De-Stressing by Working?

Last November, I was still teaching composition at a local college. Thankfully, I took some time off (that has continued to expand so much so that I may never return) and had the opportunity to really concentrate on homeschool with Lovely. We have zoomed through the school year, it seems, and we now only have five days left of A Beka lessons!

The past week or so, I've been working a temporary job (a 2-wk commitment to finance our trip to the Midwest Homeschool Convention) and doing an abbreviated version of school in the morning before I leave. My, how my stress levels have calmed down! I'm actually more patient with my daughter when we have a time crunch! Granted, we don't cover nearly as much as I would like, but I actually think of school as relaxing while I watch her master skills she had previously thrown temper tantrums over, thus transforming me into Mean Mommy (yes, she has called me this). So, what have I learned?

1. She's in kindergarten. Exactly what it says. Have expectations, but don't get upset if she doesn't meet them all the time.
2. When encouraged through love and patience, she works better. Duh.
   
3. She doesn't need to know everything (otherwise, wouldn't I just be arming her for the future outlook most teenagers have naturally?)
4. It's OK to give a little extra help. Don't give her all the answers, but go over a few questions with her, then see if she can do it herself. Long strides have already been made in math, although I still hate A Beka math with an undying passion--the kind I will tell younger generations about, to which they will respond, "Crazy, Grandma. So much has changed since you taught school."
   
5. I like teaching...even my daughter. I was fearful I could enjoy only teaching other people's kids. Humph! What would give me that crazy idea? Oh, yeah...being called Mean Mommy.

So why did leaving my child make me a better teacher? Probably guilt. And now I feel guilty about guilt making me a better teacher. Crazy circle of guilt!

Write 2 Inspire

It's finally underway! I created a website yesterday for my writing services: http://write2inspire.webs.com Check it out when you get a chance and give me some feedback on here! I'm still developing the site and the writing program/assignments, but I'm open to opinions! I plan on getting a domain name later on, once everything is finished. I have no idea if I'll get any students at all, but I feel led to at least try this and see where it takes me.

CHEER Giveaway

I don't normally win anything, but maybe one of my viewers will...feel free to follow this link about the free giveaway :)

Summer Plans

I know I just posted, but I thought this deserved its own separate entry.

What are you summer plans? I've discovered I'm not so against year-round school, now that I'm in charge, because I know everyday is a day for learning. I don't want to be restricted by schedules, state requirements, or what I'm "supposed" to teach my children. I plan on experimenting with learning, and then incorporating my findings into the next school year.

Summer Plans:

• Nature hikes with nature journals. I found some great nature websites that should help explain what we find outdoors. I'll have to post the links later, when I re-find them ;-) I'll bring two notebooks for my daughters to draw what they see and then we can discuss it.
• Nature hikes with photography. Call me brave or call me stupid, but I'm going to let my girls photograph what they want--at least once.
  
• Art projects. All those things we didn't have time for during the school year, or those that I didn't want the mess from, can be completed in the sun.
• Garbage removal. We'll start with our yard and around our house, and we'll go from there. I want to teach my girls that they really do need to take care of where they live.
• Sewing. I need to learn to sew better, so I'll have my little helpers learn as well. We'll see how it goes, but I'd like to create some cute aprons for them and then some cute skirts/summer dresses.
• Music. I'm looking for some simple 1st year music to introduce Lovely to the keyboard.

Finally, I will also be creating my writing program. I have started on the blog, but I need to finish creating my template and blog design, and I need to post K-12 standards for easy access. Next, I need to create some sample writing strategies/projects tailored to ability level (*note, I'm not shooting for grade level instruction, but ability level instead).

Anything else I should add to my agenda?

How Many Days Left?

As I dropped off my two darlings at my mom's this morning, I almost felt excitement akin to the feeling I used to get as a teenager when I finished another class. I have been working a temp job this week, but since I don't go in until 10 a.m., I do schoolwork with Lovely first; well, I do some schoolwork. Anyhoo, before I left, I went over with my mother what was left for Lovely to complete. Her response:

"I thought you didn't do school everyday?"

Becoming a little defensive, I declared, "Yes, we do," and gave her a strange look to make her feel like her thought process must be off somehow. Cruel, I know, but don't homeschool moms become a little defensive when our methods are questioned?

"We are on lessons 156 and 157 today. That means there are only 8 lessons left," I stated triumphantly.

