Feb. 17, 2006
The Beginning of our Homeschooling Journey (4)
So, I made the decision to homeschool. Notice I said "I". To my huband, this came out of the blue. He was slightly disagreeable. (Part of his reasoning had to do with that the household didn't show much improvement during the summer.) But I had felt this push, an urgency. There wasn't anyone trying to talk me into it, I didn't know any homeschoolers. And about the household, I was having to learn how to run it. This has been a slow process.
On one hand, it was the 'middle school' thing for my son. For my daughter it was that she didn't always pay attention, was easily distracted, and some (most) teachers in public school do not treat kids well that are this way. (Her K teacher, for example.) She had had a great first grade teacher, and before school was over, I asked that teacher for her opinion on a good recommendation for her second grade teacher, and she told me of one that was well structured, and that my daughter flourished with structure. So I put in my request for that teacher. Later I found out that the one I requested was leaving.
Also, I remembered helping my son with his homework, thinking, "I could teach this!" So after the final decision to homeschool, I started to do research. A little late, eh? I rented a book from the library - I think it was the idiot's guide - and saw a cartoon drawing of a woman with a thought bubble that said "I could teach this!" Sound familiar?
Our first year was quite a turmoil. I didn't like the fact that I was totally unprepared. The kids didn't want to be at home. They wanted to be with their 'friends'. I said "School is not about being with your friends. Besides, I never said that you couldn't see them." One of my son's friends lived two doors down, and he told us how he knew about five of his friends who began to homeschool as well. He begged his mom to do the same, but she wouldn't have it.
The one thing I managed to do right was getting the $5 test booklets from Alpha Omega, to get an idea of some of the things that the kids needed to learn, and to see what they did know - they suggest to start the test at two grades lower than the grade they are entering, and this helps to find potential gaps. This was mostly helpful in math with my son. Everything that he got wrong had to do with fractions.
Other than that, it seemed we were operating in 'survival mode'. The kids were expecting school-at-home methods. It's only been in the past year that they have shed this point of view.
On one hand, it was the 'middle school' thing for my son. For my daughter it was that she didn't always pay attention, was easily distracted, and some (most) teachers in public school do not treat kids well that are this way. (Her K teacher, for example.) She had had a great first grade teacher, and before school was over, I asked that teacher for her opinion on a good recommendation for her second grade teacher, and she told me of one that was well structured, and that my daughter flourished with structure. So I put in my request for that teacher. Later I found out that the one I requested was leaving.
Also, I remembered helping my son with his homework, thinking, "I could teach this!" So after the final decision to homeschool, I started to do research. A little late, eh? I rented a book from the library - I think it was the idiot's guide - and saw a cartoon drawing of a woman with a thought bubble that said "I could teach this!" Sound familiar?
Our first year was quite a turmoil. I didn't like the fact that I was totally unprepared. The kids didn't want to be at home. They wanted to be with their 'friends'. I said "School is not about being with your friends. Besides, I never said that you couldn't see them." One of my son's friends lived two doors down, and he told us how he knew about five of his friends who began to homeschool as well. He begged his mom to do the same, but she wouldn't have it.
The one thing I managed to do right was getting the $5 test booklets from Alpha Omega, to get an idea of some of the things that the kids needed to learn, and to see what they did know - they suggest to start the test at two grades lower than the grade they are entering, and this helps to find potential gaps. This was mostly helpful in math with my son. Everything that he got wrong had to do with fractions.
Other than that, it seemed we were operating in 'survival mode'. The kids were expecting school-at-home methods. It's only been in the past year that they have shed this point of view.
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Jan. 27, 2006
The Beginning of our Homeschooling Journey (3)
...My sister enjoyed the kids, and they enjoyed her, and for them it was really the first time to have any good moral training at home. Hubby and I were in great need of moral training ourselves. (We're still in need, but we were bad off then.) She helped us to get on the godly path of, and pursuit of how to train and discipline them, and about humbling ourselves, and things like that.
