Confessions of an Absentminded Homeschool Mom

New Blog

2010-03-01T09:32:00.002-07:00

A friend and I have started a new blog together which will have similar information as this blog. At least that is the plan right now. So I may not be posting on this blog much anymore. (I know I have been soooo prolific of late!!)

If you would like to check out that blog, it is jackienfrankie, otherwise known as Who Do You Think You Are?!

It is about homeschooling, as mothering, cooking, and finding out who we really are and standing for what we believe in. I hope you'll give us a peek!

Answers to Questions

2010-01-20T11:42:00.007-07:00

I have been asked questions, lately, by other homeschoolers, about how we do some subjects in our homeschool. So, I thought I'd take on those questions here, and post the answers. I hope you don't mind.

First of all, let me say that I am a firm believer in eclectic homeschooling. We have our overriding philosophy of Thomas Jefferson Education, but we don't use one curriculum for all of our subjects, or even the same location for all of our subjects. We pick and choose and do what is best for each student at that time.

History

The most recent question was about history. First, Jayne and Frost. For them we rely heavily on Story of the World, Middle Ages for this year. We read a chapter from this book once per week, and while they listen they color the maps and coloring pages from the Activity Book. We go to the library once per month and get a stack of books listed in the Activity Book just to have on hand. Sometimes they look at those, and sometimes they don't, but having them in the house increases the chances that they will be looked at. :D I will also have story time from books written about that time period, like The Sword and the Stone and Tales From Shakespeare. This may not sound very comprehensive, but we cover the same history time periods, while increasing the difficulty of the story time books, two times before they are high school age.

Emerson is a little different. He chose his history text from two choices that we had around the house; a secular one - Story of the Ancient World, and a religious one - The Fourth Thousand Years (an LDS perspective). He chose the religious one. (I'm still not sure what we can do for the Middle Ages era - something better show up in the next few months!) He has also taken two American History classes through our Commonwealth School - one about The Founding and the Constitution, and one about The Civil War. These classes are wonderful, and he has learned a great deal - much more than I did about the same topics at his age. We also add in books from the history and literature book-list in The Well-Trained Mind in the 9th - 12th grade section as original sources.

I really like to have a lot of stories when it comes to history, and original sources as they get older. The more "pre-digested" and diluted history gets, the more boring it gets, and the less we learn. History is so vital! We can't let boredom win!

Math

Math has been easy for me, material-wise. Emerson has used Saxon math all the way through. He is in Algebra 1 now, and is fully able to learn the concepts by himself. Since we don't take a full summer break, I allow him to skip the lessons in the first part of the book and just get to the stuff he hasn't learned yet. It doesn't feel quite so daunting when starting a new math book if you can start 1/3 or 1/2 the way through! We have now added a new math series to his curriculum - The Life of Fred . These books have a wonderful way of explaining the why's and wherefore's of math philosophy and when added to the practice-heavy Saxon provides well a rounded mathematical education. Also, when using Saxon, I don't have Emerson do all the lesson and review problems - I find it is just too many. So we have a deal. He does all of the "new concept" problems - the problems for that day's lesson, and on the review problems he does the even numbered problems on even numbered days, and odd on odd. It still gets the practice in, without overloading the student too much.

For Frost, Jayne, and Pinocchio I have found a better series for younger students. Singapore! I have found this program to be just fun enough (with cartoons, fun pictures, puzzles, etc) while still maintaining the rigor needed for mastery. I have been up and down on how many or how few lessons to ask my children to do in a day. At the moment, I ask them to do 2 lessons per day, unless it is a review and then I only ask for one. But with Pinocchio this is not enough. He tends to to a lot more than 2 lessons at a time in his book, he loves it! I plan on using the Singapore Math series through level 6, then add in Fred and Saxon at that time. At least, that is the plan right now - who knows what the future brings!

I know that the Thomas Jefferson Education philosophy says that we shouldn't require anything of our students before the age of 12. But, when it comes to math, I disagree. And since I am the "expert in my home," I get to choose! :D

I am going to stop here for the day, but I will continue this post! (I am sure you are thrilled!)

1st Class

2010-01-17T13:12:00.003-07:00

I think the class went really well. The students were taking notes, asking questions, getting involved in the discussion. It was fun! We even had plenty of material to fill the two hours - it's amazing how short two hours is when you are having a great discussion!

I was a little surprised at the time it took most of them to complete the multiplication table. I gave them a blank 100-chart and a blank multiplication table and had them fill them in and find the patterns in the numbers. We spent a half hour on this activity and a few of them were unable to finish. I really need to learn not to base this kind of stuff on Emerson's abilities; however, memorized multiplication tables is supposed to be a pre-requisite for this class.

But when we got into the discussion of patterns, they had a lot to contribute. It always amazes me that these kids, mine included, who don't seem "up to par" on the "public school schedule," can find wonderful connections, and find meaning in things that I have never thought of. These guys can think! To the rest of the world, it may not seem like they are successful students, but really they far excel their peers in their ability to think and problem solve. Very cool!

I have been comparing that with my Sunday School kids (they are just slightly younger, 12 and 13 rather than 13 and 14) the past couple of weeks. We try to have very meaningful discussions about the various gospel topics, and it is very difficult to get them to think past the "standard Sunday School answers" of pray, read your scriptures, go to church, etc. I hope to inspire them further; to treat them like I would the Pyramid students, and hope that they will reach for it.

Anyway, looking forward to my next lesson, I will be teaching about equations. I need to get working on it, so I can be inspired like I was for the last one.

Patterns

2010-01-12T10:22:00.004-07:00

So, the topic for my lecture this week is "Seeing Patterns." I found the usual info for this topic in Mathematicians Are People, Too, the story of Galileo - the balls dropping from the Tower of Pisa, the chandeliers swinging in the cathedral, etc. But I felt I needed some more information.

I, somewhat reluctantly, went to a seminar on body language and relationships, offered through the South Davis Commonwealth School (also know as SDLA). It was a whole day, and I really felt that I should be spending my time in other ways. But I also knew, that if I didn't go, I would never hear the end of it from my good friend Steph (thanks, Steph!). I expected the usual type of feel good seminar; what I found was a scientist.

See, he didn't learn about Body Language from books. He learned it by noticing patterns and asking questions. He would notice the way a person's eyes would move when thinking of an answer to a question, and then ask about the answer that resulted.

What a wonderful way to talk with my students about being a scientist! This man did not go to college to be a scientist. In fact, this man did not go to college. He has learned to be keenly aware of the people around him. In this, he is a scientist!

