Friday, June 24, 2011
SUMMER
Summer is in full swing now! We just finished a week of VBS and I am exhausted. lol. The kids had a blast, and so did I. We start swim lessons on Monday, and Julie has camp soon after that. I have to think of some fun stuff to do with Seth and Paige while Julie is gone! We have picnics and mountain trips scheduled this summer as well. Hopefully we can get some camping in even if it's just a night or two. The kids have been getting better and better about listening and having a good attitude every since we pulled them out of public school so that really helps us to plan fun activities for them. My Julie bug is growing up and branching out away from home more. Her independence just might kill me! The kids have all been so good about helping around the house more so that opens me up time wise for more fun things as well. So let me know your suggestions on activities since summer is well on its way!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Concerns/The big 3-0
I have been seriously exhausted for some time now. It has slowly been getting worse and worse, but the past two days have been severe. I can not manage to get myself up out of bed even though I get plenty of sleep at night. I am hopeful that I will feel better soon on a new vitamin regiment. Today is Peter's 30th birthday! We have a special dinner of steak and potatoes planned as well as some ice cream cone cup cakes for dessert. The kids and I got him a card and put in a check for a new viola made out to Peter. He has no idea! I couldn't just buy him one because I have no idea what size or what the differences are in the instruments. He will get to pick one out and start playing again. He has been wanting to start playing again since I have known him, but he hasn't had a viola just a violin. I want to encourage him not only to start playing the viola again, but to continue working on the violin. I would love for him to teach the children music. Ok so I am going to sign off now and try to take a short nap before getting started in the kitchen this afternoon. Hope everyone has an awesome day!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER...
Julie and Seth have officially finished their first school year of home school! Yay! We have a very packed summer about to get into full swing. Very excited to try some new activities, and have some summer visitors. Hope to get some camping in sometime this summer as well. The kids decided not to do track much to my disappointment. I can't force them though, and I guess it just opens them up for some other activities like hiking. Life is pretty busy these days between all of our activites, preparing for next school year, and helping my mom with her business. I am back in the saddle again so to speak. It was a long break from the super busy when we moved here, but I'm back baby (said like George Castanza)! I have been very careful to not over book myself which used to happen all the time before the big move. Trying to find that balance of activities and home time. Peter is doing well involved in a new series of books right now. He turns the big 3-0 this Saturday, and I am just waiting for that to hit him. He couldn't get the day off for his birthday so we are not really doing much that day, maybe just a cake (his fav-white cake, white frosting). We are also in the process of looking for a new apartment for when our lease comes up in October. This place is just to expensive though we do love this apartment! We are trying to get some debt paid off which means living on as little as possible. We will see the rewards for that some day.... far far from now! As always any questions/comments please post, and I will get back to you asap.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Homeschooling
I am so proud of my babies! We have been homeschooling since January and had to fit all school year into those few short months. They are almost finished! We are going a little bit into the summer time, but considering how late we started with a full school year of curriculum they are really doing good. Plus they had a couple of weeks that were very slow going while we were dealing with a family issue out of town. They are really growing and learning more than I could have hoped! I am so glad that we are homeschooling now. It has paved the way for so many learning experiences for the kids that they wouldn't get in a traditional class room. It is the best experience for me as a mom to watch my children grow and learn in this way. Thank the Lord for good curriculum that can be bought all ready to go! : )
I would like to address some of the concerns that have been brought up to me and other's I know about homeschooling. If you have a question that is not mentioned here please post a comment with your question and I will get back to you.
Q: How can you teach your children effectively if you are not a teacher?
A: Parents are the first and I believe the best teachers for their children. I do not have a teaching degree, or any formal schooling that would qualify me to teach in a traditional class room. Home school is not a traditional class room! We have curriculum for each grade level that has exactly what needs to be taught according to the state government, and full answer keys for anything I do not already know. The curriculum is very open to modification so it is very easy to work through the lessons in a way that is best for my children's learning styles. Many teachers’ that work in a traditional public setting are astonished by the information being taught. The schools they work at rarely cover as much information because it just isn't possible with that many children. When you are teaching just one child in that grade level they have your full attention and do not have to stay with the class. It makes it very easy to quickly go through the lessons that the children grasp easily, and spend more time on the lessons the children need more time on.
Q: How will the kids meet friends and socialize?
A: School is not a social event. While it does help the kids to meet others their age school is not meant as social time. Without the distraction of other student's home school children can learn at an accelerated rate. My oldest was often "in trouble" for socializing during class in a traditional class room. Now my child knows if we are doing school work at home we do not have friends over. When she is with her friends she doesn't have to worry about when she can and can not play/talk. My kids participate in activities like swim lessons, track and field, and church activities. They tend to have more friends than they have time for! It seems in our situation having a clear defined difference in social time and school time has made learning and time with friends much more enjoyable for the kids.
