Starting Well after a Chaotic Ending

I had great intentions for our last month of school for the 2013-2014 year.  Wrap up a lap book unit on the Addy series by American Girl, Finish CLE math books through 209, go on a couple field trips and do some free journal writing, and do some beginning Spanish since we knew that Isabelle would be adding Spanish with her co-op class in the fall and needed to catch up.

Then came a mini-flood.

Our refrigerator sprung a leak in the water tank and went all under the laminate flooring and soaked the basement bedroom.  Two weeks of demo of the damaged goods.  A domino affect of remodel projects.  Our house became a flurry of construction workers, noise, and mess.  School was attempted in other locations, but just didn't work well.  Things finally put back together and we resumed summer life late June.

For about 6 days.

Then another water leak.  Same spot, different problem.  We had replaced the fridge, but this time is was the water main to the fridge that leaked.  Ripped up brand new flooring.  And here we are August 1st still waiting to have it "finished".

Needless to say, my expectations for finishing out our first year of homeschooling didn't quite lead to reality.  In all, it has been ok.  We've spent time with family, read different books, and just played a lot.  We didn't end well, but the beauty of homeschooling is that learning never truly ends and you just roll with that.

Once our fall activities and commitments started filling in, I realized how important it was going to be start intentionally with more structured schooling.  Our days of play and pajamas needed to start resembling a little more purposeful learning.  So this week has been our "soft start" of school for the 2014-2015 year.

We have focused on exploring our new curriculum books, making goals and 'rules', reviewing concepts, and slowly starting to add new subjects.  We'll have a week of camping and a week of a cottage trip, but hopefully this steady start will help us successfully navigate our fall launch of activities and full school schedule.  It has been a hair pulling week at times (you forget how much kids forget after a few weeks off!) but overall it has been great for us to get back into the routine.  I hope that this intentionality will pay off as September rolls around.

Response to Mr. L

There was an interesting conversation happening on my husband's Facebook friend's page.  A homeschooling dad sharing a great article on raising our children to be independent, critical thinkers with freedom in their learning.  A friend of this friend, whom I'll address as Mr. L, responded very critically.  It was both ignorant and intolerant at the same time.  While spewing "facts" based on his "experience" he had made a stereotypical judgment about the vastly diverse homeschool world.  

Here were a few of his statements:

"I've always been against homeschooling. 99% of the time it's done for far out religious or anti government beliefs. School is less about the work itself, and more to do about social interactions and how to make your way in the world. Throw out the old timers, and show me a top salesman, CEO or sucessful businessman who was homeschooled. You won't find any. Almost every homeschooled kid I knew growing up has the same job: "youth minister". I'm not saying home schooled kids aren't smart, they're just behind the 8 ball when it comes to the real world."  
May 19 at 11:51am

"In the Huffington Post (A counter response given to Mr. L's statements) article I only

found one person, and that was Condi Rice. The rest were either 100 years ago or pro

athletes, and who knows where they would be if they had to rely on brains instead of

athletic talent. And I'm sure everybody knows somebody or two that is the exception,

good for them. But that's a few out of how many million?" 
May 19 at 1:09pm

I'm not saying they're not smart enough, I'm saying most of the time they can't handle doing 

the job in the real world making real money. Getting along with co-workers, having to play

office politics,navigating the world. Most of the time the church is happy to have them there

working for peanuts so they don't give them a hard time

...but out of how many tens of millions of kids who have been homeschooled over the past

20 years or so, do you think there are more hits or misses? For every homeschool kid who

"makes it" there are a few hundred who were homeschooled because they're parents

didn't want the "guv'ment brainwashing their kid" and doomed them to a cycle of failure.

Give me ten thousand kids raised by wolves and I could probably find a dozen that ended

up okay. Does that mean letting wolves raise your kids is a good idea? No.
"  May 19 at

1:41pm

So after shaking my head in shame on Mr. L's behalf of his attitude and responses, I decided to respond.  

Dear Mr. L,

I'm so thankful your public school indoctrination of tolerance is serving you so well in this issue.  It is also interesting to see your knowledge of statistics, propaganda, and forms of logic and reason being used so effectively (hope you are catching on to my sarcasm).  

I am a successful product of the public school sector and proud homeschooling parent.  While I know those who preach "tolerance" tend to be the least tolerant of opinions they disagree with, I hope you will at least see the invalidity of your arguments against homeschooling.

