School has not gone according to plans this week. We're on week two and still doing school until 7-8:00 each night. My goals in homeschooling are to teach them to love the Lord their God with all their hearts, all their strength, and all their minds. Following these in importance, my goal is to teach them to love learning. One doesn't love learning if one is doing NOTHING but learning. One also isn't growing, contributing, or even actually learning anything at all if school is all that one does. One also begins to talk like Yoda when using the word "one" too much one does.
I have no idea how school is taking so long. On paper, it looks great. There are a few extra subjects this year. Old subjects are harder this year. And I am slower to help with assignments since I'm teaching the girls full classes. I decided last night to give them Friday off and today I set out to pull out the workboxes that made our lives wonderful last year. These certainly help with keeping the schedule flowing better. Even then, I was unsure how I would fit everything in. I had so many perfect plans for the year, yet not enough slots in the schedule to place them.
When labeling a new folder for a new subject (literary analysis,) I saw that the title was too long, so I abbreviated. It was at the moment that I wrote the words "Lit Anal" that it hit me: Yeah, anal. That description fits my stack of lesson plans. Maybe the perfect curriculum isn't actually perfect for us. Maybe I'm expecting too much.
I walked away from the workboxes to ponder and relax. Does a high school student really need grammar and literary analysis. Wouldn't one be sufficient? And spelling - true, his spelling needs work, but perhaps we could drop the spelling program and just incorporate the words he was working on in his reports and essays. My rebellious thoughts considered throwing it all off and just immersing ourselves in good books. The daring idea gave me hope.
And then I checked in on my facebook page. Wait, no, that's my eldest's facebook page. He didn't log out. I checked his account activity and saw that he had left a comment on a friend's photo. It said, "what on earth. were where you."
I....wha....huh??? No caps. The punctuation?? Were WHERE you??? Where did I go wrong?
So, yeah, not dropping grammar.
Nor spelling.
Maybe I can drop lunch. It just messes up the kitchen anyway.
9 comments:
I think about dropping spelling and grammar too at times.......and then I read something he's posted on fb or a note he's left for me. I think the same thing. There is no WAY we are dropping either!
The workbox system is the only thing I have found so far to keep us on track and organized. We just can't do it any other way...yet anyway.
You crack me up!
Sometimes you take the words right out of my ...um, head. That yoda line was exactly what I was thinking...but I digress.
We haven't quite 'started' school this year, and you're giving me hope that even though I'm lining everything up....there WILL be edits that are necessary.
Sigh....good thing we know the principal, huh?
Be blessed in your week 3...and remember your motto.
What's amata with you? ahem.
Live the learning.
So much to do, so little time! I start with my next high schooler on Monday. We too are doing grammar and spelling, but only 3 days a week. My son actually does spell fairly well, but I am the "a" word you used in your post and we are going to complete the whole Spelling Power book. Have a great year, you all will get in a groove and it will get better.
Mary
If it helps...fb talk is sometimes different than regular writing, lol, I cringe at Cameron's posts but in all actuality he is a good speller. I think things like fb and texting have made our kids lax in writing anything out. Maybe we should make our kids write letters to each other, you know? that's a good idea, Cameron has horrible handwriting and needs practice! :)
I'ts early and I'm sure once you get into the groove that everything will fall into place and the hours will be more 'normal' school day.
Personally I believe your doin' a wonderful job and ya know how picky I am! Heeehehehe!
Enjoy the weekend hon! :o)
My kids would DIE if they were doing school that late. I'm talking seriously dramatic falling on the floor and convulsing.
Spelling and grammar are such a pain. In fact, the whole English is very difficult. Too many rules. And too much breaking of those rules.
Don't you know you aren't supposed to use capital letters on Facebook? And don't you know it's not cool to be 13 and spell the words right??
Oh, BTW, my new homeschool blog is online and you can actually SEE it. Same place. New look. Very public.
Oh, once again, I am SO with you! We just started this week and I'm really stressing over whether or not I'm expecting them to do too much in one day. We're calling it quits around 4pm each day, but we're not getting it all done...which is not fitting in to my perfectly scheduled yearly plan that I spent HOURS creating.
I've decided the only reason I'm really stressed is bc is the beginning of the year and we still have a fighting chance of actually getting it ALL done this year. In a couple of months, when we are SO behind I'll know there's no way we can get it all done and be more relaxed and just plug away doing the next thing next...
By the way, I wanted to let you know, I just gave you a blog award. :o) You can see it here:
http://learningathisfeet.blogspot.com/2010/08/sun-shines-late-at-night.html
I added myself to follow your blog. You are more than welcome to visit mine and become a follower if you want to.
God Bless You ~Ron
Drop lunch..and laundry! That should free up some much needed time. Although the dropping blood sugar for all may cause problems with focusing on said grammar and spelling rules..and then our ability to explain yet again why puncuation is necessary in a sweet, loving and patient voice might also be hindered!! LOL It'll all come together, mama!
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