Jan. 24, 2008 - Twilight Zone.......
.....honestly.....I was looking for Rod Sterling all day long yesterday. I could NOT get on here, I could not do many things on the computer.....there was this really bizarre screen that, like, totally took over my computer. Telling me some 'renewal period' was over and I had to buy XYZ system to use my pc. Started my internet by itself first thing in the morning and that was REALLY creepy...... and every 5 minutes or so popped it back up, like a pop up, only way worse. I have Gateway GoBack which is a seriously great thing to have. Did that back to the day b4 when things were fine....didn't help, and it ALWAYS has.
I tried to download a couple of anti virus programs and couldn't. Finally it got to where it was only doing it occasionally. I shut down the computer several times and BOOM, there it still was......however, by the time I went to bed last night.....it was gone. Poof. Disappeared. Like it never happened. I'd think I hallucinated it, but hubby saw it too, thank goodness!!! Seriously, that was THE strangest experience I've ever had in all these years of having this computer. Well, except for an X rated one years ago.....no more leaving the IM thing on all the time with DSL!!!!
SOOO....I'm back.
AND....if yesterday weren't already strange enough......small son had a literal MELTDOWN. About school.
AND I was not feeling well, I think I'm getting a kidney infection or already have one or something, my back and neck feel like a stiff board and hurt like crazy. SO, I literally just walked away from him and refused to do ANYTHING until his Dad showed up.
Normally, Daddy is the 'enforcer', but lately small son has been confiding in him and become somewhat 'closer' to his dad, so when hubby went in to talk to him, I left and made sure I was far enough away to not hear it all.
Funny thing, when it was all said and done, the thing bothering small son was not AT ALL what I thought it was.
What he told his dad and would NOT tell me, was he HATED doing 'baby work'. That he WANTED to do the work of his age group. That he did it at the Christian school he went to (and he DID, with the exception of math) and he HATED not doing 6th grade work here at home.
Well, blow me over and call me shorty!!! I was stunned, to say the least.
HOWEVER, I had been considering and praying about a few things. Like going back to the way we used to do things YEARS ago.....Charlotte Mason and Ambleside. We still had all the books, so.....why not? It was like God was preparing me for all this. Just not right then.
SO, yesterday was spent not only trying to do something with this beast.......er.......nice machine (sometimes I think it hears me), but TOTALLY changing our curriculum. With a bad back. Sigh.
I hopped online, got the Ambleside curriculum for the 6th year and SHOWED him exactly what he'd be doing....."no problem" he says. You know, sometimes the Holy Spirit answers come right away, and I got that nudge that said "just do it".....so......we did.
So, somewhere around noon, small son started going downstairs and getting into those......say it with me....."BLUE TOTES".....where all his extra books and curriculum is stored.......and started dragging the books he'd seen on the screen on Ambleside to me. Guess that sort of clinched it, huh?
And all kidding aside, it has ALWAYS been the way he learned the best, but when the 'guilties' kicked in about not doing things the way real school did them, or other home schooling parents.....I always caved and tried to convince him of how wonderful these other programs were. HA. How smart is my child to know I was blowing smoke? And how great is it that he KNOWS the way he learns best?
AND how God like was it that I get this "Homeschool Minute" thing from TOS about 'perspective' yesterday morning?? Saying things like 'your school doesn't have to look like everyone else's' and other wise sayings?
Needless to say, I was humbled and very grateful.
I printed off all the books, etc. that we'll be needing for the 2nd term. I'm sure that's not the best place to start, but.....what do you do?
And remarkably, even AFTER all the drama and angst, AFTER a long trip to the little local library.....he actually accomplished probably MORE actual learning yesterday. than he has in a long time. Here's what he did.
Bible - read Gen. 1 and actually wrote in his journal. You know, a thought here. Maybe he'll start acting older if I start treating him older, huh? I never have dumbed down anything or babyed him......I THOUGHT, but maybe now since I EXPECT him to act like a 6th grader in respect to his school work , he will.....hmmm.
Reading - Foreword and 1st 7 pages of "The Hobbit"....(yeah, it's KILLIN' him to have one of his favorite books required).
Math - we will continue to use MathUSee......finished 3 worksheets in Lesson 12.....had a somewhat difficult time getting doubles....hmmm.
History - Story of Mankind pgs. 509, 510. I LOVE the way this book is written! Will have him narrate back to me on the road today.
Poetry - Read a Robert Frost poem "Into My Own" from "A Boy's Will" section. How appropriate was THAT?
20,0000 leagues under the Sea, started that one and we had requested books on Braille and he read that out loud to me.....we BOTH learned alot about braille!
Of course, we'll accomplish more today.....sort of......today and tomorrow are half days b/c of hs group activities anyway, BUT.....he 'remembers' that we used to take our books with us when running around.....and since we have alot of driving to do....that will work!
Strange times......but, following the Holy Spirit and God's leading is like that sometimes, eh?
Denise aka The Domestic Angel
Comments
Jan. 24, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by curiouscat
Great post! We are still working on pre7 year list for all here... hit and miss. What kind of books were you hiding in your blue totes, curious minds want to know... :)
I went and bought boring World Geog. books for 9th grade, and according to CM they are not using their imaginations in reading... sigh.. but I want them to 'pass high school' ... I have this ongoing debate with myself.
blessings,
Denise
aka /HeartnSoul
