Two weeks of me preparing for a couple of shows and starting on the Halloween costumes has really messed with the official school progress.
We've submitted weeks of work, so that should keep the IS busy, but officially we're supposed to be on lesson 34 or 35?
Not even close.
I'm restratagizing
again and again.
Friday I spent the entire day with the little boy, who's decided that it's not worth working if I'm not breathing down his neck.
And this mightily displeased my other high demand little man.
I made up for it by working on his costume all weekend long, but this doesn't help progress in school.
I can't believe I'm worrying about progress again. Maybe we're doomed.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
To be dedicated or not to be dedicated
My young man. The one who's 11. Is stuck. He's 11. Not a little kid anymore, not an adult. But both aspects are obvious in him. He giggles like a little maniac at cat jokes and riddles. Then he smile slyly at a very subtle joke. I'm enjoying meeting this young man he'll become.
But nowhere are his two minds kore divided than about school. He takes great pride in finishing everything he's "supposed to" do in a day, but some days it's "soooooo hard!"
Today was the latter type. Over the weekend he very seriously did not want to get behind by taking Columbus Day off. On Monday there was nothing he wanted more than to enjoy the free day.
He's great about helping around the house, most of the time. And best of all- he's honest and true to his word.
It's great to realize how much I like my kids. I'm pleased to think they'll always be people I enjoy hanging out with.
But nowhere are his two minds kore divided than about school. He takes great pride in finishing everything he's "supposed to" do in a day, but some days it's "soooooo hard!"
Today was the latter type. Over the weekend he very seriously did not want to get behind by taking Columbus Day off. On Monday there was nothing he wanted more than to enjoy the free day.
He's great about helping around the house, most of the time. And best of all- he's honest and true to his word.
It's great to realize how much I like my kids. I'm pleased to think they'll always be people I enjoy hanging out with.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
On Monday
Monday Monday, forget that day...
Well, not this Monday. Mostly, this Monday was good.
We kept on track. We tried our hardest.
Math seems to be a stumbling point for the Princess. She does quite well at it, but the volume of problems to do seems to be daunting. Even if she can complete them in record time.
We'll bump it to the end of the day and see how that pans out.
Littlest, in his second grade wonder, got almost all the way through is lessons and has offered to complete his small science experiment and visual arts project on his own in order to get my prize (free computer use for the rest of the day, certainly a good prize for a rainy day!)
Well, not this Monday. Mostly, this Monday was good.
We kept on track. We tried our hardest.
Math seems to be a stumbling point for the Princess. She does quite well at it, but the volume of problems to do seems to be daunting. Even if she can complete them in record time.
We'll bump it to the end of the day and see how that pans out.
Littlest, in his second grade wonder, got almost all the way through is lessons and has offered to complete his small science experiment and visual arts project on his own in order to get my prize (free computer use for the rest of the day, certainly a good prize for a rainy day!)
The Week of the Jewelry Show that Ate Our Lives!
Last week, I, The mother and guide on this educational journey (read as deliverer of terrible news- Oh Noes! We have to do school?!), was very very busy getting the finishing touches on my show displays for that one big show of the year. And so, school was kind of patchy. But we got through the week. We tinted plants from the yard blue. (did you know that this works far better with fresh plants than with celery from the fridge?)
I have a lot to catch up with.
Turns out the turn-in dates for assignments go with the achievement of specific lessons. Not difficult, but I had thought it was simply the work from a particular day. No big, I just need to go back and do it. I'm very glad I keep a record of everything we get done in a day.
Tonight, now that I have a little more time, I should be able to get it all scanned and attached.
In other news, I've been trying to get the day started with some simple math and spelling practice, but I think we'll get rid of this practice. It's causing us to spend time not getting lessons done. I had been trying to draw from the lessons, but sometimes it's just too complicated. (except spelling of course, it's just easy to start with)
I have a lot to catch up with.
Turns out the turn-in dates for assignments go with the achievement of specific lessons. Not difficult, but I had thought it was simply the work from a particular day. No big, I just need to go back and do it. I'm very glad I keep a record of everything we get done in a day.
Tonight, now that I have a little more time, I should be able to get it all scanned and attached.
In other news, I've been trying to get the day started with some simple math and spelling practice, but I think we'll get rid of this practice. It's causing us to spend time not getting lessons done. I had been trying to draw from the lessons, but sometimes it's just too complicated. (except spelling of course, it's just easy to start with)
Friday, September 30, 2011
More to blog about than I thought
Wednesday and Thursday disappeared into a fog of grumpiness. We have trouble with the focus. Not news.
I'm considering what it takes to get things moving on a bad day.
Incentives like more computer privileges can only take us so far. They're great motivators, but I don't like them spending too much time in the computers/video games. They will choose those over friends and playing outside. And I really don't want them missing these beautiful fall days.
Little gifts are nice, but I don't want to be encouraging materialism. They already get plenty of allowance-earning opportunities. Maybe earning points towards a purchase they'll greatly value? Like points towards a 3DS or board game they've been wanting.
Trips to the library are good breaks in a bad day.
I still need to reconcile the difference between productive and educational activities and the pressures of a very full curriculum. I really hate skipping lessons. I want them to benefit from the material. Certain subjects are "more important" than others. Math and Language arts really need focus. But social studies and art are particularly important to me, as a liberal arts major in college and a working artist. Science goes without saying, they all love it, it's important for any possible career they've ever expressed interest in.
Face it, I've always bought into the idea that all these subjects are very very important. I grew up in a family that valued education. I've seen how much of an advantage it gives economically. I love seeing the things I've learned as they apply to the real world. Any time somebody says "When will I ever use this in my real life?" I've always thought, ummm ok, math is good in cooking, when analyzing information to make decisions, grocery shopping, keeping your bank stuff straight, planning a home or yard project... Or listening to current events, the history I know is always coming back and helping me understand... I can see science in every little technological innovation, in cooking, everywhere... And you can't communicate anything at all without vocabulary, grammar, paragraph organization and composition skills.
