A New Light

This past weekend I attended a barbecue and while there visited with a friend who has 5 children and her youngest is now in High School. She homeschooled for a while and then put them back in school. Through the years they were enrolled in public, charter and other types of schools. I thought she would be a good resource to bounce ideas off of.

She said something during our conversation that really got me thinking. I have been so stressed about curriculum and being able to figure out what to teach my children.

She said, "I am an idea person." This really made me think. It's great that she is an idea person, she can come up with lots of ideas and she loves it. I on the other hand love to copy, I may tweak it a bit, but I love to see what others do and just follow suit. And that is okay, because we are all so different and that is what makes the world a wonderful place. If we were all the same how boring would that be?

So, after she said these wonderful words, I got to thinking. Why do I want to homeschool my kids? Why did this idea start anyways? What is the purpose for taking them out of school?

My main purpose for keeping my kids home is that I want them close, I feel that they can do their best learning here at home where they feel safe, where they don't have to worry about other kids teasing, judging, being mean physically or emotionally. Now I know that this is part of growing up. And I am sure that they will get all of this at church, in the neighborhood or even with activities outside the home.

I have decided to either go with Connections Academy or K12. They are a public schools that come to your home virtually. They equip you with all of the supplies needed to teach classes at home on the computer. I know I was opposed to this before but, after thinking about who I am I feel this will be best for my kids. They will be home and will be taught and if I see they are struggling in something I will be able to bring it to the attention of the teachers and they will accommodate the child. At this point I feel this is the best option.

I will be making a decision between these two schools and after I will enroll D. If he does well, I will probably pull E out. E will be able to work more solo but I know that I will have to help D out more until he gets older. It feels good to have made this decision.

Discouragement

I am feeling discouraged, I am feeling like if I keep the kids home they will miss out on so much that I know I will not be able to provide.

But then I think of the attention they could get from me, attention that only I can give. For instance. D is having a really hard time with Math, spelling, reading. So, his teacher sent home a few worksheets for him to do at home that he wasn't able to finnish at school. I sat down with him and he tried to do the math problems with a number line, ya know where if you are adding then you count ahead and if you are subtracting then you count back. The poor kid just can't seem to understand it. He understands that you need to jump forward or backwards at the appropriate time, he just doesn't understand that you need to start counting on the next number. So, we have some cute bug clips that I pulled out for him to count. He did this and he didn't like it but it seemed that it started to click better in his brain.

You see he is a wiggly willy kind of guy and he needs to be able to touch and learn with that sense. When he is given a sheet of paper with 100 problems on it, it is so overwhelming that he just wants to cry and he did cry. So, I feel that as his Mom I would be able to see that it is just too much for him. Not that he shouldn't do 100 problems but he needs it broken up more. He can do a worksheet with maybe 10 or 15 problems and then maybe a game or activity that has him figure out math problems, and then he could even do math games on the computer. And in reality he could be doing more than 100 problems, but they are FUN!! And then once he gets the hang of math, then I could give him math sheets that have more math problems on them.

In all reality homeschooling sounds great, but I wonder if I will be able to keep up, I wonder if I will want to spend all the time needed to teach.

I need to pull myself out of this rut, I know I can do this. I feel that it is what my kids need, it just seems so overwhelming.

Wiggly Willy???

I am still reading the book, 100 Top Picks For Homeschool Curriculum, and the section I am on helps you figure out what kind of kids you have and what kind of parent you are.

She has 4 types:

1. Wiggly Willy
2. Perfect Paula
3. Competent Carl
4. Sociable Sue

It is so funny I came out to be very much a Wiggly Willy and partly a Perfect Paula. I thought for sure that I would be a Perfect Paula all the way.

Wiggly Willy is a kinesthetic learner. That makes sense that I learn better with my senses. But they go on to say that a wiggly willy needs to move around a lot and that they need to have checkpoints or lists to ensure that they stay on task. Hmmm, now that I write this it does make sense. I really do have a problem staying on task or finishing a project. I think that is one reason and a big reason why I am so afraid of homeschooling. I could see myself letting school go to the wayside.

However I had the thought the other day. 'Heavenly Father has so much faith in me that he knows I can do this.' I may not have that faith in myself but he does and at this point that is all that matters. I will just need lots of lists and checkpoints!!

I guess to make this right I feel like I need to put the numbers of how I scored.

• Wiggly Willy: 7/8
• Perfect Paula: 5/9
• Competent Carl: 1 1/2/10
• Sociable Sue: 3/8

I had Matt take the test and he was very well rounded.

• Wiggly Willy:4/8
• Perfect Paula: 6/9
• Competent Carl: 5/10
• Sociable Sue: 3/8

Then we read what the kids could be:

Our 8 year old E: Perfect Paula and I said a little Wiggly Willy

Our 6 year old D: Competent Carl and I said Wiggly Willy

Our 5 year old A: Sociable Sue and I also thought she has Wiggly Willy in her

Our 3 year old J: Because of his age he is going to be Wiggly Willy

So now I am on to reading about what is the best learning styles for these different personalities. This is such a long process and this has been a very busy week.

Looking For Curriculum

I've found another book that I like a lot better then the one I spoke of on the previous post. The book I've been reading is called, 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum By: Cathy Duffy.
I am amazed at what I am learning in this book. It has tests and questions that help me figure out what I like. Because otherwise I really don't know what I like. Or should I say I know what I like I just don't know how to put it into words.

So, a test that I recently took and had my husband take is "Which Approach to Education Should I Use?" They ask questions of what you would prefer in ways to teach your children. These are the names of the different approaches to teaching.