First of all, homeschooling branches history from ancient times to modern.  In America, it has a strong backbone in the founding of our country and many of our early heroes.  However, with the modern institution of the government school system, homeschooling became an abnormal or even illegal form of receiving education.  It wasn't until 1992 that homeschooling was finally recognized as a legal schooling option in all states once again.  One of the reasons to invalidate your "claim" of minimal "successful" adults whom were homeschooled in our current era goes back to the fact that many homeschoolers in our modern age are still coming of age and beginning to make their impact on society.  I would argue that if you look at the span of history, students who are given the freedom to learn and develop in ways that do not put them in the box of the median end up being some of the most impactful and brilliant minds of their era.  

Your argument also breaks down because of your minute definition of "success".  It appears from your statements that in order for one to be heroically successful they must become president, cure a disease, or end a war.  While I note that those positions are successes, you exemplify ignorance to the fact that the backbone of America, the heartbeat of the nation's innovation, and the soul of its ideals often does not inhabit those on the front page of the press.  They are in the small businesses of every town, the boards of every non profit, and reaching the third world with life saving innovation, training, and discipleship.  Success is beyond titles, awards, and letters behind your last name. It is becoming the person you were Designed to be, making the most of every moment, impacting your community with your skills, talents and abilities, being a productive member of society,  and doing it with a humble and compassionate heart. 

Your argument breaks down further with the idea that the government school system breeds great success.  Yes, it can.  I was one of those who fit perfectly in the box designed by the standards and organization.  However, you do not take into account the number of failures the government school system produces.  A better statistic for your mathematical argument would be comparing homeschool and public school numbers of graduation, retention, productivity, and fulfillment.  I'm reminded of the story of Dr. Ben Carson.  The youngest pediatric neurosurgeon at John Hopkins ever.  Innovator.  Life saver.  He took on the cases other doctors thought were hopeless.  Now, you may say, "well, see, another public school success story!".  I would argue that Dr. Carson would have been in the category of public school failures.  As Dr. Carson neared the end of his elementary years, he was self admittedly the worst student in his class.  He was failing everything.  The system was doing nothing to save him.  They did nothing to bring him out of the mire and onto the road of success.  It was his Mother who did.  It was his mother who wouldn't let school be a failure for her sons.  It was in the home that Ben flourished.  By her enforcement of reading library books, writing reports, and staying inside to do homework- Dr. Carson finally made progress and became "successful".  I would venture to say that Dr. Carson would not thank the public school for setting him on the path, but actually thank his mother for what she did at HOME (I've read his books and heard him in person and this was important to his message).  How many other "successes" would actually praise the public school system?  I bet many had a parent, a mentor, a coach, or a single experience that set them on the road to success.  The public school more a means to an end, rather than impactful experience.

Most of what makes the public school has been built on meeting the median need and what was the most accommodating for the administrators and teachers.  (with a BA in elementary education, I know how this works).  Schools were sorted into grade/age levels due to the growing population of students entering one room schoolhouses after the government mandated education for all children.  It was deemed the most feasible to sort children by age, rather than any other way.  It seemed best for the teacher to teach kids who were all the same 'grade' so they didn't have multiple age levels in the same room to work with.  The standards that are required by teachers to teach each grade level are determined by govnerment boards and politicians who often do not have teaching and development backgrounds and have not engaged inside a classroom since their school years.  The corruption of education has seeped from  from the federal level down.

Every homeschool parent comes to the decision for a different reason and in a different way.  So whether the parents decide they don't want to force their child into the box of public school expectations, are tired of interference from people who don't know their child, want to engage their child to be a life-long learner in ways that work best for them, have more intentional influence on their child, or just simply like being with their kids- they are expressing their free right as that child's steward on Earth.

And your ignorant socialization point?  As seen on a blog recently, and I paraphrase, "To call the best form a socialization putting a child in a room with 25 of its same age peers is like saying we should learn table manners from a monkeys"  Do I really want my kids learning respect, kindness, play, and problem solving from kids who are in the same maturity scan of them?  My almost 8 year old is getting more socialization now than she did at public school- and I can guarantee it is higher quality and preparing her more aptly for 'the real world'.  She socializes with her babysitters, her grandparents, her family, the cashier, the dentist, the librarian, her ballet class, her sunday school teacher, her classmates at church, her neighbor friends, and the list goes on.  Compared to the 6-8 hours a day she used to spend sitting at a desk quietly, walking the halls quietly, trying to eat her lunch in 20 minutes or less, and spend countless minutes, perhaps hours, a day 'transitioning', she is actually socializing in a way that makes practical sense.  When adults look to grow in a life area- they don't look to people who are at the same level- they look to those who are older, or wiser, or more experienced to provide advice.

Now all this to say, I'm not an anti-public school.  I have a teaching degree.  I went to public school 2-12th grade.  It works great for many families.  For some it is the only option.  I respect their choice, they have made it freely and have done what is best for their child at that time.  Perhaps even someday we will send our daughters back.  