"Then the school year will be done?" My mother's mouth seemed to drop.

"Well, we'll be done with A Beka. Then, we'll work on art and reading and my other projects."

Did you grasp the gravity of that statement? Let the fun begin! We are almost done with all those worksheets that I have learned to despise, despite their colorful, cheery, all-too-happy animated characters. I remember loving worksheets as a child, but come on! Worksheets in each subject, sometimes multiple worksheets, is a bit--no, way--overboard in my opinion! I felt like I had to complete all of these worksheets (although I did finally begin crossing off sections and writing the word "SKIP" next to other sections--if Lovely could read the word, then she was allowed to skip that part) and by then I was drained for having any fun. In two weeks will be the Midwest Homeschool Convention and I'm hoping to find some great ideas for next year's curriculum. I'm planning on switching to BJ for math, but I'm not sure about anything else yet.

Highlight of the day: Realizing there are only EIGHT A Beka lessons left!

Free American History DVD from the History Channel

The History Channel is giving away a free American history DVD to all public, private, and homeschools in the country. The cool thing is that while public & schools only receive 1 DVD, each homeschool family can receive a DVD! America the Story of Us will premier on the History Channel on April 25th and is a 12 hour educational program that ties together core curriculum standards and support material. Orders must be made before July 1, 2010 and DVDs will be shipped *free* around August 2010. You can fill out the online order form by clicking here.

Help!

If you are like me, you often feel drained after a long day of schooling. Sometimes, I have to combine lessons because we have too much going on either the day before or the day after. Here's my latest article on how dads can help by relieving some stress:

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-22200-Louisville-Homeschooling-Examiner~y2010m3d23-How-dads-can-help-homeschooling-moms?cid=publish_facebook:22200

Where the Wild Things Were

How many of you remember reading "Where the Wild Things Are" as children? I certainly do--it was one of my favorite short stories. So, of course, when the movie advertisements came out, they certainly seemed appealing. My daughters kept telling me they wanted to see it, so as a treat, my husband rented the movie for us. Either I had extremely high expectations, or my sense of what makes a good movie is off, despite what many critics hailed as a good movie!

The movie begins with Max as a lonely child who gets paid no attention by his sister, little by his mother, and his dad appears out of the picture--with no real explanation. He throws an awful fit, climbing up onto the kitchen counter top in front of his mother's boyfriend, and tells his mother, "I'll eat you up!" However, I missed where his mother called him a "wild thing" as the book states. He thrashes around the kitchen as his mother chases him down, and he goes as far as biting her, and then runs out the door, down the street, through the woods, and to the boat that sails to the island of Wild Things. Upon arrival, he tells them he is a king and can do magic, but the movie doesn't show him staring into their yellow eyes to prove his magical talents. He tries to live with the Wild Things, but they have family problems (just like his, I'm assuming was the theme of the movie), and he eventually sails back to his mother, who is waiting with a huge hug, a warm dinner, and chocolate cake--wait--he was given chocolate cake for biting his mother and running away? Is something a little off here?

I immediately went back to my children's book and read through the story as Max is obviously bad (although not biting his mother), sent to his room (he couldn't out-run this mother) without supper and a jungle grows in his room. He goes to where the Wild Things are, although none seem to have the emotional dysfunctional family problems the movie portrays, convinces them he has powers, but soon sails back to his bedroom once he smells good things to eat. He wakes up and finds his supper in his room, but it doesn't seem like a blatant reward for bad behavior as it does in the movie. Maybe it's just me. My husband and I had to keep telling our girls the boy was bad to disobey his mother, to yell, to bite, to run away at night, walk through a forest, get in a boat by himself, and climb dangerous rocks. Oh, and of course the movie had to contain at least one bad word. Why? Yet another reason to unplug the TV...

How'd They Teach Twelve Kids?

I am often completely worn out from my day of homeschooling my oldest daughter, and often my husband reminds me that women used to homeschool all eight or ten or twelve of their children at one time. At first, I bowed my head and agreed that women of olden days could handle more than me. But then I started thinking...