So, because of that example, I am going try to have a discussion about where we find patterns. We are supposed to discuss patterns in nature (and also go on a nature walk, but January is not a good time for that! :D), so we will do that with some pictures I found on the internet. But also, we will discuss other places where patterns can be found - besides math, nature, and science. Because I see them all the time in behavior, history, sports, etc. I think that will make for an interesting discussion.

At least I hope that will make for an interesting discussion.

New Direction

2010-01-05T19:17:00.003-07:00

Well, I guess I didn't have much to say for the past few months. Either that, or I was so busy with trying out an online charter high school for my oldest son, another charter school for my two middle children, setting up a website and online registration for our Commonwealth School, starting extra gymnastics classes for the competition team, adding piano lessons for the 2nd child, planning to teach a class that never materialized, and surviving the swine flu. I think it may have been a little of both.

Anyhoo, I have decided on a new direction for this blog, at least for the time being. Starting Thursday, I will be teaching a math philosophy class called Pyramid Project in our Commonwealth School. This is a very overwhelming project for me, but I feel like I need to do it. So, my plan for this blog is to post my ideas, what I am studying, my lectures, my "I Wonder . . ."'s, my "A-Ha's" in my Core Book Studies, and all the things I am learning from my students. I might post some other things as well, but this will be my main focus, at least for a while.

In this opening post, I just wanted to post some thoughts about the charter schools that we experimented with this school year. First, the success: we enrolled our 10-year-old and 9-year-old with an online K-8 charter school, using K12 curriculum. The thing I love most about this school is that we have the freedom and the flexibility to take as few or as many courses as we want to! The two areas where I felt we needed the biggest boost were language arts and foreign language. So, those were the only two courses we signed up for. They have been really good. It took us a few weeks to get in the groove of it, and get used to the record keeping, but now it runs like clockwork. I have really seen an improvement in their spelling and grammar. We do have to participate in testing, but I think that is a small price to pay to receive the K12 curriculum at no cost to us. I am considering adding in science next year, but I'll have to think really hard about that.

As for the other charter school; the "not-so-success." Having a high schooler kind of changes the landscape for homeschooling, and it made me nervous. So last spring, when I heard about a new online charter high school, I really looked into it. I even attended a board meeting and talked with board members about my expectations and what they could offer. The promised an individualized curriculum, and concurrent enrollment during the junior and senior years. They promised that students would be able to move at their own pace, have access to BYU IS courses, and there would be no mandatory "seat time." What we got was 8 hours per day, on average, on the computer doing the work, and the work was of average quality at best (it was most often a "read the chapter then fill in the blank" type of "learning". It was a lot of busy work, much more than I am used to - homeschoolers don't do a lot of busy work! It was not individualized - at least not what I would consider individualized - but is was the first year, and they were still working on writing the curriculum. We did have access to two BYU IS classes per semester, but they were not the quality courses I was expecting. We lasted about 7 weeks (I was not happy after week 2, but my son still loved it at that point - he's the one who decided to pull the plug at 7 weeks.) I was really disappointed, I was hoping this would be a path to an associate's degree before mission - but maybe that's not an appropriate goal. So, now we have struck out on our own, and it is working quite well. I think it is one of those things where I need to trust this decision, this calling, to homeschool, and just keep plugging along at the path that He directed me to.

Math Series

2009-07-19T12:32:00.003-06:00

I was just introduced to a series of math books at a recent homeschool seminar, and I just have to say WOW! I want all of these! I want to do them! They're simple, and engaging, and they don't overload the kids with practice problems. However, they are very rigorous, and make you think! I want to start with Geometry and head on up to Calculus!!! Anybody have an extra $300 lying around that you can give to me? No? Ok, I guess I'll have to buy them one at a time.

Life of Fred Math

Another Great Homeschooling Article

2009-07-06T10:24:00.003-06:00

See, now, I'm getting lazy. I haven't written anything for this blog in almost a month!!! Maybe that's a good thing!

Anyway, here is a wonderful article. Can I just say "Amen!": from a video game playing, TV watching, fast food eating, tries to have a vegetable garden, but fails, homeschool family!!!

Enjoy!

Hope you had a great 4th!

A Great Homeschooling How-To Article

2009-06-11T11:26:00.001-06:00

I love The Pioneer Woman blog anyway, but here is a homeschooling post that is just wonderful. This is exactly what I would tell a newbie - but more succinct and with better writing!

The Pioneer Woman Homeschooling

Enjoy!

A Good Read

2009-05-17T18:36:00.003-06:00

I just finished reading a great homeschooling book. I don't usually read homeschooling books anymore, because I have found my rhythm; my groove. But this one caught my attention, and since it wasn't to be found at my local library, I bought it. It was worth every penny.

The book is called So, WHY Do You Homeschool? by Mimi Davis. She wrote her book for all those people who wonder why in the world a person would homeschool their children. Ms. Davis answers many of the questions that homeschool families face from friends and families; and strangers, too.

She answers those questions in just the right way! I have wanted to be able to answer my friends, but have not been able to find the right words. Ms. Davis seems to have found them for me.

Thank you, Mimi Davis, for writing this book!

New-To-Homeschooling Tip #6 - Build Your Library

2009-05-08T22:08:00.002-06:00

In order to foster learning in your home, you need to create a learning environment. In other words; you need books! Lots of them. This is my favorite part. I love to look at book lists, to shop for books, to find the best deals. I LOVE it! (can you tell?)

But, it wasn't always that way. When I first embarked on this journey, I had no idea where to start. I had to figure out which books we wanted to spend our time reading, because, as you well know, there are many books out there that are not even worth the time spent reading them. So, I looked for book lists, and I found these:

The Good Books List

1000 Good Books List

100 Great Books List

Classic List for Children and Youth

(these and other lists can be found at The School of Abraham)

After I found these lists, I studied them to find the books that I knew, and would like my children to read. I didn't take the entire list to the book store; from these lists I created my own list, and started there. Make a copy of your list. Keep one in your purse, or wallet, and keep one at home.

Add a "Books" section to your budget and get in the mindset of buying them on a consistent basis. Book buying is now an investment, a need; no longer a luxury or a want.

My first stop for finding book is the local thrift store. I have about 1000 books in my library now, after 10 years of collecting, and about 60% of those came from the thrift store for less than two dollars each! (most were $.50) If there is a book that I know I want, but can't find it at the thrift store, then I buy it. Amazon is my favorite on-line store, I love the discounts and the free shipping. However, my local Barnes and Noble store offers homeschoolers teacher discount cards (I do have to show them my district wavers) which gives a 20% discount! Sometimes that is better than Amazon. My next favorite place is Rainbow Resource. Lots of homeschool resources at good prices.

If, however, I'm not sure about a book, I first go to the library. I get many books there first, to make sure it is something I want to spend the money on.