Q: How do you know you are teaching them what they need?
A: We have a very specific curriculum that I modify to my kids learning styles. The curriculum is way above and beyond what the state requires for them to learn. Also with the time that we do not waste switching classes, taking a traditional school lunch break, explaining the work to 25+ children, etc. we are able to teach in the real world. We take field trips that majority of traditional school children never get to take like touring a mail room, talking with experts in the fields the kids currently think they want to go into, and doing volunteer work for our community. We also have time to teach real world lessons and they get experience in real world events. For example one of the things we are working on right now is basic manners. I don't know of any traditional public schools that teach basic manners, and who doesn't need them? A lot of the things we are learning my husband and I have never been taught either! Home school has opened the door to many learning experiences my kids would have never had if they were still attending public school.
Q: How is it possible to give each child the attention they need for their grade level and learning style?
A: I have 3 children to teach. Even having 3 separate lessons and learning styles I am able to work with each child one on one every day. I am able to plan the lessons so that when it is time for individual work to be done I can work with the other children. Plus the older kids love to help with the younger ones when they are finished with their own work. Not only does this help the youngest learn, but it reinforces what the older children already know. It also makes it fun for them to learn new things. Education has become a part of every hour of our day! When it is play time I find the older children will sing the alphabet with the younger child, or go over counting. They find it fun to learn new things now and help each other learn new things. The difference comes in with the fact that I have 3 where as most tradition class rooms have around 25+ students.
Q: What about when the kids are older and most kids their age are going to proms and graduation?
A: Homeschooling families have coops and groups that get together to have these types of functions. Obviously they probably will not walk with 300 other students, but there are graduation ceremonies and proms for home schooled children. They are generally to a smaller scale, but they still have the experiences that traditional schools offer.
Q: How will they get a diploma?
A: Home schools are considered private schools by the government and therefore can issue diplomas to their students.
Q: Will colleges accept a home school diploma?
A: I have personally contacted several colleges from the local junior college toBerkley University
Q: Do the children get to do sports, or even physical education class?
A: My children are not big fans of sports in general, but they are trying track and swimming through the county this summer. There are many programs for homeschooling families for these types of extra curricular activities. Our family does place an importance on physical education such as hiking, biking, and swimming.
Q: Do the children have to take standardized tests?
A: In the state ofTexas
Q: What happens with children with learning disabilities?
A: My oldest daughter has recently been tested for learning disabilities, and she has a couple of areas that are considered borderline. The local school district offer's help in these situations. Along with a panel of educators I have come up with a plan of action for teaching my daughter in a way that she will learn and not get frustrated like she did in a public school setting. The steps we have been taking really are improving her ability to learn quickly! She is really starting to get some things that she has been missing for years in a public school. The teacher's in her schools have never put her on a watch list, and it's safe to say she would never have been tested without me pushing for it. When there is 1 teacher to so many students it is hard for them to watch for every little issue each child might have. She has been missed in the past because of it, and has improved greatly in the past few weeks after changing her lesson plans.
Q: Do you home school because you do not like public schools?
A: Our family believes public school is a wonderful option, and is great for many children just not all children and families. My oldest daughter is really making strides in her education in the home school setting, where as my son did wonderful in public school as well as home school. We made the decision to home school out of necessity. My son has a few health problems that take us away from home for doctor's appointments often. Due to the missed days even though they were excused there were just to many of them for the school to allow him to move on to the next grade. He was doing well passing with nearly perfect grades in each subject, but rules are rules in public school. It was also an issue for my oldest daughter because she was getting behind. When we have an appointment out of town we can't leave one child at home for school so she also had to miss classes. The school did consider them excused absences as well because of the reason for them, but she was getting behind in work. With home school we are able to do school any where. Sometimes that means in a doctor's office, or the car.
Q: Weren't you worried about starting home school (I could never do it myself)?
A: We were terrified! We are still figuring some things out, and I was one of those people that said I could never do it. I always thought I would not be capable of teaching them successfully. I thought they are too rambunctious, and I am not smart enough. Turns out they are much calmer at home now, and less stressed. I never even realized they were stressed until we started homeschooling and their personalities started to change. They have much less attitude about things, and a real willingness to learn. I am not the smartest person on the planet by far, but who better to teach MY children? I want them to know everything they can, and that causes me to learn and search for answers that I don't know. If they have a question that I don't know the answer to I research it. This also teaches humility, and how to find answers for themselves. We believe it was one of the best decisions we have made as a family.