How could any of it be useless?
So far we're doing ok. Not ahead, not behind, on track. And that's more than good enough.
"But wouldn't it be nice to be a little ahead?" The nagging little voice says in my head.
I tell it to stop. We'll do what we do and enjoy ourselves.
I'm considering what it takes to get things moving on a bad day.
Incentives like more computer privileges can only take us so far. They're great motivators, but I don't like them spending too much time in the computers/video games. They will choose those over friends and playing outside. And I really don't want them missing these beautiful fall days.
Little gifts are nice, but I don't want to be encouraging materialism. They already get plenty of allowance-earning opportunities. Maybe earning points towards a purchase they'll greatly value? Like points towards a 3DS or board game they've been wanting.
Trips to the library are good breaks in a bad day.
I still need to reconcile the difference between productive and educational activities and the pressures of a very full curriculum. I really hate skipping lessons. I want them to benefit from the material. Certain subjects are "more important" than others. Math and Language arts really need focus. But social studies and art are particularly important to me, as a liberal arts major in college and a working artist. Science goes without saying, they all love it, it's important for any possible career they've ever expressed interest in.
Face it, I've always bought into the idea that all these subjects are very very important. I grew up in a family that valued education. I've seen how much of an advantage it gives economically. I love seeing the things I've learned as they apply to the real world. Any time somebody says "When will I ever use this in my real life?" I've always thought, ummm ok, math is good in cooking, when analyzing information to make decisions, grocery shopping, keeping your bank stuff straight, planning a home or yard project... Or listening to current events, the history I know is always coming back and helping me understand... I can see science in every little technological innovation, in cooking, everywhere... And you can't communicate anything at all without vocabulary, grammar, paragraph organization and composition skills.
How could any of it be useless?
So far we're doing ok. Not ahead, not behind, on track. And that's more than good enough.
"But wouldn't it be nice to be a little ahead?" The nagging little voice says in my head.
I tell it to stop. We'll do what we do and enjoy ourselves.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Yes, we can!
Here I am, watching the Three finish up the last lesson of the last subject.
No, I'm not so wedded to the curriculum that I won't be flexible. Yes, I believe we can do one suggested day on an average day.
It feels a little bit like victory.
Havoc still needs to be reminded to look at "Don't Panic" written in friendly red letters under the calendar.
Hawthorne still puts his head in my lap to "think" whenever he has less than total structure placed before him on a writing assignment.
But we made it through a day.
Yes we can.
No, I'm not so wedded to the curriculum that I won't be flexible. Yes, I believe we can do one suggested day on an average day.
It feels a little bit like victory.
Havoc still needs to be reminded to look at "Don't Panic" written in friendly red letters under the calendar.
Hawthorne still puts his head in my lap to "think" whenever he has less than total structure placed before him on a writing assignment.
But we made it through a day.
Yes we can.
Monday, September 26, 2011
School only goes as well as Mom does
Long weekend, slept late, school got started late.
Not a good recipe.
Our deal, made on Saturday, for a better school day overall in exchange for more computer gaming time, is a bust today. We'll try the same deal tomorrow when I think it will work.
Today we took some time to work on handwriting and spelling and math in the morning and then the lesson plan after lunch. Definitely a good building up to the school week. But not quite the plan.
One day we'll have a rhythm.
Not a good recipe.
Our deal, made on Saturday, for a better school day overall in exchange for more computer gaming time, is a bust today. We'll try the same deal tomorrow when I think it will work.
Today we took some time to work on handwriting and spelling and math in the morning and then the lesson plan after lunch. Definitely a good building up to the school week. But not quite the plan.
One day we'll have a rhythm.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Motivation, that's all we need.
Today all three children completed a "full day" of the lesson plan.
All three of them.
It just required a little motivation. In other words, I promised them they could take Friday off if they did.
Ta Da!
Things I learned today.
Writing is still a bit of a struggle for Hawthorne. Second grade writing expectations are a bit higher than the level he's at. He'll catch up, but some subjects are getting writing help from the mom.
Persephone is self motivated, but we knew that. She has off days (yesterday) but usually she really enjoys working through and completing lessons. She was done an hour early and not only got to read for an hour, but she's going to do an extra science activity this afternoon.
Havoc is beginning to see the source of his overwhelmed feelings. The idea of a "complete lesson" when one lesson is meant to be covered in 2 days is hard to let go. We've worked out a system of notation so he knows there's a plan. 11 is a great age for him. He's starting to see big pictures sometimes. I'm greatly relieved and so is he.
All three of them.
It just required a little motivation. In other words, I promised them they could take Friday off if they did.
Ta Da!
Things I learned today.
Writing is still a bit of a struggle for Hawthorne. Second grade writing expectations are a bit higher than the level he's at. He'll catch up, but some subjects are getting writing help from the mom.
Persephone is self motivated, but we knew that. She has off days (yesterday) but usually she really enjoys working through and completing lessons. She was done an hour early and not only got to read for an hour, but she's going to do an extra science activity this afternoon.
Havoc is beginning to see the source of his overwhelmed feelings. The idea of a "complete lesson" when one lesson is meant to be covered in 2 days is hard to let go. We've worked out a system of notation so he knows there's a plan. 11 is a great age for him. He's starting to see big pictures sometimes. I'm greatly relieved and so is he.
Crabby
Havoc wants to post this link for you:
The Life Cycle of a Crab
Today he had to wear a tube of cardboard around his elbow and arm for 10 minutes to see how annoying it would be to not have a joint and to have a hard shell. I made him fill the dishwasher because I'm mean mommy. It was a pretty good test.
The Life Cycle of a Crab
Today he had to wear a tube of cardboard around his elbow and arm for 10 minutes to see how annoying it would be to not have a joint and to have a hard shell. I made him fill the dishwasher because I'm mean mommy. It was a pretty good test.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Win day
Internet win of the day
The History of English in 10 Minutes (10 episodes played in a row)
Also in winning news of the day:
I've been sweating about Havoc's lessons and not completing one for each of the major subjects (English and Math) and it turns out that ALL the lessons are meant to take two days! (2 hours per lesson)
This makes perfect sense. They're looooong and writing intensive.