Now, storage. We have many bookshelves. Each child has their own in their room, I have my own, as does my husband. So far that is six. Then in our school room we have seven. (five short and two tall ones) I also have one in our living room. When all of those were filled, we had a dilemma, we had no more room to put any more bookshelves!! We had run out of wall space. Then, one day I was looking through an IKEA catalog and saw a room with a shelf on the wall above the windows! That was it! That was my solution. So, with the help of C.S. we put a shelf on three walls of my bedroom, above the windows. (which is just enough room for an average sized hardback book!) I love it! It holds enough books to fill three tall bookshelves! (the five shelf kind)

One more thing: put the books where they can be easily seen and used. A high traffic area. This will increase the chance that these hard earned books will be utilized.

Have fun!

New-To-Homeschooling Tip #5 - Enjoy Your Children

2009-04-29T17:33:00.009-06:00

Enjoy Your Children!

Once you have a firm grasp on the very basics of homeschooling that we have already discussed, you will feel the need to move on and start putting in the "real" academics. This is a good urge, but it must be tempered. If, at this point, you expect your children to sit for 6 hours a day and "do school," you'll be disappointed. They will probably still fight you. So, you need to be a little sneaky. You need to play!

Go rediscover your neighborhood and community. Go for a walk and talk about the stuff you see - the trees, flowers, bugs, animals. The next time, maybe you could take paper and colored pencils and draw some of the stuff you see. Observe, talk, laugh, sing! Just enjoy each others' company. Penny Gardner has become an expert in this, as she explains in Charlotte Mason Study Guide, "When we moved to Orem, Utah, in 1993, we again did not have any walking paths. However, it didn’t take long before our children knew every nook, cranny, and flower in our neighborhood. [. . . ] The walks need not be long. Some of our walks have been as short as once around the block. We are born naturalists, eager when young to discover and learn about our environment. So open your door and start walking today!" (p. 148)

Go on a field trip. Now I don't mean a big scheduled homeschool support group field trip (although, those are wonderful!), I just mean get away from the house and go explore your community. In my little town we have a community museum. It's small, and has just a few operating hours per week, but it is full of treasures. Last year, my husband's office moved to a four-ten work week, (he works four ten-hours day, and has Friday's off!!) And, boy, have we taken advantage! We went to the Bonneville Salt Flats, to the top of Snowbird ski resort on a tram, to a demolition derby and county fair, to Kennecot Copper Mine, and the local dinosaur museum. We had a wonderful time together! Check with the zoos and museums in your area, they might even have free admission days - even more incentive to go!

Enjoy your children at home. Just have fun with them! Make some homemade play-dough and make sculptures. Have a day of playing board games. (my favorites are “The Farming Game”, “Whoonu”, and “Cranium”) Maybe have an afternoon movie with popcorn. (be sure to choose one that is at least slightly educational) We have a Wii video game console and a Wii Fit game; on some rainy afternoon we might have a Wii Fit fitness marathon. Or on sunny day go have a real fitness marathon at the park.

Let your imagination run wild! Have fun!

It's All One Story

2009-04-15T11:22:00.004-06:00

Have you read the book How To Read Literature Like a Professor? If not, I highly recommend it, very well worth the effort. It was in this book that I first came in contact with the idea that all literature is one story. As the author, Thomas C. Foster, wrote "One story. Everywhere. Always. Wherever anyone puts pen to paper or hands to keyboard or fingers to lute string or quill to papyrus. They all take from and in return give to the same story, ever since Snorgg got back to the cave and told Ongk about the mastodon that got away. Norse sagas, Samoan creation stories, Gravity's Rainbow, The Tale of Genji, Hamlet, last year's graduation speech, last week's Dave Barry column, On the Road and Road to Rio and 'The Road Not Taken.' One story." (p. 186)

Another way to look at this is the way that a local homeschooling mother, and entrepreneur, describes it; "History is Everything." The title alone says it all. History is everything. It is every school subject, every story, every painting, every song. Think about it for a moment . . . when you study math, and I mean REALLY study math, you can't help but learn history along with it; and science, too, for that matter. When you see a work of art you see the history that is wrapped up in it also. When you read a novel, you are reading a more "reader-friendly" version of history - the culture, the times and places, and in some the current events of the time. History really is everything. And it is also one story.

I was reminded of this concept while reading some fairy tales to my children. The book we were reading at the time is called English Fables & Fairy Stories retold by James Reeves. It was amazing how many times we read a passage and a child would say "Oh! That is like . . . " and would name a familiar fairy tale, like Cinderella, or Rumplestiltskin. But is wasn't quite. There were differences. These stories are so old, and have travelled the world over numerous times. They are the same in every culture and every time.

One story in particular really stood out to me, because of another book I have read recently. In February, a group of women from the two co-operative schools I have been associated with, got together in a mountain cabin and had a retreat. It was a wonderful time, and a renewal for most. One of our activities was to read a book and have a discussion. The book we chose was The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This isn't one of my favorite books, but I enjoyed it, and many of the women in the group got a lot out of reading it. Then, about six weeks later I read a fairy tale, from the above mentioned book, called "The Pedlar's Dream." Guess what? It was the same story as The Alchemist. Of course, it was much shorter (six pages versus nearly 200 pages), and the details were different. But, at it's core, it was the same story. Just like Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl is based on the Brothers' Grimm fairy tale of the same name, and the movie 'Clueless' is based on Jane Austen's Emma.

It is amazing to me how the more you read, the more connections you can make to other stuff you have read. I love finding those connections; connecting me to the author's work; connecting me to what the author has read; connecting me to the author's of the works that the first author has read. Connections made to the authors' time, place, culture, and beliefs. These connections help us grow in understanding and wisdom. They bring more to the work than the actual words.

Because, after all . . .

It's all One Story.

Confession #6 - Springtime = Are We Done Yet?

2009-04-03T16:18:00.008-06:00

Spring comes, and I am tired of all my best laid plans. I am tired of Ancient History, I am tired of Aristotle, Cicero, and Rome. I am ready for a nice big change - but our school break doesn't come until June! This is always when I start thinking of other curriculum ideas, methodologies, philosophies. Always.

