Plans vs. Preparation

(I originally wrote this article for the HSBA Post.)

Does your homeschool have ups and downs?

We have so many ups and downs in our homeschool, it can make you have motion sickness.

Two weeks ago, we decided to take a short break from doing full school days so we could pack for the first family vacation we have had in 2.5 years! We were so excited to go to the Baltimore Harbor and play in the area museums, sight see, and be tourists! Would you like to guess when we went to Baltimore??? It was during their record-breaking snow, of course. We were there for one and a half nights, before we awoke the kids at 3 A.M. to drive home and avoid the second barrage of snow!

When we arrived back home, I thought we had better make up for our homeschooling “vacation” days. I decided I would take a bit of a break from my real estate business so that I could focus 100% of my energies on homeschooling. Instantly, 3 buyers came running to me, asking for my help in listing their homes, saying they wouldn’t work with any other agents. I’m thankful for the business of course, but it didn’t exactly enhance my homeschooling schedule!
Well, this week I really put my foot down. I actually made the declaration, “This week, we will do nothing but school, so we can all feel caught up again.” Lo and behold, Georgia got more snow in one day than we’ve gotten in the past 3 years. Public school kids were stoked about being out of school, and many of them spent 3 days in my house and yard. That’s not the best environment for completing a homeschool day!

Yesterday evening, I took a deep breath.

Me: “God, I have no idea how to get over this very large bump in the road.”
Psalm 32:8“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”

Me: “Lord, are we helpless at this point? Will we ever be caught up?”
Proverbs 15:22Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.

Me: “I will do everything I can to try to catch up God, but you KNOW I will seriously need Your help!”
Isaiah 58:11The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.

So, I sought out some counselors. After an hour of searching and planning this morning, I devised my very own “morning calendar” for the family to follow, and a customized homeschool schedule to reference daily. If you are interested in seeing my homeschool calendars, please scroll to the bottom of this post.

I gave each child a small amount of chores to complete each morning upon awakening, listed a showering schedule, and listed what time everyone should meet at the table for breakfast on our morning calendar.

On the homeschool calendar, I gave an allotted amount of time to each subject, alternating some subjects on different days. We tried the schedule for the first time today, and I was THRILLED with our success. We finished exactly on time, and we all felt great.

Sometimes our plans for life don’t go the way we had hoped. But a little preparation never hurt anyone.

Proverbs 16:9
The heart of man plans his way,but the Lord establishes his steps.

Homeschool Party at the Lake!

We had our 3rd-5th grade Homeschool "Not Back-to-School Party" at the Lake today! There was a great turn out!

Here are some fun pictures!

Here is my pretty Courtney bear playing in the sand.

Alex is the cannonball champion... even in the lake!

Avery and Alex were checking out the bottom of the lake most of the day.

Sweet little Ashi Bell being shy. She's either 100% all-out, or totally reserved!

Ashlyn Belle and Avi romping in the water.

I almost got drenched here!

Ashi and Avi playing with some homeschool friends!

My Courtney either dug in the sand, or dug for clams! She must have collected 100 clams!

These two are like two peas in a pod!

My gang! It was so peaceful, until...

All the boys arrived! Here is Alex, apparently taking someone down!

Courtney found a cute boy. Watch out, Daddy!

Avery and Ashi playing with their adorable twin friends

Do you see the circle surrounding the boys? They were making some waves, literally!

We had a GREAT time! We're looking forward to a fun 2009-2010 year!

Why Do I Homeschool?

So... Why do I homeschool?

Most people I know have many reasons why they homeschool. I'm included in this group. My reasons for homeschooling are varied, and numerous.

Our history:
My two oldest children started out in a Christian Academy. The school was great, but it closed down after 3 years of operation. My son went to Kindergarten and 1st grade there. My daughter went to pre-k at that school. They decided to close just before the school was to open for its 4th year, but unfortunately, enrollment in other Christian schools in the area had already closed. So, because I was working away from the home at the time, I enrolled my two oldest children (3rd grader and Kindergartner at the time) in Public School.

Education... on the bus:
I despised putting them on the bus each day. Yes, it was painful to wake them up from a deep sleep at the crack of dawn and put them on the bus, often while it was still dark outside. But that's not why I disliked the bus. I really disliked the things they were "learning" on the bus. I knew the moment the bus doors closed, it was a child-induced free-for-all with very little supervision. There were stories of bratty older boys shoving my son out of a chair (even though it was his assigned seat), because two friends decided they wanted to sit together. Because my son is totally non-confrontational, he never fought back. I'm working on that.

