May. 9, 2008 -
There is a flurry of activity around our house today as we are getting ready for our homeschool evaluation on the 16th of this month. OH MY How time has flown this year! I didn't realize how far behind our scrap book actually was until I looked at it. I hadn't updated it since September!! YIKES!! I am already caught up to November. I had to print out like 97 pictures yesterday at the Kodak Picture Maker. I love that thing! No waiting, just instant photos, great cropping, quick fix for your boo boos. I cut and pasted last night until my eyes were crossed! I spent today getting the captions together. I still have far to go, but no worries, it will happen.
I got the portfolios together today also. They have shown progress that is for sure. Of course last year we hit it out of the park. This year we have been crawling at a snails pace. Each year I think is going to have it's own flavor, almost like a marriage, ups and downs. In reflection, it has not been so bad. At least not as bad as I thought. We are still here and I didn't give up. I have high hopes for next year though. At least to keep up with the scrap book a little better. We reflected on the year past and the boys wrote an essay about how they have changed. Here is it:
How We Have Changed This Year
by Matthew and Nathan
Last year we learned about the community and the world around us. We did community service, started recycling and took trips. This year we worked on our family. We worked on our values and relationships. We worked at home.
The biggest change this year is the girls. Fitting them in our family has been really hard. They pull back and push us away. Having two little sisters is annoying. They make bad choices sometimes and do stupid stuff. Some good lessons have come too. We learned that the right thing to do is not always the easy thing to do. Also you should help the weak and small when you can. We learned it is our job to teach Kendra and Kenzie to love.
Everyone has gotten a lot closer. Me and Nathan have built our relationship, so we can stand up to the world together. We act more mature now. We were mortal enemies before the girls came but now we are best friends and brothers.
We have overcome some fears. Nathan worked on his fear of heights. I worked on his fear of big dogs and drowning.
We learned how to stay home alone. How to be responsible, how to use the telephone properly and to handle ourselves when our parents aren’t around.
We have learned how to help Mom because she gets stressed out sometimes with the girls. We have learned to do the dishes, tidy the house and yard, clean the bathroom really fast in case a social worker is coming.
We have learned that we NEVER want to be social workers when we grow up. Social workers have horrible jobs. They have to take kids away. They have to break people’s hearts everyday.
Last of all, we have learned to be thankful for our family. We are thankful that our Mom and Dad never take drugs. We never have to worry about food or being fed. We never have to worry about foster care or social workers. We are thankful for having a home and a house. We are thankful to be healthy and happy. We learned this year that some kids don’t have these things. They live on the streets and have nobody to love them. So we have changed this year. We have grown taller and we have grown bigger in our hearts.
I think it is a true reflection of the year. I didn't edit it for content (spelling/grammar, yes). Matthew used his voice. Nathan helped. It is a far cry from our "goal page" at the beginning of the year, so filled with things to learn. We have learned lessons instead about life, being a good person.
Comments
May. 9, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Arby
Great work! The boys should be proud of themselves. Well done!
May. 9, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by 4sweetums
Your boys have learned some of life's most important lessons and at such tender ages. What a blessing of a year they have had. Here in this state we only turn in tests and attendance. I like the idea of evaluations becuase I love the scrapbooking record keeping part of it. I keep lesson plans for all kids and years but it sometimes doesn't seem nearly as exciting as it was. I do love the blog for really showing what our days are like though.
Blessings,
Dawn
May. 10, 2008 - Wonderful.
Posted by REInvestor
Thanks for sharing. Isn't this what homeschooling is all about - learning how to handle life?
