Feb. 19, 2007
How to turn your struggles into victory
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Hello, Has it crossed your mind that sometimes being a homeschool teacher is not always that easy as you thought it was; that sometimes one of your favorite students is not always that lovable--sometimes there's resistance when you ask him or her to do certain things, either school stuff or house chores; or that sometimes homeschool life feels overwhelming and you feel behind on other subjects or bills or chores? Has it been in your mind that you might consider sending one of your homeschoolers back to public school for reasons only your family knows. The drudgery of just trying to keep up with everything is just not worth it? You've become unhappy and you're suffering and you may even feel like homeschooling is not what it's cracked up to be? Welcome to the club! Over the years I have thousands of negative things come through me. It happens to the best of us. It happens to the worst of us. And no homeschooler I have known and met is immune to all the struggles. However, in my observation the homeschoolers that are able to deal with are those that recognize the struggles and find the support they need. Here are my suggestions: 1. Admit that you are going through the normal stage of homeschooling. Every homeschooler has at one time or another has gone through the same thing you're going through. 2. Find the social network and make an effort to attend group events just to socialize with other parents and for your students to socialize with their kind. It helps relieve stress. Do not schedule a kid's weekly activity on the same day that group "fellowship" is happening. Then, just like an exercise regimen, it would become optional. Then you wonder why you're so stressed. 3. Try not to overbook your calendar with too many outings and to-dos. No one says that being a super homeschooler means overbooking your calendar and overextending yourself. Then, you'll end up playing catch up with your bils, chores, and other relationships. You'll end up with tons of excuses why they didn't get done. And you end up blaming homeschool life as the main problem. Isn't that awful? 4. Find the spiritual support that you need. Regardless of what denomination you are, there is something to be said about having the spiritual affirmation that what you're doing is worthwhile. Good for your family; good for your kids; and best of all, good for the kingdom of God. The moms I know schedule "quiet" time (translate that into prayer and meditation before every body is up and about). They sharpen each other with verses. Weird, you might think, but if you're not in the boat, you're missing out on something. It becomes healthier to your bones when your heart is not aching with pain and misery from all the homeschool struggles. Just leave your burden to the One who can handle it better than you. 5. Last but not least, of all the obvious and wonderful reasons to remind you of why you homeschool in the first place is this. Are you ready? It's amazing that the Bible truly is a Living Book. It is alive. I always gain new insight on old things. The book of Matthew says that whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.... So it is that idea that we homeschool because we are serving God. We are serving God by furthering His kingdom through the children that we teach. We are raising the next godly, moral generation who in turn is going to raise the next generation. We are not promised 100% sunshine, or bed of roses, freedom from struggles or whatever version of your homeschool happiness is. Even the Son of Man was betrayed, condemned to death, mocked, flogged, and persecuted. We are promised strenght for the day; hope for tomorrow; peace; and joy and everything else. So yes if you are struggling with why you signed up your life to homeschool in the first place, it is this--to be first in the kingdom of heaven by serving your family. Now let me ask you this? What is the reason why you're homeschooling? Is it the promise of greatness you will reap from it? What happens if things fall below your expectation of greatness? Will you fall apart? But if you change that mindset, you might be less disappointed with the outcome. Why? You're not leaning on your own frail strenght. You would be liberating yourself from all the selfish reasons why you homeschool in the first place. Now go and struggle no more. |
Jan. 31, 2007
What is your "Talent"?
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Once again, another parable struck a chord in my heart--Parable of the Ten Minas. The parable sets out to recount the story of an owner who gave minas of differing values to his three servants. Then he went away. When he came back, each servant gave an account of what he did with the minas the owner had given him. One servant actually invested it and so the owner gave him more. To the other servant who didn't do anything with it, the owner took away what he had given. Wow! What a revelation. None of us is perfect at all the roles we assume. I'm not the perfect homeschooler, teacher, mother. But God has entrusted these children to me. Not because I'm capable, hardworking, or knowledgeable but to test me. Will I use these children and the knowledge, knowhow, opportunity He has given to further His kingdom and bring glory to His name? God has promised that if we are faithful with little things, then He would entrust us with big things. I can truly see the wisdom in this promise. I have seen many homeschool moms--strong Christians--who toiled and labored raising their children and are now influencing the lives of other moms and homeschoolers. They have become inspirational speakers who travel around the country encouraging and motivating. Many of these speakers, a few of whom I have listened to during homeschool conferences, are also contributors in the book called, "10 Things We Wished We Had Known...." They have done well with their children, now God has enlarged their territory. Just one example of many. In this day and age where Creation Science and Intelligent-Design concepts rub friction, there is one individual who chose to used his talent to further God's kingdom. The homeschool book publisher Apologia Educational Ministries is founded by a chemistry professor Andrew Weil. His high school science books which strongly acknowledge God in their contents have enriched thousands of homeschoolers' science curriculum. Over the years, his customers and followers grew. His opportunities expanded to include other branches of sciences and online courses. So, regardless of whether these are individuals, organizations, families, or homeschool moms, God has shown us that if we are faithful with the little things He has entrusted us and invest it, God will bless it with more abundance. Has God given you a student who's talented in music or speaking, or even leadership abilities? Why not invest more in that area. Has God entrusted you with a certain talent? Why not use it to point others to Christ. God has entrusted me a child who is strong-willed and likes to lead others. To some extent, that is an opportunity. He has also entrusted me with a child who likes to talk and won't shut up. So it is all up to us to ask God for guidance how to best channel these "minas" if you will and bear interests so that in the end when God asks for an account of how we used them, He can say, "Well done! my good and faithful servant!" |
Dec. 19, 2006
How not to be a Helicopter Parent
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I have been dealing with this issue over and over again. I love the fact that kids are nurtured and raised in a loving environment where they are allowed freedom to learn and discover anything. The exception, of course, are things that are sexual, violent and age inappropriate in nature. This topic does not imply either any negative connotations about homeschooling or homeschoolers in general. Don't be mistaken. I like homeschooling. Here's the deal, though. How far should a parent go to help a student/child learn by guidance versus allow him/her to learn from his/her own mistakes? You see how tricky it is? As part of our homeschool experience, I teach a class (I'll call it The Adventures of Little Red Riding Hood) and help out in another youth activity (BSA) during a regular field trip. The field trip is not your typical go-and-see-it deal. All of these trips are meant to build on skills previously learned and to earn rewards. In this first class and even in other activities where I have exposure to both parent and child, I often see parents go overzealous with coaching their own student-children--literally, spitting out answers instead of allowing their kids to think for themselves. That's not good. What happens when they are out in the real world after 18? Should a parent tell his/her boss why he was passed over for promotion? (I have to put a disclaimer that not all homeschoolers behave in this manner. Many of them are wonderful parents that have figured things out from the beginning). I have seen parents sit with their students and prompting them what to do next on their answer sheet. In this class I've been facilitating, there's a mix of parents that drop off their kids and come back to pick them up an hour later and parents that want to sit in. I have asked nicely two of them that it's okay to leave their students with the class. I am not really sure it's in the students' best interest to learn to be independent when the parent is constantly hovering or breathing around them. That would be the other extreme swing in the pendulum of raising a child. (The other extreme would be not being a part of a child's life emotionally at all). In field trips, I've also seen the same parent do the things that the student is capable of doing. Talk about babying a big child. It's the ultimate. Look at it seriously, this is an event attended by both public/private/homeschooled kids. So where they come from is not really the issue. I mean this particular activity (BSA) is supposed to help them learn skills (like setting up tent and being independent). How is the child going to learn? Spoon-feeding is not in the vocabulary of BSA. A little bit of chaos in a boy-led troop is an acceptable dogma. That's how they're supposed to learn. Here's another situation. i have a parent who refuses to let his/her student tryout for sports for fear of rejection or not making it in a team. How else will a child learn or strive to do better or learn teamwork if the parent puts a child in a bubble? How will he learn to develop and mature emotionally with all the shields and high fences around him? How will he learn from his mistakes? When are parenst really most helpful when a student is involved in a particular activity whether academic or extracurricular in nature? As guidance. In what way? I have seen students act out by being verbally aggressive toward other kids in the absence of their parents. Now that's where parents come in handy. There are exceptions, of course. A few parentless students seem to handle things well independently. As facilitator. I know great and wonderful parents who truly TRUST in their children's ability and allow them to go on field trips or activities without fear and worry (with the knowledge that they are safe with the supervising adult). They're sharp kids; they figure out how to navigate the mazes of the activity. I had the opportunity to be with 5 of the kids experience hands-on exploration in The Adventures of Little Red Riding Hood field trip. The kids did great! Learned a lot. What can helicopter parents do is not be overzealous with their children. Give them room to breathe. Give them room to make mistakes and learn from them. Let them learn to think and figure out the answers for themselves. Be there but back off when they give you signal that they can do it by themselves. What happens is two things: they would either learn to rely on you all the time and struggle on their own (such as learning to meet deadlines) OR they would learn to resent having you breathe on them all the time to the point that when they have the chance to be free, they would run away from you as far away as they can. I actually know people that have done that. It's not just a far-out prediction. It's the equal and opposite reaction at work. What's your opinion? |
Nov. 14, 2006
Parable of the Gifted and Talented
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There is a passage in the Bible that talks about a man who went on a journey and entrusted his property to his servants. The story goes on to say that each of the servants received talents of varying amounts according to his own ability. Then he came back from his journey only to find out that each of the servants invested the talent that he had given them in different ways. Some invested the talent and got more in return, which the owner rewarded with more. However, to the servants that chose not to use the talent, he had taken what he had given back. Wow! What a powerful passage that rings loud and clear. Simple but profound message. I have been wanting to reflect on what is really the whole point of this whole thing about being Talented and Gifted; about being part of Mensa; about excelling academically; about having all these awards and recognitions, should mean for the children. So what's the whole point? Money, fame, prestige and power? But all these will all rot after a person is dead. Clearly the passage can be interpreted in so many ways. One can say, yes, that just applies to bankers and investors or to people like Edison and the Gates of this world. But, really when you think about it, it applies to any God-given talent one has. Specifically, the intellectual talent that God has given the gifted and talented children. My question is: What will members of the TAG group do with the gift and talent God has given? What will Inventor, Train Engineer and Gymnast do with the gift God has given them? Again this passage has me thinking about Mensa. Not to pick on the group that I do support but Inventor is a member of the organization, though not an active participant. It is a group of high-IQ people. Will membership guarantee him that he would use his talents in ways that produce return on God's initial investment so that he would be entrusted with more talents to steward with? I sometimes hear fellow Mensans talk about what are the members going to do to help solve the world's problems. Another example was a husband of an old friend who was clearly musically. Unfortunately, only he got to enjoy the beautiful music he played because he never wanted to play piano pieces for any students or the church or much less concerts. What a wasted gift and talent! For now, he lives in a little house with a grand piano with a few friends. That's it! On the other hand, I have my son's piano teacher, old lady she may be, but who has a very strong and dedicated student followers who have been with her for many years. Whatever God has given her, He has multiplied with more students and more talents!!!!!!!! These same students bless other people with their talents. I remember the time when Inventor was just in second grade and the preschool school that my 3 yo son attended needed someone to play piano. I jumped at the chance. He was not there to impress them with Inventor's ability but to bless them on Teacher Appreciation Banquet. They were blessed indeed. Then I would hear about groups that work on worthy causes like Doctors without Borders; mission groups; charity organizations that go out into the field. It seems that the more they minister to the less fortunates, the more they are rewarded with intrinsic rewards that neither fame, fortune, power and money can compare. So, dear fellow TAG members, the secret of the kingdom of heaven is revealed to those who have ears that hear; eyes that see; and hearts that understand. As you think about homeschooling your talented and gifted or if you are well into the gifted homeschooling journey, think about ROI. Will your homeschooler invest the talent that he or she has to produce fruits for God's kingdom? Would many sick people be healed because of your future doctor that you are now homeschooling? Would there be many people come to know God because of the talent given and used? Would many people be blessed because of the talent of your children? Would people be blessed by the inventions and gadgets by your young inventor? So many questions, so little time to write them. Or will he or she hide the talent under the guise of worldly success: fame, fortune, and power where the heavenly return is 0. |
Nov. 9, 2006
Who will homeschool my children?