When you can have a healthy and balanced discourse without spouting from the hip imaginary statistics and practice your brand of 'tolerance' than perhaps we can have a more profitable conversation.

What arguments have you faced in the world of homeschool vs public school.

Distractions, Motivation, & Changes

I've heard many homeschooling parents want to quit at some point in November and February.  While I did not have those feelings this fall- I have feelings of failure, discouragement, and apathy in full force the past couple of weeks.  Whether the never ending snow storms and arctic temperatures, rounds of stomach flu and colds, or never ending transitions of childhood development have anything to do with it, I am not sure.  What I do know is that I have allowed distractions and the lack of motivation to deter my desire for the "why" of homeschooling to become less important than the "how's".

We have undergone many curriculum changes over the course of 6 weeks.  I began writing our own reading/writing curriculum based on the Samantha series from American girl which has been much better than any other reading we've done and has replaced the 'bust' of a program in WriteShop.  We began All About Spelling in early January and are doing quite well with it.  Izzy seems to be better at transferring spelling knowledge to her writing and her phonics understanding and ability to 'sound words out' has dramatically improved.  We are wrapping up CLE math 205 light unit and will be working through Horizons for awhile for a change of pace.  We started cursive handwriting.

In all of this curriculum change, our schedule has been uprooted and required changes that I'm still trying to catch up with.  Lucy, 14 months, has transitioned to 1 nap a day and is quite the explorer and destroyer when awake.  Therefore, most of our teacher intensive activities have to happen between 12:30 and 3:00 pm.  This is Izzy's least favorite time to do school.  I currently work for my husband 2 afternoons a week, so this has forced school to happen in the mornings while juggling a four year old and a very busy toddler.  At the point of exhaustion and exasperation I fight to just get the 'basics' done which has led to very little in the fun department (like art, experiments, etc).  And, embarrassingly, this has led to Bible being put not he back burner.  I wanted Bible lessons to be our priority- but the girls love doing crafts to go along with each lesson and I just don't know how to fit it all in.  Liliana has had to turn to the iPad to do learning games with her as I desperately seek time to teach Izzy new concepts.

All of these distractions and changes have caused Izzy's motivation (and my own I think) to slip, stating for the first time since we started this journey that she wants to return to public school.

My confidence is gone.  My enthusiasm dwindling.  And my intention for intentional influence on the lives of my girls seems to have evaporated.  But, I am not giving up.  With God's help we will work through this bump in the road and figure out what is best for our family, for the time being.  Every season of life will change the look of how we do school- I just need to keep the "why" as the filter for each decision.

I am hoping that verbalizing these frustrations and desires will help me set goals anew and finish the year strong.  Couple that with fresh new curriculum and perhaps our motivations will change and distractions minimized.

Some days look like this....

While others play out like this.

A Late Fall of "Field Trips"

Once November hit in our house, it was a season of day to day survival.  Many of our 'extra' projects and fun crafts went out the window.  We worked hard on doubling up on lessons some days since many days would not have anything at all.  While December was filled with the typical holiday rush, we also add a birthday 12 days before and 5 days after Christmas.  Really.  Its like one big, never-ending party.  Despite the hustle and bustle and the desire to keep some sense of structure and learning- we made room for some experiences that simply cannot be replicated in a classroom or by reading a book.  One of the reasons we decided to homeschool was to be able to freely say 'yes' to opportunities like this.

In early November, Isabelle had the opportunity to travel to Bangladesh to visit a children's home we have supported for many years which in turn allowed her to interact with 420 children and meet our three children whom we sponsor.  She went with her daddy, grandma, grandpa, a great aunt, a second cousin, an uncle, and a cousin who is about her age.  From the 24hrs+ of travel, new foods, new language, the heat, 11 hour time difference, and the flurry of that many children wanting to touch your pale skin and play with your blonde hair- it was quite the experience!  For our timid observer it was a stretch for her personality, but she did well after acclimating a couple of days.  She served the children meals, helped teach a song in chapel, danced Bangla, went to 'school' and learn some bangla words and writings, delivered gifts to sponsor children, played games of uno and double dutch, was the ultimate playmate, little sister, and even big sister to the children.  She showed God's love with a child like faith to the 'least of these'.  Her dad and I are so proud of how she handled herself and are so thankful she could take advantage of the opportunity.

In true 'homeschooling fashion' I had her journal while she was away.  Then, when she returned, we compiled her 5 favorite memories and wrote them in newspaper article form (It just so happened that our next unit in WriteShop was on newspaper narratives!).  It was a great way for her to process what she had done and seen and give her a chance to contemplate the 'why's' and feelings of it all.  It also gave me an opportunity to hear about what they did.

