesterday. I think I'll go back to spreading one week over two weeks. I'll also use a bit of God's Gift of Language for grammar and we need to do something about spelling. We need to make dicatation a priority. In fact maybe we should do this before any other language for the day.

History-We are studying American History with the Catholic textbook Sea to Shining Sea. We'll go back to dividing this up into smaller chunks and perhaps just doing it every other day. Today I had son write a narration as we had done last year. It was good. We tried doing the questions at the end of the chapter a few times after reading the chapter at a faster rate. It felt too rushed. I think we might go back to putting narratives into book of centuries too. We were trying a timeline this year but I'm not sure we like this.

Science-Concepts and Challenges Series-We'll try for a lesson a day or whatever. I'm not so concerned about this as at this point science can be picked up here and there.

Son takes Spanish and Orchestra at the Jr. High.

Religion-Shame on me for really not having this as first priority. I bought Baltimore Catechism #2 at the beginning of the year but we can't find it. We listen to lots of EWTN radio which really provides a lot of catechism. Every now and then I look at Catholic Culture .org and we read about the saint for the day.

Well that's it in a nutshell.

Why did I decide to homeschool and do I really want to continue?

This is my second year of homeschooling my now 12 year old son. Of course the question I get asked the most is: "Why did you decide to homeschool?" Of course it's difficult to give a difinitive answer but here is a list of reasons that I often give for my reasons to homeschool:

1. I was unsatisfied the the rogeour of my sons school
2. I saw that my son felt that he could not talk about religion formally at school ( he compartmentalized the place of religion in his life).
3. I had been hearing a lot about homeschooling on Catholic Radio.
4. I loved looking at the Catholic homeschool curriculum choices and thought it really looked fun and interesting.
5. There is a Catholic homeschool group associated with our church that I had seen at various times doing fun activities.
6. I liked the idea of homeschooling and integrating faith and religion into regular school activities.

Here is a list of reasons I am thinking about giving up homeschooling, at least for the moment:

1. I feel I am very unorganized.
2. I feel like we may be getting too isolated
3. I am starting to become irritable with my son because I find it difficult at times to relate to him now that he is getting older.
4. I would like to be normal
5. A part of me cringes at overt religiosity (I have some work to do on this) and don't feel I fit in with my Catholic homeschool group


All in all the more I put into preparing studies for my son daily and weekly the more I enjoy homeschooling him. My goals for him right now are to get him to get started working on his own. He is getting better at this. I had him make out a schedule for himself. When he doesn't know what to do I tell him to look at the schedule.