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I have always been healthy as a bull for most of my life. Homeschoolers, in general, get sick less often compared to public schoolers. At least, that's my observation when one of the kids was in regular school. This child always brought home the virus to share with the siblings. That era of "bring home the virus" ended when all three came home for home school. I don't know what happened but for the first time in our homeschool life, all three of my kids/students got sick in a matter of two days. I guess we were around sick people enough in church! First my two younger kids started vomiting at 2 am in the morning. Lucky for me, BikerDad is a light sleeper and bore the burden of hearing and tending all the nasty stuff between Gymnast and Train Engineer. I slept through it all like a rock. Today, it was Inventor and my turn. As a household, we had never been sick with a flu like that. Sleeping right next to the toilet at 2 am sounded very inviting when your stomach is churning. Unfortunately, the flu wins and we all stay home from the JV Soccer game scheduled today. I am on the road to recovery by the time I sat down in front of my laptop. So I think tonight's Spelling Bee is safe. I will go sit in the very, very back. Those two hours of tv on the couch really helped. Besides, one thing that came out of it was two of the kids learned to fend for themselves in my inability to serve them hand and foot!!! Train Engineer helped himself with Cookie Crisp cereal for lunch! and Gymast, who's 6, made and served tuna sandwiches! Sometimes it makes you wonder how capable they really are when you're sick or dead! Though I am not wishing to be dead, I almost wonder. :-) Let's see. Inventor managed to practice half of his Spelling Bee words by himself. The other half was done using artificial rhythm--jumping on the trampoline and swinging on a backyard swing back and forth. Gymnast on the other hand, who was at first struggling with the Spelling words suddenly perked up when she was promised a chihuahua if she did her best. I know. I know. I shouldn't bargain with her. She should do it to practice the principle of hard work. Well, it seemed like she's really capable of spelling, after all. The motivation was just not there in the beginning. Both of them also made a miniature landscaping project just by hunting for extra things in the house and in the science experiment box. Inventor also collected all the materials he needed for his Boy Scout camping trip this weekend. Swell, they didn't really need me after all. Now if I could just replicate all their hard work with Train Engineer, 5, who's content to hang out in his room and build Legos and Bionicles while listening to books on tape. With all that's going on, I can't help but be reminded of the time when Avian flu was big news. In my mode to beat the odds of a pandemic flu brought me to internet searches on what kinds of food to store up--freeze-dried and canned foods; and different types of medicines to keep in hand, etc. This time, I am really thinking of what could happen if something were to happen to the main teacher, that would be ME. What would happen to my kids/students? Who will homeschool them? If you're a homeschooler reading this, have you thought about it? What would happen to your little homeschoolers if something were to happen to you? Anyway, the list I'm on--Tagmax--someone brought up that very issue. Someone suggested writing it all in the will--everything. Who's responsible for continuing the children's homeschool; which curriculum to use; what kind of learning styles the children are, etc. I thought that was a good idea. However, BikerDad, had a different idea. If something were to happen to me, all the kids would go to regular school and a nanny would take care of them--thanks to my life insurance. I'm worth more dead than alive!!! For now, I learned that my kids are really capable of fending for themselves without my assistance! They're capable of homeschooling themselves! The trick is--it has to be those things that they enjoy doing--building toys, projects, watching and listening to their favorite educational shows;/stories. |
Nov. 1, 2006
A Tale of Two Homeschool Groups
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One has a website. The other has none. The first one is Baptist; the other is non-denominational; the first one has coop; the other one has events every week. The first one has plenty of high school homeschoolers; the other one has few. The first one has sports programs; the other one has none. The other one has a colored yearbook; the other one has black and white. I am fortunate to belong to two great homeschool groups. It is like being in a candy store or cafeteria and being able to pick and choose from the best offerings/activities and extracurricular activities. The FISH group is enormous, bigger than most private schools in the area (220 families or about 700 students) and especializes in activities for older kids, coop and sports. On the other hand, the BHSF group is medium-sized (about 150 families or about 400 students) and specializes in field trips and elementary kids' activities. Over the years that I have participated in both groups my 3 students have been able to participate in extracurricular activities that even a private school would envy. Spelling Bee, Math Olympiad, Science Fair, Arts & Science Festival, Book It, 4-H clubs, unique coop classes, yearbook, Field Day, Chess Club, Field trips to places that are not frequented by big groups, Park Fellowship, PE at the Park, Recreational Sports (Soccer, football, JV sports against area private schools), Library Display, Homeschool Girl Scout, 4-H Rifle, Used-Curriculum Sale, Newsletter, Promotion, etc. Of course, there are many other activities that the two groups offer that we don't take advantage of-- Crystal Springs Science Class, Skating Day, Archery, Geography Bee/Club, Special Events: Easter Egg Hunt/Valentines/Christmas parties, Presidential Physical Fitness, missions for teens, Teen Nights, Scholastic Book Club, Adventure Club, Talent Show, Scrapbooking Club, Primary Pals field trips almost every week, Book Club, Computer Club, Sewing club, Horse Riding, Homeschool Enrichment Night, etc. etc. You pick and choose according to your schedule and needs of your family. The only limit is your time and gas$$. After all, everyone has 24/7 no matter how you look at it. Why belong to two groups instead of one? Many families have done it and are perfectly fine with being in one group. However, without the offering of the other group we would not have been able to fill our family needs -- academic oriented and sports activities. For example, FISH group's specialty is sports, which enabled Inventor to participate in JV Soccer/Volleyball. It also offers Science Fair, Spelling Bee, and Math Bee that we look forward to every year. With BHSF, we were able to take advantage of 4-H Club's Rifle and Cloverbuds and Entrepreneurship opportunities and a few others. BHSF has also been successful in organizing a group for families with special-needs children. The therapy that the families are getting are just phenomenal. Though we're not involved in the Special Needs Club, it is such a blessing that the two groups complement each other to meet the needs of the families! Last year, we were able to take advantage of discounted tickets to museums, bookstores, parks, and theater performances because of the bulk discount afforded by the groups or under "Educator Discount." That's awesome. Last year, homeschool families got to attend the Broadway shows, "Joseph in Technicolor Coat" "Annie" and "Cats" "Mama Mia" etc. Inventor attended a discounted performance of Florida Orchestra just recently. Being a part of the two groups has also expanded my networks of friends and acquaintances. Thursdays the BHSF group meets for Fellowship at the Park; Fridays the FISH group meets for PE at the Park. The kids are able to play with their friends from both groups as well. I was able to expand my search for Year-End testers, where one would have limited me to a few choices. If the other group doesn't offer it, chances are the other group offers it. I get two chances to find homeschool materials from two Used-Curriculumn Sales. My network of plumber, cleaning lady, good business recommendation networks has also expanded!!! Why the clubs and offerings are successful? Both groups have one thing in common. It's the parents that make the difference. They find a need and they run with the ball. The groups are filled with people who are talented, knowledgeable, and passionate about what they do without counting the cost. Because of it, the students have a wonderful time learning and prosper in their homeschooling experience. For those that become members, few ever leave. For those that are timid, some discover that their talents are needed. Why go to a Sylvan Learning Center and pay boatload of money when one can find a Math tutor in the group? For those that are eager to lead a group, they find just the right niche and find a following. For those that want to find friends, they get a hundredfold without fear of backstabbing. It is the best time to homeschool. This is the best time of your children's educational years. Don't miss it. |
Oct. 28, 2006
Death and homeschooling
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This week has been one of a maximum high and a minimum low. It was not intended to be that way. My homeschool family tagged along with Biker Dad to Orlando. He was on a business conference in a gorgeous hotel for his company and we joined him for a few days. That was fun for the whole family. The kids got to spend time with us. We were relaxed and didn't have to worry about other responsibilities. This will be one vacation the kids will remember among others. On the other hand, this same week we were dealt a blow to one member of our family. Our family pet Tachi, who was a miniature Schnauzer suddenly died. To the whole family it was sudden but I knew she had a kidney/bladder infection. I thought a trip to the vet and a shot of antibiotic was all it was needed and voila life would go on for everyone. Well, I've also been busy with homeschool responsibilities--all shape and form that I had not been able to pay close attention to Tachi's suffering. I knew I needed to get her to the vet. Anyway, the other night, she didn't come in the house for the night according to BikerDad, which was extremely unusual. I got up early in the foggy morning yesterday to look for her. She came out of the backyard bush groggy and I went ahead and got her seen by the vet soon after. To make long story short, she is now buried in our backyard. ..... with plenty of tears and sobs and mourning and grieving by all of us. Everyone took it hard at her sudden loss. I mean she died not from a failed surgery but because her bladder was diseased and had two egg-sized kidney stones! Imagine that for a miniature animal. This whole death experience, despite that it was a pet and not a beloved person, suddenly help to put things into perspective for Biker Dad and I. Yes, Train Engineer had seen a little girl his age lying in her open casket during a funeral service. I'm sure some parents would have a problem with that. To us, death is part of life for animals, things and people. That's what we teach our children. To Inventor I've explained from the Book of Ecclesiastes: "There's a time to be born and a time to die." To him, there's a time for beginning and a time for ending. They got to see their beloved pet and