We squeezed in some good schooling in late November before Thanksgiving, but then early December we were off on a vacation with extended family.  18 travelers in all, including 8 kids under 10 and an 84 year old great grandma.  While I was tempted to do journalling or keep my eyes open for great learning opportunities, I decided that this field trip needed to be about just enjoying each other.  We watched our girls play in the sand, go down the watersides, and swim in the pools.  By being free to encourage and get excited with one another, Izzy finally warmed up to the idea of swimming independently.  We had done swim lessons in the summer which did not go over well (screaming and gnashing of teeth would be an understatement) but she was capable.  In her own time, she finally did it, swam across the pool, and was on her way.  By the end of the trip she was doing cannonballs and triple somersaults underwater in one breath.

What did I learn from all this?  Sometimes homeschooling adventures are about lifelong behaviors and reaching the heart of the children.  Sometimes it should just be about being.  Being 100% present as parents and cheerleaders and let kids just be kids.  Learning is still happening- sometimes more is gained when I stay out of the way.  Perhaps times of intentional 'absence' as a 'teacher' are the most influential.

I'm linked up at the Hip Homeschool Hop this week!  Check out the other great posts!

Weekly Wrap Up: New Adventures and Back to Basics

 It has been a wonderful week of sunshine, outdoor play, and lessons at home.  I have been blessed by the fact that Izzy has not said anything about missing school, wishing she were there instead, or really even talked about public school.  In fact, in our prayer time, one of her praises was that she got to be home for school.  It has been so wonderful to walk her through simple problem solvings of life.  Helping her process situations and unknowns and providing opportunities for independence has been good for her maturity.  I feel like I know her so much better than I did 3 months ago!

Here is a quick glimpse into our week! 

In Bible, we began the story of Moses.  We weaved baskets out of construction paper (inspired by this site) and then made babies out of a baby sock, cotton balls, and rubber bands.  The girls have been playing with them all week.  Lili has declared hers is a girl, so I guess we still have some remediation lessons ahead!  We moved onto the burning bush and then did the 10 plagues.  I was inspired by this craft (KidsBibleDebJackson used artist palettes to depict each plague) but instead of circles I divided wedges into our paper plate so they had more room to draw.  I also then wrote on the back of each plate what the plague was.  Our verse has been Psalm 24:1 so we are focusing the stories on the idea that God desires to rescue his children because they belong to him- and that includes us!

This week in writing with our awesome WriteShop Primary we did a imaginative narrative on outer space with a focus on using a spelling dictionary.  I used the opportunity to read books and watch a couple shows on outer space and imaginative trips there.  Izzy enjoyed the cross study so I think units will someday be in our future.  She published her writing by placing it into a cardboard tube rocket.  I have also instituted more free write or prompt writing time.  She needs more practice beyond the guided writing of just putting her thoughts on paper.  No more than 5-7 sentences and 15 minutes, but its enough to keep her skills up beyond the skill or topic of the lesson in WriteShop.

In math we started CLE 200 officially and completed light unit 1.  Izzy has enjoyed it so far and did very well on the review lessons.  Today (Friday) we did our first lesson in light unit 2 and she did ok.  We will need more time for math than in past weeks since there is more material to get through.  One way I have found to make it easier (for the spiraled content) is do some of the problems myself and she has to check my work. I sometimes get them wrong :)  Little does she realize she is still doing the problems when she 'grades' my answers.

Our "back to basics" was the focus of reading this week.  We finished our first light unit in CLE reading 200 and overall I'm just not convinced its the direction we need this year.  Izzy needed more focus on reading comprehension- pulling out main idea, supporting details, the 5 W's, etc of what she reads and be able to concisely express them.  So we have been working through pages in this book by Carson-Dellosa and other free resources I've found online.  It is helping, but we still have a long way to go.  Suggestions?

Art was fun- our last color lesson for awhile as I will work back and talk about lines.  We did page 44 in How to Teach Art to Children.  We talked about warm and cool colors.  We found pictures in magazines to make collages.  It was fun to get out of our paint rut.

Lastly, our new adventure of the week was lapbooking!  Izzy is traveling with her dad and some other family to a children's home we support in Bangladesh in November.  So, together we looked at books from the library about Bangladesh to learn some of the culture and features.  The books do paint a rosier picture of Bangladesh than what is actually true, but the idea is there.  The pictures also began to expose her to things she will see while there.  We loved doing this together and I cannot wait to do more.  Not sure if I did it right, but it worked for us.  I used some of the free templates from HomeschoolShare.com that focused on countries.  Feel free to share any resources or suggestions you have about lapbooking!

