Aug. 2, 2007 - Our New School Year
Posted in Gracefilled Education
We start our new school year on Monday, August 6. I am rather excited and apprehensive about it. I am excited because the start of a new school year has always signaled the beginning of my favorite part of the year. Although it's still blazing hot here in Texas, fall is in the air. All the stores have their school supplies on sale. I LOVE school supplies. Fall and winter clothes are beginning to show up on the racks of our favorite stores. And my favorite. . .the sun is changing position in the sky and the days are growing shorter again. We still have a ways to go before the official start of fall. . .but it's on the way.
I am apprehensive about this year for one main reason. . .fear of failure. It's hard to admit but I don't think I have finished one school year since we started with the same curriculum OR the same schedule. I have either had a baby on the way that threw a curve ball into the whole thing. Or I have just simply gotten bored with our curriculum and "sensed" a change was needed. That isn't going to happen this year though. Why? Because Underdog won't let me. He decided several weeks ago that we were going back to Tapestry of Grace and that's that. I have been hoping and praying that he would step up and take more of a leadership role in our family and school. We'll he did. And I supposed this is where trusting God's design for marriage comes in.
So I am in the process of making plans for the first few weeks of school with Tapestry of Grace. It will sort of be a review in the first 5-6 weeks. This was the area that we were able to cover after Josiah was born. I think I got to the 4 week fog (I think that is what they call it) and just got overwhelmed with all I had to do in school PLUS 5 children under 8. I think having Underdog behind me this time will make a huge difference. We will be covering Year 1, Unit 1 this year. Because my children are only still in lower grammar we will be stretching each week out over a two week period. That will allow them to adjust to the amount of work that will be required and it will allow me to get the hang of this curriculum. I don't know that I will spend back up to regular pace until Jen (and possibly Josh) are in the dialectic stage.
I am using TOG as the dessert portion of our curriculum (except for their writing component.) I feel it's important that we still focus on the three Rs in our daily lessons. I have worked out my morning where they will be doing a small portion of their day in lessons with me alone and then they will work independently to finish the work. That will allow my little ones time to play alone for a little while and then we have part of the morning to do all the preschool stuff that I was able to do with my older two when they were a little younger. Reading aloud will be our main priority. They need that so much. I am very much surprised but Drew LOVES to read. At least once or twice a day he will come up to me and say "Ead to me." It's usually when I am nursing. Perhaps that is his way of connecting with me while I am with his brother.
Allison has been asking to learn to read so we will be working onScaredy Cat Phonics. She very excited about it but I think it's mostly her opportunity to be with momma. Poor thing has classic middle child syndrome. I also think her love language is quality time so she's got kind of a double whammie against her. It's definately challenged me to be on my knees praying for wisdom in how to fill her tank. She's also become insistant about learning to write so I using a new curriculum to teach her to write her letters. She will finish "A Reason for Handwriting - K" and then we're moving on to Peterson Directed Handwriting. I have been looking at this curriculum for a while now. I finally got the guts up to try it with her. It's traditional letters, however, when they get to the 2nd grade level they start using a lettering that is close to d'nealian as a precursor to cursive. I bought this level for Joshua because he keeps begging me to start cursive. I am just not ready for him to do that yet. I really like that included with each curriculum level is a letter guide that helps them keep their paper slanted and also has the letters infront of them. They can even keep it there for other assignments. Joshua will really benefit from this.
I will be startin Easy Grammar with both Jen and Joshua this year. Jen will be starting the 3rd grade level book. Those things are expensive. I always thought the idea of using a transparency sheet was kind of silly until it finally hit me that I will have FIVE using this in the future. That's almost $400 for all five of my children to eventually pass through Easy Grammar in the 3rd grade. If we do that for 5-6 years with each children we'll eventually spend over $2000 for grammar. I invested in some transparencies this week. LOL!!!!! Joshua will be doing a workbook for the 2nd-3rd grade review type book. He's a little young for grammar but the kid is blowing away every other assignment or workbook that I give him. Underdog thinks he needs the challenge. That was why I mentioned above we may speed up to regular pace with Jen AND possibly Joshua gets to the dialectic stage. He's a smart and gifted kid that is going to speed through a vast majority of his studies. Even when he hits a snag, he just needs to slow down, but once he gets the idea he's off and running again. I suspect that we will eventually find something that will stall him for a while. But he's going to have other areas that are challenging to him and keep him running at a fast pace.
We will continue using Math U See. We are probably a little bit behind in this area. I was following the advice of the Bluedorn's to hold back on math until they at least 10 years old. I suspect that there is some truth to their advice. Unfortunately, I never grew very comfortable with doing that. Perhaps it's still me stuck in the classroom model of school. But I don't think I am going to be judged for going ahead and starting back up with math. I love the Bluedorn's and have learned alot from them. But I think God has something different for our family and I finally came to realize that. Thus, we are a little behind in math but Jenny is going to get caught up and Joshua is right on track for his age.
I started reading a book this week called "Homeschooling At the Speed of Life" by Marilyn Rockett. So far it is exactly what I needed to hear. And in the just the few chapters I have come to realize that I have been trying to fit into somebody else's homeschool model. For instance, there are so many people that live off a homemaking notebook of some sort. I have tried and tried but I just can't do that. I don't have an extensive address book so I am wearing myself trying to make one that I like. I use a giant desk calendar to schedule everything for my entire family. I carry a smaller one in my purse to make appointments and such. I make lists on steno pads just like my mom did. And when it comes to making plans for school, I prefer to use the tradition teachers notebooks like I used when I was a teacher. I just adapt it to fit our subjects of children. NO more notebook. That is just a small example. I am obviously not finished with the book but it's inspired me alot. I am going to attempt to write a review of it later.
That is alot of what we have planned for year. My goal for the year is simply to finish TOG Year 1, Units 1 & 2 by the time the homeschool convention comes around in May. I think I can do that. . .I hope.
(I am signing off now to go read Underdog's blog. He's been behind me typing his blog up and giggling the whole time. I am nervous. ha!!!)
PS. Underdog threw me under the bus in his blog. How rude!!!!!!!
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