friend "Tachi" live nine years of her life in a happy, loving home. They played with her, swam in the pool together, camped in RV parks with her, traveled long distances with her, etc. etc. Now they saw the end of her life. BikerDad picked her up from the vet after the failed surgery (her bladder had burst!) and put her in a big tub to be ready for burial in the backyard. They saw how she really was dead and could now say goodbye, grieve and bury her peacefully. Now they would understand that when 96-year old great grandfather Ralph in the nursing home does not make it from his surgery, they would understand exactly the death process. Although I hope that Great Grandpa Ralph would make it through this surgery at this point, however he is in so much pain from stomach cancer, I'm sure Grandma would prefer him to "go home with the Lord." This pet dying has also put our homeschooling and what being family is all about into perspective. You see, we rushed back home from our vacation in a hurry and left BikerDad to continue his business conference. I was in a rush to get back to the things we had in our calendar--dental appointment, soccer game, pick up the computer from the repair store, etc. We had commitments. BikerDad talked about, "It could have been any of us--not just the dog." It could have been me getting into a car accident in the rush to get there. It could have been him in an airplane crash. Here today, gone tomorrow. Gone in a heartbeat! So take time to enjoy time with your kids and spouses. So I agree with BikerDad on another perspective. Don't sweat the small stuff. You see, there were times when the kids would fight and try to kill each other and I'd tell them one day I would make a decision they would regret like send them to my favorite charter school. Life is so precious. Yes, I will not let little things bother me too much. I will be a little more patient and understanding when one thing does not go as planned on my list. Lastly, it has taught us the importance of family. When everything is said and done, the people that you invest more time in emotionally with are going to be the people that will cry on your funeral. I heard this once from a pastor friend of mine who said, "Make sure you have at least 6 friends. Enough to carry your hearst." I know. Tachi was just a dog. I could not help myself from crying and grieving and making the tough decision over whether to put her to sleep or to let her suffer at home. Why was I crying? Heck! I was in the midst of a "Classic Car Show" in Clearwater when BikerDad phoned me she was not going to make it. That dog was a devoted animal to us. She was there to guard our house when BikerDad was out of town on business trips for 8 long years! She was there to play with our kids when they could not stand being around each other. That dog adored me. I was the leader of the pack! She wouldn't even come to BikerDad unless he had a doggie bone. So Tachi went on to dog heaven in a pet-owner's own delusional way. :-) Well, we know animals don't have souls. The kids learned about the death process up close and personal. Not that this has been the only dead pet they've experienced but this one hit the hardest. (One corner of our yard, by the way is a pet graveyard). Train Engineer, 9, cried the hardest. Gymnast grieved the longest. Train Engineer, 5, got over it quickly and moved on to better things. Family time and togetherness is what counts! Life passes by quickly. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, .... a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance... (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4) |
Oct. 11, 2006
Life without blogs; Homeschool life goes on
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When technical life shuts down, homeschool life goes on. Let's see.
The JV Volleyball team competed against 11 other private schools. Fishhawk Team A did really well and placed third overall at the end of the seaso. Yesterday's Volleyball banquest was well attended by coaches, parents, and children who celebrated sportsmanship, self-confidence, teamwork, etc. with food, fun, and a dip in the spring water of Lithia Springs Park. Soccer season for JV and Varsity are coming. I heard all 19 kids tried out and all will get to play competitively. Homeschoolers are lucky to have homeschool dads devote their time to coaching them. Times seem to be flexible. Everyone really has a gift, whether small or big to enrich the lives of homeschoolers.
Gymnast's cheerleading with the Stars finished the 8-week program with a show at the YMCA courtyard. Five teams ranging from ages 4 through 10 performed cheerleading chants and cheers in front of loved ones. What's a gathering without food? Chick Fil-A Cow was there with nuggets. There were photo ops, and happy girls clad in pink shirts, black shorts, and pink pompoms. I was luck y to get a group photo of the team as my camera stopped working after handing it to Inventor. Things Gymast learned from the experience? Self-esteem boost, mental well-being, and overall self-confidence. Mission accomplishe
4-H Cloverbuds started at the home of Ms. Joan. The kids are learning about principles on real giving-- making something to give to others vs. making something to keep for themselves among other things. Archery is starting soon. 4-H Rifle is having its kick-off also.
Got to participate in a book discussion that meets monthly at the library on Charlotte Mason's , "Educating the Whole-Hearted Child." Great stuff.
Cub Scout with Train Engineer has been fun for him. This was what he'd been waiting for all these years. It was just a matter of time and now that he's in it, he couldn't be happier to be doing Boy Scout stuff. Only he has to start with the other Cubs. This Pack seems to be well-volunteered and well-organized. Parents are expected to be there with their kids plus the pack has well-planned activities throughout the months. No stones are left unturned this year. This is our 3rd year. On a sorry, note, however, because of Inventor's acting class that has him going to the class on Saturdays, he has not been able to devote as much time to his Webelos activities, especially weekend camps. We shall see where these two roads meet. Between all these homeschool activities are news after news of school shootings around the good old USof A. I knew my friend was right when she made the decision to take the kids out of regular school. The shooting was enough to wrack her nerves. Shootings in Colorado; Amish girls shot in their schoolhouse, teacher shot by a student, etc. I can't shield my students/kids from all the harms in the world but I will shield them as long as I can. So when these news of shooting happened locally when a policeman and his canine partner were shot, we decided not to go to the park for PE. Yup, we're weird. We protect our kids! The homeschool website also prompted us to just stay home until things cooled down.
The kids went to their first Showcase with a talent agent from LA. There were people from all ages 5 through up at one of the hotels the event was held in. There was also a high school homeschoolerEveryone had to show their acting abilities using conversation pieces and monologues. It was interesting to watch. I learned something. The talent agent smiled, studied the expressions on their faces and looked for charm, natural acting ability, and emotions. It was like watching a movie. You could tell if someone would make a good actor or not. If you didn't feel some sort of emotion from the actor, you knew he/she wasn't good enough. There were a few good ones. BikerDad thought there were would-be actors/actresses that shoudn't be actors at all. Nevertheless, Inventor and Train Engineer had potential as the agent said. Anyhow, it's their first two months of acting, they still need more training.
We also got to go to the first hockey games of the season. Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Red Wings; Lightning vs. Atlanta Bruins; and Lightning vs St ars. You know what was nice about going to those hockey games? Getting those free tickets for a family of five. With that, We still had extra tickets to give away. We must have asked 10 different families but no one was available to come that night. Nevertheless, the games were well-attended and there was fun to be had. It was a relief to have seats five rows from the center after sitting three stories up in the nosebleed section the first two times. One tiny pizza was $10!!! Jerseys were outrageously priced. Call it the price you pay for being a hockey fan. Inventor got to wear his first Christmas present. Eat first before you leave home for a hockey game. Gymnast loved the cheerleaders quick-change costumes, not so much the skimpiness. Her words were, "Mom, the cheerleaders have boobies!" LOL Just wonderful! Read a nice article running in the local paper about Toastmasters. In it was a picture of the Charter Group. I think this group will be a successful one given that YMCA has a good childcare offering and a central location that people go to day after day. Choir's going well. Being a late-comer on Wednesday night rehearsals will not do any attendee any good. These days they get really crowded after 15 minutes. Seats fill up quickly. One could end up sitting on a stairstep for the next hour. People have been encouraged to come and stay and sing. Also, the new policy of plain colored top and out with the hot, heavy robes has most everyone happier.
Homeschoolers from both groups got their yearbook photo for the year. New homeschool moms were very excited. It seems that there has been a surge of new homeschool moms this year, more than the previous years. However, I found that the Yearbook Photo company --LifeTouch seemed to be speeding up the process at the expense of unhappy parents. There was no second shot, which made some moms wonder. Re-takes for defective photo smiles won't be til January. Chess club is well underway. Some of them are winning in tournaments. Since chess is on the near bottom of our priority list, it was best to just let one of the kids attend one tournament.
Organizing a project for 4-H can be a challenge when everyone already has a busy schedule. Entrepreneurship is just one of them. We shall see where this takes us.
Lastly, having a Mac doesn't always mean your data is safe and your lifeline to the outside world is safe. Technical people sometimes say Mac is safer than Microsoft. Well, my Mac had crashed on me twice already. I was lucky to salvage my favorite links, email addresses, and other data before the motherboard breathe its last life. I miss Mac. She's a beauty yet she's defective. She's in computer hospital right now. Homeschooling in general is going well. Inventor is progressing. He is approaching Number Theory. His enthusiasm for applying math in real life rubbed off on Gymast. Exploring Astronomy with Apologia Science got the kids hooked on starts, planets and anything related to outer space. How else can you get them excited and learn deeper about a topic than to dig deeper into it. Another beauty of homeschooling. Yes, you can study whatever you want horizontal-style; (cafeteria style) OR you can go vertically and dig deeper and increase your breath of knowledge on one subject. We took the second route.
I am off to New York City for a seminar. Yes, can you belive it? As if homeschooling is not a job in itself, there is one more thing on my plate. It's going to be beneficial in the long run. I'll let you in on the secret when the business is up and running.
I am up for the challenges that lay in store for us in the future.
