Each year on William's birthday I usually share his birth story or something else, but I'm not sure what I want to say on this birthday. He's 13 today. I am the mother of a teenager. I think this may be more about me than him! I feel old :) It seems so impossible that it has been 13 years since he was born. It truly feels like it's passed in a blink of an eye.
I vaguely remember his first 3 months - I was constantly tired from late night feedings. It wasn't until he started sleeping through the night around 4 months old that I was able to finally feel rested. He was so tiny when he was an infant. I remember sitting in our rocking chair, watching the first episode of ER while rocking him to sleep, cradling him in my arms. He'd had shots that day and was cranky.
I remember carrying him with us in his carrier seat. He would put his feet in his mouth and suck his toes. Then he was about a year old and we went to see the live action movie version of Jungle Book. He wouldn't be still in the theater so we had to move to the back so he could walk around. We didn't return to the theater until Star Wars was re-released. By then he was old enough to sit still. During the previews, he whispered "Mom, can we fast forward?"
I still remember sitting in the car singing our "silly song" as we drove. It would go something like "I've got a William". Then he would say "I've got a Mommy." Then may part would say "I love my William," and he would say "I love my mommy." Then we'd get silly and say things like "I've got a apple," "I've got a kitty cat," just whatever we saw in the car or in the house.
I remember when he was 4 years old and asked me how to accept Jesus into his heart. I was growing through an absolutely heartbreaking personal time when this happened. It served to show me that even with things falling apart that God can be faithful in so many little things.
I remember watching My Dog Skip on television with him and at the end we just looked at each other and burst into tears.
I found some pictures that were taken during our trip to Texas a few years ago. His head barely came past my waist. Now he's at least 1-2" taller than me and likes to lean on my shoulder.
He's leaving behind all the childish things and moving on. It's an amazing process to watch.
I feel very blessed to have shared these 13 years with him, but I'm still glad I still have more time with him until he's out on his own.
Happy Birthday, William.
It's the end of our first week back after the holidays. Things are going well with some adjustments being made.
Instead of finishing the history curriculum through Lifepac, we've decided to go ahead and start on Medieval History. I have a book from Christian Liberty Press that I borrowed from a friend. That will be the main textbook. William will also be reading a book called "Tales of King Arthur" as his literature selection. He'll read more if he wants as we plan to continue medieval history through the rest of the school year. I also found a 3-D castle jigsaw puzzle that we'll work through and we have some other books on castles, knights, etc. As an ending to this time period of history as well as our school year, I'm thinking of going to the Medieval Times restaurant in Atlanta.
I have to say that I am loving the multiplication e-book we are using. Three days each week I'm having William practice his multiplication. We've tried in the past with limited success, but now he's finally getting it! I won this multiplication e-book from
Math Mammoth by Maria Miller some time ago but haven't used it until now. It's wonderful! I'm definitely going to buy the division book next. These books are inexpensive, available for immediate download, and are simple to understand.
You can also read Maria Miller's blog at
Homeschool Math Blog.
On a personal note, some time ago I said I was starting a weight loss program. It's been 9 weeks and I've dropped 10 pounds and 2 dress sizes! I'm following the
Body for Life plan. There is also a contest! You can join the next Body for Life challenge that begins on February 12 and win $20-$50,000, plus nutritional supplements and a home gym. When you go to the website, click on "challenge" and you can read the rules and download an entry packet. You can also read success stories that are online. There are some amazing stories!
I'm always planning after a big break.
Right now it's for the rest of this school year and a little of next school year.
The focus for the rest of the school year will be math and getting up to speed. This is the schedule I've mapped out:
Monday - English - 1 page in Abeka book
math - multiplication / division practice
History - continue Lifepac (almost finished)
Science - continue Lifepac
Tuesday - English - Free Reading for 1 hour
Math - 2 pages Lifepac, focus on new material only and less on review
History - continue Lifepac till finished
Science - continue Lifepac
Technology - Mavis Beacon Typing - at least 2 lessons
Wednesday - English - 1 page daily grams
Math - multiplication / division practice
History - Lifepac
Science - Lifepac
Geography - Textbook, globe, maps, Daily Geography book, and email lessons from About.com.
Thursday - English - Free reading for 1 hour
Math - 2 pages lifepac
History - Lifepac
Science - Lifepac
Technology - Word 2000 Lesson
Friday - English - Writing Skills lesson
Math - multiplication / division practice
History - Lifepac
Science - Lifepac
PE - Park day
I'm also going to check with the county extension office about 4-H. William is interested in target shooting. We were told he was too young at first, but I've since found out that he is old enough for archery and BB shooting.
This schedule will carry us into February when we begin Medieval History, then into April where test prep will begin in earnest before the end of the year testing in May. I'm only adding test prep once per week.