And now my stress levels go way way down.
The History of English in 10 Minutes (10 episodes played in a row)
Also in winning news of the day:
I've been sweating about Havoc's lessons and not completing one for each of the major subjects (English and Math) and it turns out that ALL the lessons are meant to take two days! (2 hours per lesson)
This makes perfect sense. They're looooong and writing intensive.
And now my stress levels go way way down.
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Family that Reads Together...
Booklist Part the First
Currently we are reading:
Havoc- The Diamond Age: The Young Ladies Illustrated Primer, by Neal Stephenson. This one's on my all time favorites list. I'm going to have to re-read it when he's done. He just picked up the Crow Comic over breakfast. We were talking about watching the movie tonight.
Persephone-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by JK Rowling. She's re-reading the series.
Hawthorne- Dinosaurs Before Dark, by Mary Pope Osbourne. This is his book for school right now but he's really enjoying it. He stops to read the other books on our big old bookshelf all the time. Picture books, story books, books about science and animals.
Me- The Knife of Dreams, by Robert Jordan. The last book he published, Book 11 in the series the Wheel of Time. Another re-reading of a series. I'm hoping to finish the next two (authored from Jordan's notes by Brandon Sanderson and done really well) before the last in the series comes out next year.
Adam- he reads so fast and in e-book form, so I really don't know what he's reading right now. Last I looked it was Neal Stephenson books, but he reads very fast.
All together- Adam is reading Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet. And I'm reading them the Wheel of Time series. We're up to The Great Hunt.
That's a lot of books.
What are you reading?
Havoc- The Diamond Age: The Young Ladies Illustrated Primer, by Neal Stephenson. This one's on my all time favorites list. I'm going to have to re-read it when he's done. He just picked up the Crow Comic over breakfast. We were talking about watching the movie tonight.
Persephone-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by JK Rowling. She's re-reading the series.
Hawthorne- Dinosaurs Before Dark, by Mary Pope Osbourne. This is his book for school right now but he's really enjoying it. He stops to read the other books on our big old bookshelf all the time. Picture books, story books, books about science and animals.
Me- The Knife of Dreams, by Robert Jordan. The last book he published, Book 11 in the series the Wheel of Time. Another re-reading of a series. I'm hoping to finish the next two (authored from Jordan's notes by Brandon Sanderson and done really well) before the last in the series comes out next year.
Adam- he reads so fast and in e-book form, so I really don't know what he's reading right now. Last I looked it was Neal Stephenson books, but he reads very fast.
All together- Adam is reading Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet. And I'm reading them the Wheel of Time series. We're up to The Great Hunt.
That's a lot of books.
What are you reading?
Ahhhhhhhhh.......
Yesterday, Sunday, was school.
We took a day off in the middle of the week. When we were all tired and needed the rest. When we all needed the break.
And yesterday, when we had Adam to help us out and we all felt pretty good and productive. There was school.
And it worked.
My relief is enormous.
It was less stressful to begin than our Mondays have been. Havoc's dread of hump day seems to have vanished.
It's a little step towards breaking out of the rigidity of school.
Adam and I had a bit of trouble working together. Sometimes it's difficult for him to let me be in charge when he thinks something's going wrong that he can fix. But by lunchtime we were more of a team.
It was big.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Quick post
Today's writing prompt:
The crowd is asking a million more questions and exploring the map avidly.
total win
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Is this what momentum looks like?
I've got stickers (yes, I'm cheesy like that)
Yesterday, One little student got a sticker. Because she finished one entire day of school subjects.
Today I gave out two stickers.
I'm honestly surprised.
The holdout is both still sick and has a 4 paragraph essay to write.
Never his strong suit. However, a couple of days ago, he looked at me with the light of delight in his eyes and said "mom! Writing this essay is going to be easy! With all the work I've done already it's practically written!" to whit I looked him in the eye and said "Yes!" He gets it. Maybe sixth grade will be ok after all.
He's promised to work on it over the weekend and not to complain when gently remind him of his promise. I don't expect any miracles. Yet, I have hope.
I'm glad I'm keeping this record. It will encourage and remind me what's working as I'm doing this.
Things I love today. The Rubber Band- I woke to the kids playing together making music with rubber bands, tupperwares and chairs. They even made a band logo.
All of us listening to 1776 (Brent Spiner as John Adams) and we had a wonderful time talking about salt peter and the triangle trade. I play these things because they were essential to my own remembering details of the revolution. I'm kind of horrible with names and dates, but the humor and romance of the play made it a lot of fun.
Yesterday, One little student got a sticker. Because she finished one entire day of school subjects.
Today I gave out two stickers.
I'm honestly surprised.
The holdout is both still sick and has a 4 paragraph essay to write.
Never his strong suit. However, a couple of days ago, he looked at me with the light of delight in his eyes and said "mom! Writing this essay is going to be easy! With all the work I've done already it's practically written!" to whit I looked him in the eye and said "Yes!" He gets it. Maybe sixth grade will be ok after all.
He's promised to work on it over the weekend and not to complain when gently remind him of his promise. I don't expect any miracles. Yet, I have hope.
I'm glad I'm keeping this record. It will encourage and remind me what's working as I'm doing this.
Things I love today. The Rubber Band- I woke to the kids playing together making music with rubber bands, tupperwares and chairs. They even made a band logo.
All of us listening to 1776 (Brent Spiner as John Adams) and we had a wonderful time talking about salt peter and the triangle trade. I play these things because they were essential to my own remembering details of the revolution. I'm kind of horrible with names and dates, but the humor and romance of the play made it a lot of fun.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
And..Today....We work our little buns off
Go figure. Start on time, have a plan, execute the plan.
There is the point that my kids just listen better when they're sick.
Why? I don't know, and it makes me feel really bad for taking advantage.
I let them take lot of little breaks and was ready to let anybody cut loose if they were really feeling poorly.