I've joined in the weekly wrap up linky at weird, unsocialized homeschoolers!

10 Unexpected Benefits to Homeschooling!

While we have many reasons (see part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4) for choosing to homeschool after two years in the public school system, here are 10 unexpected benefits to homeschooling we have discovered after 1 month into our new way of learning.

1)  No fundraisers!  I am so thankful to not have to say no to my pleading eyes daughter who wants to win one of the 'prizes' for selling or collecting the most books, magazines, pledges, etc.  I am so thankful to not feel pressured into giving more and more money to school.  We were bombarded with 4 fundraisers within the first 3 weeks of school last year.

2)  No buying an extra pair of gym shoes that hardly gets worn and usually gets lost at some point for gym class!

3)  Snack Freedom!  No worries about having nut, peanut butter, milk, egg, sugar free anything for snacks and lunches!

4)  No more book orders!  My kids love books.  I love books.  We have a huge collection of books from my teaching days.  But, I am a garage sale/goodwill kind of book shopper.  I also love the library. The temptation for any of us to buy beautiful new books from those newsprint flyers once a month was hard on the heart!

5)  I'll be honest that I love having my oldest at home because she can be such a huge help.  Shopping has become easier with her there to push the cart or play pat-a-cake with baby while I grab what we need.  She is also able to keep an eye on things at home if I need to make a phone call.  She loves being a helper and so it is neat to see her nurturing skills develop.

6)  Izzy can make her sisters laugh like no one else can.  I missed the giggles coming from her and Lili's room when she at school last year.  Let's face it, I'm not nearly as fun as she is in my 3 year old's eyes.  I love hearing the laughter in my house all day long!

7) NO HOMEWORK!!!!! Oh the tears, trials, frustrations of trying to help your child get through an hour or two of homework every night after they are tired of 7 hours of "learning" and just want to play. Oh how hard it was to help her when the homework was filled with "fuzzy math" concepts and writing personal narratives on topics she had no background on (ie: she had to write a 5 sentence + paragraph on how bullying is bad for school- poor girl loves everyone and is well loved, had no idea what bullying was and why it was always being pushed at school).  I love the freedom of being able have pedagogy that fits her learning style and to take breaks when we need to.

8)  We have oodles of family within a 10 mile radius.  I'd say one of Izzy's favorite parts of being homeschooled is getting to spend more time with her Grandparents and cousins.  She loves family and now she doesn't have to miss out on Tuesday lunches or getting to be babysat by grandma when mommy has a meeting.  It is good for her soul.

9)  School is no longer the rock in the jar (follow link on great illustration on fitting things in our lives) we must work around to fit everything else in our life.  School no longer dictates our schedule, bedtimes, diet, after school activities, vacations, and more.  Our focus is now on learning through life (though we do thrive on structure and schedule here, it is not something that dictates or defines us).  I had no idea how much time and effort it took to do 'school' and how much it influenced my time.

10)  This is more of anticipated hope and prediction but I'm thinking I'm going to really like homeschool so I'm not constantly reminding my daughter to bring home lost lunch boxes, coats, gloves, shoes, folders, etc.  Especially come winter, it will be nice to have all of our winter gear in place when we need it, not left in our cubby or stranded in a lost and found.  Stuff is home, where it belongs :)

I linked up to other great lists for List it Tuesday at www.manylittleblessings.com and www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com!

I'm not a supermom

I'm not a supermom.  Nor am I any version of a superwoman.  

I have my strengths, but many more weaknesses.  

I do things well some days.  Many days play out like some comedy of errors.

In my introductions to new circles of women and seeing some old faces though upstart of fall activities, I have found that my revelation that we are now a "homeschooling family" (can I be honest I feel weird saying that, like we are some freak of nature...need new description stat!) has brought about two very common reactions:

1)  "Oh, I could never do that!"

and

2)  "Wow, you are like superwoman!  How do you do it all?"

While not surprising statements, they still stir plenty of emotions.  

First of all, moms- don't sell yourself short.  You are strong.  You love fiercely.  If it NEEDED to be done, you would be able to do it.  It may not look pinterest worthy and it may not be within your skills set, but if I know anything about Moms is that they would do ANYTHING for their kids.  If your child needed to be learning at home, you would find a way to make it happen.  Don't sell yourself short.