As far as my new job went, what it did for us is free up our weekends to start going to church. So, we visited a church and continued going there for a few years. My hubby worked at the same place I worked, and it wasn't good as far as morals are concerned. As we were getting more and more into the Word, it got harder and harder to stay at this job (for both of us), as he had to listen to frequent cussing, and all the googling over girls that went on (which had bad effects on me!) For many reasons other than these, we were both wanting out of there. My wanting to stay-at-home in the first place was enforced even more. But my husband thought that if I quit first, that he would be 'stuck' there, because he then would be the sole source of income, and that it would be difficult to find another job making the income that he was already making.
I wasn't happy with his 'fear'. Mainly because I thought that he had good potential to work anywhere doing anything, he's smart, teachable, has a good work ethic, is thorough, etc... But he didn't think that he had any skills, other than what he did there. But those skills can be transferred into other areas. Anyway, at the beginning of 2002, I really pressed in on my staying at home, and asked him to please pray about this, to try to hear from God about it. He did, and what he told me was "It'll be okay." He did, however, quit before I did, starting his own business. A couple of months later, I quit as well, and basically doing at home for his business, what I was doing at the job. (Hope that made sense!)
My last day of work was the last day of school that year. The kids and I spent the summer together. Hubby worked - alot. I struggled with the housework. (Still do.) The closer time came to get ready for the new schoolyear, the more I felt an urgency to keep them home instead. I really didn't think about homeschooling before, I had heard the word before, but it just didn't register in my brain. Not until the beginning of August, about 2 weeks before school was about to begin. One of the big pushes was the fact that my son would be going to middle school for the first time. (It was the same school that I went to, only then it was called Jr.High.) And when I went there - oh my - it was totally my demise. He being alot like me, and easily influenced by friends at that age, I did not want history to repeat itself.
..yet again, to be continued...must eat lunch!
As far as my new job went, what it did for us is free up our weekends to start going to church. So, we visited a church and continued going there for a few years. My hubby worked at the same place I worked, and it wasn't good as far as morals are concerned. As we were getting more and more into the Word, it got harder and harder to stay at this job (for both of us), as he had to listen to frequent cussing, and all the googling over girls that went on (which had bad effects on me!) For many reasons other than these, we were both wanting out of there. My wanting to stay-at-home in the first place was enforced even more. But my husband thought that if I quit first, that he would be 'stuck' there, because he then would be the sole source of income, and that it would be difficult to find another job making the income that he was already making.
I wasn't happy with his 'fear'. Mainly because I thought that he had good potential to work anywhere doing anything, he's smart, teachable, has a good work ethic, is thorough, etc... But he didn't think that he had any skills, other than what he did there. But those skills can be transferred into other areas. Anyway, at the beginning of 2002, I really pressed in on my staying at home, and asked him to please pray about this, to try to hear from God about it. He did, and what he told me was "It'll be okay." He did, however, quit before I did, starting his own business. A couple of months later, I quit as well, and basically doing at home for his business, what I was doing at the job. (Hope that made sense!)
My last day of work was the last day of school that year. The kids and I spent the summer together. Hubby worked - alot. I struggled with the housework. (Still do.) The closer time came to get ready for the new schoolyear, the more I felt an urgency to keep them home instead. I really didn't think about homeschooling before, I had heard the word before, but it just didn't register in my brain. Not until the beginning of August, about 2 weeks before school was about to begin. One of the big pushes was the fact that my son would be going to middle school for the first time. (It was the same school that I went to, only then it was called Jr.High.) And when I went there - oh my - it was totally my demise. He being alot like me, and easily influenced by friends at that age, I did not want history to repeat itself.
..yet again, to be continued...must eat lunch!
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Jan. 24, 2006
The Beginning of our Homeschooling Journey (2)
okay, where did I leave off?....I think I left a couple of gaps in the story, so I'm backing up a little.
When I used to come home crying to my hubby, I was working at a video store, managing, working many and varied hours. I didn't take off on the weekends as I felt a great responsibility to the store. So, I wasn't going to church - and hadn't for many years anyway- not to mention that I enjoyed working on Sunday mornings. (Nice and peaceful!)