Q: How will you be able to contribute to the family if you are at home with the children teaching them?
A: I can not think of any better way to "contribute" to my family then to invest time into my family. Though I am not bringing in any money to the family unit we do fine with what we have, and are happy. We feel that the time away from home is not worth the money we would gain for our family if we had a second income. The money we save by having the time to prepare meals at home, search for sales, repairing things rather than replacing them, etc. far out weigh what we would make as a second income after paying for daycare, and extra expenses such as school uniforms and more supplies than my kids really need to do their school work. We place a much higher importance on the family itself than on anything material. Staying home with the children is right for OUR family. We do not believe that there is a one size fits all life. For some family’s homeschooling and one parent staying home is what's best and works for them. For some families the children being in public school and both parents working is what's best and works for them. There are many different types of family units in this world. We just manage ours in a way that we find best for us.
Q: Do you worry that your children will not get the life experiences that are necessary for them to be successful adults?
A: Not in the least! We do not see how being in a classroom is an experience that the children would be able to adapt to life in a way that them learning at home will not do the same. Based on the previous Q & A above I can not see any reason public school would be better than homeschooling, or visa versa. We are all different and learn in different ways.
Q: Will you home school all your children until they graduate?
A: We don't know yet really. At this point we would like to, but as we all know sometimes other factors can come into play. If there is some reason in the future that we decide not to home school any more it is a fairly easy process to put the children back into a public school or a private school. We don't know what will happen in the future, but we are willing to put them back into a traditional school if the need arises or we feel in the future it is what is best for one or all of our children.
I would like to address some of the concerns that have been brought up to me and other's I know about homeschooling. If you have a question that is not mentioned here please post a comment with your question and I will get back to you.
Q: How can you teach your children effectively if you are not a teacher?
A: Parents are the first and I believe the best teachers for their children. I do not have a teaching degree, or any formal schooling that would qualify me to teach in a traditional class room. Home school is not a traditional class room! We have curriculum for each grade level that has exactly what needs to be taught according to the state government, and full answer keys for anything I do not already know. The curriculum is very open to modification so it is very easy to work through the lessons in a way that is best for my children's learning styles. Many teachers’ that work in a traditional public setting are astonished by the information being taught. The schools they work at rarely cover as much information because it just isn't possible with that many children. When you are teaching just one child in that grade level they have your full attention and do not have to stay with the class. It makes it very easy to quickly go through the lessons that the children grasp easily, and spend more time on the lessons the children need more time on.
Q: How will the kids meet friends and socialize?
A: School is not a social event. While it does help the kids to meet others their age school is not meant as social time. Without the distraction of other student's home school children can learn at an accelerated rate. My oldest was often "in trouble" for socializing during class in a traditional class room. Now my child knows if we are doing school work at home we do not have friends over. When she is with her friends she doesn't have to worry about when she can and can not play/talk. My kids participate in activities like swim lessons, track and field, and church activities. They tend to have more friends than they have time for! It seems in our situation having a clear defined difference in social time and school time has made learning and time with friends much more enjoyable for the kids.
Q: How do you know you are teaching them what they need?
A: We have a very specific curriculum that I modify to my kids learning styles. The curriculum is way above and beyond what the state requires for them to learn. Also with the time that we do not waste switching classes, taking a traditional school lunch break, explaining the work to 25+ children, etc. we are able to teach in the real world. We take field trips that majority of traditional school children never get to take like touring a mail room, talking with experts in the fields the kids currently think they want to go into, and doing volunteer work for our community. We also have time to teach real world lessons and they get experience in real world events. For example one of the things we are working on right now is basic manners. I don't know of any traditional public schools that teach basic manners, and who doesn't need them? A lot of the things we are learning my husband and I have never been taught either! Home school has opened the door to many learning experiences my kids would have never had if they were still attending public school.
Q: How is it possible to give each child the attention they need for their grade level and learning style?
A: I have 3 children to teach. Even having 3 separate lessons and learning styles I am able to work with each child one on one every day. I am able to plan the lessons so that when it is time for individual work to be done I can work with the other children. Plus the older kids love to help with the younger ones when they are finished with their own work. Not only does this help the youngest learn, but it reinforces what the older children already know. It also makes it fun for them to learn new things. Education has become a part of every hour of our day! When it is play time I find the older children will sing the alphabet with the younger child, or go over counting. They find it fun to learn new things now and help each other learn new things. The difference comes in with the fact that I have 3 where as most tradition class rooms have around 25+ students.