Second, I'm not superwoman. I'm just being obedient.  I honestly believe that when we choose to live in obedience to God's calling, He will equip us accordingly.  God is not known for reckless abandonment.  He did not leave Elijah in the wilderness alone.  He did not ignore Moses' plea for help in public speaking.  He did not ignore the heart of Mary Magdalene.  He forgave Peter.  He refined Saul into a Paul.  God does not call the equipped, he equips the called.  When we choose to live in obedience to what He is asking us to do, He will provide a way to make it happen.  I am not a superwoman.  I make mistakes.  I don't always have the right priorities for each day.  I get angry.  I am selfish at times.  But, oh how thankful I am, that God is able and willing and DESIRES to still use me.  He has asked me to do this, for this season.  He will not abandon me and will equip me as long as I remain in obedience.  And he will equip you.  Whether he has called you to work, stay at home, homeschool, volunteer, or a combination of many lifestyles; all you must do is be obedient and he will equip you.  God will lead you to the right decision for your family and give you the strength and skills needed to fulfill his purpose for you.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Philippians 2:13
"...for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."

1 Thessalonians 5:24
"...The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."

Hebrews 13:20-21
"Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,  equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

First Day of Homeschool- EVER!

I desired to ease into our first year of homeschooling and provide a couple weeks of review/catch up to get Izzy to needed skill level for curriculum so we started school today! (By law, public schools in Michigan don't start until after Labor Day).  We are only adding a couple subjects at a time so no one is overwhelmed.  Our first day included:
Pictures!

Izzy is 7 years old starting 2nd grade!

Liliana is 3 and doing PreK work!

Baby was napping :) But here was a pic from her first day of 'school'...because she's part of the family and adorable after all!

Lucy is 8 months and SO BIG!

We prayed, read aloud, went over new chore chart, and did Calendar time.
Then we filled out first day of school fun sheets (From the Life in Bloom chic and savvy homeschool planner- free download!!!).

Lili's loves the color green and mac & cheese.

Izzy loves pizza and playing uno.

While Izzy worked on some basic addition facts to get the cobwebs out, Lili worked on coloring the letter A, learned about the color red, and identified/drew circles.

Izzy and I then reviewed place value for math using legos as manipulatives.  Then she independently did the first two days worth of handwriting lessons in A Reason For Handwriting.

Our subjects for our first week are calendar, handwriting, and math.  We were done in less than an hour.  I'm pleased with our first day and the excitement the girls had.  Liliana was sad her first day was 'done'.  Perhaps if the next couple of days go well I will bravely add more subjects at a faster pace.

My heart is happy and full!

Joining in on the student photo blog hop at ihomeschool! 

Why Homeschool? Part 4

The previous 3 parts of sharing why we have chosen homeschool for at least the next year were desired outcomes we are running towards.  We believe that with those end goals in mind, homeschool will give us the highest probability if getting there.

Part 4 is a little different because it focuses on more of something we are looking to avoid rather than attain.  We are not running out of fear, but stepping away due to concern.  While not all of the details are fully known, and some of the items I'll discuss are plausible results of decisions being made now, we have decided to be pro-active for the time being for the best of our family.

Why have we chosen homeschooling?  The increasing role of the federal government in education through Common Core State Standards.

We Believe:

• Public Schools are the responsibility of the local government, locally elected officials, and partnerships between teachers and parents to decide what and how best to teach the children of the community.
• "How" usually precedes the ability to understand "Why" especially in math at the elementary level.
• Worldview and political issues do not belong in most classroom environments (especially at the elementary level)
• Standardized Testing is inadequate, unfair, and one dimensional in its evaluation of students, teachers, and schools.

The New Common Core State Standards (CCSS):

• Were developed primarily by politicians, lobbyists, curriculum developers, and testing services.
• Were not actually developed by the States.
• Are falsely advertised as voluntary as the Federal Government as linked qualification to grant money to one's participation in CCSS.
• Decreased emphasis on mastery of skills to conceptual thinking which leads to downgraded standards but raised expectations on standardized testing.
• Focus on the "Why" rather than the "How" (example- a student should understand why 2+2= 4 before they learn that 2+2=4)
• Require 'broad' worldview that must include things like the liberal definition of marriage, climate change, and evolution but cannot include items deemed Christian in viewpoint.
• Equates public opinion articles and government papers on the same level as time proven classic literature.
• Takes away local control of education and puts it onto path for a national school system:  Federally mandated core standards ---> decreased curricula choices ---> limited approved pedagogy (how a concept is taught) ---> National Education System
• Zaps teacher creativity and freedom
• Will lead to government dependency
• May destroy ingenuity and entrepreneurial vision
• Track students preschool-grade 12 in a massive database system accessible to all government agencies with data points such as blood type, religious affiliation, dental records, voting record, detailed transportation data, behavior, diseases and health history, and home status.
• Place students early on into 'tracks' for vocational training, college prep, etc.  Dreams, desires, freedoms of children will be squashed before they can even be old enough to drive a car.
• Force hand of private institutions to change curricula despite beliefs to maintain accreditation and and align with national testing

I will be the first to admit that a lot of these details are still sketchy as CCSS has yet to see full implementation, but the patterns are in place and the expressed desire of this government administration is well known to be on the side of 'big government'.  So, we are being pro active and taking a step out of the public school system for the time being.  Perhaps these root problems will be worked out and we feel that it is once again the right choice for our family to be in the public school system.