This is about the time that I was feeling like a slave to the car payment, and thoughts of the fast passing years of the kids' younger years began to nag at me. At the time, hubby and I didn't see any possibility of my staying at home. The next best thing came up, getting a Monday through Friday, 8-5 job.
My sister had begun to look for a job, and I had the idea (which, I don't think it was my idea, but that God put this in my head) to ask her if she would pick up the kids after school and stay with them until I got home, and I would pay her the same amount that I paid the daycare. She at first declined, (much to my despair) then after much prayer, decided that it was what God wanted her to do (much to my joy!). This worked out very well. My sister was always good with kids, and this was the best thing that could have happened to our family.
to be continued.....
When I used to come home crying to my hubby, I was working at a video store, managing, working many and varied hours. I didn't take off on the weekends as I felt a great responsibility to the store. So, I wasn't going to church - and hadn't for many years anyway- not to mention that I enjoyed working on Sunday mornings. (Nice and peaceful!)
This is about the time that I was feeling like a slave to the car payment, and thoughts of the fast passing years of the kids' younger years began to nag at me. At the time, hubby and I didn't see any possibility of my staying at home. The next best thing came up, getting a Monday through Friday, 8-5 job.
My sister had begun to look for a job, and I had the idea (which, I don't think it was my idea, but that God put this in my head) to ask her if she would pick up the kids after school and stay with them until I got home, and I would pay her the same amount that I paid the daycare. She at first declined, (much to my despair) then after much prayer, decided that it was what God wanted her to do (much to my joy!). This worked out very well. My sister was always good with kids, and this was the best thing that could have happened to our family.
to be continued.....
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Jan. 8, 2006
The Beginning of Our Homeschooling Journey (1)
It wasn't my original intention to start homeschooling. I had wanted, for quite a while, to be a 'stay at home mom'.
For years, we were hurrying ourselves out the door every morning to get to school and work, then I would end up working longer than I was scheduled, having to rush to the daycare(s) to pick up the kids before getting charged for going past their closing times - then we were all starving (not to mention I was mentally drained from work). Throw on a quick dinner, or eat fast junk food, kids get their baths, then it's already their bedtime. So, usually that was about 2 or 3 hours that we got to spend together before their bedtime, and most of that was spent driving, cooking, or they were taking showers.
About once a year, I would get so wound up, crying uncontrollably to my husband about how everything was so terrible. I was beginning to realize that, for one, I was tired of being a slave to my car payment. And for two, the kids were growing up - without us.
We finally both came to a realization that we really could make it on one income, figuring as how we wouldn't have to pay for daycare, less on gas for my car (thirty minute drive both ways to work and back), and many other things that we could do to spend less. So, my last day of work was in May of 2002, which was ironically the last day of school that year.
The intent was, for me being a 'sahm', that I could take the kids to school & pick them up - (more time with Mom-much better than 2 hours a day!) And while they were at school, I could get the house really cleaned up and in order, (as my house was ALWAYS a complete mess!)
to be continued......
For years, we were hurrying ourselves out the door every morning to get to school and work, then I would end up working longer than I was scheduled, having to rush to the daycare(s) to pick up the kids before getting charged for going past their closing times - then we were all starving (not to mention I was mentally drained from work). Throw on a quick dinner, or eat fast junk food, kids get their baths, then it's already their bedtime. So, usually that was about 2 or 3 hours that we got to spend together before their bedtime, and most of that was spent driving, cooking, or they were taking showers.
About once a year, I would get so wound up, crying uncontrollably to my husband about how everything was so terrible. I was beginning to realize that, for one, I was tired of being a slave to my car payment. And for two, the kids were growing up - without us.
We finally both came to a realization that we really could make it on one income, figuring as how we wouldn't have to pay for daycare, less on gas for my car (thirty minute drive both ways to work and back), and many other things that we could do to spend less. So, my last day of work was in May of 2002, which was ironically the last day of school that year.
The intent was, for me being a 'sahm', that I could take the kids to school & pick them up - (more time with Mom-much better than 2 hours a day!) And while they were at school, I could get the house really cleaned up and in order, (as my house was ALWAYS a complete mess!)
to be continued......