But we hammered through.
We didn't get to art. That's the goal tomorrow.
Still, wow, what a difference.
I'm off to bed to get plenty of sleep and see if we can't do it again tomorrow.
We have some testing to take care of. DORA/DOMA tests? We have to experience them to really see how they are, but they don't sound bad. I'll talk about those when I have a good idea.
G'night!
There is the point that my kids just listen better when they're sick.
Why? I don't know, and it makes me feel really bad for taking advantage.
I let them take lot of little breaks and was ready to let anybody cut loose if they were really feeling poorly.
But we hammered through.
We didn't get to art. That's the goal tomorrow.
Still, wow, what a difference.
I'm off to bed to get plenty of sleep and see if we can't do it again tomorrow.
We have some testing to take care of. DORA/DOMA tests? We have to experience them to really see how they are, but they don't sound bad. I'll talk about those when I have a good idea.
G'night!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
In which Cathy crawls into a little hole.
That good, eh?
I would say that today I gave up, but I didn't. We had a really really long talk, the 4 of us.
I did realize that the difference between the first week, when I was feeling hopeful, and this week which has been a total disaster, is the "lesson planning". Not that there's any functional difference. This week I relied on the plans as they are. And the week before I didn't change anything. I just went with it. But I copied down a list of subjects for each day.
Possessing that list is the difference.
Apparently it's magic in my hands.
Not for me, but for the kids. Knowing that I know what's coming? That is what keeps the little brains going.
I give up.
I am unstructured girl
I want to go with the flow
I want to explore.
I do not want a rigid plan and getting up by 8am or we all die.
I want a family that can go with the flow.
And that's not the family I have.
I would say that today I gave up, but I didn't. We had a really really long talk, the 4 of us.
I did realize that the difference between the first week, when I was feeling hopeful, and this week which has been a total disaster, is the "lesson planning". Not that there's any functional difference. This week I relied on the plans as they are. And the week before I didn't change anything. I just went with it. But I copied down a list of subjects for each day.
Possessing that list is the difference.
Apparently it's magic in my hands.
Not for me, but for the kids. Knowing that I know what's coming? That is what keeps the little brains going.
I give up.
I am unstructured girl
I want to go with the flow
I want to explore.
I do not want a rigid plan and getting up by 8am or we all die.
I want a family that can go with the flow.
And that's not the family I have.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Blahg
When Monday happens on Tuesday, you know it can't be good...
We'll learn to rise above such things. Eventually.
I was thrown off as the dance of keeping up with three different little schedules interacted with very minor technical difficulties and three little people who had a looong day yesterday. As I've said before, it's ok. We're "ahead" I just want to stay that way.
Persephone declared (while studying cultures in social studies) that she wants to do more pagan stufftm along with school. Sweet. We have a little calendar section of the morning work to get warmed up for the day. Excellent time to talk a little about phases of the moon and the Celtic wheel of the year.
Poor Mr. Havoc is quite adamant that he is an athiest, but I told him he can reflect on the wonder of having plenty of food and toys and a safe neighborhood. If not blessings, these are the product of good luck and hard work and we can look to keep that going.
They have a little homework today, reading the chapter on Mabon in Circle Round by Starhawk.
We'll learn to rise above such things. Eventually.
I was thrown off as the dance of keeping up with three different little schedules interacted with very minor technical difficulties and three little people who had a looong day yesterday. As I've said before, it's ok. We're "ahead" I just want to stay that way.
Persephone declared (while studying cultures in social studies) that she wants to do more pagan stufftm along with school. Sweet. We have a little calendar section of the morning work to get warmed up for the day. Excellent time to talk a little about phases of the moon and the Celtic wheel of the year.
Poor Mr. Havoc is quite adamant that he is an athiest, but I told him he can reflect on the wonder of having plenty of food and toys and a safe neighborhood. If not blessings, these are the product of good luck and hard work and we can look to keep that going.
They have a little homework today, reading the chapter on Mabon in Circle Round by Starhawk.
For tommorrow we will school
Our last day to be a little ahead....
Tuesday (Day after Labor Day) is the first official day of school. That just means logging in is more important because that's how they count attendance. No real change.
The day was half good and half bad. Our hearts were not in it, planning the weekend in our heads, thinking about birthday parties and camping trips.
Hopefully Tuesday we'll be rested and ready. We are used to the schedule, we know how we deal with disorder and all the books and subjects.
We're ready.
Tuesday (Day after Labor Day) is the first official day of school. That just means logging in is more important because that's how they count attendance. No real change.
The day was half good and half bad. Our hearts were not in it, planning the weekend in our heads, thinking about birthday parties and camping trips.
Hopefully Tuesday we'll be rested and ready. We are used to the schedule, we know how we deal with disorder and all the books and subjects.
We're ready.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
There's that success again.
Lunch on time? I guess that is a key factor. Even if we wake late and have breakfast late? Ok, now that's unfair!
*Whine mode off*
Today worked out pretty well. I'm sensing that my young wants-to-be-an-engineer has been skating on 'optional' work in class for his formal school career. I warned those teachers. But, once again, as he wasn't performing poorly (most of the time) he didn't get a lot of extra nudging towards performing better. And he's got standardized test skillz from both parents. Yay for under the radar!
Not any more though.
He's coming around though. My strategy of starting each day with a little writing- a writing prompt and a 5 minute timer, share if you want to- seems to loosen him up a little.
Tomorrow morning I'm setting the kids an alarm. We'll all be up and reasonable.
Maybe we can do it two days in a row!
*Whine mode off*
Today worked out pretty well. I'm sensing that my young wants-to-be-an-engineer has been skating on 'optional' work in class for his formal school career. I warned those teachers. But, once again, as he wasn't performing poorly (most of the time) he didn't get a lot of extra nudging towards performing better. And he's got standardized test skillz from both parents. Yay for under the radar!
Not any more though.
He's coming around though. My strategy of starting each day with a little writing- a writing prompt and a 5 minute timer, share if you want to- seems to loosen him up a little.