1. Traditional
2. Charlotte Mason
3. Classical
4. Unit Study
5. Unschooling
6. Independent Study
7. Eclectic
8. Umbrella Program

I am sure that you could find and learn about these online.

I have found that I really don't like the traditional style. It would be like schooling your children at home but doing it in a way as if they were still at public school, just without the big classroom. It could totally work for some. Just not for me.

I have found that I really like the Charlotte Mason way of teaching. I love it! I can't go into detail right now of what it is all about. I also haven't read in detail all of the other ways of schooling. By taking the test it shows that I prefer Charlotte Mason first and Unit Study second. I haven't read about it yet but I think I might only like unit study just because I am terrified to teach on my own at this point.
My husband scored highest with Charlotte Mason and Classical. So I am glad that we are on the same page.
This is exciting!

How Do I Get Started?

I think so far my biggest problem is knowing where to start. What are the laws?

I asked friends who homeschool what I need to do. Do they have any advice?

I did not get the answers I thought I would. Some of the answers I got was,

"Oh, you will do great!"

"You are such and good mother, you will find your way!"

"Oh, that is the best decisions you could make! Good job."

I don't think they heard me when I asked, "How do I get started? Where do I go to find curriculum? What is the best curriculum you've found?"

However I e-mailed an old friend who sent some great websites to me.

One that I really like lays it all out with questions and answers, I just feel like I can't get enough of this site.

So, curriculum? So far I am looking at 3 different ideas.

First there is Connections Academy, I like this but I am wondering how much time I want my kids on the computer.

Second I found K12, here is another one that they use the computer a lot.

I like both of these because it is not just me teaching, it is not ALL on MY shoulders.

However the one I am leaning towards is A2 it is low cost and it is old school learning.

After I found these three different 'schools'. I found a book through this web site. The book is called, The Way They Learn by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. I just started reading it and I love it already! This book will teach you how to get to know your child/ren, and how to best teach them. I think this will help a lot with knowing how they can best learn.

Something else I have felt has been somewhat of a challenge is, Changing My State of Mind. I can't just be here for them if they get hurt of if they have a question that needs to be answered or if they are fighting and they need me to protect them. I am their mother and I need to be their teacher, not just with school things but all things in life, I am their main teacher. Well, my husband and I. I never really looking at parenthood like that. So now I am working on changing how I look at being a mother. As I am making this change I find that I really like my kids and I really want to know what they are thinking and how they are really feeling. That when they want to talk to me I stop what I am doing and I really listen. I am sure that I will not be able to do this all of the time but I will am willing to try and make this change.

It is exciting!

Getting the Desire

I remember when I was getting ready to send my first child off to school. I went to the elementary school that was assigned to my neighborhood.
I walked into the school and said I have a little girl that is ready to start school, so they gave me a registration packet. I filled it out, made sure I marked that I only wanted her to go to half day kindergarten. Because after all she was only going to be 5 years old and one month. She is still a baby, my baby!!
I got the news a few weeks later that the school was not going to offer 1/2 day that year. I went to the school with tears in my eyes asking what can I do, my child can not go to full day school! I would not allow it! The principal and office staff laughed at me and said that the kids adjust and will eventually get used to it.
My reply, "I don't want my child to 'get used to it', and I don't want her going to a school where I as the parent will not be taken seriously!"

I found a school that did 1/2 day kindergarten. Benjamin Franklin, they had more of an 'old school' way of teaching. I liked that. The kids were not allowed to whisper to each other while eating lunch. That way they could not make anyone around them feel bad, or make fun of anyone. I liked that. My husband liked the way they taught the children, that they are more advanced than other schools. That just wasn't important to me because well, I got her into half day and they were serious about keeping the kids safe from bullies.

She went to kindergarten and loved it. There were times that she just didn't want to go to school, she just wanted to stay home with me. Then we sent her there for 1st grade. She had headaches almost everyday. The pace was just too fast for her.

Homeschooling crossed my mind but I quickly let it slip out. There was NO way I could be a homeschool mom, NO WAY!! I live life doing what I want to do when I want to do. The kids have lots of fun playing and I figured that if they were happy and if they were using there imaginations then they are learning just fine. Sure, I sing songs with them and read books, sometimes. And they figure out there colors and shapes without me having to do too much, kids just naturally learn these things. But for me to have structure in my life NO WAY!

So for second grade it wouldn't be just my oldest going to school. It was now time for my son to go to kindergarten. I just didn't feel right about sending him to Benjamin Franklin. It was too structured for him. And my oldest was having headaches, so I had to find other options. I found a great school where the pricipal has a school that is run out of her home. I went and checked it out. And I fell in love with it. My second grader would have only 14 students in her class, and my son would have 18 in his class.

The headaches went away for her, but she complained about friends, she just didn't feel like she fit in. The boys were mean and the girls were very clickish.

My son liked it for the most part, but he too felt a little left out. He was probably the kindergartener, but the little ones would pick on him and even hit him... in kindergarten! I could not beilive it! There were days that he would cry and not get out of the van when it was time to drop him off.

I was told around that time that boys just need to play more than girls, their minds just work differently. One lady said (I'm sorry I can't remember who this was) boys should not go to school until they are 8. Watching him I believe it.

So here we are 2010. I have an 8 year old that is going into 3rd grade, a 6 year old going into 1st grade and 4 turning 5 that could go into kindergarten.

My heart broke this year. I can't send them away to school. They are gone for 7 hours... 7 hours. Then they come home and have to do homework and then they eat and need to go to bed so they will be able to preform well at school.

I was only able to have them here with me at home for a little over 2 months and then I have to send them to someone else, they get to see my kids more than me???

Well my third child, I pulled her out and decided that she can stay home another year.

And now I am investigating homeschool.