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Sep. 23, 2006
No Anonymous Cowards Permitted in homeschool territory
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From time to time, we homeschoolers encounter people that either don't know MUCH about homeschool and are prejudiced about the whole thing OR have never heard of it and are neutral about it OR homeschool themselves and love it. Frankly I can't worry about what biased people THINK about homeschooling. Like the sticker says, most of the time they DON'T. Father, forgive them for they know NOT what they're talking. LOL I can't change their mind; I can only educate. Some Anonymous Coward that has excess emotional baggage in her past life posted a stupid comment that shows she missed the entire point of the posting. I think people like her should see a psychiatrist first before even allowed to eat one more Twinkie or HoHo as they surf the Internet. No, seriously, they're looking for things that are wrong in homeschoolers or homeschool. They're bad a** biased--a few of them. What do we do with these biased cyberstrangers? Do we post their comments? Yes. We blast them to cyber black hole. You are in BikerMama's territory and you are not welcome. Not now. Not ever. Never. In perpetuity. If you are a guest and you want to post a comment, you are well-advised to identify yourself if you want to be taken seriously. I have zero respect for people who can't stand behind their opinions. This blog is here to support fellow homeschoolers who are new to the journey and need to get some perspective on how others do it--how others live the lifestyle; how they overcome challenges; etc. If you are a guest and you have a problem with homeschoolers and homeschooling, then you should take your problem elsewhere. I will repeat only once, THIS IS NOT A PSYHIATRIC OFFICE for your personal problems. If you can't walk the walk, then don't talk the talk. |
Sep. 21, 2006
Becoming your students' best cheerleader
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Since Gymnast has been unable to get back to gymnastics since this summer she was ushered into the world of cheerleading, the one activity she always wanted to get involved in but never had an opportunity until now. So I take her twice a week. I help out as an assistant coach. Some days I am thrust into the front line when everyone else is not available coaching girls 5-8 years old how to "show your spirit!" and chant to the top of their lungs with all gaity. You can tell I was not a born cheerleader or encourager. :-) I'm only going to repeat it one time. I was there to support my child, my student, my homeschooler. After several weeks of taking her back and forth to practice and cheer football players I have come to realize that cheerleading is one of those activities some people or me for that matter hardly put importance to as a career path like one would consider medicine or law . I will now come out of the scholarly and intellectual closet and denounce my unbelief. LOL This probably stemmed from the fact that some of the girls that were in it back in high school days were not the scholarly type individuals. There are exceptions to the rule, of course. I'm not saying the girls are dumb, either. I'm just saying a nerd chanting, "Go, win fight!" This time I am paying close attention. It isn't as bad as I thought it was. Let's face it, TV personality Katie Couric was a former cheerleader and now a successful bright and bubbly career woman; and even my good friend Kendra W. from our homeschool group, also another former cheerleader in her younger days, is now a cheering mom of her kids's sports. I've always admired Kendra for her cool, calm demeanor and encouraging attitude. She and I would sit together on the bleachers on afternoons twice a week cheering our volleyball players through losses after losses against private schools. She never faltered in encouraging with "Good try!" "Good job!" and loud applause despite the lack of skills of some players. Meanwhile, the rest of us mothers were losing hope and somber-faced. Yep! They're not winning today, etc. "Another game, another loser" attitude as we watch the other team cream our team the "Fishhawks" So this brings me to my other point and that is we teachers of our children could learn a thing or two about being our students' best cheerleaders. I guess if we're full-time career moms it would be a different ball game but we are homeschoolers and we see our kids all day. Sometimes we take them for granted that we are their teachers and they are our students. Sometimes we get carried away with discouraging remarks especially if the majority of our time is spent on disciplinary issues. So this is one of those things that tend to get murky. If you are reading this and you are the best cheerleading mom, you may stop right here. You are doing great! This is for those of us who were not born cheerleaders or in a spiritual sense--encouragers. That's me. I was not raised that way and I had to learn it on my own for the sake of my children. Sometimes my old me rears its ugly head. Thank goodness for God's grace and mercy! I have to say though that most of all I am learning how to be my students' best cheerleader using the principles outlined in the Bible. It's not that I haven't been encouraging to my kids and batting for them up until now. We all do that. That's why we homeschool. We are talking about everyday things such as when little Johnny or Jane doesn't want to do his/her writing for the umpteenth time or complete his lesson or when he/she is not motivated to practice piano lesson or whatever. It is easier to snap back with threats and screams than to be encouraging. I tend to agree with you. This is one of the few challenges of homeschooling. Nobody ever claimed homeschooling is easy. Child: "Mom, can you and I build this toy?" Mom: " You haven't even picked up the toys in your room. Don't even think about it!" Child: "Mom, can I go play with my friend?" Mom: "No, you can't. You didn't even compete your school work. Fat chance you're going anywhere." Of course, if that's all our little Johnny and little Jane hear everyday, it would kind of kill the motivation to actually get motivated to try harder to write or clean the room or do his/her best. The book of Proverbs talks about principles that speak about the heart, the tongue and the lips of a wise and a foolish person. Are we with the wise one in, "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit." or with the foolish one in "The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly." ? To be your students' best cheerleader first start with Godly principles that you put in your heart. You can't give good advice or answers if you haven't learned what good advice look like. You can't be an encourager if you have not discerned what encouragement is about. Second, have a cheerful attitude. It is like good medicine. Third, don't be anxious about things. It weighs everyone down around you. Fourth, have a cheerful look. It brings joy to those around you. If you must deal with a foolish statement or situation: It is good advice to understand what the situation is. Well, may be little Johnny didn't want to do his writing because the curriculum is crappy. "A man of knowledge uses words with restraints, and a man of understanding is even-tempered." Why be a cheerleader for them? What's the point? Right? You ask. Well, since we are our own kids' teachers I think it would be in everyone's best interest to help homeschooling be successful. The Book of Proverbs say, "The wise in heart are called discerning and pleasant words promote instructions." Here's a good one, "A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promotes instruction." Wise or foolish teacher. In a world of challenges and disappointment, which cheerleading coach would you rather be? |
Sep. 19, 2006
How my unsocialized homeschoolers got socialized
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Some people say my kids need socialization. They look at me in the eye to see if I have any shades of doubt that I made the right decision. I hate arguing with friends that I have to see over and over again. Aaargghhhh. Here we go again. I will you show you Socialite Sue and Sociable Sam that your definition of socialization and homeschoolers' definition of socialization are not really one and the same. On second thought, I'll let our neutral readers at large pick which socialization they'd rather have.
Let's see. This week, er, the last few months, if not days, the little homeschoolers entrusted to me have been exposed to things no public school students are allowed to do or included in their curriculum especially during class hours. Unfortuntely, homeschoolers don't stop learning when the bell rings. Learning takes place 24 / 7. And, unfortunately, learning is not limited to sit down time and using only one side of the brain for 6 hours. The students that I have don't sit down for 6 hours, much less 3 hours! And, sorry to say, they use all repertoire of learning modes and all the intelligences needed to learn--intersocial, analytical / spatial, kinesthetic, verbal, musical, and naturalist, etc. etc. Train Engineer became the focal subject of study by 1 expert hair saloon instructor and 7 saloon artists at Manhattan Hairstyling Academy. They interviewed him about his school and family; they interacted and smiled. This child interacted with human beings that are more intelligent than him and learned intersocial skills. I can't remember the last time I interacted like that in my elementary years of education. I know. Just because he got the rich experience doesn't mean it's superior to a public school kids' sit-down experience at school. We're talking about presence of or lack of socialization, correct? Right now, Train Engineer is back at his drawing table, er, building room trying to finish his "Battle of Metru Nui" project. His door is locked so no sibling/student disturbs his thinking process. He's been building this thing for several days. Next projects on the wish list? Lego Mindstorms, Robo Raptor, Lego Knights Kingdom, Lego Star Wars, and Bionicle. He wrote his own wish list. I knew it. He can write. He wrote his own wish list. He's 5. But he would write only those things that has interest to him. He also wrote a thank you letter to our dear neighbor who brought him a present from Canada. He also charms his acting coaches when he sees them for his lesson. They are busy people and are experienced in their field and do not have time for people that are dumb as a rock (no personality). They won't take your money just to accept you but if they see that you have the personality for it, then they'll work with you. It seems to me Train Engineer did not need to be trained in how to be sociable. He has the nerve! Anyway, back to the topic.
Inventor delved into a deep discussion of citizenship and 9-11 with his Boy Scout friends and Den Leader. Discussion of this type happens on Monday nights. Anyway, he came home afterwards to watch the Presidential Address which also tied in with 9-11 tragedy and got into another deep discussion with the Principal aka BikerDad. Things are starting to intertwine. He's been reading about the Middle East and Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, etc. for History/Geography. For now, he's not interested in visiting the Middle East but is fascinated with the House on a Rock as an architecture design.
Gymnast engaged herself in a social interaction with the Girl Scout leader and 9 other brownie troopers as they planned their on-going and future girl scout projects. Well, if this was not a socialization experience--she came out of the event happy and friendly and talkative instead of withdrawn and quiet--then I don't know what your definition of socialization is. She also gets involved in kinesthetic activities that amputees or disabled veterans only dream of: cheerleading and gymnastics. I can't even do the splits! The girls and coach she practices with make it look like they're tossing pizza dough in the air!
Back to Inventor, the ever- multi-potential over-achiever (whom anti-omeschoolers called jack-of-all-trades) interacted with his two Christian coaches and teammates three times a week as they work on sportsmanship, cooperation, and teamwork. On Sundays, he sees his Sunday School teachers and classmates to get moral education. Need to say more? He's been doing this since he was an infant. The result is long-lasting and positive. On Tuesdays, he sees his 70 year old Master Pianist teacher to work with his music theory and skills. They also discuss appropriate pieces to play on recitals and other public performances. He's been playing since 3, has played in front of a Teacher Appreciation Event and has won competition. I guess if he's not socialized enough, then, at least he's a master of one. Not just a jack of all trades, as some of you would say. Inventor is just typical of homeschooled students. Many take music lessons as one of many avenues for an enriched education. Many pursue non-conventional type of learning--fencing, cooking, robotics, public speaking, livestock raising, etc. On Fridays, all the students go to one of their favorite hangouts: the chess club. Yeah, they don't get to talk much to 15 other kids but I'm sure something's cooking in their brain while staring at the chessboards. Basically, everyday they don't get the socialization that public schoolers get. Because like many other days they actually read books of intellectual value, explore hands-on activities, are given time to think, discuss, research, experiment, tinker, listen, do chores, and work on refining their character).
I know. I know. You say I'm missing out on the public school experience of socialization. Poor homeschooled children. Millions of them that learn at home. They don't GET TO sit still in their students' chairs and stop talking with each other; interact with the bullies in the playground; stand in line for an hour to get lunch or use the bathroom or get a drink or commute for half an hour in the bus. If this is what socialization is about, I'd rather go to jail. Isn't that what chain gangs do in jail? Stay in their cell and held there indefinitely and stand in line to get their food? Scary thought, huh? I'd rather be the Unsocialized Homeschooler. (ha ha ha; lightning flashing; drums banging hard).
