Decompression and Schooling Types June 1, 2008

I’ve been doing a lot of reading about homeschooling, and have been giving a lot of thought to the idea of decompression time for the kids.  I read somewhere that for every year a child has been in public school, they need a month of time off to readjust.  I think there is a lot of truth to this.  I know, just watching Logan now, he’s getting really burned out.  I think if I were to try to go right into homeschooling, it would really cause problems.  But, by giving him time to adjust to the new schedule, and really it’s a new lifestyle, he’ll be so much more ready to go when it’s time. 

Also, I read in The First Year Of Homeschooling Your Child by Linda Dobson, about the different types of homeschooling.  I found this very interesting.  I could see some that definitely do not fit me, like unschooling.  But, two of the styles really hit right on what I want to do:  school at home, and unit studies.  I thought it was intersting how she nailed down these styles so well.  Lots of good info in reading these.  It also gave me comfort to know that there is a large chunk of people out there doing what I want to do, in a similar way to how I want to.  

Yikes! May 13, 2008

I had a bit of an anxiety attack the other day, as I realized the ginormous task ahead of me.  I’ve been researching and researching, and I still don’t know everything I need to teach the kids.  So, I started to really freak out and felt entirely overwhelmed.  I guess it just hit me, all of a sudden.  Math won’t be a problem, we’ve already picked out a math program we are going to use.  However, that’s the only thing that has been decided.  What am I going to do about reading?  My friend, Amy, who is also going to be homeschooling, is suppose to get Hooked on Phonics for us to use from her mom, but that hasn’t happened yet.  I think that will be a good program to use, and is pretty well proved.  But, what about spelling, language arts, science, art, music? I think my big problem is that I don’t know exactly what should be taught at what grade level.  I’ve got some information from the school district as to their math and reading guidelines, but I need more.  I think that what I need to to is contact some other homeschoolers, and see how they do it.  I guess this is a good lesson for me to remember that I don’t have to have all the answers and information at once, and that I need to take a deep breath. 

Here We Go! May 2, 2008

Hello everyone! 

I’ve started this blog to chronicle our family’s journey as we begin to homeschool.  A little about my family and me.  I’m the mom of four amazing children.  I’ve got one that will be going into 2nd grade, one going into kindergarten, and two littler ones.  Dad provides wonderfully for us and goes to work while I stay home.  I am also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Naturally I want the very best for my kids, and that doesn’t stop with their education.  I’ve been sorely disappointed in our school district here.  It wasn’t good when I went through it, and it’s gotten exponentially worse in the last 20 years.  While my oldest son, who is in 1st grade now, has been blessed with two magnificent teachers, he still isn’t getting the kind of education I would like for him.  Don’t get me wrong; those teachers are doing the best they can with what they’ve got, and I don’t fault them for the insufficient education.  The problem lies in the public education system as a whole.  It’s fatally flawed, and overly left wing.  I think some of the things being taught in public schools are absurd and definitely NOT what I want my children learning.  So, we’ve made the decision to homeschool our children.  I think it is going to work out so much better for them. 

Coincidentally, I found out one of my very best friends is also planning to homeschool her 3 kids.  So, we’ve been bouncing ideas off each other, and being great supports to each other also.  We’ve decided to work together a little bit and we are pretty like minded on the type of education that we want for our kiddos.  It’s been great, also to have someone else to sift through the endless amount of information.  I’ve also been getting some invaluable information from a sweet homeschooling mom of 4 at Church. 

Although I am a bit overwhelmed at the task ahead of me, I know that with the Lord and my family working together, we can do it!  There are just so many possibilities and opportunities available, I have to say that I am really very excited!  What could be better?!  This truly will be the journey of a lifetime!