Just busy, as I'm sure many of you are. William just finished swimming lessons. I'll be posting pictures soon. He's also still working weekends at my parent's farm, so I want to get some pictures of that as well.
Hoping everyone is having a great summer!
Many people who like the idea of homeschooling will say "We'll try it out over the summer" or "over Christmas break" or "over spring break". Why is this a bad idea?
First of all, no one will ever get the real feeling of homeschooling in such a short time. Even though summer is longer, no one will want to work on schoolwork that much within a 6 or 8 week time frame, especially kids who have been in public or private school already for 9 months. They will want to play and swim and be with friends, not working on more school work. Imagine for a moment that you were your kid's age. You come home from school on the last day, happy that you will be able to have fun with your friends, spend time at the pool, go on vacation. Then your mother comes up to you and says, "I have a great idea! We're thinking of homeschooling you next year, so let's try it out during the summer, okay?" What would be your first thought? I can bet it wouldn't be "Oh, goody!" Parents will also feel as though they failed at homeschooling or that "homeschooling doesn't work" when their efforts over the summer are curtailed by the kids. But that's not the case. Summer or a short break from public school is just not enough time to really homeschool.
The second reason is because everything takes a period of adjustment. Trying out homeschooling over a short break doesn't work well because you aren't offering an adjustment period. Parents aren't giving themselves time to adjust to being homeschooling parents and end up trying to re-create school at home instead of just enjoying learning. Kids who have already gone through 9 months of school are upset and frustrated and cannot learn anything while in this environment. If a parent is going to transition to homeschooling, there has to be a period of adjustment.
The first year of homeschooling after public school is the most difficult. Parents are trying to find their way. There is so much information, so much curriculum, so many nights wondering "Am I doing the right thing?" The kids are also finding their way. There is a new structure, a new way of doing things.
The best thing, in my opinion, is to commit to homeschooling for at least 2 years after leaving public school. Personally, I would prefer for parents to totally commit, but I know that is not going to always be the case. However, by committing to homeschooling for 2 years families have more time to ease into homeschooling. Families can get past the difficult first year and begin to see some fruit of their labor within the second year. By the time the first two years are up, most families will then commit to homeschooling for the long term. Remember, homeschooling is not a sprint. There is no reason to worry about college applications for a five year old. There is time to make sure the kids have what they need when they are ready for it.
Some tips for homeschooling for the first time after public school -
Remember a transition period. This is called de-schooling. Most recommend 1 month for every year in public school. This doesn't mean playing for 6 months. It may mean lots of field trips, reading great books, taking some family trips and going easy on the book work.
Don't re-create school at home. Do work sitting on the couch or on the porch swing outside. You don't need a school room, although an area to keep materials can be helpful.
Stick with one curriculum once it's bought - don't keep switching curriculum during a school year. This just causes headaches and additional financial troubles. If you feel you may like to look at a new curriculum, check out eBay or local homeschool group e-mail lists first, then go to used curriculum sales during the spring for some great deals.
The best tip - have fun. I've read many boards where people say "You homeschool? I don't have the patience. I like seeing them get on that bus." Were you maybe one of these people at one time? Homeschooling can open up a whole new relationship with your kids. Homeschooling makes learning fun and can help develop a closeness with your kids that hasn't been there in some time. Treasure those moments while they last.
I have been married for 16 years today. Saying that makes it seem like such a long time, but looking back it's really not that long at all. Saying we've known each other for 26 years sounds a lot longer, though.
I met my husband in third grade. I was a new student in the class and was starting a week late. My parents were leaving the military and we were moving back to their hometown. While they were still packing and getting everything together back at Ft. Riley in Kansas, as well as my mom taking care of my newest brother, my 2nd brother and I were in Georgia staying with my grandparents.