For some great information on CCSS (and the sources for my post):
Michelle Malkin has been doing great work on researching CCSS

Common Core Math Issues

Truth in American Education

The Federal Government Stepping into Schools

CCSS Not State Led

CCSS Testing

Problems waiting to happen

Why Homeschool? Part 3

Every parent aches with the desire for their kids to reach their God-given potential.  We want to see them succeed in life, wherever it takes them.  Their talents and skills are uniquely ordained but often need to be fostered in order for them to come to full fruition.

As a trained teacher myself, I understand first hand the immense responsibility and even unfair expectation on any given teacher for them to shepherd 25 little children through a 9 month school year and have each one of them reach their fullest potential for the time.  Teachers face an uphill battle of administration, politics, learning styles, cookie cutter curriculum, hands on parents, hands off parents, behavior issues, incessant labels, IEP's, and often underpaid and appreciated as they attempt to help their class of little learners prepare for the next stage in life.

It is our belief that our children will have a higher rate of success in reaching their potential if their unique personalities, skills, talents, desires, and intrigues are fostered in an intentional environment at home.

This came about after many nights of frustrating math homework and writing assignments were done at the kitchen table.  Yearning to simply master 2+3, Izzy was paralyzed by confusing conceptualization techniques to 'help' her understand why 2+3=5.  Instead of building fluency of each writing step at a time (sentence structure, punctuation, vocabulary, spelling, details, etc) she was stifled in her creativity out of fear of what to focus on and to do it right.  We realized our first grader's potential would not be met under these conditions.  She was not designed to learn this way and it is our God given responsibility (and joy) to help her find what works best for her.

Even if just for the next year we help build confidence on her educational journey towards becoming the woman God has designed her to be, I will consider it a success.

Why Homeschool?
Part 1
Part 2

Why Homeschool? Part 2

See Part 1- Intentional Influence here.

Our children do not belong to us.  They are on loan to us from God to steward for the time He gives them to us.


My heart has been softened to the immense responsibility God has given Paul and I in managing this great gift of our girls.  While I cannot control the outcome as my children grow and mature- they do have God given free will after all- I do have the choice to make the most out of the time I have with them.

It is our desire to homeschool in order to have a higher rate of 'success' in discipling our children.  Deuteronomy 6:4-9 outlines our Biblical command for the stewardship of our children.

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." (NIV)

Now, this is not a Biblical command to homeschool.  It simply declares the immense responsibility and joy parents have on the spiritual and I believe academic life of a child.  For the best chance of being the primary influence in our children's lives as exampled by this passage, we feel that the right direction (for now) is to train our children at home.

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) says "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

We believe that the Holy Spirit has prompted us to bring our family together, keep our children at home in hopes that our children will benefit eternally and that we can obey the Biblical command in the way we feel God is leading us 'for such a time as this.'

Why Homeschool? Part 1

In an earlier post I mentioned how the plethora of good options made the decision to homeschool for the 2013-2014 school year a hard one.  I'd like to explain our reasons for making this decision, but first a disclaimer.  Every family has to make their own decision of what works best for them.  Our reasons may not be other's reasons to choose homeschooling.  There are great reasons to send children to public or private schools.  We have people in our sphere of influence who advocate for a variety of school options.  I respect each family's privilege to choose the educational path that works best for them.  I'm also aware that while we are making this decision for this coming year, we may change our minds.  My goal is to share our hearts where they are at now, not predicting where they might be in 2,5,10 years.

So, why homeschool?

#1- Intentional Influence

#2- Biblical Command

#3- Reaching Potential

#4- Common Core and the Federal Government

I'll write a little post on each of these eventually, but today I'll touch on #1.

About 10-12 months ago, I felt that God was leading me to a word that would transform every facet of my life.  The word was INTENTIONAL.  Perhaps He was trying to correct my lack of household organization, teaching me to not fly by the seat of my pants so much, or to simply be more on purpose with where He has me on each day.  It has seemed that ever since that word was brought to mind, the word has creeped into other aspects.  A recent parenting book (perhaps the best I've read) called Intentional Parenting offered great insight of what it meant to avoid auto-pilot as a mom, wife, and child of God.  My husband and I planned our vacations and times away with goals in mind so that activities, choices, and decisions would help us reach our desired outcome.