There is an enormous amount of material children are not only encouraged, but expected to learn now that they weren't required to learn back then. People could get by with 3rd grade educations, because all they needed was a little writing, reading, and arithmetic. Now, we've thrown in history, geography, science, art, music, calculus, algebra, physics....I'm worn out just from thinking about it all! Yes, they are all important, but they are also time consuming. I'm looking forward to learning with my daughter, but I'm not looking forward to the extra time it will take to re-learn information in order to answer any questions she may have. Women of older generations probably looked at schooling as more of an option instead of a requirement, also, and were not as concerned with completing as much as possible. I'm beginning to wonder if the boxed-curricula (as to which they are often referred) are more stressful than developing your own lesson plans and choosing what to pursue when.

In addition to all of the subjects we must include in our curriculum and the basic requirements of school records, etc. we are expected to keep up with the pace of today. Think of all the bills that are due on specific dates, the appointments we make, the schedules we keep! Simply exhausting!

Next, we have to deal with the drama that children seem to express today. "I don't want to do school!" is an expression often heard in my household. Why can't they see it as the privilege that it is? Why can't I always see teaching as the privilege that it is?

Michael Salmonowicz & Democracy

While researching homeschool news for my Examiner articles, I came across a recent article on True/Slant, The Report Card. Instantly, my defense went up when I saw the claim "home schooling may harm our democracy." This is actually an age-old argument, though Salmonowicz himself admits to knowing little about homeschooling. He offers an allegory of "Sally", a college student who came to him, wanting to drop a class because she thought the instructor graded her based on her religious beliefs and conservative views. He looked over the instructor's comments, and realized the student had supported her argument only with facts from the Bible, which were unacceptable to the instructor. He advised the student to be thankful for the effort the teacher put into the comments, and to keep working on her argument skills.

Salmonowicz's argument is that a viewpoint such as Sally's, one that will give up when challenged and refuse to try to argue her point and hear what her opponents say, may be harmful to our democracy. He's afraid homeschoolers will be sheltered, never having any confrontation, and never learning how to develop strong arguments, and therefore be unable to contribute positively to our society and democracy.

Of course I believe the facts of the Bible far surpass anything of this world, but I realize students need to offer 'accepted' authoritative evidence to support their claims, which means finding peer reviewed sources--and I was homeschooled. I can offer a similar analogy that questions the future of democracy and the ability to argue credibly:

As a first year composition instructor, I had several students who offered their siblings/relatives as support for their arguments. They had been through it, and so that was proof. These were not homeschooled students; they were students from several different high schools and GED holders. I once had a student who argued that the Holocaust never happened--that it was a scheme devised by the government. That student offered absolutely no support--not even a reference page. Obviously, going by personal experience, public education may harm our democracy as well.

As an instructor, I took on the responsibility of informing the students what are acceptable sources and what is considered peer reviewed. We made lists on the board, in the online classroom portion, and on handouts. Then, we practiced finding them. Oddly, those students who had been homeschooled were the students who had the most authoritative evidence.

Salmonowicz does say homeschooling should remain our right, unlike Germany where it is illegal, but he continues to question the idea of homeschooling.

A Typical Reading Session with Lovely

"OK, it's time to do reading for today," I inform my daughter cheerfully, hoping to inspire the reading genius within her.

"Awwww. How 'bout we do it tomorrow?" This is her bargaining tool, and she pulls it out of the toolbox all too often.

"No, we need to work on reading everyday. That way, you'll be able to read all kinds of books!" This is my bargaining tool, which I pull out all too often.

"I don't want to read all kinds of books..." Lovely crosses her arms in demonstration of her determination.

I open I Do Read Book 3 to page six and place it in front of her crossed arms.

"OK, let's start reading."

She giggles. "Look at the funny cat! It's silly!"

"Yes, I know it is. Let's find out what it's doing, " I say as an attempt to encourage her.

"P-u-ff. Puff. Puff's a name? That's the cat's name? That's silly!" Lovely continues to giggle.

"Yes, Puff is its name. Let's find out what Puff is doing." I point at the first full sentence.

"It's smiling, Mommy. It looks happy. I see cats outside in the backyard."

"Yes, it is smiling. Let's find out why." Another attempt to redirect her attention.

"J-o-n Jon g-o-t got a b-i-g big...Who's Jon, Mommy?"

"I don't know...let's keep reading and see if it says."

"Jon got a big c-a-t cat. Is that cat named Puff? Why did he name him that? I like cats, but you're allergic."

"Yes, I'm allergic. I don't know why he named him Puff...maybe it says in the story. Read some more."