This year, I tried to help the doldrums by buying some new workbooks. The kids love to do workbooks, especially when there is bribery in play! We have a bean jar . . . have I mentioned this before? A bean jar that needs to be filled with beans. It is one jar, one communal jar, where everybody puts their beans. (dried beans, of course) Whenever a child does a page in their math workbook (Singapore Math), they get to put a bean in the jar. Whenever a child does a page in their Language Arts workbook (I can't remember the publisher of this book, but I got it at Barnes and Noble) they get to put 2 beans in the jar. Whenever Emerson does a math lesson (Saxon Algebra 1/2), he puts 5 beans in the jar. And now with the new workbooks (Brain Quest Workbooks) they get to put a bean in the jar for each page. In the past month, they have put in about 250 beans between them. (it's a big jar)

Now, you might be asking, why are they willing to do all this work to put a bean in the jar? Well, here is the bribery . . . when the bean jar is full, they get something really fun! Last year we got Guitar Hero for the Wii. It was well worth their effort, although, school hours seemed to be cut short for a few weeks while we all played lots of Guitar Hero! (I LOVE this game!!! I have to put myself on restriction every once in a while, or nothing would get done around here.) This year I have promised Lego Batman, and maybe another game. (maybe something girly for the token girl.) I like to keep the reward around $100 to make it worth their while.

This is not my original idea, I got it from Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning by Rachel and Oliver DeMille. But I modified it to fit my family circumstances.

So, the new workbooks have helped with the 'burn-out,' but only a little. I don't want to hear anymore about The Roman Empire! I'm done! I wish it was, but we have another 500 or so years to study until the fall.

At this time, I always start planing for next year. I dream up impossible-to-implement ideas, and think "This year I will do it!! I will do two or three wonderful science experiments each week! I will study a foreign language, (with no fighting over the computer, of course!) and design a class for homeschool friends to come over and share with us! This is the year!!!" - and every year I fail. I get the basics in - reading, writing, arithmetic, and history - with a smattering of electives. This past year has been a little better because a wonderful friend has a co-op for kids ages 4 to 11, where my 8- and 10-year-olds have been in (and written) an opera, a gym class, art, history, and science. Fabulous teachers, and great kids have made this a worth while experiment. So the science and art have been a success this year - with no help from me!! :)

There is one good thing that comes out of this, though. I get my plans in order for the next year. With all of this looking forward and wishing - out comes the planning. That is a good thing. I have planned out the books we will read for History/Reading. (I always try to combine these two, it makes life so much easier.) Next year we will be studying the Middle Ages and Early Reanaissance. We will read, among others, The Sword and the Stone, Chanticleer and the Fox, The Lilac Fairy Book, Tales From Shakespeare, and The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.

And, by next spring I will be sick and tired of the middle ages. I will be ready for the Renaissance and Exploration.

Confession #5 - I Am A Commitment-phobe!

2009-03-29T22:29:00.002-06:00

I just realized this. I am unable to make a commitment! I mean, besides the commitments of marrying my husband and having children. But in the little things, the less important things, I am not ready to commit.

I came to this conclusion these past few weeks while attempting to sign up my oldest son for an online high school program. It is a public charter school, so I had to actually enroll him into a public school!

Aaaaaaaahhhhh!

Pretty scary stuff for me.

I had to sign over personal information, and promise to send in immunization information, and a copy of his birth certificate. There were things that I even denied them! I said I did not want his personal information published in a student directory, or that I will not allow them to do a vision screening! But the worst one was when I had to let them know that I understand that a 10 day unexplained absence would be subject to a truancy hearing! I freaked when I read that. I couldn't click the check-mark square until I had discussed it with C.S.! To me, this is an enormous commitment! Huge! Much bigger than "till death do you part."

But it's not just these huge charter school decisions that sets off this phobia. It also happens in very little situations, too.

This weekend Emerson and I were invited to a public speaking seminar hosted by a local homeschooling group. The price had been drastically reduced, and it was a wonderful opportunity. But I couldn't commit. I couldn't. It turned out for the best, because Emerson ended up with a fever on Friday and Saturday, and I was finally able to finish the organization of the basement (and emptying out the storage unit - no more rent! Yay!!!) So, maybe that was the way it was supposed to happen?

I guess when it comes to the really important things, I am able to make the promises necessary. Maybe that is what really matters.

New-To-Homeschooling Tip #4

2009-03-14T22:28:00.003-06:00

This first stage of homeschooling is a great time to focus on studying the teachings of your religion, and helping your children have a deeper understanding of your religious beliefs. You will be amazed at how this will jump start your homeschool routine. When our family first started homeschooling, we neglected this part of our educations. But later, when I realized that my main goal in homeschooling was not to raise "brainiac" children, but to rear children who have integrity, honor, strength of character; I realized I needed to spend much more time on the basics of our religious beliefs. This gave our homeschool more focus; more of a foundation.

However, if you have never done this before, there may be some reluctance, or even animosity. To overcome this, here is what I suggest: Invite your children to join you in the living room at a certain time for scripture study. If no one shows up, read by yourself, and invite them again to-morrow. Even when they do show up, start slow. It took my family several years to make it to reading one chapter per day. Start with the stories, like Moses or Joseph (a great resource for this is The School of Abraham, under The Storied Scriptures).

You are now off to a wonderful start. Continue to pray for guidance, for He is the One who best knows what your family needs at this time. Also, please remember that these are just suggestions. This works well for my family. If it doesn’t work for your family then try to find what works for you!

Resources

Here are some resources you might find useful as you begin your journey through homeschooling. Let me caution you; it is very easy to become overwhelmed when reading homeschooling books. Please don’t feel you have to read all, or even any, of the books suggested here. If you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, stop and contact me, or another homeschooling friend.

Teaching Your Children Joy by Richard and Linda Eyre

Family Matters, Why Homeschooling Makes Sense by David Guterson

How Children Learn by John Holt

Confession #4 - I Was Not a Nice Little Kid

2009-03-14T21:30:00.002-06:00

I wasn't! I was a spoiled little brat, and a bit of a menace to the neighborhood. Nothing really horrible, but just not nice. However, I was also a "good" kid, (and I do mean "good") so I didn't get in a whole lot of trouble when I turned on my friends.

I'm sure I was a pest to my siblings, but they were all grown up and gone before I was very old, so I don't remember a great deal. Both of my sisters moved out when I was about seven years old, and they were both married when I was eight. My brother was still in high school at that time, but I'm sure I bugged him to death. I remember once listening through the vent while he and a friend were having a discussion in his room, just below mine. I guess I made a noise, and he came up and found me and yelled at me, asking what I had heard. Truthfully, I told him that I hadn't heard anything - I could only hear they were talking, not what they were talking about. And another time, when we went to visit my aunt and uncle and cousins in Florida - he was sun bathing, and I teased him about wanting to turn the color of his hair (yes, he has red hair) right in front of my very pretty cousins. See, not very nice!! But, of course, he had his moments of "I was sitting there first," which couldn't be won, because he was born before me, and therefore had sat everywhere before I had!

