I wanted to repaint the room to give it a more classroom feel, but the boys wouldn't hear of it. They liked the trees that were there from the playroom, and I have to admit that it does help to maintain a sense of whimsy. Now I feel (a bit) better about being ready to get our homeschooling underway...
It took a lot of stressing, and organizing, and frustration, but we finally got the classroom set up for our homeschooling experience. We were able to move the printer in there and hang up some classroom decoration to give it more of a schoolroom feel. It was a bit difficult taking out the things that weren't going to be used in the classroom, b/c trying to decide where to put everything is quite the battle, and most of it ended up in my office (which now looks like a disaster area and I don't really want to talk about how THAT is adding to the stress of my life), but the closet and everything is all filled with only the materials that are going to be used for homeschooling. I think that it will help with keeping things organized and within reach if we only have what is needed in that area. Otherwise, it's going to lead to chaos. And, while we were on Spring Break, all the rest of the curriculum arrived, so now everything is falling into place (if only I could find a decent planner - but I won't get into that again). I wanted to repaint the room to give it a more classroom feel, but the boys wouldn't hear of it. They liked the trees that were there from the playroom, and I have to admit that it does help to maintain a sense of whimsy. Now I feel (a bit) better about being ready to get our homeschooling underway...
0 Comments
I'm starting to have a bit of a panic attack every time I think about homeschooling. It's not so much the curriculum that is getting me worked up (using my experience as a classroom teacher, finding resources and planning is second nature to me now)...it's more like...the unknown aspect of it. How am I going to know that I'm doing it right? How will I not lose my mind or go stir crazy, or not have The Monk go stir crazy? What about money (for bills, for supplies, resources, or even more importantly, quilting!)? I've never been a SAHM, never really not had a professional career. I mean, I've worked since I was 13 (at least every summer until college, then I worked FT and went to school FT). How do I keep myself busy? Do I really want to spend the day working on elementary skills AND cleaning the house AND cooking? Do I really want to give up the life to which I have grown accustomed to (you know, like having money and getting out of the house and having a job)? I know, in the logical side of my brain, that I have already pulled the trigger (I'm so playing Rhianna's Russian Roulette in my head right now) on letting my professional teaching career go, but I still have these waves of panic where I can't help but freak b/c there is so much that is unknown. How do I keep all of that from taking away what I'm sure will be an enriching and wonderful experience, both for myself and my son? There is a method to our madness in deciding to homeschool (otherwise, The Hubs would never have let me quit my job), but as the reality of it gets closer and closer, I can't help but feel nervous and uncertain. I don't want our lives to be a struggle or to be made more difficult. We are trying hard to make life more simple. I know that life holds no guarantees. I completely understand that (in the logical side of my brain), but I really wish that there were some sort of sign, some sort of assurance that everything is going to be OK, that I'm not going to regret leaving the classroom and my career, and the money, behind. So I have a bit of a bone to pick with those who create professional planners...why aren't there any good SECULAR homeschool planners? Oh, I'm finding them by the ton that were created by moms like me who are looking for something to help them stay organized, but none of them are EXACTLY what I want or they just don't have that professional, manufactured feel to them. And, having been a teacher, I'm a bit of a planner junkie. I like planners and how pretty they are (especially those by Erin Condren), but even she does not have anything that really fits the lifestyle of a homeschooling mom (especially one on a budget - it was a different story when I was getting a paycheck and could buy one of her fancy ones for my classroom when I was teaching in the public setting). I even like this one by HEDUA except for one teensy little issue - I don't need, nor want, a Christian planner. As a Buddhist family, we don't need to be able to read through the Bible in one year. The designs are pretty and the layout is helpful, but it doesn't do me any good when it has stuff I don't need. I'm wondering why they aren't interested in creating a secular version. Wouldn't that help those of us who are wanting to purchase their products, but don't because there are things that just don't fit? So, I created my own using a planner that I was able to pick up from a friend of mine. It's a student planner that I adjusted (thanks to my handy-dandy PaperMate felt-tip pens). Problem is, it is still missing quite a bit of material that I am wanting (record sheets, attendance records, monthly planning calendars). I was able to block everything up into his workboxes, but I still feel as though this make-shift planner that I made is rather haphazard and not precisely what I was looking for. Sigh. Something that the Monk really likes to do is have observation journals. He's a scientist at heart and he really likes to notice and name what he is watching or seeing in the world around him. In preparation for getting him used to being homeschooled, I created an observation journal that he can work on (once a week) so that he can discuss and keep track of what the chicks are doing as they are growing up in the house before being moved to the coop outside. I also have some lapbook parts for the boy to be able to create a chart for the life cycle of a chicken, as well as write a story about what he's noticed and named, but those were not my ideas, so I don't have them saved to publish them. Sorry.