How do you want to be socialized? |
Sep. 13, 2006
Mom's life outside of Homeschool
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Finally, the JV Volleyball Team FishHawks are winning a little at a time. This afternoon, the team played against a 4th private school. They won the second game but lost the third game. It was close, though. It was an improvement from all the other games. Here's one story to share. It was Inventor's turn to serve the ball and he looked at me from the bleachers and lost concentration. I just turned my face away to avoid making it worse. Naturally, he missed the ball over the net. He was upset, as usual. And, guess what, the referee noticed he missed it (as he was expecting him to be good) and turned to me and teased with, "Mom, you distracted him." Well, I just said, "Hit the ball hard." So every time he'd serve the ball, I'd duck my head so he wouldn't look at me. I guess Inventor was checking to see if *I* was watching him. Go figure. Now, I must make another confession, Inventor is not the best server, like most everyone in his team. There's only 1 boy that does it well. Like I said, "It's a good experience for them" and the coaches were encouraging. They're so nice. I don't know about me. I'm just overzealous, I guess. I probably would not make a good coach. I'd look like one of those football coaches you see on tv that look red with high blood pressure and screaming because their team is losing and they can't seem to do anything about it. Picture a coach with big fat veins bulging on his neck and his face red like a rooster. You get the picture. That would be me if I coached a losing team. LOL Meanwhile, Gymnast's cheerleading with the YMCA, I thought the girls (all 10 of them) have been very good and learning their chants and chimes very well. They got them all mastered. You can tell many of these kids are clearly kinesthetic learners. They got it all figured out, especially that the regular cheerleader coach (a teenager from one of the local high schools) was out on vacation. So it was me--the assistant coach and another mom that were left to improvised. We survived. All 8 moms sat on the bleachers were enjoying their girls being the cheerleaders that the moms never were. How do I know? None of them offered to help when I solicited for help. Although I wouldn't say I dreamed about being a cheerleader ever. I was just there to support Gymnast. I'll leave it to the females with more lungs than you know what! :-) Okay, on to important topics... In case you're wondering by now if my life revolves only around as an educator of very exclusive children of a very exclusive boarding school, well, let me tell you something, I have a life. It's a way for me to grow as a person; as a way to take a retreat from the homeschool forest; etc. I am a member of a Toastmaster's Club. Tonight, I gave my third speech. No, it wasn't about homeschool, sorry to say. I did that in my second speech. I did my third one on babysitting, can you believe that? What could someone talk about in babysitting? Well, I did it and they actually liked my speech delivery. I surprised myself. And, my biggest speech critic actually liked my speech. She surprised me. :-) Tonight happened to be the Charter Party and so the number of people that attending was unusually high--may be 30? I should know that, I'm in Membership committee. So that's my other life this side of the moon. My other life outside of homeschool is learning more and more about digital video production. Hubby set me up a website, and you guessed it, some homeschool website, that I am trying to fill with information of some sort. I won't tell you what it is yet. The time is not yet ripe to reveal the content. (Wink) I am thinking about going to Boston or one of those seminars for VideoMakers. I think I can wing it with the airfare with hubby's free air miles but the actual intensive seminars are going to cost me an arm and a leg. But, on second thought, they're actually cheaper than going back to college with International Academy of Design and Technology for a mere $80, 000 just to get a second bachelor's degree. Blech! I can't stomach the price! I'm going to throw up. So we shall see which path is the road cheaply-travelled. My other life outside of life itself is motorcycle and shooting sports. You probably think I shouldn't be a homeschooler by now. I don't fit the educational profile. LOL Much less my little homeschoolers should be riding a motorcycle or carrying a .22 caliber. Thankfully, I don't let my kids ride with me on my Harley motorcycle. First of all, I sold it. I just ride on my hubby's motorcycle. Second, I don't own a gun. I just rent it at a shooting sport center. So, I'm not being an irresponsible parent by any means. I help teach Sunday School with the Kindergartners. Ms. Ginger is my die-hard partner. I am glad I have another woman who's zealous about teaching. We can always learn from each other. She's so organized and keeps me busy as well. We are supposed to visit kids. So if you are a homeschooler who's too wrapped up with homeschool, my advice is free yourself from time to time. By taking a break in between, you come back refreshed and rested and have gained perspective and fresh new ideas and ready to conquer the next unit studies. Because of Toastmaster's I have become aware of how important it is that my little homeschoolers should be able to communicate well. To communicate God's truth, etc. etc. Another day, another lesson learned. |
Sep. 11, 2006
When Good Homeschoolers Go Bad
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It was an extremely busy day today. As you can see from my other postings, this time of year, there's a lot going on. Half of these events such as the cheerleading and volleyball games are 8 weeks long. So I should be seeing some restful nights at the beginning of October. As soon as the time hit 1 pm, we (at least I was) were running around like chickens whose neck just got axed! Gymnast's twice a month Girl Scout started today. And, I had taken for granted that I knew the location of all 3 of my favorite libraries. Well, her Girl Scout meeting was held in a branch library that I had never been to before. Why is it that you can't ever get a live person on the phone anymore? I mean, you call the operator and they screen you first. I had to yell "1" to speak English or "2" to speak Spanish. I just wanted the darn number for the library. Even the main website for all the libraries won't tell you where the exact location is. So, I finally got a hold of a human being from the library. Thank goodness he was smart enough to figure out I was one desperate person. So Gymnast got to her first Girl Scout event for the first time. This had been her wish for two years, which was something I kept putting off because of time conflict with other siblings. So I dropped off Inventor to the YMCA for his volleyball practice. You really want to know something? I will confess some facts. Ready? Inventor's JV Volleyball team has been on a losing streak! JV Volleyball has two teams. I don't know about the first one but he's on the second team. There was no tryout so anybody who wanted to sign up could play. Fair enough for the kids. It's an opportunity to play and practice team work if not for the exercise. After all, some people will tell you it's not all about winning. But, for goodness sake, they've played against 3 different private schools in the area already and they are still being creamed! Poor kids. Poor Inventor. Don't get me wrong. He's competitive and it frustrates him to see his team lose (much less see the volleyball land on the ground right beside his teammate) because the kids were somewhat inexperienced. The kids just need a little more practice. Poor kids! It's not all their fault. After all, the sun is right in their face at 3:30 pm. with half the games being outdoor. Besides, their counterparts are giants! It makes the homeschool team look like Kindergartners being wiped out by 6th graders. Sorry to say I'm just a loud backseat coach. I'm not the coach. I'm just the parent of one of the players. I'd like to see them win so they can at least see they're really not all that bad. :-) Okay, I got a little sidetracked there. Those are a bunch of good kids up there. I can tell you that much. They all come from Christian loving homes. Am I starting to sound like I'm advertising for free pets? (Laugh). This morning, we had a little incident. And I am proud to say that I did not lose control. Yeah. I did not let my emotion get the best of me. I mean, when you have a strong-willed student and you're not in the mood for creative negotiation, the last thing you want is a screaming match. I hate being mad. It's such an energy-draining phenomena, at least in my house. Well, this morning, Inventor and I got a head start on his school stuff. We went over all his school stuff: Math, Science, Language Arts, Spelling, Reading, etc. etc. Then he ate breakfast. Soon he realized after looking at his checklist of seatwork to complete that he really didn't feel like doing Math first! Let me tell you something. We have done Math at every hour of the day. Frankly at 2pm is my least favorite time to think complicated stuff. I'm too drowsy. We've been down that road before. Try doing mental computation at 2 pm after you've been in your seat for at least 2 hours. I'll bet you it's not as productive as when you first got up in the morning. I didn't want him to do Math at night, either. It's too late. He has Boy Scout. I am a firm believer that you retain the first two and last informations on your list the most. Try memorizing a shopping list of 10 items. You remember the first two and the last one. So we try to do something fun for the middle part of his school--go explore outside, or do something hands-on or eat lunch or watch an educational DVD. Whatever suits the mood. So my little homeschooler went bad. He fussed, whined, mooed, kicked a little bit. Nothing too bad. He wanted to do other stuff first other than Math. So I went through a whole litany of reminders. I reminded him that we don't do things not because we don't feel like doing it such as his dad traveling for weeks at a time, for example. We do things because it is part of what we do. I reminded him of the shows he watched last week, "Lockdown" and "SuperMaximum Security Prisons." I reminded him of jail images filled with jailbirds and chain gangs that didn't want to do what they were supposed to do like listen and obey because they didn't feel like it. Well, I gave Inventor a little space and time to think about what I said. I let Gymnast and Train Engineer play with the rabbit outside and write sidewalk chalk on the basketball court in the backyard. I unloaded the dishwasher. After a few minutes, Inventor decided to work on the first thing on his checklist. It's not that I don't let him have freedom to pursue what he wants. Unfortunately, we are not radical Unschoolers that I should leave his math curriculum at the mercy of our shopping or chicken coop building, you know what I mean? He has a lot of things going for him. He gets to build whatever he likes; plays chess; goes to his favorite Boy Scout; plays sports; gets to read whatever books he likes to read (as long as they're not all comic books); is in 4-H Rifle, and gets to compete in most competitions. So, today, we prevented a catatrosphe of epic proportion. My little homeschooler chose to take the peaceful path. Do his school work or be doomed to be a dubious star of Maximum Security prison National Geographic Special. (Ha ha ha; Thunder; lightning; sound effects). That is a joke, of course, if you are reading this and you've had a miserable day on the job. |
Sep. 8, 2006
Finding True Value in Reading
