Homeschool

I had imagined having a perfectly clean house, painting all my walls, planting a flower
garden, riding my horse....and it all came to a screaching halt. This desire of theirs was
really going to impact me and I wasn't sure I wanted to be impacted. I then realized that
this was an opportunity for all of us. My sacrifice, or should I say postponement, of my
desires to fulfill theirs is what parenting is all about. I began to embrace the idea of being
my children's teacher. I would no longer be relying on someone else to make sure they
were ready for adulthood. I could customize the learning experience of each child--no
more cookie-cutter education of the masses. What an opportunity. I became as excited
about the idea as Lexie and Eric were. I researched everything on homeschooling that I
could. I talked to other homeschooling moms. I attended the Minnesota Association of
Christian Home Educators (MACHE) conference. While there, I attended the seminars on
getting started and looked at all the vendors curriculums.

Armed with all of my information, curriculum, schedules, and planner, I was going to
make this work like perfection in action. After the first week, my schedule wasn't working,
we were already off the plan, and it was time to re-group and find the problem. The
problem was I was trying to run our homeschool like the public school, like the way I
grew up. Time to step outside of the box and analyze how each child learns. Time to
customize to each child and become their tutor.

I have had the most incredible two years with my kids. We have had our moments of
frustration, I have been exasperated beyond belief, and the laundry has gotten behind a
time or two (or three). I know my kids in a way that I would have missed had they stayed
in public school. They would have missed so many experiences and opportunities had
they stayed in public school. We are a close family. We work together, play together,
learn together. The kids are not influenced by peers to conform. They are not subjected
to the clique mentality. They will not bear the brunt of other children's dysfunctions,
needs, and insecurities. They will leave home prepared to successfully navigate the adult
world.

What I have learned:

- A child must be able to have some self-discipline and self-motivation to reach their
goals, without this you won't get past the first page of the first book they open. I told the
kids I would be the hardest teacher they have ever had and they said OK.

- Grading is irrelevant; who are you comparing to? I require the kids to redo any
problems that are incorrect before going to the next lesson. It doesn't make sense to
keep going if they don't understand what they just did. Therefore, do you take their grade
when they don't get it and say that is the standard of their work, or do you take their
grade after they have corrected their mistakes? In which case, it should always be 100%.
A public school does not have the luxury of making sure every student understands
before going onto the next lesson. Eventually, you will have kids who can't keep up with
the pre-determined schedule. They score lower than their peers, but in reality, they may
be just as able; however, they need just a little bit more time.

- Trying to do one lesson of every subject every day is not always the best utilization of
the subject experience. Some areas of study are better taught as a unit study with
complete immersion. I have found that to be true of science and art. We have had the
opportunity to assist a neighbor with the kidding of her goats. We spend an entire week
experiencing birth, the complications of the birthing process, and complications with
newborn kids. It is hands-on, practical life experience. All other subjects go on hold. This
holds true for art, also. We take an entire week and they spend the full school day
following the art curriculum. Most days, however, we do one lesson in each of the core
study areas.

- Trying to stay on a regimented schedule takes away from the flexibility that is the
beauty of homeschooling. Be prepared to shift gears at a moments notice to take
advantage of community activities. A couple of weeks ago we went to the Storm Spotter
Training offered to the various public safety groups, and open to interested citizens. The
course was one afternoon and taught by a meteorologist. We became trained storm
spotters.

- Homeschooling requires a paradigm shift. Homeschooling is a whole learning
experience that doesn't start at 8:00 am and end at 3:00 pm. It becomes a way of life. It
encourages the kids to love learning. It allows the kids to have a say in how they learn
and with what materials. It lets kids pursue their special areas of interest. We all decided
this year not to take the summer off. We will do just a bit of work all summer to keep all
subjects current and not spend the month of September trying to remember where we
left off. This tells me that school is important to the kids, they enjoy it, and are eager to
keep learning.