I've also decided on the credits William needs for high school graduation. I've read Cafi Cohen's book about preparing teenagers for college, so I'm going by a checklist in the back of the book. Anything he does for 7th and 8th grade CAN be considered high school credit IF it's at a high school level. For example, a history book that is for grades 7-10 is high school level, so it counts as a high school credit.
Credits that I will require for graduation - he will start earning these as early as next year after he turns 14. This is based on that fact that William will probably attend a junior college instead of a 4 year college based on his interests, so the classes are not necessarily considered college prep.
English 4 credits - including Grammar, Composition, & Literature. Will take the CLEP College Freshman Comp & Analyzing Literature to finish.
Math 3 credits - Pre-algebra, algebra, some trigonometry and geometry included in Saxon Math. We'll be switching to Saxon math for next school year. I would like him to take the CLEP Algebra I test to finish.
Science 3 credits - Physical Science, Biology, and Zoology based on his interest in animals. Take CLEP Natural Science test to finish.
Social Studies 3 credits - 1 US History, 1 World History, 1 Government. To finish, take the CLEP tests for US History, World History, & American Government / Social Science.
Foreign Language 2 credits - William wants to take French. This will be started next school year.
Health & PE 1 1/2 credits - We'll be using some health books as well as park days and hopefully 4-H practices to complete this.
Fine Arts 1 credit - General knowledge of art, music and theater. Take the CLEP Humanities test to finish.
Computer Skills 4 credits - This includes general knowledge, typing lessons, program lessons in Word, Excel and Powerpoint, as well as a programming course he wants to take.
Life & Career Prep 4 credits - This will include work experience, budgeting & saving money, managing a checking account, caring for a vehicle, will also purchase Life Prep for Teens to use. This will also include some aptitude testing and career / college planning.
Electives 4 - Whatever he comes up with to study in depth or whatever I feel he deserves extra credits in based on records.
Total credits - 29 1/2
I created this list based on the vocational requirements from the local high school (found at the Georgia Department of Education Website), the requirements for entry of high school students at my 4 year college and information that I have gleaned from others over the past year.
I know it's a lot and I know that some correspondence courses only require 16 - 22 credits to graduate, but this is what I feel he needs to properly prepare for college and a career. It may change, who knows, but right now I'm happy with the list.
As homeschoolers, one of the main arguments we have against the public school system is the practice of "teaching to the test". The students spend months going over various information that is supposed to be on this test because the better they do the more money the school system will receive.
I have problems with standardized tests to begin with, mostly because I don't understand this process. Why not just include the information that will be on the test in the curriculum to begin with? Then the students have spent all school year learning this material and it doesn't have to be crammed into their heads at the last minute. Shouldn't the test be to gauge a student's understanding of the material covered in the curriculum and not a month long course of new topics?
Plus, isn't teaching to the test kind of "allowed" cheating in the school system? Shouldn't the test be given with no preparation to see if the students know the material they are supposed to know?
As a homeschooler in Georgia my son is required to take a standardized test every 3 years. He took his first test at the end of 3rd grade. He hated it because he hates testing. We used the PASS test, which is not timed, so he was able to take breaks as needed and take as long as he needed. The problem with the test was that it included material he had not yet covered, so his score wasn't the best. However, I look on this as a good thing. I'm able to know his weaknesses and can help compensate by including that material in the curriculum that I choose. But should I teach to the test for this year?
Homeschooling parents are already asking about the tests - where to buy? How to grade? How to teach the material? When we teach to the test ourselves, what is the point of homeschooling? Aren't we supposed to be individuals? Why do a lot of us tend to go crazy when testing time begins to come around? Why do we suddenly change our curriculums and methods in order to satisfy an arbitrary test?
In Georgia I am lucky because I don't have to show the test to anyone. It's for our records alone. I understand that in some states if a child doesn't show a passing score on a standardized test that the school system can force the parents to send the child to a public school. However, I am not in favor of totally giving up a curriculum in order to satisfy a red-tape requirement.
So, do I teach to the test? Yes and no. I am planning to spend about 1-2 weeks on test preparation. This will include refreshing reading and grammar skills, vocabulary, and math. My son is still not doing well with multiplication and division, so we will be starting to review the math portion early. I want him to have a good enough grasp so that we can move on to the next math level. It won't be just academics, though. We'll do a pre-test and practice filling in the forms for the tests. Since homeschoolers rarely take tests, especially school-type tests, many don't know how to follow the instructions, how to color in the little circles and stop when the booklet says "stop". You would think it's easy to learn, but there are some homeschoolers who never see this type of test until they take the SAT in high school.
So that is the "yes" part. The "no" part means that I'm not spending a month or more on test prep, aside from the math he needs to know anyway. I'll be spending maybe 2 weeks max on review before giving the test. I'm not changing my entire curriculum to study for a test. A dollar amount is not attached to my son's head. I don't see this test as a pass/fail anyway. All I see is a chance to see how he's improved over the past 3 years and what areas he still needs to work on. If we have to have a test, then that is what a test should do.