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This has never been a problem for me. I read a variety of books for the sheer enjoyment of reading and lifelong learning. I mean, I am overloaded with books in my house from the old office to garage to living room to family room library. I've been battling the real "Battle of the Books." In fact, my RV has become a delightful place to store extra books. Books keep me company when I'm bored. They take me to places and ideas where I wanna go without leaving my kids and sometimes they're my source of information when no experts are to be found nearby. I have several selections of books that range from autobiographies, history, two sets of encyclopedia, science fiction, mathematics, good magazines (National Geographic and Smithsonian, Popular mechanics, Ranger Rick, etc. and all kinds of books that could last for a lifetime. ) I've gotten rid of books that are "dumbed down." Those books should be banned from the library and bookstores. I find them of little literary value. On the other hand, two of my kids find it hard to sit down and read books by themselves unless they're comic or I read it out loud to them. Inventor has read many of the Classics. We went to the library this summer and literally checked out 100 books and audio books that range from Spiders, to Mammals, to biographies to babies/pregnancy/reproduction and many science books. Now Train Engineer would read books with me as long as as they're about Snakes, Spiders, and books of that sort. At this point in time, I am trying to match his reading to our lesson. Inventor is on the topic of Middle East for History/ Geography lesson. We checked out different books about Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, etc. but I wish he would just devour all of them much sooner as opposed to drag them too long for several weeks. A little bit frustrating. My aim would be one hour of solid reading everyday for them. That would be the ideal. So what is the problem, you may ask? Well, three things, sort of. We are more like the Math/Science family; the kids favor building and hands-on projects, and explorations, and other modes of learning. They build Lego, Bionicle, forts, tower, and anything they can get their hands on. They are also out exploring Nature as we see it and take for granted. In the past, I have not encouraged them to read too much at the expense of other worthy pursuits. I wanted it to be balanced but now it's tip on the other scale. I know. We are homeschoolers and we should be reading more among other things. I mean, we read now. We go to the library regularly. We buy books regularly. I just would like them to be moooooore inspired, you know what I mean? Very inspired that they can't put the book down or get out of the bathroom or miss their activities because the book is THAT good. So, anyway, this afternoon, after the kids got done with their chess at the homeschool group's chess club, we went to the Park. This is a Friday ritual that our group puts on for kids' PE. Moms and kids come out and enjoy each other and nature whether they do PE or not. So as I walked into the "group headquarter" , which is the main hang-out for the group's members, I was handed three stubs of "Book It" coupons by one of the dear moms. She has been working hard on this every year and it was nice to see her do it for other families. Besides, I like her, too. Well, I forgot that I signed up last May in the excitement that another-was-over-I-can-take-on-another-year. --Come-on-bring-it-on!" and my "order" has arrived. So I got my kids' reading rewards nonetheless. What "Book It" does, if you're not familiar with it, is you set a reading goal (by the # of books or pages) for your students and at the end of the month they get certificates/rewards that they can redeem for a free pizza at Pizza Hut. I participated the year before but not last year. For some reason I just had this "enlightenment" that reading should not be about bribing my kids to read. I've never been good at bribing them. I believe they need to behave and listen and obey for the love of virtue not for fear of punishment or reward withheld or postponed. The same principle should be for reading books. I believe kids should read not out of bribery, manipulation, or rewards--such as a free trip to the movie or whatever but out of the intrinsic rewards that reading brings to a reader. So that caused me to skip a year of Book It. Last year, I do remember Inventor reading just for the love of the stories--science fiction to biography to adventure--the stuff boys are made of. We used to have a problem of telling him to "put that book down and turn off your light!" deal. He used to wake up early in the morning just to finish the book. However, the beginning of this school year, I mean, it's only the beginning of September, and they are on book hiatus already! Let me see, the last two books he read were "Frankenstein" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." for this month. I needed something to jumpstart their reading. The inertia to get them movin' has been great. Book It to the Rescue just temporarily!!!!!! LOL So this afternoon, at a time when my kids usually hang out in their room to play with Bionicle and Lego, after an afternoon out, we printed out sheets of reading goals list. We took out all the books we got from the library last week. Inventor had a goal of 20 books at his reading level; Gymnast who has not had the book flu that the boys are getting, shoot for 39 books; and Train Engineer shoot for 21 books. They wrote the book title and authors by themselves. So there you go. If the spark is lacking, try reading goals. |
Sep. 6, 2006
A day in the life of a homeschooler: bad teacher
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Today I have been a bad teacher. (At least, according to the public school system, I'm not supposed to teach about God. That's their idea of separation of church and state). Frankly, all these shootings, drugs and violence in school are the results of what they have done by taking God out of our schools. I make my kids do the Pledge of Allegiances. I taught my kids about God as usual with their principal who said it was okay when Inventor asked if he could recite the Sermon on the Mount again. I didn't turn on Inventor's DVD program. I neglected him. He just went right to work on his Language Arts stuff without my help! I went to check his school work and most of his answers were correct. Train Engineer (5 yo) refused to work on silly phonics reading but lay down on the couch and fantasized about how he could get the big box of Bionicle out of my closet 9 ft. high. I shoved it there last night. He was punished for being creative, well, staying up late at night! Well, he told me his brain was crazy about building so after a long hard decision, I bought him The Battle of Metru Nui and said he would build it all. Well, he just didn't build it. He got creative with it and designed his own way of building but late at night. I guess he really is a budding engineer who has the rage to build. So, he managed to get the whole box back by himself without anyone's help. He said he almost died trying to climb up the closet to get it. I just had to find a way to get him to go to bed. It was past 9 pm. I forbade Gymnast from playing with her box full of chemicals in her ChemLab box. Instead I gave her plain clorox, coloring, soap, and water. I also did not let her and Inventor use the same ChemLab gadgets. One of them was being nasty to the other and I didn't want to be the random victim of drive-by shoot out. Gymnast started hurling test tube pipette at Inventor. I was hoping I had my own goggles in case they started hurling powder chemicals. This was "survival of the fittest" at this point. Really, Gymnast didn't want Inventor playing with her gadget. Inventor on the other hand argued that it was his because the age on the box said it was for 10 years or up. Well, he will only turn 9 in 3 days. Meanwhile Train Engineer poured out black coal substance and came out looking like he just came out of the chimney. Surely, this Chemistry Experiment is fit for "Homeschoolers Gone Wild" video. Aside from the regular academic stuff they did, Inventor took a break and lay down on the couch reading his Piano Theory book while listening to Spanish's La Clase Divertida. I couldn't tell which information he was immersed in--the Spanish or the Music Theory. Things were crazy this morning. The principal aka BikerDad called 4 times to arrange for our travel arrangement, not to Key West for 3 days but to SeaWorld, NASA, and Disney's Epcot. I suggested we take our beat-up 20 year old RV to save hotel and dining expenses. He's running away from the family hurricane. (Hint: Dysfunctional relatives and such) Like I said, things were crazy and it was hard to be inspired to ge a great teacher. Gymnast could not keep her mouth shut. She lives and breathes cheerleading and could not hold the floodgate of cheerleading mantra over and over. "Who rocks the house, I say the Y rocks the house! ...Bring the house down." And then there's the "Hot like fire, cold like ice. Come on team, fight, fight, fight!" Her non-stop chanting drove Inventor crazy as he was working on his Math seatwork. I told her to go and do her cheerleading in Train Engineer's room. He wouldn't mind it while building his lego stuff. She also wanted to do her Tap Dance. So I turned on the Tot Tap DVD from Kultur.com and let her tap til she dropped. My floor survived the steel shoes from hell. Train Engineer and Gymnast have been catching up on their Astronomy lesson. Today we talked about the sun, sunspots, and sunflares. Again, I was being a bad teacher. I was not prepared. I did not have great picture books to show what aurora borealis look like. Much less an action video of it. She wanted a live video of it as in National Geographic on tv. The pictures in the book weren't enough for her. So, they had to make do with the awesome pictures at the click of a button that Google.com could provide of what sunspot and aurora borealis look like. They're actually better. Gymnast had her fair share of tears and sobs. She's a sensitive girl. Hurt animals hurt her. A while back, our dwarf rooster trampled on one egg. That just blew her to pieces. To her, the eggyolk was a little chick being murdered. I don't blame her. She's been studying too much about babies / reproduction / pregnancy and such. I should censor her. :-) Too much knowledge can hurt you. Yesterday, Inventor collected a grasshopper AND tried to catch a snake. He only got the tail part which broke off as the snake ran away. That got her sad and scared. Today she was sobbing again because the grasshopper in her Butterfly Habitat was dead! It's leg broke off. Gymnast truly knows what Clinton had been saying all along--"I feel your pain." Ha ha ha Today I have a selfish idea. Isn't that awful? I have all kinds of neighbors in my neighborhood. I just wasn't using my brain very well all these years. There's a doctor, a lawyer, a truck driver, a retired business executive, a dentist, an army colonel, a software manager, a salesman, a human resource manager, a pilot, a realtor, and an engineer. Why am I not using all these resources under my nose? These are the same people my cookie salesman/Boy Scouter has been selling to all these years. I should just invite them to come to my house and discuss their backgrounds to my homeschoolers as part of Career Day. I didn't think about that. Today I have been a bad teacher. I neglected my kids but they learned on their own. I did not let them do all the seatwork they were to do but they followed their own interest and learned anyway. They were mostly nice to each other. Inventor hugged Train Engineer so hard I thought he was going to snap his neck! After thinking more about it, being a bad teacher for a day isn't so bad at all. It's kind of nice to see them start to apply what they learn about God's teachings. It's kind of nice to see them take initiative on following their own interest. And, neglecting them? They probably appreciate it that I am not hovering over them every minute of the day while they're doing independent study. . |
Sep. 6, 2006
Homeschool Bus Driver
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Three kids. Ages 5, 6, and 9. Monday: Boy Scout / Girl Scout / Volleyball / Cheerleading It just hit me again today. My friend from church wanted to do stuff with me but when I showed her my daily schedule of where I am on what day she asked, "How long have you been a taxi-driver?" I laughed. Well, I haven't really thought about the duration. I've always known I've been a taxi driver. Just not paid. Overworked? Sometimes... In fact, I have a shirt I bought from a homeschool convention 2 years ago that screams in school-bus yellow, "Homeschool bus driver" On the shirt is a comic picture of crazy kids in a school bus and a smiling mom behind the wheels. It usually gets a comment or smile when I have it on. I guess when I really think about it, the gas, the wear and tear on the vehicle, the sweat (it's usually desert hot in Florida), blood (sometimes it's a drag to get out of the house) and tears (someone is usually whining over shoes or clothes or snacks) I put in (minus the missing naps sometimes), it's alright, I guess. Seriously, It's all worth it. Those are the sacrifices you put in when you sign your life to being a homeschool bus driver to exclusive pupils. :-) It's all part of the deal. I mean, you can't keep them at home all day and coop them up like chickens in a coop. You gotta get them out no You know, I'm sure a weirdo would ask and say, "Well, why do you do it? Isn't that crazy?" Well, if I am not there for my kids, who's going to be there for them? My mother certainly can't. She lives halfway around the world. She's too busy doing accounting for my father's business in the Philippines. My parents in law can't either. They earned their retirement and their trips to Europe. My neighbors? They're too busy flying airplanes, working with clients in court, fixing patient's teeth, managing employees, treating patients, and traveling all over the US. The relatives? They live in another state. The daycare people? Oh, yes, I haven't thought about that. Good suggestion, huh? Oh, you know what, on second thought, I'm going to have to pass over that choice. Thanks for offering, though. Last I checked, it wasn't really a field trip. It was more like crowd control. And, if it wasn't a field trip, the kids are usually in the room watching tv. I wouldn't want to be in their place. Much less my dog or rabbit. Unfortunately my little passengers crave the pursuit of creativity, challenge, stimulation and competition. Gotta get their fix somewhere. Besides, how are they going to live up to their maximum potential if no one encourages them along and supports them? Do you think that if I work outside the home full-time while they're in high school that they would fare better without some form of assistance? Hmmmm. Have we heard of sex and drugs parties put on by teenagers? If there's one reason to keep them busy with something worth pursuing it is to fill their time and hands with things that are quite likely going to make a positive impact in their lives. Let me be the facilitator, er, bus driver. I can keep an eye on them if not for the sheer joy of seeing them grow and develop. |
Sep. 4, 2006
Being a homeschool family/mom/wife/teacher....