They also learned a few new words on the bus. I'm not talking about a friendly vocabulary lesson. I had no idea they had picked these things up, until the news was on TV one night. Someone made a strong "situational reference" in a news story. Because it made me uncomfortable with the kids in the room, I changed the channel. My son piped up and said, "Mom, I know what that means, thanks to 'X' on the bus, who enjoys talking about it." (I'm replacing the boy's name with the letter "X" here.) My jaw almost hit the floor. Here was an 8 year old boy who had already been taught something that I probably learned about when I was 15- and I wasn't ready to hear about it then! Thank GOD that my son is as mature as he is. He handled himself perfectly in those situations, and never made jokes, or "spread the word" as others were doing. I always got comments from his teachers about how they loved having him in class, because of his self-discipline.

School subjects:
In our area, foreign language classes are chosen based on district. My children's school was studying French. My husband and I believe it will be more financially beneficial for them to be fluent in Japanese. Therefore, both my oldest son and daughter can write some Japanese characters, and can speak sentences in Japanese, thanks to Rosetta Stone.

School situations:
Were there teacher-related reasons why I began homeschooling?
Yes.
The Clif's Notes versions- my son was told at one point, "Maybe you are just bad at math. Maybe it just takes you longer to 'get it.'" This was told to a boy who always scored in the top 95% of all subjects on his tests. Since he has been doing school at home, he has completed 4 grades of math in 2 years. Yep, sounds like he's "bad at math" to me. (???)

My daughter (as a Kindergartner in Public School) was asked to draw a picture of a historical figure, and write a sentence at the top about why she would love to meet this person one day, even though they may already be deceased. She drew Jesus (or what she believes He might look like!). Sandals and all. At the top, she wrote, "I want to meet Jesus one day because he is my Savior." (Do you have chill bumps too?) Know what she got on that project? A 1 out of 3 possible points. She got a 1 for drawing a picture and writing a sentence.
But the teacher told me, "We've been talking about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and the answer key says that the children should recall the information they learned about them, and draw one of them."
I said, "Did you say it was to be someone you studied?"
Teacher: "No."
Me: "Did you say it should be a President?"
Teacher: "No."
Me: "So, it sounds to me like she followed directions perfectly."
Teacher: "Yes, but 'Jesus' isn't in my answer key."

So there you have it folks. This leads us to my #1 reason for homeschooling.

Jesus just isn't in the Public School's answer key.

Since I've pulled my children out of Public School, we have together memorized probably 30 Bible verses or more. My kids can recall a memory verse in an appropriate situation. When they are afraid, they can pull a Bible verse from memory about not being afraid. When they don't feel like working, they remember that they are always to work as if doing their work for God- not man.

Our science curriculum is based upon truth- Creationism. Adam and Eve are on our timeline. Our history timeline begins at Creation. As we study Roman culture, we also study Christ. Does your public school teach history this way? Nope.

I believe homeschooling is the absolute perfect choice for my family. I feel blessed to watch my kids become more and more knowledgeable each and every day. And I am now in control of what information is learned... and is NOT learned... every day.

Oh, and that picture of Jesus, that my daughter received the "1" on? It hung on my refrigerator for an entire year. I'm very proud of that "1."

Helpful Documents

I decided to get a little bit more organized this year in our Bible verse memorization. I printed all our Bible verses on business cards, and then loaded them into business card holders (the large plastic ones that have holes for 3-ring binders). I wanted to share the cards with you, in case you would like to print them as well. It would not be necessary to purchase business card paper- you could print these on regular typing paper or card stock, and load them into the holders!

verses3
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AerpIiWcQiXNZGNqOWZjdHNfMmQ1eGNtM2tt&hl=en&invite=CO3lsN8H

verses2
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AerpIiWcQiXNZGNqOWZjdHNfMWhjNHd3NGZj&hl=en&invite=CJDYhVo

verses1
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AerpIiWcQiXNZGNqOWZjdHNfMGdqbXNwNWhm&hl=en&invite=CIytoZ4G

They're not attachments -- they're stored online at Google Docs. To open these documents, just click the links above.

Good luck, and enjoy!