Our sweet Josie, ten months old with cars and dollies.
As I sit down to write this entry, I have Pandora going in the background, the teenager is informing that I need to go to the store {I just went two days ago – never mind I bought a week’s worth of groceries}, the three-year-old and six-year-old are complaining and whining about who gets to use the Leapster and my now ten-month-old is playing contently in her exersaucer while donning soggy cheerio -stained jammies. I think the ten-year-old is in the dining room trying out tricks on his rip-stick, even though he was reminded not to use it in that room…multiple times. I know this never happens in other houses, so I thought I would share this unique situation. ::said dripping with sarcasm::
Pre-homeschooling, today would look identical to our public school days since it’s summer. Last year, though, we had decided to start the kinder and 9th grade at the usual school start time in August. I knew my oldest could start her own work on her own and kinder? How badly could I mess that up, I reasoned?
The fourth grade curriculum became the launching point for our homeschool year. June 15 to be exact. How did I come up with that date? I guessed it would take roughly six weeks after the baby was born to get back into any kind of schedule, so we started six weeks early {minus VBS and day camps} so we could afford to lose time. Little did I know that God would give me inexplicable superhuman powers! We were back into the groove of our daily routine about a week and a half after Josie was born.
The biggest lesson I learned through the year was easily the most obvious. Unless you are me. Oblivious. Staring off into space.
There is no one cookie-cutter educational answer for each family, let alone each child. I found that the system we used this past year got the job done, but I am discovering the specific needs of each child dictates different approaches. This is where homeschooling really speaks to me. I love that my kids have a custom education. This is one of the perks we stepped into and didn’t know or appreciate until we started experiencing homeschooling hands on.
My only regret to the homeschooling experience this past year was one that was out of my control to begin with. After each baby has been born, it has always been incredibly difficult for me to get out of the house with the kids. It just instills an irrational fear in me. So, while the homeschool community is thriving here in the Austin area, particularly within Catholic circles, I did not take advantage of it the way I wanted to. But, in line with another lesson I learned from homeschool friends, I shouldn’t beat myself up when things don’t go the way I want. I was not only overwhelmed with the life-changing decision to homeschool, but I also had a newborn at the very time that school would start! I know that we will be much more active in the upcoming years and I did manage to stay in touch as much as I could via e-mail lists so I could feel connected despite being at home juggling my new normal life.
One of the best things I did was take advantage of getting in touch with other homeschooling families/friends. I talked to them about the exact materials they used, their experiences with it from a teaching point of view, their child/ren’s experience and what, if any, problems or raves they had about each. I am fortunate that I am friends with the president of one of the local Catholic homeschool groups and she allowed me to mercilessly pick her brain, borrow books, and pick her brain some more. She also hosted a curriculum share that I enjoyed attending. I was able to see all the books I planned on purchasing beforehand which helped solidify my choices.
St. William in Round Rock – the giant church you can see from 35
Next month, there will be a Homeschool Convention put on by Catholic Family Educators of Central Texas. I am excited to be attending because I want to meet more families from the homeschool community, hear their experiences, see what’s new in our local community and learn new things! I sound like a student of homeschooling, lol. So, I want to invite you to mark your calendar for July 9, 2011 – that’s one month from today! – it will be at my home parish, St. William Catholic Church from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM. The fee to join is $15 at the door and they are taking pre-registrations until July 1. The fee for that is only $10, spouses only additional $5. Click HERE to go to their website for all the details and the agenda for the day and please feel free to spread the word about this exciting opportunity.
So, as I look back at the last year of our lives I can easily say that it hasn’t been easy. I realize that while I have a long way to go in the patience department, I have come a long way, too. The kids have adapted much better than I thought they would. We are still in the process of breaking traditional school habits. Our journey to the center of homeschooling has proven much like our Catholic Faith. It is a fluid process, never stagnant, always hoping to achieve and do better. It’s never being satisfied with where you are. If I had to grade myself, I would go with a B-. I think that’s more than fair. I have discovered a lot of my own flaws as a result of being used to having the entire day to myself with no educational accountability. While my kids are breaking habits, so am I. Now the question is, do we start fifth grade in June, too? What are your thoughts?
