Posted in Blogger Friend School

Assignment: This would be a good week to tell about your worst struggles with a lifestyle of homeschooling.  Tell about something you’ve struggled with and how God’s mercies gave us the strength to get past it.  Also, share any curriculum/homeschool methods that have been a relief to you, i.e., a particular Teacher’s Manual or Homeschooling method that’s been easier for your family.  Talk about how you felt when the burden was lifted and Oh, What a Relief it is! Memory Verse:  Psalms 55:22 - Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Well, we certainly have our struggles with homeschooling.  There are the days that the boys simply don't want to listen.  There are the days when the laundry doesn't get done.  There are way too many days when the house is buried in clutter.  There are the family members who think we aren't doing this right.

I often feel overwhelmed by all of my duties - by trying to balance wife with mother with teacher with citizen, etc.  So much of a homeschool mom's day is spent in the mother/teacher role that it can be hard to fit the rest in.  But if we don't fit the rest in everyone suffers.  So I suppose time management and home organization are my biggest struggles.  There is just so much going on that it often seems impossible for it all to get finished.

As for the burden being lifted, I'm not really there yet.  I am daily working and praying to find the balance and the motivation I need to be a more organized homeschooling mom/wife/housekeeper etc. 

As for curriculum, I haven't been hugely impressed or inspired by  much of what we're using.  Add that to my list of challenges.  I am grateful for the Rod and Staff Building Christian English series because it clearly shows my kids that God is part of our school day beyond our morning Bible study.  It also has an easy to use Teacher's Guide.

My youngest son is reading beautifully now, and that is a relief.  It is wonderful that I don't have to sit with him for every lesson and read him the instructions anymore.  I still sit with him a lot, but I can better divide my time between the boys now that he can understand on his own.  He loves to read and often reads aloud to me or my mother.  My older son is a challenge - he reads just fine but doesn't enjoy it and doesn't want to do it.

Posted in Blogger Friend School

Assignment 100: Take time this week to write about YOU and your feelings of trials and triumphs with homeschooling.  Touch on when you first heard about the concept of home schooling and whether you tip-toed into the idea or just jumped in and never looked back.  Share your schooling as a child and how you compare it to what your goals are for your children. Memory Verse: Ephesians 4:19 KJV Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

I mostly attended public schools as a child.  I don't remember many details about the early years.  My sister and I started K the same year although I am a year older than her.  They moved me up to first grade about mid year.  I remember a few of the projects we did in elementary school - growing beans in a baggie, playing kick ball for pe, things like that.  I think I started going to the fourth grade class for math at some point in my third grade year.

Then we went to a private school for a year.  I went from 20 or 30 kids in my class to 10 or 15.  My mom was my teacher for part of the year.  It was fun and interesting to do something different, but it didn't last because we moved over the summer.

So from fifth grade on I was back in public school.  I really enjoyed school from there on out.  I was a member of the concert band, the marching band, the German club, Key Club, Honor Society, Girl Scouts, etc.  I was by no means popular, but neither was I too much of a nerd.  I had a few good friends and many, many acquaintances.

The main problem with my public school education is that I don't remember anything that they taught me (with the possible exception of German, but I studied that in college as well).  I never felt like I was in danger while at school.  There were days when I really struggled to get through the load of homework but I didn't know there was any other way and I mostly enjoyed myself.

I don't know when I first heard of homeschooling.  I know my husband and I began discussing it shortly after our first son was born and we both liked the idea.  We attended a CHEA conference when I was pregnant with our second and got hooked on the idea.  Neither of our boys has ever been to public school.  We joined our local homeschool support group before our oldest was even old enough for "preschool".

Since then there have been good days and bad days.  I'm not the homeschool mom I want to be yet.  We're now doing 2nd and 4th grade and I'm still finding my way.  Right now my youngest is more interested in studying with my mother than with me and that has been frustrating (mostly because she works and isn't home until 4:30 or 5 in the afternoon).

Our first few years on this journey have been a struggle to stick to any kind of schedule, to keep the house in order and to find the right balance of at home time and away time.  We don't do that many outside activities but we always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere.

I want my boys to enjoy school like I did, but I want them to actually learn something of value that will benefit them in their adult lives.  I realize most of their curriculum at this age involves learning the basics but I want them to love learning the basics so they will want to learn more.  I need to work out a schedule that works for all of us so we have balance and peace.  I want them to be surrounded by a loving environment that is safe and fun.  I want them to learn how to pray and to rely on God, whether I'm there or not.

So I feel both excited and scared as we try to find the rhythm of our new school year.  We have a lot to do and discover about our academic subjects as well as each other.  I'm not as ready as I hoped to be, in fact I feel completely behind already, but we're in this for the long haul, so here we go!

Posted in Blogger Friend School

In my attempts to read more blogs and think of more things to write about, I have stumbled across the Blogger Friend School, so I think I will give it a try. 

The weekly assignments will give me a focus for my blog and reading others responses should be both inspirational and fun.

There is even a Back to School Giveaway featuring some very nice looking nature books.

I hope you will join us for the 2008-2009 class.