I also have some vague memories from elementary school where I tormented boys, and held grudges against my friends. I remember scratching some boy on his arm, because he was chasing me at recess. I drew blood. The teacher was not happy, but when she asked me about it, I showed her my freshly torn off fingernails, and said I was sorry - so I didn't get in trouble at all. Another time, I was being chased by another boy, and this time he caught me, so I punched him in the face!! Pretty hard too, I guess, because he let me go. I also have a memory of kicking a boy in the crotch with my roller skates!!! Oh, I still feel so bad about that today!! I hope I didn't cause any permanent damage! I don't remember why that happened.

I also don't remember any particulars with my girl-friends, but I remember leaving high school with hard feelings over a couple of friendships, so I must have done something!

Therefore, as I watch my children with each other, and with their friends; I have to remember, that they aren't as bad as I was. And that is a very good thing! Even when they fight with each other, and have problems with the neighbor kids, I realize that they are going to be OK. They are nicer than me, and I turned out pretty good as an adult. There is hope, even when they fight over who gets to say the prayer. There is future goodness, even as they break the lights in our neighbor's garden fountain. They really are lovely children, even when they cannot tolerate the sight or sound of each other.

New-To-Homeschooling Tip #3

2009-02-15T11:45:00.005-07:00

Structure time,

not content.

This is a concept from "Thomas Jefferson Education," but I think it can serve everyone, especially in the early stages of setting up a homeschool in your family. Structure time, not content basically means that your school time is set, every day, every week, etc., but what you do in that time is not. In my home, school time is from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm every day. I know this sounds like a long time, but let me explain.

The majority of that time is for free exploration, learning, play, and music practice (for those who take lessons). In our home, this essentially means the TV is off during these hours, and computer time is severely limited. We have our morning routine (which I will explain further in later posts) that we follow every day for five months, followed by a one month break. And whenever Daddy has a holiday from work, we have a holiday from school. This is our structure--the bones of our homeschool. This is so ingrained in us now after doing this ten months a year for five years, that it is easier than not doing it. This is where we begin. The stuff that happens during that time is not set, I don't follow any detailed curriculums. I make a brief outline of what I want to accomplish in a given school year, and some of the resources, and the details are filled in on a weekly or daily basis. We are very flexible within our school time, and can change the time, topic, book, subject whenever we see fit; but the actual school time is very rigid.

I know this sounds very strange, and maybe even a waste of time. After all, you are now carrying the burden of your child's education; you probably want to "get on with it!" But I promise, this will save a lot of time in the long run. What is being accomplished by forcing your child to do a spelling lesson, or math lesson? Are they really learning or just learning that you are as good at coercion as their previous teacher? We need to remember that no one can educate another person; we can only educate ourselves. So this is the crux of this transition: In public school, every one is responsible for the schooling of the child; except the child. In homeschool, the child is responsible for his own education, the parent is to set up the environment and lead out in the way he wants the child to go.

This may sound scary and chaotic, and certainly not what you know school to be. But if you allow your child the freedom to follow his desires, dreams, and needs, you will find that they might actually do some learning along the way.

New-To-Homeschooling Tip #2

2009-02-15T10:16:00.007-07:00

Detoxifying or Deschooling

These are terms used by homeschoolers to describe the time needed for a child to get the “toxic” things they learned at school out of their system. Wikipedia says, "In a practical context, it refers to the mental process a person goes through after being removed from a formal schooling environment, when the 'school mindset' is eroded over time. Deschooling may refer to the time period it takes for children removed from school to adjust to learning in an unstructured environment.

"Families who have taken their children out of school to homeschool often find their children need a period of adjustment - learning to live without the reinforcement of grading and regimented learning. It is typically used to describe children who have been removed from school for the purpose of self-directed homeschooling, but technically applies any person leaving school, either by dropping out or graduating."

This is a tricky time, I've been told. If you force academics at this time it is not going to improve your child's educational situation from which you were trying to remove them. The behavior, academic, spiritual, or whatever your reasons for homeschooling, will not improve if you simply move the schooling from the school to your home. Homeschooling is different from public schooling in many ways. Public schooling is about schooling; homeschooling is about education.

My children have never been to public school, but over the years while trying to find a methodology that fit our family we tried the school at home method with bad results. When I finally found the right one for me (which happened to be 'Thomas Jefferson Education'), I found that we needed a period of detoxification. My children, particularly Emerson, had to learn to trust me to not force the academics on him; to allow him freedom to pursue his interests.

Now, this is not a time for doing nothing, or for extended TV viewing or video games. Instead, it is a time to gain their trust, to love them, and have fun being with them again! A time for games, outdoor exploration, getting to know your community, and fun stories; a time to repair relationships with siblings, and a time for you to rebuild your relationship as their parents.

Confession #3 - "Mom, What's a Grade?"

2009-02-03T23:22:00.004-07:00

It really makes me giggle when people ask my children what grade they are in, and they can't answer the question. 4th grade, 8th grade, means nothing to them, so no matter how many times I tell them what grade they would be in, they don't remember. And besides, once they do remember, it changes! Then there was the time when C.S. asked by a c0-worker the ages and grades of our children. When he could not answer, the lady said "You don't know what grades your children are in?!?!" Although, she did understand when he explained that we homeschool. Grades are irrelevant to us.

The whole philosophy behind the grade system does not sit well with me. What does it mean to be a 3rd grader? Why does it matter? Are we so anxious to label, and compartmentalize that we have to put our children in nice, neat compartments? One might say, "But there are skills that need to be learned by the end of third grade to complete all the skills by the end of 12th grade." This is not a true principle. Yes, there are skill that need to be learned in life, but is there really a time limit? If a baby does not learn to walk by the time he is thirteen months old, (which is about average) is there no hope that he will ever walk? Will he forever be behind the other children? The answer is, of course, "Absolutely not!!!" A child will walk when he is ready, able, and willing to learn, and usually not before.

Two of my children walked very early. Emerson started to walk at seven months, three weeks. Frost started at seven months, two weeks. I was criticized by several people who said I should make them crawl before I allow them to walk. Can someone please tell me how this is done? Because I have absolutely no idea how to stop a child from learning to walk, and I certainly don't know how to make a child learn how to crawl. But moreover, is it right? Should I try to keep my child from walking? Should I force him to crawl first? I believe it is wrong to do so, and I believe this doesn't stop at age three.

Once a child is enrolled in public school kindergarten it is all about the grade level. "Is he at grade level?" "My son is above grade level in reading." "My son is below grade level in math." Why do we have to measure? I have no idea what grade level my children are on in any subject. All I know is they can read, quietly and aloud, and understand what they read and also what is read to them. I know the middle two can do basic math, and Emerson is branching into advanced mathematics. I know that they have had exposure to history, ancient through modern, world and American. I know they can write, and are progressively getting better at spelling. I know they are experiencing science through experimentation, and grammar through practical application. But most of all, I know that they love to read, because they read a lot and not just when I ask them to. They also enjoy listening to stories that are read to them. I know that they are gaining a broader history education through literature. I know that they love to write because they are all writing books, stories, plays and comics. What more do I need to know? What can a standard achievement test tell me that I don't already know?

