Well, after nearly all of the first semester of schooling here at home, we have all come to a monumental decision.....we are not meant to be a homeschooling family.
I am a little disappointed that this isn't working out. Some would probably say I haven't given it enough time, but I have to admit that I am just not cut out for schooling all of my kids at the same time. The past three and a half months have been the most stressful and tension-filled time our family has ever experienced. After lots of thought and talk and tears and yelling and frustration and exasperation and much crying out for God's help and patience, Adam and I felt like it was wise to put the kids back in regular public school, which we did a couple of weeks ago. The atmoshpere in our home has changed dramatically ever since.
I had to let go of the unrealistic expectations I had of how homeschooling would be. I had a picture in my head of what I thought it would be like and reality was vastly different!
While the whole experience was very trying and full of frustration, it wasn't all horrible. I learned a lot about how my kids think and learn. They are all so individual and so remarkable. I also saw more of a reflection of myself in my kids than I ever wanted to. My son, Mr. Meticulous, is more like me than I had ever realized. We think and learn very similarly, and while in some ways it's helped me understand him better, it has also been the source of an impressive amount of frustration and clashing with each other.
So I am retiring my desire to be the ultimate homeschooling mother of 4, choosing instead to focus again on the things that matter most like the spiritual education of my children's hearts.
Thanks for all of your prayers. I am quite sure they are the sole reason I actually still have an entire head full of hair today!
(I love my kids, but I can't wait for Monday!......)
Showing posts with label homeschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschooling. Show all posts
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Prep for next year's adventure
Hi there,
I've been busy lately filling out paperwork to register the kids for an online charter public school called Connections Academy. We are very excited to start this new adventure. Big Daddy and I have been considering homeschooling for quite some time now and it seems to be the right time to embark on this endeavor. When trying to find a curriculum that we could afford, I came across the website for this online school. After reading everything on the site and attending an informational meeting with the Jim Thomas, the President of Oregon Connections Academy, we decided to go ahead and enroll them.
The kids will each have a teacher online whom they will be in contact with via webmail and phone at least once a week or as often as they need to be. I will be the hands on help, referred to as the "Learning Coach". It is actual accredited public school so we will have to complete a set number of days and will have a schedule to keep, but the cool part is that WE will determine the schedule. If we want to have school in the backyard on nice days we can. We can eat lunch whenever we are hungry, take breaks when they are needed and all in all enjoy more freedom than a traditional school schedule would allow. We are planning to join another homeschooling family on a regular basis for science and art activities as well as some outdoor stuff.
If you are interested in this or want to check it out some more to understand what we mean you can visit the Connections Academy website here: http://www.connectionsacademy.com/
Because this is regular public school, we will be adding a Bible curriculum in on our own (and probably a science one as well) for balance. My plan is to make it our morning devotion time before school starts every day. I know that we will only be able to do this successfully when we put God first in our day. That will help set the tone for the rest of the day and hopefully help with the sibling rivalry we constantly battle against. Thanks for your prayers and support. I'm sure we (I) will be needing them. Incidently, I also need a resource for an 8 ft. table. I like the plastic-topped ones like these ones from Costco but I would like to find one for less if I can. I always appreciate tips on saving money.
I know I can do this. I go through moments of panic when I think about how I won't have the same quiet morning routine anymore and it will probably be pretty hard in some ways, but I am really looking forward to having my kids around more often and helping more to shape who they are. I'd rather not rely on the flawed public school system to mould my children.
I've been busy lately filling out paperwork to register the kids for an online charter public school called Connections Academy. We are very excited to start this new adventure. Big Daddy and I have been considering homeschooling for quite some time now and it seems to be the right time to embark on this endeavor. When trying to find a curriculum that we could afford, I came across the website for this online school. After reading everything on the site and attending an informational meeting with the Jim Thomas, the President of Oregon Connections Academy, we decided to go ahead and enroll them.
The kids will each have a teacher online whom they will be in contact with via webmail and phone at least once a week or as often as they need to be. I will be the hands on help, referred to as the "Learning Coach". It is actual accredited public school so we will have to complete a set number of days and will have a schedule to keep, but the cool part is that WE will determine the schedule. If we want to have school in the backyard on nice days we can. We can eat lunch whenever we are hungry, take breaks when they are needed and all in all enjoy more freedom than a traditional school schedule would allow. We are planning to join another homeschooling family on a regular basis for science and art activities as well as some outdoor stuff.
If you are interested in this or want to check it out some more to understand what we mean you can visit the Connections Academy website here: http://www.connectionsacademy.com/
Because this is regular public school, we will be adding a Bible curriculum in on our own (and probably a science one as well) for balance. My plan is to make it our morning devotion time before school starts every day. I know that we will only be able to do this successfully when we put God first in our day. That will help set the tone for the rest of the day and hopefully help with the sibling rivalry we constantly battle against. Thanks for your prayers and support. I'm sure we (I) will be needing them. Incidently, I also need a resource for an 8 ft. table. I like the plastic-topped ones like these ones from Costco but I would like to find one for less if I can. I always appreciate tips on saving money.
I know I can do this. I go through moments of panic when I think about how I won't have the same quiet morning routine anymore and it will probably be pretty hard in some ways, but I am really looking forward to having my kids around more often and helping more to shape who they are. I'd rather not rely on the flawed public school system to mould my children.
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