Finally, I feel a bit refreshed. The challenges of this year have been numerous. Taking the time to relax with family and friends has helped me enormously. I spent a lot of time not thinking about homeschooling.
And then I spent some time just reading some blogs, some books, and some encouraging homeschool devotionals and articles. It has taken some time, but I feel like I have some focus again.
Ironically, it isn't much different from the focus I had when I first started. When I first began homeschooling I had spent quite a bit of time reading and praying and researching. I knew what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. However, I then got sidetracked so easily by my doubts that I wasn't good enough to teach my children. I began searching curriculum, thinking that if I could find the perfect one than everything would be alright. Sadly, I wanted A CURRICULUM - an all in one, fix all my problems and be perfect for me and my kid curriculum.
I've learned that, as much as I wish there was a magic curriculum company, one doesn't exist. And, poor Laura, has been my guinea pig. As much as I wish there was one style that fit me and Laura, I have learned that, while we have similarities, we can be different. For instance, I love copywork. I think it is a wonderful way to learn. I will use it here and there with Laura, even though she doesn't like it much.
Schedules, in the traditional sense, don't work for us. I've tried to use one all year. What works is a list of what I want to accomplish each year, broken down into daily assignments, with lots of room for flexibility. I can't schedule my days so full that both Laura and I are frustrated. (That has happened a LOT.) Instead I make a list of assignments for each subject and then just check them off every day. Most of the time we will do one per day. If life happens and we miss a day or a subject here or there, It won't mess up my planning calendar. If I see we are getting behind, I can double up on whatever subject needs it. For me, it works. This way if one subject takes longer than I thought, I won't be pressuring me and Laura to play catch up. It's a much more relaxing way to live. Right now Laura is only doing spelling four days a week. She's doing well and we get one day off a week. If we miss spelling one day through the week, like we did a couple weeks ago when we were battling illness, we still have Friday to make up what we missed.
I plan to focus on the basics...Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. For reading, we will read... A Lot. We will read stories, but also lots of stuff that coordinates with history and science. Laura will read to herself. I will continue to find living books to supplement what we are learning. I will read to her. Read aloud time is not only a favorite of ours, the benefits are so great that I can't overstate them. Laura's oral reading is good, but I think I will have her read to me a little more, even if it is just a poem here and there.
For writing, I plan on developing a daily writing assignment. Whether it be copywork, something to coordinate with grammar (like letter writing practice), or an assignment where Laura gets to use her imagination to make up a story. Ruth Beechick urges parents to have their children write, write, write. I agree with her. How can a child get better at something they don't practice.
For math, we will continue with what we are doing right now. We are using ACE math. It drills like crazy. I know some kids get bored or don't like or need that much drill. Laura needs it. She does well with a mastery program where she can drill like crazy. She retains it so much more than she did last year with a mastery program. Her lessons and concepts are beginning to get more difficult and I want her to practice so much it just becomes second nature. For now, it is working. I will probably have her work on a few pages over school breaks and a page or two a day over the summer so that she can maintain her skills. Laura also does well with the workbook format for math, and right now I don't want to change things if it is working for her.
It feels amazing to be refreshed and recharged. One of the things I felt was that I have to stop comparing my daughter to other students in public school. It's so easy to do that when we are surrounded by them. I know that I can give my daughter a wonderful, God-based, awesome education. I just have to stop having doubts about my ability and let God lead me.
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