Tomorrow morning I'm setting the kids an alarm. We'll all be up and reasonable.
Maybe we can do it two days in a row!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Day 4 = one for the failbooks
Remember what I said about homeschooling in the bedroom?
Yeah, it's all that bad.
We made it through 2 subjects each? As a test of our flexibility it was pretty darn telling.
Is there hope? With training, I think so.
Tomorrow we're back in safer territory, no word from the contractors, so if they show, I'll send them home. I'm not particularly worried about tjat possibility.
So, where did we find learning today? Mostly in the area of our group dynamic. Some of us can do writing intensive work ONLY in the mornings. Also, if the little one isn't in the mood to work, if his environment isn't carefully constructed for education, he just won't. And once he falls, the rest go with him.
No surprises, just a desperate hope that we can cope with interruptions.
As I said, there's hope.
It's really nice that the cyber school's calendar doesn't start till tomorrow?
Yeah, it's all that bad.
We made it through 2 subjects each? As a test of our flexibility it was pretty darn telling.
Is there hope? With training, I think so.
Tomorrow we're back in safer territory, no word from the contractors, so if they show, I'll send them home. I'm not particularly worried about tjat possibility.
So, where did we find learning today? Mostly in the area of our group dynamic. Some of us can do writing intensive work ONLY in the mornings. Also, if the little one isn't in the mood to work, if his environment isn't carefully constructed for education, he just won't. And once he falls, the rest go with him.
No surprises, just a desperate hope that we can cope with interruptions.
As I said, there's hope.
It's really nice that the cyber school's calendar doesn't start till tomorrow?
Fragile schedules
Day three dawned tired and uncertain. Our contractors haven't finished installing the backsplash tile over the counter, so our usual workspace is full of the counter's contents. For the first couple of days, since they are almost done, i gave the kids a day off and we worked on the novels we're reading together. (A post for another day)
Unfortunately, they didn't complete the grout on Friday, and further breaks are just a bad idea. We moved upstairs to the kids bedroom. Not ideal, but comfy and roomy enough for all our materials and bodies.
Our morning was also disrupted by sloppy sleep schedules over the weekend. And we all woke up very late.
All in all the result was poor. We skipped our morning work. We made it through half the school day. I climbed up and down the bunk bed and was generally more in the way than usual. People were sleepy and hungry way too frequently. And we had i fight for progress.
I did learn a couple of useful things- i can completely navigate the day without my own laptop. The lesson plan books are delightfully complete from supply lists for the day and broken down stepwise. Also, school at the table is just necessary for now.
Hope your day went better than mine!
Unfortunately, they didn't complete the grout on Friday, and further breaks are just a bad idea. We moved upstairs to the kids bedroom. Not ideal, but comfy and roomy enough for all our materials and bodies.
Our morning was also disrupted by sloppy sleep schedules over the weekend. And we all woke up very late.
All in all the result was poor. We skipped our morning work. We made it through half the school day. I climbed up and down the bunk bed and was generally more in the way than usual. People were sleepy and hungry way too frequently. And we had i fight for progress.
I did learn a couple of useful things- i can completely navigate the day without my own laptop. The lesson plan books are delightfully complete from supply lists for the day and broken down stepwise. Also, school at the table is just necessary for now.
Hope your day went better than mine!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
And we ride the waves!
Today? A good day.
We all seem about on the same page as far as lessons go. Persephone is one day ahead of the boys. Her curriculum seems to flow the most smoothly. Also, she finds the "sharing mom" aspect of this whole experience much easier. Her Calvert curriculum requires a lot more writing than the boys' Lincoln curricula, so I know we will see everyone waxing and waning in the schedule.
I've got the week laid out in pencil, so I can adjust as we go along.
Today's success came from being ready to go on time. In fact, Havoc decided to start a little early. He's got a brand new video game and this is lighting a fire under his bottom.
I also gave up on the idea of keeping everyone on the same subject at the same time. Just letting things flow naturally seems to be the best. Why I didn't decide to do it that way in the first place, I can't tell you. Actually, I can. I'm just scared of getting behind. Working at our own pace in the past has really meant not paying any attention to completing the material over the course of a year. It's been nothing but bad. But, maintaining a good track of everyone's lessons with this nicely portioned out curriculum is really easy. I might be able to relax about trying to run science and math at the same time and not lose my place.
The other nice aspect is there's a checklist at the beginning of each lesson in the planning manual. I can just check stuff off as it's completed or read. I've lost my place a few times and been saved by this.
I'm really glad we're working with the self-paced materials. I think the virtual classroom might have had some fun aspects, but my moody little people would have either gotten way too excited or zoned out or both. This way the teacher-me-is right there to notice when the wheels are turning and when they've spun off in another direction.
Let's just hope for more good days.
We all seem about on the same page as far as lessons go. Persephone is one day ahead of the boys. Her curriculum seems to flow the most smoothly. Also, she finds the "sharing mom" aspect of this whole experience much easier. Her Calvert curriculum requires a lot more writing than the boys' Lincoln curricula, so I know we will see everyone waxing and waning in the schedule.
I've got the week laid out in pencil, so I can adjust as we go along.
Today's success came from being ready to go on time. In fact, Havoc decided to start a little early. He's got a brand new video game and this is lighting a fire under his bottom.
I also gave up on the idea of keeping everyone on the same subject at the same time. Just letting things flow naturally seems to be the best. Why I didn't decide to do it that way in the first place, I can't tell you. Actually, I can. I'm just scared of getting behind. Working at our own pace in the past has really meant not paying any attention to completing the material over the course of a year. It's been nothing but bad. But, maintaining a good track of everyone's lessons with this nicely portioned out curriculum is really easy. I might be able to relax about trying to run science and math at the same time and not lose my place.
The other nice aspect is there's a checklist at the beginning of each lesson in the planning manual. I can just check stuff off as it's completed or read. I've lost my place a few times and been saved by this.