As the search is continuing for resources for homeschooling my brain was getting fried so I stopped for a moment to look at what the Monk needed for Cub Scouts. I'm not sure what led me to this inquiry, but I just needed a break and since he is moving into a Wolf den soon, I figured that I would see what he needed to do in order to get some of his belt loops. Well, talk about an untapped vein of resources!! There are a TON of activities that are available through Cub Scouts that can be incorporated into his education! So many of the requirements that are necessary for him to earn his belt loops and academic pins can be turned into lessons for school. It actually relieved a lot of stress for me because I was able to envision these tasks as being a part of our learning day and I know he'll be more vested because it also accomplishes something for what he loves, which is scouting. It's nice to have just another resource available to help him become homeschool learner. If you too are looking for ideas, or you have a Cub Scout (or a Girl Scout), make sure to check out the activities that are available through scouting. The search for homeschooling curriculum has begun. It is becoming quite the endeavor. First, just trying to find something that is NOT Christian based is really tough. As a Buddhist family, Christian based education is just not the way we want to go. I have noticed that there are publishers out there who do sell curriculum and grade-level curriculum sets, but as we are going from 2 to 1 incomes, their prices are a little out of our budget range. Luckily, as a former teacher, I know of some tricks of the trade to help me access resources. I have several websites and such up my sleeve to help me, at least begin, to gather some of what I want to use in helping my son develop into a more well-rounded learner. But this is where part of the conundrum begins. Where do I let go of some of my teacher self and begin on the homeschooling journey? How do I let go of the state standard driven mindset that I have grown accustomed to in the educational system that was once my career and think more fluidly? I know that I want Monk to be successful and, with my Type A personality, I like the structure and organization that a set curriculum provides. But, I also know that although Monk needs a routine, he also needs to be able to be creative and move. He needs the ability to follow something that he gets stuck on and a chance to use his hands as much as possible. In my research (because I'm a nerd and that's what we do - research), I have noticed that there are two basic trains of thoughts when it comes to homeschooling. There are those who have a structured, set curriculum, and there are those who unschool, or have a more fluid, project-based, learning style. I think that I'm wanting to do a bit of both. So, in planning and talking with my husband, we have decided to have A/B days. On A days (M,W,F), we are going to have a bit of the "traditional" classroom setting with lessons and worksheets and reading, etc. On B days (T,R) we are going to have more of those hands-on experiences with lapbooks, and projects and construction type learning. To help with my OCD tendencies, I'm also going to utilize workboxes to help with organization and helping the Monk to stay on task. I am currently fine tuning our schedule and the bits and pieces of what I would like to teach and have the Monk learn, so we'll have to see how this journey continues. |
How it all started...I was a public school teacher for 6 years in a very urban middle school for both 7th and 8th grade. As the red-tape got thicker and teaching became more of a business rather than a place to prepare young minds to enter into the world, I decided that if I was going to work that hard to give an education to someone, it should be my own son. So, my adventures in homeschooling has begun. Follow us on Instagram!
@bexluther76 Categories
All
Archives
May 2016
Blogs I follow:
Curriculum I recommend: |