If you are at all engaged with your children, you know their strengths and weaknesses. You know what they are capable of, and what they have not experienced. As Dr. Oliver DeMille (author of A Thomas Jefferson Education) says, "You are the expert in your home." Nobody knows your children like you do! Nobody! I can truly say this, because I quite often go around with blinders on, seeing things only my way from my perspective. And even I can see these things in my children! Even I, who am self absorbed, and a little selfish with my time, can see what my children have accomplished and what needs improvement. If I can do it, I know that you can, too!

When I was new to homeschooling, I was still in the mindset that I needed to model the public schools in my own home. If I started a workbook that was for a first grader, it better be done even before he was a "first grader." (we were homeschooling, after all, we had to make a good showing, right?) It didn't matter if he didn't like doing it, or if I had to bribe him to do it. It had to be done, because he needed to do first grade work, right? But when I found Emerson, at age seven, "cheating" by looking at the answers in the back of his math book, I had to look long and hard at this process and decide if this was truly the way to go. It was then I realized just how messed up the whole public school grade system was, and knew I needed to find another way.

I decided then that if I was going to homeschool, I was going to HOMESCHOOL. And to me that meant child-led learning. I needed to follow his interests and needs, rather than follow the guidelines of some curriculum publishing company. Life became a little easier because I didn't have those endless check-lists to follow. But it also became much more difficult because I didn't have those endless check-lists to follow!

What was I to do now? This was when I really dove into educational research. I read everything I could get my hands on! I found my three favorite homeschool books: A Thomas Jefferson Education by Dr. Oliver DeMille, The Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, and The Relaxed Homeschool by Mary Hood, Ph.D. I loved the philosophy behind A Thomas Jefferson Education but didn't know how to do it, so I implemented The Well-Trained Mind. However, I still felt those grade levels creep back into our homeschool. Those darn grade levels!!!

About a year later I heard about a seminar that was designed as a help for children in the early phases of education. It was called "Core and Love of Learning: The 55 Ingredients." It was held in Cedar City, Utah, and I was eight and a half months pregnant with Pinnocchio. I didn't feel like I could drive by myself, so we made it a family affair. We got a room at a hotel with a pool. I went to the two and a half day seminar to explore the possibilities of "A Thomas Jefferson Education," or TJEd, and the rest of the family explored the hotel pool. It was a fair trade, I think. It was there that I got a lot of ideas to make our homeschool time much more effective, especially for those children under the age of twelve - which they all were at that time. After that, I got rid of the idea of grade levels out of my brain, once and for all!!!

If you force a child to read before he is ready, he will learn to hate reading. If you force a child to do math before he is ready, he will learn to hate math. I needed to provide the learning environment, and set them free. Which I did. At the ages of nine, five, and three, they were free from my grade level demands. Free form my ideals. Free to find their own passions. I was also free! Free from worrying about what "they" thought about me and my children. Free to study what I needed to learn. Now, this does not mean that I never have those little panic attacks when my children are asked what they do in school, and they say "Oh, we don't have school, we just play!" or "We just play with legos all day." I still do have those moments of worry, but I have something else as well. I believe in the TJEd philosophy. I believe it is spoken of in the scriptures. I believe it is based on agency, which is what this life is based on. When I struggle with those thoughts, I have something to fall back on--my faith. TJEd is an extension of my faith. Now, I'm not saying that EVERYONE should be using the TJEd principles in their home, but I do know that you have to believe in whatever method or set of principles you do use. Homeschooling is difficult enough without a solid foundation. If you don't believe in what you are doing, then why are you doing it?

To sum up, let me just say: please, please, please don't let grade levels worry you! They really are just arbitrary rankings based loosely on averages, and are more for crowd control than anything else. Grade levels are not your friend. (even if your child is above them.) They rank and criticize your child and yourself. And no one on Earth gets to rank your child, not even you!! That is a privilege left for Someone who has much more wisdom, grace, and love than anyone else. You know Who I mean.

Confession #2 - I read this book, and . . .

2009-01-27T13:28:00.005-07:00

I can't remember not being able to read. I don't know exactly when I started, but it was before I went to Kindergarten. I would read and read and read. I won an award in Kindergarten for having read the most books that year. The award was a book, and I was thrilled to get it. In fact I still love the book; Sammy the Seal by Syd Hoff. I often got in trouble for reading late into the night when I was young. And during the summer, I would go to the library and get a stack of books to read, and have them all read before they were due (two weeks later.) I loved to read.

As I progressed on that conveyor belt called public school, that all changed. By the time I was in Junior High I no longer read for pleasure, (except for a teen romance that a friend would recommend) I had too much to do for school. And it only got worse in high school. The wonderful classic books that I "read" in high school did not reignite my love of reading. I now think of Huckleberry Finn or Crime and Punishment with dread and fear. I couldn't keep up with them, and I think I'm afraid that I won't be able to now, either. I have read difficult books since then, but there is still a block on those particular books, along with a few others.

When college came along, I didn't even think of going for an English degree, and did not read for pleasure at all. Except one Winter Break (not Christmas break, mind you, but Winter Break.) I wanted to read a novel; I needed a break! So I set out to find a novel, and easy to read, lose yourself in another world, book. However, I had actually forgotten where to find a book!! Seriously! I remembered that I had seen some books at the grocery store, and went there. Of course, the only books there (at that time) were romance novels. Not knowing where else to go I chose a Sidney Sheldon book, and discovered the soft porn novel. Ugh! I have never read another of his books. I didn't try reading for fun again for quite a while.

Before I finished college, I got married, and that pretty much ended my formal education, thus far. However, a few months after my first child was born, I saw a movie that forever changed my life. I was doing data entry from home, and C.S. was working the graveyard shift at the cable company, so we had free cable! (I really liked that aspect of the job, as I am a TV addict!) One night while I was working, I found the movie "The Joy Luck Club," and fell in love with the mystery and drama of Chinese culture. I realized that I knew very little about China. I honestly had no idea that China was involved in World War II!! So much for Honor and A.P. History in high school! So that week, I went to my local library branch (for the first time!) and looked for books about Chinese history. I found a couple, but they were too dry, and I really couldn't follow them well. So I looked up the book The Joy Luck Club. (Which, incidently, is the only book in which I like the movie better than the book.) I found it, and others written by Amy Tan. I read all that I could get my hands on. I also started watching Taiwanese films, which is how I came across Pearl S. Buck. I fell in love with her stories, The Good Earth, The Three Daughters of Madame Liang, and of course Imperial Woman. What wonderful, powerful, and sad stories they were. This is how my love of learning was reawakened. It has been growing ever since.