I'm really glad we're working with the self-paced materials. I think the virtual classroom might have had some fun aspects, but my moody little people would have either gotten way too excited or zoned out or both. This way the teacher-me-is right there to notice when the wheels are turning and when they've spun off in another direction.
Let's just hope for more good days.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Crashed
More like stalled.
We got up on time, but were dragging this morning. I think the kids need an alarm clock.
Then getting started was hard.
Then one lesson really sucked.
Then a book never got here.
Boom, it's was the end of the day and only about half of the material wasn't covered.
Ugh.
Tomorrow's a new day. And we started a week and a half early, so all the work we get done now is "work ahead."
We'll just spend the evening relaxing and reading, maybe playing rockband 3. (woo hoo! music)
We got up on time, but were dragging this morning. I think the kids need an alarm clock.
Then getting started was hard.
Then one lesson really sucked.
Then a book never got here.
Boom, it's was the end of the day and only about half of the material wasn't covered.
Ugh.
Tomorrow's a new day. And we started a week and a half early, so all the work we get done now is "work ahead."
We'll just spend the evening relaxing and reading, maybe playing rockband 3. (woo hoo! music)
Monday, August 22, 2011
We Did It!
One full school day performed as scheduled!
This doesn't sound as exciting as all that, but it really is a first for us. All subjects covered in a day? Yeah, we really have lacked that.
To the right are my stealth homeschool room decorations. Just a little schedule so the kids can see what's coming and our calendar and weather chart. Not a big deal. They worked very well.
We still have lots of things to work out. Hawthorne aparently is DONE with school at 2 pm. No more of this following directions or using his brain. Certainly he either needs a substantial break or to start earlier. I only hope we can find a solution that doesn't stretch our day out into late afternoon. We all have lives!
Today's schedule went smoothly, I got up, lesson planned, hit the gym and everybody was just getting up and finishing breakfast.
Cross my fingers that we can do it all again tomorrow
Testing the phone post
No way to post a photo?
My hanging stuff is ready, the kids are still asleep. Hopefully i can get their materials together quickly when i get back from the gym!
My hanging stuff is ready, the kids are still asleep. Hopefully i can get their materials together quickly when i get back from the gym!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Inservice day
It's a bit early, but I needed the day to untangle how we're going to juggle three schedules and what I need to make in order to really be able to pull this off. Also the kids friends start school on Monday or Tuesday, and everybody's eager to spend as much energy as possible. Win-Win situation. They all went to a friend's house until 3 oclock!
After sorting and reading for a few hours I feel more on top of things.
I've ascertained that there isn't a formal spelling list for the non-spelling sixth grader. A problem quickly solved by the internet.
I need to dig out a couple of old cork boards for the "word wall" and weather charts and make a space for the calendars. Also one kid has morning work and the others don't so I have a schedule hole to file. Hooray for missing spelling and other projects I'd like to work on. I think I'm also going to make re-arrangeable subject hang cards so the kids can see what they're day's going to look like at a glance. And I'm going to hide this all on the backs of the doors to the coat closet, so we can put school away. My house is just a little too small to have a dedicated school room.
I need to talk to the Calvert teacher. Persephone's assignments in composition are a big deal and there's a very strong formal requirement. I hope it's not a big part of the grade. She loves to be formal, but I'm worried that she'll get caught up in that and will neglect content. I'm sure a short conversation will make me feel better. I really wish there was a Lincoln curriculum for her. The material in Calvert is excellent, but it's more formal than I like. Formality for a year won't hurt, probably.
All I know is our days are going to be full full full.
After sorting and reading for a few hours I feel more on top of things.
I've ascertained that there isn't a formal spelling list for the non-spelling sixth grader. A problem quickly solved by the internet.
I need to dig out a couple of old cork boards for the "word wall" and weather charts and make a space for the calendars. Also one kid has morning work and the others don't so I have a schedule hole to file. Hooray for missing spelling and other projects I'd like to work on. I think I'm also going to make re-arrangeable subject hang cards so the kids can see what they're day's going to look like at a glance. And I'm going to hide this all on the backs of the doors to the coat closet, so we can put school away. My house is just a little too small to have a dedicated school room.
I need to talk to the Calvert teacher. Persephone's assignments in composition are a big deal and there's a very strong formal requirement. I hope it's not a big part of the grade. She loves to be formal, but I'm worried that she'll get caught up in that and will neglect content. I'm sure a short conversation will make me feel better. I really wish there was a Lincoln curriculum for her. The material in Calvert is excellent, but it's more formal than I like. Formality for a year won't hurt, probably.
All I know is our days are going to be full full full.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Day 2ish?
Wailing. Gnashing of teeth. Rending of garments...
The first part of the day was good. But we had a guest and the cleaning ladies were coming and organized school with lesson plans really weren't in the cards.
We were playing Eurorails and the kids were working on their own to figure out reading the map (sometimes we help) and calculate the best advantage of routes and payoffs.
Then we dug out our spelling words in order to play a matching game and create some study aids.
All good stuff. But now I'm still wanting my weekend preparation and digging out Havoc's spelling words is harder than I thought it would be and...
Yeah, same old same old.
As soon as I had that sorted enough to move on, it was time for lunch and our "recess" (read as kids, spend 30 minutes outside!)
OK
and then the wailing began. Suffice it to say, that excitement about school they were feeling as the boxes upon boxes arrived has evaporated in the light of spelling lists and math facts and essays.
We all had a long talk about school and the things they preferred about Edgewood Elementary, the teachers, the kids, the classroom. And it was very productive. Perseph loved the visual lessons her teacher presented and the fact that her math book was a workbook as well. That's too bad as a fourth grade math book is almost never a workbook and this particular curriculum is the only self paced one for this school. However, I think we can make things more interactive. Assuming I get a handle on lesson planning!
We have friends who can act as emissaries to friends at school whose numbers we didn't catch. Arranging outings and inviting friends over should be simple once we rectify those situations.
None of their concerns are very difficult and in general, everybody is ok with working with me to make this all work.