My grandmother believed in getting up early - very early. She also believed that girls didn't wear pants to school. So I was dressed in a hideous outfit - a blouse with a huge bow at the neck, a denim skirt, and a pair of thick, brown shoes. My hair had been chopped off by a terrible beautician who didn't understand the word "trim", and I felt very ugly.
I entered the classroom and was introduced to the class by the teacher, Mrs. Raye. I remember her to this day. I also remember the boy sitting in the middle of the room. He had brown hair and the biggest, cutest, puppy dog brown eyes I'd ever seen. His name was Scott. He didn't think I was ugly. We became friends and were together for the most part for the next 2 years in the same homeroom class. My parents bought a house near the elementary school and my brother and I would walk home past the park. Sometimes Scott and his brothers would be playing at the park so we would join them for about an hour or so before they left for home.
In 6th grade we were not in the same classroom for the first time in 2 years. We had no classes together, so we didn't see each other often. We always talked or waved when we saw each other. In the spring of that year, I heard that Scott's father had died. Scott was not his usual self at school. He had been the class clown, the one who joked around all the time. He became silent and no longer laughed like he used to. One day I was heading up the hill to our gym for PE when I passed Scott in the yard. He didn't answer my greeting. Something told me then and there that one day I would marry him, I would help him become happy again, and we would have a son that we would name William, after Scott's father.
Soon after this experience Scott stopped attending public school. He attended a local private school instead, so I only saw him around town a few times, at holiday parades or later on at the high school football games. His grandmother also lived down the road from my parents' automotive shop, so sometimes I would walk around the block hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
When I was in 10th grade Scott asked me to homecoming. I bought a new outfit for the dance, but then he called and said he couldn't go, he'd been grounded for something. I went to the game anyway and found out that his cousin had set him up on a date with one of her friends, so he'd lied to me and broken our date. I was very hurt.
The following year I was on my way home from school when I passed Scott walking down the street. I made my decision and turned around, pulling over to ask him if he wanted a ride. That one decision turned my life around. We began dating and he apologized for lying to me about homecoming. I don't know what possessed me to offer him a ride that day, but when I think about the years I almost missed out on, well, I can't even imagine it.
We dated for 2 years and that year I did get to attend the homecoming dance. When I was a senior in high school, Scott took his graduation test from a private school and joined the military. He wasn't able to take me to prom due to his training schedule. We talked as much as possible and sent letters back and forth all the time. I graduated on June 2, 1989, and that December we made plans to get married the following summer.
Scott was finally posted at Ft. Bragg, NC. We continued to talk on the phone and write while I attended a local tech school and worked at the McDonald's that just opened in our area. We went through a really rough patch where he actually broke up with me. The day I got the letter I was on my way to school. I was heartbroken, but by the time I got home I was determined that it wasn't meant to be. Not even 10 minutes after I walked through the door, he called to apologize.
On June 2, 1990, at my parents' home, we were married. I don't even remember the ceremony. It wasn't until I watched it on video that I realized the things that went wrong or even what was said and done. At the reception, Scott handed me his glass while he went inside and a little girl asked why I had 2 glasses. I said "One is mine and one is my husband's." It felt so natural to say that.
We left that afternoon for North Carolina. We were there for about 4 months when orders came down to leave for Germany. We packed up and came back to Georgia for a visit. Scott left first and found a beautiful downstairs apartment to rent for us. I joined him after about 6 weeks. We lived in Germany for three years, in 3 different places, and had many wonderful adventures there together. As we were getting ready to leave Germany in 1993, I discovered I was pregnant.
We left Germany for Colorado Springs, CO in April. We lived in Colorado for 2 years, and there our son William was born, named after Scott's father. The first thing I wanted to see were his eyes. I had known deep down that William would have Scott's brown puppy dog eyes.
Scott left the military in 1995 and we returned home to Georgia, where we have lived ever since. We've been through rough times, really rough times, and some pretty good times. Through it all, I've never regretted stopping my car for him that day.
**I am working on a present for Scott. When it's ready, I'll post it here as well**