When it came to our schooling decision, God began to work on my heart on how I had the responsibility as my kids mother to be the primary influence in their lives (along with Daddy!).  If you look at the sheer math, we get very little time with our school aged children.  In reality, a handful of adults I barely know along with a room of 20 peers I know even less become the primary influence in my child's life.  I was becoming tired of getting her 'leftovers'.  She would leave our home each morning with a bounce in her step at 8 am.  She would come home tired and drained at almost 4pm.  Then, there was the hour or so of homework each night that we would have to try to do together (uphill battle for a 6 year old who just wanted to play with her sister!).  By 8 pm she was back in bed.  Weekends were helpful, but often she would still be playing 'catch up' from the week.  I want to enjoy my child at her best, not feel discouraged by dealing with her worst.  I know if I had a friend who only saw me from 4-6pm everyday they would think I'm pretty tired, cranky, and lack clean shirts!  It would be a very one dimensional view of who I was. 

In the end, Paul and I want to be the primary influence in our children's life.  We want to enjoy our kids at their best.  We want to discover who they are and who God may be forming them to be.  We don't want a school system dictating so many aspects of our life.  We want to be intentional and we feel that in order to have the highest probability for success, we should educate our children at home.

"Whether he is a mystery or more familiar, our job is to become a student- to seek to understand the work that God began and is faithfully completing in the lives of our children. Our job is to steward that, not change it." p. 18 of Intentional Parenting

When there are many good options

We have been blessed enough to live in a community where there are many great schooling options.  For us (well at least for me) it brought the paradox of choice into play- where too many choices end up paralyzing and confusing the decision maker.

Izzy has spent her first two years of schooling (Kindergarten and 1st) at the local public school.  It has been a great experience overall.  While there have been frustrations along the way, we have been content with the education she has received.  The district is conservative in its values and reflects the deeply rooted convictions of the community.  Families are flocking to the township or driving long distances in school of choice to give their own children a chance of learning in this district.

Within our community there also two great Christian schools and one charter school.  On the surface, all seem to provide a quality educational experience.  We also live in a hub of activity with regards to homeschool connections.  A homeschool building offering classes, co-ops, bookstore, sports teams, musical groups, and more is about 2 miles up the road.  Local churches offer classes for homeschooled children during women's bible study hours and many gymnastics and dance studios offer homeschool classes.

I feel spoiled by the number of good choices for educating our children.  Many are forced into making a decision by lack of options, having to choose the 'best of the worst'.  However, choosing the path to discontinue a 'good' option of public schooling and moving into homeschooling has been a little paralyzing.  How do we choose the 'best' out of all of the good options?  Why would we choose the 'harder' path of homeschool when so many options to outsource this part of parenting are available?

God laid on the heart of Paul and I independently to pursue the path of homeschooling our children.   The choice was overwhelming at times, a spiritual battle.  Many times I was discouraged by the options and wanted to just 'settle' and go back to public schooling.  I had a great idea of what homeschool could look like, but was paralyzed by the 'why' in an environment of too many options.  In time, clarity came and so did a faith that passes the need for having a perfect set of why's and how's.

We have committed to take each year as it comes.  1 year at a time.  We are have our reasons for choosing this path, but in the end it came to trust.  Trust in the Holy Spirit's prompting that this was the right choice for our family.

And so it begins...

Yesterday was the last day of school, not only for our recent 1st grade graduate, but also our last day of public school for the foreseeable future.  Today begins our newest venture- homeschooling.  I decided to start this new blog to chronicle our journey for many reasons.

1) When the going gets tough (and I know there will be bad days) I want to remind myself of WHY we chose this adventure for our family.

2) Perhaps help someone else who is thinking about making the jump to homeschool from public school.  Hopefully they will be able to learn from my mistakes and be encouraged by our (hopeful) successes.

3)  To bring a 'real' example of homeschool to others.  I've been discouraged by the posts and websites of other homeschool moms who look like they have it all together in that perfect pinterest way.  I feel so inadequate to try to 'match' what they have done.  Hopefully my honesty of the highs and lows will encourage other homeschool families.

4)  To chart my growth over time as a wife, mom, teacher, and daughter of the King.  I anticipate God to do a mighty work in our family as we journey to be more intentional as parents, spouses, and a family.

Over the next week or two I will begin outlining our reasons for homeschooling and the decisions we've made thus far.  I hope you join us on this journey.  We will need encouragement, advice, and prayers as we open our hearts and home to more intentional influence through homeschooling.