"J-o-n will n-a-m-e name h-i-s his....Where's Jon? I don't see him."

"You see his hand petting Puff. Let's read more."

"Where's his other hand? Where's his arm?"

"I don't know, Lovely. Let's keep reading." I try to keep my voice sweet and calm, but reading time is taking its toll on my patience.

"The c-a-t can l-a-p...lap...what's lap?"

"That's how the cat drinks its milk. It laps it up with its tongue."

"Oh. I don't see its tongue. You mean like...sluuurrrrp.....slurrrppp." Lovely's head is bobbing up and down with her tongue out as she pretends to drink.

"Yes, that's what I mean. Let's keep reading."

"L-a-p lap, l-a-p lap, l-a-p lap. J-o-n Jon can p-e-t Pete?"

"No, p-e-t, pet."

"Oh. That's silly. I petted a dog before. I like petting dogs."

"I know, honey. Keep reading."

"Jon can p-e-t pet P-u-ff."

I slam the book shut and say 'thank you' for being able to finish reading for the day.

Although I feel the strain of reading each day, once the conversation has been written out and I am able to reflect on the questions asked, I'm amazed at my daughter's curiosity. If she keeps asking questions, keeps wondering, isn't that just as important as the lesson I'm trying to teach at the time? If I can feed this need to learn and direct her on her course, I will be doing my job as a mother and a teacher. However, I will continue to question myself as an example and as a teacher, just as any other human being would do. And I will continue to wonder how I will remain sane for the next twelve years of school.

Interesting Video

I had to watch this for my gradauate creative nonfiction class, but I thought it was pretty interesting...

Musings from the Five Year Old

I know I've posted a lot lately, but I have to get these things in print when I remember, or I'll forget and a precious memory will be lost forever! Besides...they're funny!

First, a few weeks ago, DD (now named Lovely for blogging purposes) was eating her burrito but she left the end of her second one on her plate as she began making the next one. My youngest DD asks if she can have it, so I said yes, and as she's picking it up, Lovely says, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"Why?" I ask, thinking she is just being selfish.
She casually answers, "Because part of it was up my nose."

The latest food for thought came from Lovely tonight at dinner. As she was eating her 6th piece of asparagus (she's an asparagus fiend), she told me she doesn't eat it all the way to the bottom.
"Why not?" I ask, not wanting her to waste perfectly good veggies.
"Because sometimes I clean between my piggy toes with my fingers." My eyes slowly wandered down to the piece of asparagus grasped by her fingers and I inform her she needs to remember to wash her hands in the future!

Personalities

They always say (don't ask me who 'they' is referring to in this instance) that siblings often have completely different personalities, and I have noticed this more than ever lately! Today while doing art (coloring, cutting, and gluing an umbrella to a duck), my dd1 (from hence forth referred to as Lovely so as to avoid numbering my children), says, "Let me tell you something. First, ducks don't use umbrellas. And they like water--they swim." Ah, the practical child!

Now, just the other day, my dd2 (still debating on her name) was drawing a picture while Lovely completed her schoolwork. Then, she wrote letters and scribbles all over the page and started telling a story, all while I was in the other room. "The rat ate the cat because it was hungry. Awww, poor cat!" --and on and on she went. She makes up the longest stories and can play by herself for hours. Lovely, on the other hand, always wants someone to play with or talk to.

Today, Lovely also told me, "You're not lonely anymore."
"What?" I asked her.
"You're not lonely because you have children. You're not lonely when Daddy goes to work."

Not that I had ever told her I was lonely, but she sure is insightful in her long five years of life! Ahh, the differences. Relish the differences as they continue blossoming into their own individuals :)

Stubborn Children

Apparently, I was a very stubborn child. That is the only explanation for my oldest daughter to be so set in her ways at the age of 5!! The other night at dinner, she wanted something, so I told her to ask nicely: may I please have _____? Instead, she sulked in her chair and refused. Who knew teaching manners could be such a chore? Surely not I! This wasn't the first time, either. All I know is I have to break her of it, so I allowed her to keep sulking until she finally asked nicely. However, many times it takes her so long to do as she's told, that whatever she is asking for is gone. Oh, well--guess she'll learn the hard way! On the upside, my youngest has already mastered the "pretty please??" and bats her eyelashes while tilting her head to boot! Boy, I'm already starting to pray for the teenage years!