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Being a homeschooler carries different identities. Sometimes you are referred to as home schooler; sometimes it refers to your whole family or just your children as an identity like you're some sort of Indian or tribe or social deviant; or even it connotes being "weird" and "whacko" for those who are vaguely familiar with it. Sometimes it paints a picture of a poor family in a farm like some kind of "Little house on the Prairiie" movie. After all, unless you belong to a very large homeschool group, can you really count with your fingers and toes the number of families you know that home school? Public school people refer to our job as "home educate." Whatever that means--superior? Inferior? I am not really sure! Being a homeschooler means being an adventurer and risk-taker. Some people that desire to homeschool but don't know what it's like take on a new lifestyle, routines and mindset find it a daunting task to make the first step in the adventure. Those that do it with little help and resources are the true risk-takers. It takes a lot of courage to believe that you can do better than the certified teachers, especially if your background and self-confidence is shaky. People often ask, "Don't I need to have a college degree to teach?" No. That's the beauty of homeschooling. If you can't teach a subject that your child is interested in studying, you can always find someone outside the home that can. Secondly, people are also intimidated by the fact that they're not organized or patient enough. It takes a person of conviction to believe that homeschooling, though now somewhat fashionable as more and more people like the idea, is not all that at all paved with happy, happy moments and must be done only if there's a real reason to. It has few challenges. Lots of fun things but also sacrifices. For a person to be able to focus on the end goal and not look down and wallow on the "what if it doesn't work out" attitude takes a tremendous amount of self-confirmation,prayer and trust---This thing is going to work. I find some moms that give up when the going gets tough and send their kids back to school. There are exceptions, of course, is when mom is too sick to teach. Being a homeschool family means being non-conformist in the field of education. It means rejecting the idea that traditional way of school as the only means to achieve excellence in education or the only way to, get this, be socialized or believing that it is the only source or even THE best and efficient way to learn is the one and only way. Well, we know it's not. It means you can do it better than they can; it means your children will achieve more than when they are in a regular school setting. It means your children's time to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth has not yet come. It will come. We know it well. Homeschooling is not forever. Being a homeschool mom means having a different mindset than what society dictates a mom to be--having kids in daycare and having a 9-5 job. It is rejecting the idea that a career is the only true path to a fulfilling satisfying life. It's one way for some people. That doesn't mean every mom should drop their jobs now and stay home and school their children at home. Not every mom is called to teach their own children. I am not advocating that every single career woman that works quit her job. We do need some females in the workplace where men are not available. It means forsaking all other pursuits or putting them on the back burner first to put the children's needs first. If the child has ADHD or learning disorder and is not thriving well in school, then mom probably needs to do something. Another exception again is when homeschooling places undue burden on mom's life. Homeschooling is a choice, not a sword to swallow down the throat. Being a homeschool mom means being in tuned to your children's needs and desire to pursue worthy goals and facilitating and nurturing it. If the child wants to be an actor or pianist or ballet dancer it means showing you care and you want to help him/her. It means learning to enjoy being around your children even when they fight to the death in the back seat of your car when you're on your cellphone with an important phone call. It means learning to be tough when they try to manipulate or nag you. It also means being an encourager to your children's hopes and dreams even when they sound crazy and far fetched; It means being your child's best cheerleader despite how bad he kicked the soccerball to the opponent's goal. It also means being focused and self-controlled in allocating resources to meet those passions and dreams. Sending a child to expensive ballet, acting or gymnastics lesson means choking it up and forgoing those fancy vacation packages, big fat SUV's, top name designer clothes and jewelries, or that fancy job that beckon$$$ you to apply, etc. Lastly being a homeschool mom means being a beloved sacrificial chauffeur to field trips, practices, lessons, and games when you would rather go shopping or hang out at Starbucks or shop or surf Ebay for the latest bargains. Don't get me wrong. Watching your child flip or hit that ball or play in a recital is the greatest sight to see. Behind every successful game and home run or recital is one hurried mom trying to beat every yellow light, every fuss and whine over the outfit, and spilled drinks in the car! It's all worth the weekly trip. Sometimes it means being resourceful and creative when the only best thing to do on a bad day is pop some popcorn in the microwave and watch a movie. Being a homeschool wife means being a non-stop ball of energy from the time the sun rises till the sun sets or when Dad comes home, whichever comes first. It means being an expert juggler of chores, bills, errands, appointments, social play dates, and personal quiet time in addition to the actual learning time. It means being a master planner of events that are yet to come--broken dishwasher, clogged up toilets, leaky roofs, green swimming pool, flooded bathroom, etc. It means being a master magician for your children by day and your husband by night. It means putting on that hat of authority when they misbehave and creating the best craft ideas by day and putting on that sexy lingerie when husband says to put it on because it would look good on you. You just can't meld the two. Husband wouldn't like being bossed around by a mean teacher! Being a homeschool friend means being an encourager to a friend who's going through the same phase you went through in the past. Her child is stuck in multiplication misery. It means being a listening ear to your friends' challenges. She may feel like a bad mom for having kids that refused to do their school work and you just happen to have the same situation, isn't it nice you're not alone in the journey? Isn't it nice to feel that this is normal? Sometimes it means being an avid supporter to someone who likes the idea of homeschool but are not sure about how to go about it. Being a homeschool acquaintance means being able a smart aleck when they hurl annoying jokes at you for having "unsocialized kids" or asking you why you're kids are not in school or how do you know your kid is gifted. You become a person who is able to think fast on her feet and data storage of "good answers" to bad homeschooling questions. Being a homeschool blogger means taking time out of your schedule to write down ideas that refuse to come out of your brain, no matter how much coffee you drink. It means not being sure how people really view you as a homeschooler--you're either a whacko or normal depending on who's reading your blog. Regardless, does it really matter? I'm a non-conformist, aren't I? It means not being sure what people really want to read about (homeschool books and curriculum, homeschool method, and what they don't want to read--my crappy writing, my kids' boring stuff, etc. What would you like to read about in my blog? Please give me some comments. |
Sep. 1, 2006
2 B Educated....the Real Essence
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"Hmmmmmnn.... everything looks perfect. He finished his seatwork in time. Everything looks correct. Wow. What a good smart boy. But, wait, I want to see how he worked out the Word Problems in his Math notebook." This went through my head as I went over Inventor's Math Homework. I just finished Train Engineer's read aloud story, "Rip Van Winkle and Sleepy Hollow." So I went downstairs and looked for his worked out answers and was suspicious how he got all them correct--with no worked out solutions. I knew there was some hanky panky going on. Tsk, tsk, tsk! I summoned Inventor, who was working on his car drawing, and asked him how he figured it all out. It wasn't that he was not capable of solving Word Problems with mental computation but that this one was just a little too perfect. For a whole half-hour I reminded him about the wrongness of cheating and how as a Christian Someone up above could see everything he was doing. It was the longest homework of Inventor's life. He did get some of them correct but not all of them. Finally, he broke down and said, "Sorry." For the next 15 minutes, he was so remorseful for his cheating that he just cried in my lap like I had never seen him being remorseful before. After a short prayer and assurance of forgiveness, he managed to regain his composure and played with Junkbot. I thought my next blog would be on butterflies, raccoons, wolf spiders, and plain academics. Surely there's got to be more to my day than relating what they have done so far. Yesterday Inventor caught two beautiful butterflies from the backyard; spied on two sly raccoons visit our lanai at 11:45 at night; and caught two wolf spiders this morning. What happened this afternoon was far more important than any of those little wonders. This was a strong reminder of why we homeschool--to educate the heart of a person, not just the mind. If we have instilled in our children strong academics but have failed to teach them courage in the face of adversity then we have failed in educating them completely. If we have instilled in them the value of money but have not taught them to be grateful and to be good stewards then we have failed in educating them completely. If we have sent them off to the best college in the country but have failed to keep them from being indicted of white collar crimes, we have failed in educating them completely. If they were able to obtain a job with a world-class company but couldn't even get a grip on their integrity and honesty then we have given them an incomplete education. This acquaintance at my daughter's cheerleading said she didn't want to be completely responsible for her daughter's education. If it wasn't our job to educate them then who will teach our children? If we didn't want to be 100% responsible for educating them who will teach the other half that can't be learn in the classroom? To be educated is more than just mastering school basics, any child with a skillful teacher can do that; It's more than just lighting the fire of inspiration, the best classroom gadget can do that; It's more than just having relationship with them, even the doctor has a relationship with its loyal patient. It's also about instilling in them the absolute moral truth that will help shape who they are long after the parents finish the job of homeschooling. That's what to be educated at home is about. And, I will go and take care of Gymnast who is sobbing over a spider that crawled on her bed! :-) |
Aug. 30, 2006
A day in the life of a homeschooler: politics, math, art and guns