I just really liked the kids saying "When can we start school!!!!!!"
The first part of the day was good. But we had a guest and the cleaning ladies were coming and organized school with lesson plans really weren't in the cards.
We were playing Eurorails and the kids were working on their own to figure out reading the map (sometimes we help) and calculate the best advantage of routes and payoffs.
Then we dug out our spelling words in order to play a matching game and create some study aids.
All good stuff. But now I'm still wanting my weekend preparation and digging out Havoc's spelling words is harder than I thought it would be and...
Yeah, same old same old.
As soon as I had that sorted enough to move on, it was time for lunch and our "recess" (read as kids, spend 30 minutes outside!)
OK
and then the wailing began. Suffice it to say, that excitement about school they were feeling as the boxes upon boxes arrived has evaporated in the light of spelling lists and math facts and essays.
We all had a long talk about school and the things they preferred about Edgewood Elementary, the teachers, the kids, the classroom. And it was very productive. Perseph loved the visual lessons her teacher presented and the fact that her math book was a workbook as well. That's too bad as a fourth grade math book is almost never a workbook and this particular curriculum is the only self paced one for this school. However, I think we can make things more interactive. Assuming I get a handle on lesson planning!
We have friends who can act as emissaries to friends at school whose numbers we didn't catch. Arranging outings and inviting friends over should be simple once we rectify those situations.
None of their concerns are very difficult and in general, everybody is ok with working with me to make this all work.
I just really liked the kids saying "When can we start school!!!!!!"
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Day 1
I'm scrambling to get my planning done. I still don't know what each kid needs for each day and with three different curricula I've got to do the work times three!
As long as I can accept that today is not going to be a "regular day" but more of an exploration of the materials and classes.
So, for now, I need to plan an hour before school to get our materials ready. Hopefully as the process streamlines, I can get more help from the kids on this.
Havoc's working on his pre-class behavioral expectations lesson-no plagiarism, be nice on the message boards, read lessons carefully and answer to the best of your ability...
Persephone's listening to her first arts lesson and eager to get working on serious school.
Hawthorne's working through online spelling and math videos. Hopefully we won't get into trouble with him doing this out of order.
And I'm madly looking through all the books to plan day 1! yikes.
As long as I can accept that today is not going to be a "regular day" but more of an exploration of the materials and classes.
So, for now, I need to plan an hour before school to get our materials ready. Hopefully as the process streamlines, I can get more help from the kids on this.
Havoc's working on his pre-class behavioral expectations lesson-no plagiarism, be nice on the message boards, read lessons carefully and answer to the best of your ability...
Persephone's listening to her first arts lesson and eager to get working on serious school.
Hawthorne's working through online spelling and math videos. Hopefully we won't get into trouble with him doing this out of order.
And I'm madly looking through all the books to plan day 1! yikes.
Hubbub and confusion
Unfortunately these have been a part of our homeschool life from the beginning. And a force to be reckoned with.
Getting all the computers set up and making sure everything is working. Browsers, logins, software.
Making sure we have all our books, paper, pens, manipulatives, boards, etc. And the right ones for each day.
Getting a solid schedule, waking up on time, eating a good breakfast, knowing what's for lunch, making sure friends know not to call during school time.
Managing regular distractions like computer games we'd like to be playing and books we'd like to be reading.
Getting into new habits like daily journals, homework and reading time.
Finding outside activities that are fun and will keep our education fun and ongoing.
Today's day 1 for us, officially. I hope it gets easier.
Getting all the computers set up and making sure everything is working. Browsers, logins, software.
Making sure we have all our books, paper, pens, manipulatives, boards, etc. And the right ones for each day.
Getting a solid schedule, waking up on time, eating a good breakfast, knowing what's for lunch, making sure friends know not to call during school time.
Managing regular distractions like computer games we'd like to be playing and books we'd like to be reading.
Getting into new habits like daily journals, homework and reading time.
Finding outside activities that are fun and will keep our education fun and ongoing.
Today's day 1 for us, officially. I hope it gets easier.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Floating out in space
We're still waiting the final batches of school materials. The children are each in their own curriculum, one appropriate for second, fourth and 6th grades.
Persephone's in particular is the Calvert curriculum, which required a placement test. We finished that right up, without our usual delay in scanning and sending or finding a stamp! But, it needed to be graded in order for her school materials to be "unlocked".
So, when the Little Lincoln box for Hawthorne and the Lincoln interactive subject boxes for Havoc arrived a week ago, we still weren't ready to start. I had hoped, vaguely that the 5-10 day window would be more like 5 days and less like 10. We can always dream, can't we? We're just waiting for fedex to show up with Persephone's materials.
Never fear, over the summer we've been working ondragging including my kids in my re-read of the Robert Jordan books in hope that we'll finish by the time the last one is published by Brandon Sanderson early next year? We've been getting into our school habits by mommy dropping all things non-kid and reading or lesson planning or playing games with only the children. We've read 1 and a half of the 13 available books so far. At an hour a day we might get done by the publication date? Maybe? They certainly have having a good time getting into theories and speculation about all the crazy characters and plots. Children after my own heart!
Improvement on previous attempts to home school- when I say "school time" is from 9-3 I never get an objection to leaving video games and calling friends for a bit later. I've very pleased.
Persephone's in particular is the Calvert curriculum, which required a placement test. We finished that right up, without our usual delay in scanning and sending or finding a stamp! But, it needed to be graded in order for her school materials to be "unlocked".
So, when the Little Lincoln box for Hawthorne and the Lincoln interactive subject boxes for Havoc arrived a week ago, we still weren't ready to start. I had hoped, vaguely that the 5-10 day window would be more like 5 days and less like 10. We can always dream, can't we? We're just waiting for fedex to show up with Persephone's materials.
Never fear, over the summer we've been working on
Improvement on previous attempts to home school- when I say "school time" is from 9-3 I never get an objection to leaving video games and calling friends for a bit later. I've very pleased.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Administrivia
A term I've stolen from a librarian friend. Today was the epitome of the first day of school. Getting the tech to work, reading the code of conduct and setting up expectations, workout out where we'll sit and how we'll make sure everybody's heard and can work together.