Q: What about when the kids are older and most kids their age are going to proms and graduation?
A: Homeschooling families have coops and groups that get together to have these types of functions. Obviously they probably will not walk with 300 other students, but there are graduation ceremonies and proms for home schooled children. They are generally to a smaller scale, but they still have the experiences that traditional schools offer.
Q: How will they get a diploma?
A: Home schools are considered private schools by the government and therefore can issue diplomas to their students.
Q: Will colleges accept a home school diploma?
A: I have personally contacted several colleges from the local junior college to
Q: Do the children get to do sports, or even physical education class?
A: My children are not big fans of sports in general, but they are trying track and swimming through the county this summer. There are many programs for homeschooling families for these types of extra curricular activities. Our family does place an importance on physical education such as hiking, biking, and swimming.
Q: Do the children have to take standardized tests?
A: In the state of
Q: What happens with children with learning disabilities?
A: My oldest daughter has recently been tested for learning disabilities, and she has a couple of areas that are considered borderline. The local school district offer's help in these situations. Along with a panel of educators I have come up with a plan of action for teaching my daughter in a way that she will learn and not get frustrated like she did in a public school setting. The steps we have been taking really are improving her ability to learn quickly! She is really starting to get some things that she has been missing for years in a public school. The teacher's in her schools have never put her on a watch list, and it's safe to say she would never have been tested without me pushing for it. When there is 1 teacher to so many students it is hard for them to watch for every little issue each child might have. She has been missed in the past because of it, and has improved greatly in the past few weeks after changing her lesson plans.
Q: Do you home school because you do not like public schools?
A: Our family believes public school is a wonderful option, and is great for many children just not all children and families. My oldest daughter is really making strides in her education in the home school setting, where as my son did wonderful in public school as well as home school. We made the decision to home school out of necessity. My son has a few health problems that take us away from home for doctor's appointments often. Due to the missed days even though they were excused there were just to many of them for the school to allow him to move on to the next grade. He was doing well passing with nearly perfect grades in each subject, but rules are rules in public school. It was also an issue for my oldest daughter because she was getting behind. When we have an appointment out of town we can't leave one child at home for school so she also had to miss classes. The school did consider them excused absences as well because of the reason for them, but she was getting behind in work. With home school we are able to do school any where. Sometimes that means in a doctor's office, or the car.
Q: Weren't you worried about starting home school (I could never do it myself)?
A: We were terrified! We are still figuring some things out, and I was one of those people that said I could never do it. I always thought I would not be capable of teaching them successfully. I thought they are too rambunctious, and I am not smart enough. Turns out they are much calmer at home now, and less stressed. I never even realized they were stressed until we started homeschooling and their personalities started to change. They have much less attitude about things, and a real willingness to learn. I am not the smartest person on the planet by far, but who better to teach MY children? I want them to know everything they can, and that causes me to learn and search for answers that I don't know. If they have a question that I don't know the answer to I research it. This also teaches humility, and how to find answers for themselves. We believe it was one of the best decisions we have made as a family.
Q: How will you be able to contribute to the family if you are at home with the children teaching them?
A: I can not think of any better way to "contribute" to my family then to invest time into my family. Though I am not bringing in any money to the family unit we do fine with what we have, and are happy. We feel that the time away from home is not worth the money we would gain for our family if we had a second income. The money we save by having the time to prepare meals at home, search for sales, repairing things rather than replacing them, etc. far out weigh what we would make as a second income after paying for daycare, and extra expenses such as school uniforms and more supplies than my kids really need to do their school work. We place a much higher importance on the family itself than on anything material. Staying home with the children is right for OUR family. We do not believe that there is a one size fits all life. For some family’s homeschooling and one parent staying home is what's best and works for them. For some families the children being in public school and both parents working is what's best and works for them. There are many different types of family units in this world. We just manage ours in a way that we find best for us.
Q: Do you worry that your children will not get the life experiences that are necessary for them to be successful adults?
A: Not in the least! We do not see how being in a classroom is an experience that the children would be able to adapt to life in a way that them learning at home will not do the same. Based on the previous Q & A above I can not see any reason public school would be better than homeschooling, or visa versa. We are all different and learn in different ways.
Q: Will you home school all your children until they graduate?
A: We don't know yet really. At this point we would like to, but as we all know sometimes other factors can come into play. If there is some reason in the future that we decide not to home school any more it is a fairly easy process to put the children back into a public school or a private school. We don't know what will happen in the future, but we are willing to put them back into a traditional school if the need arises or we feel in the future it is what is best for one or all of our children.
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