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It's 7:30 pm, and I am supposed to be in choir for my adult time but since hubby is in Toronto this week, babysitter is out of commision. I think reflecting on the days' event would be a good idea. Day was calm. Kids were nice to each other. Quiet. And books, papers and pencils were all over the floor of my bedroom. We did some school last night in my bedroom. Inventor wanted to do Creative Writing first thing in the morning. Gymnast and Train Engineer for their Math in their bedroom later that morning. Wednesday seemed like a good day to take it slower. Over the hump. Train Engineer wanted to build his Bionicles and wanted no part of what everyone was doing. Well, that counts as educational, too. So he's off the hook. Gymast wanted to learn about Pi. So we read about "Penrose the Mathematical Cat" and explored the area / circumference / diameter of a circle using construction paper, ruler, and yarn. Why don't they teach youngsters like this in public school? If we let kids see things visually early then we'd have fewer people with Math aversion. Train Engineer finished his writing and joined in on the action. Since Train Engineer finished his Math 1A and Gymnast 1B, it was time to get a new start. They're both using "Math for little ones". 3 years of Math in one book. Imagine that! So we packed our snacks and headed to Kinko's to get a second copy of the same workbook for the second student. Well, it turned out it would take $21 to copy the same workbook. I called the author of the book--Russian lady Dina Migachyov ( from Texas) who said the workbook costs only $10 to order. Copy cancelled! Went to ChuckE Cheese for some much-needed stress busting for the week. Kids were very delighted to be able to go in the middle of the week. I guess it had been months since they were able to go as their Saturdays are filled with Acting lessons in Clearwater and Gymnast's with Cheerleading for 8 wks. In looking back in my day, I realized we didn't do many formal work that a public school teacher would do except for a couple of things--Inventor decided to work on his Averages and liked math so much he wanted to do this part for a month before moving on to the new concept! For a month? It's good to know he hasn't given up Math altogether. It was music to my ears as lately we had been on Duel of the Masters over his mental calculation with long division. If there was anything that ticked me off, it's when he does his Math. He likes to do all his calculations in his head and I can't see what he is doing. I do see that he gets some of the answers right but when he starts fussing and whining 'cause he got lost in his mental calculation, boy, all hell breaks loose. I thought teaching him mental calculations has backfired on this side of the planet. Homeschool is done for the day! Not today. He was all smiles. He has his new Math notebook for math calculations only. Problem solved. Happy camper. I am looking forward to showing him Number Theory. He couldn't wait for me to check his answers. I put if off for a catnap which only lasted oh, 10 minutes? A call from church to remind Train Engineer to work on his "HABITS." And, while he was napping beside me we whipped out his science book, er encyclopedia and went back to the topic he's been learning---Electricity. Well, honestly, that didn't go very well between the two of us. He was too drowsy. I was too crabby. I told him to go and get a real life outside and catch some spiders and frogs which he gladly did. He's been having a long love affair with all sorts of spiders. I am ready to unload tons of Spiderology books back to the library. On a given day, he would beg me to please read to him about Electricity for science to which I happily do except on late nights. One night I begged him "Tomorrow! It's past 9 pm." He wins everytime he asks "Science for Storytime." Other than the formal Math, everything else turned out informal. Does that mean the kids are not learning because it was informal? Oh yes, they are still learning. Everyday for the last month, all three students have been counting the number of eggs hatching from the dwarf chickens. I was getting worried--there are 18 as of today! When are those miniature chickens going to stop laying eggs so the chicks can hatch already? The cage is getting crowded for goodness sake. I am afraid we are going to have a poultry farm in a semi-deed restricted community right next to my pristine pool. :-) I mean, yesterday the sheriff just knocked on my door at 7 pm. Well, it turned out one of the kids tried to dial daddy's phone number in Canada via 911. Hubby says it's good to know Vonage 911 works. To me, I guess it's been years since Inventor had his lesson on not dialing 911. He was 15 months old. (Now 9). It was Gymnast! Time to review with the kids. I thought may be one of the neighbors tattled on us for having a rooster crowing! This is Hurrican season in Florida. Gymnast noticed the dark, fast moving clouds as we drove home from ChuckE. This curiousity turned into a discussion on hurricanes. There is a hurricane, er, downgraded to Tropical Storm Ernesto, which Inventor happily emphasized with strong Spanish accent "Errrrrrrnesto."LOL Train Engineer, 5, was curioused about who or where the hurricanes were named after. Inventor tried to recall the names of the last storms 2005 and noticed they all followed alphabetically--Arlene, Charlie, Gordon, Ivan, and Katrina. That led into a discussion of the National Weather Center or Meteriological Society. You can tell this is something I was not prepared to explain really well--the name of the organization. I do know the organization draw up a list of names for the hurricane and toss out the infamous ones. The ones that inflict the most damage. Train Engineer got the answer he needed. So we got home and turned on the Weather Channel for Gymnast so she could track Hurricane Ernesto and hear all about it. As the weather people were showing the path of the hurricane, Gymnast also looked outside the window to see how the clouds moved! By the time she's had enough of all the floods and devastation pictures on tv, she went back to petting her rabbit and started catching tiny frogs! :-) Tonight Gymnast pored over "How Math Works" to work on a hands-on project she's been wanting to get her hands on--musical jars filled with colored water. Luckily, Inventor knows his notes from piano very well and so adjusted the ratio of water content. It was neat to see them exploring Ratio and Proportion using music and math using a hands-on project. By dinner time, as we went to get battery for the camera, the kids wanted to discuss politics--about Republicans and Democrats and who those people whose names were posted on the roads. It's election time in Florida. They wanted to know what the Republicans wanted; what the Democrats believed; how candidates get elected, etc. We discussed both parties core beliefs among other things. This discussion led into topics on Marriage and Abortion, which I only touched on lightly. I reminded them if they wanted to participate in local politics (especially Gymnast who has taken an interest in wanting to hold a government position someday) that they could help out in the election by waving placards :-). I'll just be their loyal supporter if they wanted. (wink). As if the day was not over, Train Engineer and Inventor sat down by themselves and took the initiative to draw cars from the book "How to Draw Cars" which I picked up from a homeschool convention. Art? Done! They like a little bit of music in the background. We had "Kids Bop." It's our own version of "Supercalifragilistic..." and other tunes they love to listen to. While all this was happening, I was also trying to strike out some bargain deal online with a Chess master teacher. Aw, Shucks! his monthly fee is higher than the local club. Train Engineer really likes chess. I think we'll hafta stick with the local one. It's $30 cheaper. Hubby says so. I thought the day was almost over. I was ready to hit the sack (well, actually surf the net while the kids were in bed) but no, Train Engineer had been reminding me he would like to Santa to bring him, get this, a shotgun!!! And, since Christmas is not here yet, could he just go learn about shotguns on Google.com? Aw, sure. And not to be left behind, Gymnast, who had been learning for months about babies/pregnancy/etc. asked if she could also learn more about pregnant women on Google also? I am glad they're homeschooled! Their learning doesn't have to be confined 'til 2:30 dismissal. |
Aug. 25, 2006
On the "socialization" question booby-trap
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Now that I am level-headed and not smoking dust on my nostrils like a bull ready to launch at the stupid guy with red bandanna, I am ready to put it all to rest. The moment this incident happened and I've had my fair share of incidents like this from the moment I officially started homeschooling (like I said we've always been homeschoolers but not officially until I denounced to the Schoool Board we are taking full-control of our children's education with an arrest warrant called "Letter of Intent" notice). So anyway, here's how the story went. My appliances critical to daily running of the house 24-hours broke. They all broke one after another with a Domino effect. First it was my dryer--refused to heat! Then came the washer--refused to agitate. Then my dishwasher--soap dispenser broke. Then my plumbing under the sink. It's kind of like living with an old man in my house. Anyway, it was during this service order call that I encountered a repair man who happened to be a father of gifted public school kids. At least, that's what he bragged about. It also happened that we've been homeschooling in our RV and hauled all the books, my purse, cellphone, etc. we could possibly stuff in that little 27-ft. living space. The RV had been parked in the sideyard and we would go back and forth between the house and the RV. Well, the kids were really distracted that school day and obviously looked like they were just gallivanting around. So by this point the washer repair man was ready to bill me for the work done. All that time he had been observing what was going on. As I walked back in to the house (I had to get my purse in the RV) to write him a check, he asked, "Do you homeschool? I mean, I'm just curious," to which I said yes. He didn't stop there. From that point on he fired questions one after another without even letting me complete my sentences. Here's how the conversation went. No kidding. Repairman: "Don't your kids need to be around other kids? It's important that they learn from each other." Mrs. Meyer: "Yes, but we belong to two big homeschool groups and the kids play with....." Repairman: "Yeah, but does your husband know about this?" Mrs. Meyer: "Yes." By this point, he sounded like he was trying to prove that I've been doing this homeschooling thing in secret without my husband's permission. He was waiting for me to say, "No, he doesn't know about this whole homeschooling thing and he's really gonna get mad at me when he comes home." I don't have a paid-job, do I? It seems to me if I have been doing this in secret I should have been busted a long time ago, don't you think? Mrs. Meyer: "Well, we also homeschool for other reasons--academics. My son is gifted and I......" Repairman: "Yeah but they do the same thing in school. You only have to sit down with them one hour a day when they come home from school. blah blah blah" Mrs. Meyer: "It really only takes 3 hours a day to do school. It takes six hours for public school. Besides, the school tries to level out everyone on the same plain--the slower learners and the rapid learners are put on the same playing field. Gifted students need to be continually challenged, too...." Repairman: "Yeah, but don't you get mental stress?" By this time, he was waiting for me to say, "Yup, you're right. I should put my kids in public school." Actually, in my mind I was waiting to say, "That's selfish! I'm not doing this whole homeschooling thing for me. It's not about me. It's for my kids." Instead, I said, Mrs. Meyer: "If I really wanted to put my career first, I would have put my kids in day care a long time ago...but we're Christians and I am also concerned about the spiritual aspect of what they're teaching in public school." Repairman: "Yeah, but I'm a Christian too. I go to a Christian church, my kids are in Awana, they're so smart, I make them read. How can you homeschool with one income?" Around this time, I was tempted to tell him, "You make them read? Learning is supposed to be self-directed, not being shoved down your kids' throat! You can't make children learn. You can lead a horse to the water but you can't make him drink!" And tell him, "BUT YEAH, you say you're a Christian but you're not trusting in the Lord's provision." To help end the conversation on a good note, I explained to him how homeschooling is a very personal thing. It is not for everyone. You can't homeschool if you don't have a compelling reason to. Like the saying goes, "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." What is the moral of this story? It's not just about giving the right answer to the ever-irritating question of Socialization. The carnal side of me wanted to say, " I don't want NO freakin' socialization. I don't want NO freakin' teacher telling my kids to sit down for six hours and told , "We'll talk about it later" when they want to learn something and ask intelligent questions. It's not just about appeasing them that you're not a renegade citizen for keeping your children out of school-school. I had a doctor's appointment one day and called the day care center to use their service for 2 hrs. The first question the employee asked, "And why aren't they in school?" Even more important lesson for Christian homeschool families to consider is the fact that the socialization question is a booby-trap as you can see above. It's a test. People that are biased and/or against homeschooling set you on a trap you don't want to be in. It's not what you know about homeschooling that they want to prove wrong. It's how you respond to them. It's who you are that they want to see. Is it irritating that you get cut off and not heard? Yes. Do you want to gouge him for interfering with your personal choice? Heck, yes. Is it okay to respond in a non-Christian way? Noooooooo. They're watching our every move and wait for us to fall. It's akin to a statement, "These people profess to be homeschoolers and teach their kids better but they're rude. I don't want to be like them." There you go. You just ruined your testimony. The homeschooler must be careful to speak and act so as not to ruin his/her testimony. The Bible talks about this in 2 Timothy 2:24-26: "And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil..." |