Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Lessons Learned


We have officially been homeschooling for 4 weeks today. It has been an interesting month to say the least. There have been days I liked it, days I hated it, and days I think my kids felt the same.

This past weekend we made the decision that CAVA was not for our girls. It is a great school, with a very rich curriculum, however...it was a little too advanced for my girls. The math frustrated us all. It jumped from concept to concept way too quickly. The science and history seemed like 6th grade level to me...my girls lost interest very quickly.

We have decided to homeschool the girls on our own. By doing this, we can choose curriculum that fits their needs and interests them. We can go at their pace and forget the state standards. I don't want them pushed through stuff to pass a test. I want them to master their skills and build confidence!

Yesterday we did it all on our own and had the best day yet! I am seriously excited about this!

Some Lessons I Have Learned this Month:
  • Start your school day with bible reading and prayer
  • School can and should be FUN and interesting
  • You should laugh while teaching and learning
  • Life is a part of school
  • Love each other despite each other's annoyances
  • Be open minded about curriculum
  • Everything will not work for every kid
  • Don't be scared to quit something that isn't working
  • Don't be afraid to go back to the basics if your kids need it for a season
  • Have a schedule and stick to it most days (we need structure, but I am flexible if something comes up)
  • Have a set of rules and stick to them (this is crucial to our day)
  • Reward the kids for sticking to the morning schedule and school rules

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Today is the Day!

Today is the day...the official day of the start of our homeschooling!

These two silly girls are my students.

We have a schedule, supplies, everything we need...

We actually started a bit of work last week, just to get us in the mode. We have 3 days of math/language arts that we did ahead of time. I'm actually feeling pretty excited about the year ahead. I think we are all going to love this!

As for me, I am waking up around 6am to get a couple hours of work done before the school day starts. This has been a huge relief for me...I am able to get pressing things out of the way early so that I can focus on the girls and school. =)

Let the day begin!