- Lexie was able to get a part-time job in the morning and she does her schoolwork in the
afternoon on the days she works. The other kids are usually done by noon. Eric loves to
spend his extra time reading, hunting, or fishing; Rachel spends her extra time baking or
outside running around.

- What about P.E.? Lexie, Eric, and Rachel do chores in the morning and at night. They
typically get up at 6:30, are out to the barn by 6:45, and done with chores by 8:00. Chores
consists of lifting weights: hay, water buckets, feed. We have a trompoline and the kids
love to ride bike. We have one computer and the kids do not play video games on it. We
have limited tv time, I don't like to see kids "zoning out" in front of a tv.

- What about socialization? They actually get more being homeschooled. Instead of
being in a school building seven hours a day, we are out and about getting things done,
field trips, working with neighbors, volunteering, and getting together with other
homeschool families. We are also very much involved in 4-H which provides for so many
opportunities. Lexie and Eric each did a demonstration for a 4-H club. Lexie did a
presentation on rabbits and Eric did one on fishing. During fair week, they each do
several non-livestock projects that require a presentation board (computer graphic skills)
and an interview with the judge. For each livestock specie they bring to the fair, they
must again complete an interview with the judge. Lexie and Eric participate in Horse Quiz
Bowl, requiring many team practices and the competition, and also Horse Judging and
Hippology, which again requires many hours of practice and preparation before the final
competition.

Curriculum choices we have liked so far:

MATH:
Saxon - grade 2 through 6
Systematic Mathematics (DVD) - grade 7 and 8
VideoText Interactive (DVD) - grade 9 through 12

ENGLISH:
Rod and Staff - all grades

SPELLING:
Rod and Staff - grade 2 through 6
SAT prep spelling/vocab lists from www.majortests.com

WRITING:
Creative writing
GA Henty as Unit Study - grade 7 through 12

PENMANSHIP:
Spencerian Penmanship - all ages

READING:
Rod and Staff - grade 2 through 6
GA Henty as Unit Study - grade 7 through 12
Interest reading

HISTORY:
Bob Jones University Heritage Studies - grade 2 through 6
GA Henty as Unit Study - grade 7 through 12
The Teaching Company (DVD): World History and Early American History - all grades

SCIENCE:
Young Explorer Series - Exploring Creation by Jeannie K. Fulbright
Rainbow Science by Durell C. Dobbins, PH.D
The Teaching Company (DVD): Sensation, Perception and the Aging Process
The Teaching Company (DVD): The Human Body How We Fail, How We Heal
The Teaching Company (DVD): Understanding the Human Body (Anatomy and
Physiology)
Creation Seminar Series (DVD) by Dr. Kent Hovind (www.drdino.com)

ART:
Feed My Sheep Curriculum (DVD) by Barry Stebbing
Graphic Arts: Print Shop

CHARACTER BUILDING BOOKS FOR TEEN GIRLS:
Stay in the Castle by Pastor Jerry Ross
Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally
How To Be A Lady by Harvey Newcomb

CHARACTER BUILDING BOOKS FOR TEEN BOYS:
Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle

REVERSE TEACHING:
My husband was working in Hawaii and I had the opportunity to join him for four days. It
was an incredible experience. Everywhere we went I kept thinking what an educational
opportunity. I made notes of particular areas of interest that I thought would be fun for
the kids to test me on. I brought home all the brochures and tourist information I could
find and had the kids do additional research on the computer to come up with a test to
give me. I gave them as many question formats that I could think of (multiple choice,
true/false, fill in the blank, matching, short answer) . As they read through the information
and research material, they formed questions on a test to give me. They also had to make
up their own answer key.

GA HENTY:
About GA Henty as Unit Study (www.henty.com) - We use the GA Henty Books to bring
history to life. Notes are taken on each book and a book report is typed. The book report
is corrected for grammer and revised until all mistakes are corrected.

THE TEACHING COMPANY:
About The Teaching Company (www.teach12.com) - Exceptional college level courses
on all subjects taught on DVD by the top professors in the country. The ones I have
listed above are the ones we have ordered so far. There are so many more I want to get.