Now, I read as much as I can, and if I'm not in the middle of some book, I feel lost. And I am usually in the middle of several. Right now I am in the middle of Les Miserables, The Forgotten Man, Mao, History of the Ancient World, The Fourth Thousand Years, The Bronze Bow, and He Did Deliver Me From Bondage. Some of these books I am reading aloud with my children, but I consider them my readings, because I learn so much from them. There are times when I finish all my books within a couple of days of each other, and then I feel anxious, lost, and not quite sure what to do with myself. But pretty soon I find another wonderful book, or five, and it starts all over again.

However, there is a cost to all this reading. At this moment there are about ten burnt out light bulbs in my home that need changing, but have been ignored for weeks; dirty dishes on my kitchen counter, and laundry waiting for me in the dryer (see confession #1). I only remember when I walk through a dark room, go in the kitchen for a mid-chapter snack, or hear the dryer buzz; but then forget as I delve further into the book.

There is also the cost of having your friends and family roll their eyes as you say, "I read this book, and . . ." They don't want to hear anymore about the parenting book, or religious book, or political book, or the novel I have just finished. It's almost as if I am the person who says "I saw this fascinating documentary on the tapeworm, and . . ." right in the middle of dinner!

All of this reading has opened my eyes to the world around me, and has given me some very strong opinions. (thus the eye rolling) But even after all of these costs, there is a very good plus side. My kids love books. They read on their own. Even my thirteen year old son. I have plenty of quality books in my home that they can peruse at any time. They have ample free time to read the books that interest them. I have set the example, as has my husband, of what we want for our children. You can learn anything from a book and some hands-on experience. My husband and I have set the stage for our children to do or be anything they want to! So, roll your eyes all you want, because I read about a study that said . . .

New-To-Homeschooling Tip #1

2009-01-23T11:24:00.005-07:00

Don't Try To Do Everything At Once!

You are the parent, not the teacher. Your home is not the classroom. Please don't try to imitate the public schools in your home; it is NOT the same thing! A lot of what is taught in teacher colleges is writing lesson plans, to show your superiors what you are up to, and crowd control. Their techniques do not apply in your home. You will not be able to do all that they can do. You don't have their resources. But there is something you do have that the schools never will: true love for your child.

Homeschooling is similar to teaching a baby to walk. The baby will walk when he is ready. No manner of encouragement or force will get a baby to walk when he is not physically able. When the time comes for him to take his first unsteady steps, you are there as a guide to help him along.

Mothering in the early years of a child's life is the same as homeschooling a child a few years later. Think of how you encouraged your child to say his first word, or safely taught him how to go down the stairs. You can do the same with reading, math, history, and all the things he needs to know to survive in this world. You have been homeschooling your child since he was born!

As Dr. Oliver DeMille says, "You are the expert in your home." You know your children better than anyone else on Earth. You know when your child has learned a task and when he hasn't. Don't be fooled by those who tell you what level your child should be on. They don't know him; his abilities, talents, and struggles, like you do. Trust yourself. God sent your children to you for a reason. He trusted you, so trust yourself.

Confession #1 - I Never Make My Bed

2009-01-20T17:46:00.005-07:00

I am a lousy housekeeper, and probably always will be. I could blame it on the fact that I have four children living in my home every hour of every day, but that would not be the full truth. It would be the same if it were just me living in my house. The problem with my messy house is me!

I have projects strewn about the house. The "sorting-the-give-away and keep-for-younger-children clothes" project is on my bedroom floor. The "scientist lecture" project is next to it. The "books-I'm-halfway-through-but-don't-have-time-to-finish-at-the-moment" project is piled on my night table. The "potty-training-prizes-and-incentives" project is on my dresser. The "planning-for-next-school-year: books-to-buy-with-the-tax-refund" project is sitting on my step stool, which is a leftover from the "adding-bookshelves-to-the-very-top-of-my-bedroom" project from Memorial Day. I can't justify putting these projects away, because then I might forget that they need to be done! If I ever find my to-do list, I might put them there, but I have no idea where I last saw it!

I would rather do just about anything that housework. I put it off, and put it off, hoping some miracle will happen and it will all disappear. Most of the time my house is in a state of C.H.A.O.S. (see www.flylady.com) The "Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome." If you come for an unexpected visit, be prepared to step over couch cushions, toys, dog chews, and have a lovely glimpse of the breakfast dishes on the counter. If you are really lucky you will see dinner, breakfast, and lunch dishes all sitting on the counter! There are cobwebs in the corners, fingerprints on the walls, doors, and windows, and "put away" piles on the landing.

I was raised in an immaculate home. Everything in that house was beautiful, clean, and organized. Except for my bedroom, that is. My mother was at a loss as to what to do with me! At one point she even paid me an hourly rate to clean her house. I did a pretty good job. So I do know how to clean, I just choose not to.

I know what you are thinking, "Make the kids do it!" Well, in order for that to work, there has to be a system. I have tried so many. I tried chore charts where we change a chore every day; a monetary reward system; and a "you do this right now!" system. One plan was tried after reading about it in the book Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion. It was an index card and pocket system. We had plastic shoe holder hanging on the inside of the pantry door. Each child had a row of pockets with their names, then "to-do" and "finished" pockets. At the top we had "A" and "B" cards. "A" cards with easy chores (dusting, gathering dirty, laundry) and "B" cards with more difficult chores (dishes, bathroom sinks.) Every time the house needed cleaning, I would go through the cards and find the jobs that needed doing, and then deal them out on the table. Taking turns, the kids would choose the cards for the jobs they wanted to do that day. It seemed to me that this would work great! And it did for a while. But sometimes one child had to wait for another to finish before he could do his job. This was just a fight waiting to happen. "Mom! Emerson is just sitting there!" "I can't put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher until he puts the clean ones away!" Just lovely. We still kept going, putting out fires where we needed to. But then, a more troubling pattern emerged. Frost, who has an amazing brain that is hard to keep up with, found that he could use this to his advantage. No matter how I set out the cards, or what jobs were there, or what order we chose the cards, Frost ended up with the easiest jobs!! Always! Once I realized this (and it took a while, I admit) I decided we needed another system. (Although, two years later the cards and the plastic shoe holder are still hanging on the pantry door!)

The next try was a system that included monetary gain for a job well done. The fairness factor was really difficult on this choice. How much is cleaning the toilet worth? Twenty-five cents? One dollar? What about dusting? I kind of kept it in line with the card system, and it was twenty-five cents for "A" jobs, and fifty cents for "B" jobs. But how do you keep that many coins on hand to give out when they are done? And if you don't have the money on hand, it is not a good thing! This one died out pretty quickly.