Thankfully, this doesn't count as a day of education and when we get sick of it, we can take a break to walk to the library or something.
I saw a tweet about homeschool, it was clearly from a teenager, talking about how homeschooling was dumb, you need the time to build memories with your friends. It's really funny, that's not at all how I remember school. All my friends of any depth were part of my extracurricular activities. School was a time spent not getting in trouble, making sure I got my reading and work done and listening to endless lessons.
My kids recount their days at public school in a similar way. Heck, my kids even came home to me for months saying they couldn't get their school chum's phone numbers because they weren't allowed to ask during school. I was stunned.
We do have to work a little bit harder to keep in touch with those school friends. It's true. But we find them at our activities and at the library sometimes, not to mention friends from our immediate neighborhood who we see every day. In a place where nobody is saying "you shouldn't socialize." By home schooling, or in our case working on school work at home, we're eliminating the "you shouldn't" from interactions with friends. If they want to work on assignments with their friends, they're welcome to-in an environment where a stressed out teacher is not trying to make sure the entire class is not disrupted by friendly work chatter.
I know all this setup stuff is a bit annoying, but we'll be done with it today. Our materials have mostly arrived, excepting the Calvert materials for Persephone. I think I'll hunt down some low stress writing exercises for her. She's never had to do any substantial writing work, and now she's enrolled in a writing based curriculum.
Thankfully, this doesn't count as a day of education and when we get sick of it, we can take a break to walk to the library or something.
I saw a tweet about homeschool, it was clearly from a teenager, talking about how homeschooling was dumb, you need the time to build memories with your friends. It's really funny, that's not at all how I remember school. All my friends of any depth were part of my extracurricular activities. School was a time spent not getting in trouble, making sure I got my reading and work done and listening to endless lessons.
My kids recount their days at public school in a similar way. Heck, my kids even came home to me for months saying they couldn't get their school chum's phone numbers because they weren't allowed to ask during school. I was stunned.
We do have to work a little bit harder to keep in touch with those school friends. It's true. But we find them at our activities and at the library sometimes, not to mention friends from our immediate neighborhood who we see every day. In a place where nobody is saying "you shouldn't socialize." By home schooling, or in our case working on school work at home, we're eliminating the "you shouldn't" from interactions with friends. If they want to work on assignments with their friends, they're welcome to-in an environment where a stressed out teacher is not trying to make sure the entire class is not disrupted by friendly work chatter.
I know all this setup stuff is a bit annoying, but we'll be done with it today. Our materials have mostly arrived, excepting the Calvert materials for Persephone. I think I'll hunt down some low stress writing exercises for her. She's never had to do any substantial writing work, and now she's enrolled in a writing based curriculum.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
The nuts and the bolts of starting up
I just had a lovely chat with the IS. I have a lot of reading to do. Tomorrow we'll all go through the get started materials. It's nice to have a direct line and an invitation to call whenever I have questions. What a difference!
I just had a discussion with the kids about language, music and extra curriculars. Hopefully I can find a good balance of stuff to do and money to do it with. I'll be keeping an eye out for free activities. We like free.
I just had a discussion with the kids about language, music and extra curriculars. Hopefully I can find a good balance of stuff to do and money to do it with. I'll be keeping an eye out for free activities. We like free.
New School Year!
After a year and a half too long of public school, we're back in control of our own education. We're going with PA Cyber this time. They're very promising. With several curriculum options for each grade, no necessity of playing games with our records, and a closer relationship with the educational coordinator and no illusions about who is actually implementing the education of my children.
I've collected folders, copied out ID's etc and I'm sitting down with the online materials. Summer is officially over! Well, summer break, that is. I look forward to enjoying each season fully-school in session or not.
The instructional supervisor called me this morning, all our materials are released for us to explore fully.
I'm more than a little nervous. We had to spend those months in brick and mortar school catching up on the RRR's because we'd done a terrible job with the basics. I am not willing to go back to that. I simply don't trust a school with the care and feeding of my kids, keeping them safe from bullies, or to keep then engaged. It was quite clear that kids who didn't make a fuss really didn't get individual attention, no matter how good and well meaning the teachers were. But, the structure worked miracles with my kids. And structure is a subject where I fail each and every time.
What's different this time?
The kids are used to studying spelling, grammar, writing, structure, math, etc. They're a year and a half older and that much easier to manage. And I've seen what happens when my ultimate consequence kicks in-we are not happy in brick and mortar school. We've found a charter school option that's better suited to our needs- we can self pace and, if it becomes necessary, we can use a virtual classroom to bring in the influence of an outside instructor. PA Cyber doesn't have perfect flexibility- we can't switch back and forth at will, but the options are all there for us.
I've collected folders, copied out ID's etc and I'm sitting down with the online materials. Summer is officially over! Well, summer break, that is. I look forward to enjoying each season fully-school in session or not.
The instructional supervisor called me this morning, all our materials are released for us to explore fully.
I'm more than a little nervous. We had to spend those months in brick and mortar school catching up on the RRR's because we'd done a terrible job with the basics. I am not willing to go back to that. I simply don't trust a school with the care and feeding of my kids, keeping them safe from bullies, or to keep then engaged. It was quite clear that kids who didn't make a fuss really didn't get individual attention, no matter how good and well meaning the teachers were. But, the structure worked miracles with my kids. And structure is a subject where I fail each and every time.
What's different this time?
The kids are used to studying spelling, grammar, writing, structure, math, etc. They're a year and a half older and that much easier to manage. And I've seen what happens when my ultimate consequence kicks in-we are not happy in brick and mortar school. We've found a charter school option that's better suited to our needs- we can self pace and, if it becomes necessary, we can use a virtual classroom to bring in the influence of an outside instructor. PA Cyber doesn't have perfect flexibility- we can't switch back and forth at will, but the options are all there for us.
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