We are now in the seventh month of our most successful system. This one has lasted the longest and has worked the best. During our summer school break, I decided to make "the chart of charts!" I divided the rooms/jobs into "needs daily work" and "needs weekly work." Then I divided the year into weeks. Each week a person (including myself) gets a "daily" room and a "weekly" room. For the "daily" room we have to tidy it up every day, and then once a week, usually on Friday, we "deep clean" that room, and also the "weekly" room. Then I vacuum. Also, Emerson and I take turns helping Pinocchio with his rooms, and with taking care of the dirty dishes. This system has actually kind of worked, except for my rooms! We rarely have the full on "atomic bomb" messy house anymore, and when people stop by, I'm not so afraid of them slipping on a toy in the living room. It isn't perfect, but it sure is an improvement.

So, even though I still never make my bed, and I have to clear off my projects before I can go to sleep, I am progressing in other areas. I am learning to teach my children, and myself, how to work. I will never have my mother's house, but I will have my home, my castle, my "soft place to fall."

Introductory Confession

2009-01-19T14:33:00.004-07:00

I am writing this mostly for people who already homeschool their children; those who have made the leap, have felt the gut wrenching fear of getting out of the system, and are walking a path of their own making. Those who have read many books about how to do this strange thing called homeschooling, and worry about their inadequacies. I have looked at the "perfect" examples in the books and around me, and wondered why I couldn't do what they did; why my house isn't wonderfully clean, my children not beautifully dressed, combed and able to graduate from college at 16! Why can't my house always smell like homemade bread and cookies, instead of stale French fries from last night's take out dinner. And maybe the worst thing of all, I actually have a . . . gasp . . . television!!! One that plays more than just DVD's and VHS's, but is actually connected to a satellite television provider! I really hate to mention that in homeschooling circles, but I thought you needed to understand who you were reading before you invested more time in this. My intent for this blog is to show that successful homeschooling does not require perfection, it only requires a family.

When talking with friends and acquaintances, and even strangers, about homeschooling the usual comments I get are: "I could never do that! I am not (patient, organized, educated, etc.) enough!" Well, I try to tell them that neither am I any of those things, but they don't seem to hear me. Well, here I am, saying it to the world: I am not a patient woman, but I am more patient than I was thirteen years ago. I am not an organized woman, but I am more organized than I used to be. I am not an educated woman, but I am working every day to become more educated. I have become a better woman BECAUSE I have chosen to homeschool my children. There is certainly plenty of room for improvement, but homeschooling has changed me, for the better, and I know I am not the one.

I married my wonderful husband sixteen years ago, and we have had four children during that time. Our oldest, Emerson, is thirteen and is a voracious reader. If you haven't heard or seen him in a while, he is curled up with his dog and a book. The next child, Frost, is ten. He is fascinated with how things work, and is incredibly justice-minded. He knows down to the minutest detail whether something is fair or not. Our only daughter, Jayne, is eight. She is curious about everything, and especially wants to know the meaning of every new word she hears. Jayne is a girly-girl and loves jewelry, music, and everything pink and flowery. Our caboose, Pinocchio, is four, and boy is he four! He has amazing artistic abilities and creates masterpieces (well, I might be a bit biased.) frequently, using both hands. He is a challenge for all of us, but we were all four once, right?

When Emerson was about two years old, I had the first thoughts about homeschooling. I really began to feel the call. However, I checked out a book from the library on the subject. In the introduction it said, in essence, "If you enjoy taking your children to lots of fun places, and think of many creative activities for you to do together, then homeschooling might be for you. If not, you may want to go in another direction." Well, who enjoys taking a two year old anywhere?! And I am not a very creative person, so thinking up activities was not my forte. Therefore, I believed this author, and thought that homeschooling was not for me. The next year I tried a co-operative preschool with some other mothers nearby. It was OK, but not what I had hoped for. Then he started learning to read. He was memorizing many words. I didn't want him to read only by memorization, I wanted him to know phonics. I found The Chalkboard In The Kitchen (out of print) at the library, and began teaching him some phonics. I was not very consistent with this, but when I did do it, he absorbed it, and in a few months he was an independent reader. He was four. It was then time to send him to a "real" preschool. I was trying to decide which school to send him to, but every time I tried to decide, I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. You know the one I mean.

I started asking friends and neighbors about the necessity of preschool, and the answers I received were not satisfactory to me. The "stomach feeling" stayed put. I asked a church member, who is a public school teacher, questions about the necessity of preschool. She told me the great things they learn, like standing in lines, taking turns, etc. She then told me how awful it is if children are reading at that age, especially if it is because of "pushy mothers." I now knew how I would be perceived by his teachers. The "stomach feeling" got worse. But the proverbial straw was the attempt to call the teacher at the "best" local preschool. She never returned my calls. That was it! I had to find an alternative. That was when homeschooling came back into my mind. It was that "thing" spoken of in the movie "Babe," that "tickles and nags and won't go away." I decided that I would do homeschool preschool and then send him to kindergarten. The "stomach feeling" was alleviated, somewhat.

One day, I was looking around on the internet trying to find information on doing preschool at home. I found a couple of sites, but kept looking. Then a certain link caught my eye - a homeschool website built by a family that was of my faith who had built their entire curriculum around a certain passage of scripture. They didn't just do preschool, this was their life. I cannot adequately express to you the feeling of joy that filled my heart. The horrible feeling in my stomach was gone! I felt the enormous burden lift from my shoulders, and I was as light as a feather! I picked up my second born son, who was only a few months old, and danced around the room with him! I felt free! Jubilant! Excited! I knew what I needed to do. Now I just needed to convince my husband, and figure out the hows.

I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me, but I was excited! I couldn't wait to get started. I went to the local library website and looked up books on the subject of homeschooling, and reserved all that were available. I began my research. One of the first books I read was Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto. In that book I saw my education, and it was not a pretty sight. It confirmed my choice, and propelled me into the next book, and the next. This is where my search for a methodology began, which I will discuss in another confession. At this point, my husband had reluctantly agreed to allow me to homeschool the children through elementary school, but not beyond. I agreed to the compromise, and kept on reading. About six months later I asked C.S. to read Mr. Gatto's book. To my surprise, he did! He also saw his education in that book, and from then on was an advocate for homeschooling! That was when we were an official homeschooling family . . . we just hadn't told anyone yet.

It is now nine years later, and I have never looked back. I have changed my philosophy, my methodology, my curriculum, but I have never changed my mind from that original decision. This is the path that God placed before me, it is my job to take it, and make the most of it.