Insecurities eased

After months of studying the classical approach to education and classical curriculum, I found I was becoming overwhelmed by the choices and desperately wanted someone to step in and take my hand. I wanted to see the sign post that says I'm going the right way. This is when I met Dr. Mary Clark from Seton Home Study and decided to let them guide me.

We are only two weeks into the program and already insecurities over my decision are taunting me. Our Liturgy Director at our parish saw my children doing their religion out of the Baltimore Catechism and was shocked at my allowing it. It seems our arch-diocese only approved Sadlier for religious education. Did Seton lead me astray?

I'm also concerned with the 15 subjects my two older children are carrying. Because they are in different grades, hence have different subjects, I don't feel that I get to be a part of their studies the way I wanted to. I give them their lesson plans for the week and they are pretty much on their own after that. Of course they come to me with questions periodically and they enjoy answering the reading and history questions orally as opposed to writing them down. Sometimes they will retell a story they have read and that keeps me in the loop as well as lets me check their comprehension. But I really envisioned myself relearning along with them. They both move through their subjects so fast that I'm left wondering if there is a better way.

And then there's my 4 and 5 year old. They need direct "in your face" instruction but their attention span is so short that I feel their daily formal instruction time is only about an hour. Could there be a deficit in my teaching style? Do they need more? And how do I give it to them when they are no longer listening and the older children are asking questions? Why on earth did I think I could teach four different grades at one time?

Well, I had an epiphany last night. I decided to go back to those books on designing my own classical curriculum to see if they could tell me what I'm doing wrong. Reading through these books a second time without the frustration of choosing a curriculum in time for school to start allowed the information to really sink in. In fact, they proved to me that I'm actually doing things right! According to my findings, home-schooled children who are strong readers should be studying independently. The information they are studying is important, but even more important is that they are learning how to learn. The retelling of stories and answering questions orally are the best way for the information to really take hold.

And furthermore, the Baltimore Catechism has been suggested by several sources because it is an excellent preparation for theology because it is St. Thomas distilled. Pick a topic, see what the Baltimore Catechism says, and then compare it with the relevant article in the Summa Theologiae. St. Thomas is much more complete, but the basic position is in the catechism. Therefore, using the Baltimore catechism in the early years makes St. Thomas much easier. And the format in the catechism is perfect for little children, who can memorize so much more easily than we can do.

As for my 4 and 5 year old, only about 45 minutes of formal instruction a day is recommended. The rest of their learning will come from interacting with the family and participating in daily life.

Even more reassuring, several of these books actually recommended Seton Home Study and their chosen curriculum. I feel so much better for my decisions and for the way our day to day home school life is going. I feel more confident now even though I haven't changed anything that we are doing. I guess I am learning along with my children, just not the way I had envisioned.

Classroom disruptions!

Let's make one thing very clear, cell phones are not permitted in the classroom! Dear 4 year old keeps making ringing noises at regular intervals and then proceeds to answer her "phone" by raising her heel to her mouth and her toes to her ear. Her conversations are brief but the giggling around the table by her siblings is very disturbing to the tasks at hand! Is it possible to get her a mailbox number for messages?

And what about the door bell? All four seedlings seem to feel a sort of surge when the door bell rings and race each other to the door in excitement. The Sparkletts man never felt so welcome! We regularly greet our mailman and the UPS guy is better than Santa; you don't have to wait until Christmas! Children, come back!

Recess in the backyard and lunch at the park are offered. So why do we feel compelled to chase each other around in circles after every other subject?

Lord, thank you for my happy children.

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. Proverbs 17:22

Curriculum is in!

Well, this is it. Our curriculum arrived on Monday in three very large boxes with the three older children's name on them. The older two stood there with their jaws dropped to the floor as I used all my strength to drag the boxes in the house. Excitement began to grow as we opened the boxes to examine the contents. The texts are beautiful and some are hard covered and look very fancy! Each of our four children have been designated a cubby hole of their own to store their books. Our 6th grader has so many books that they hardly fit!

My next step was to review the lesson plans and note supplies needed as well as come up with a weekly schedule. This wasn't too hard. I have a decorated notebook for each child that holds their lesson plans, attendance sheets, quarterly reports and quizzes. I just need to come up with one schedule that has everyone's required daily work on it so I can get used to the rhythm of our day. I'm hoping that once we get started this will fall into place.

I'm noticing that with the curriculum required by Seton as well as the subjects I have added, my older children have 15 subjects they are working on. It sounds a little intense, and we joke about them begging to go back to the institutionalized school for a lighter schedule, but every subject is not every day. Hopefully they can handle it. I guess we can adjust as we go along.

So, books are here, supplies have been purchased, cubby holes are organized and lesson plans are ready. We are really doing it! We are homeschoolers!!

Pray for us :)

California Standardized Test Scores

For some reason I was really worried about administering the CAT placement test to my two older children. I guess I was worried about the perfect testing environment; for instance, no screaming preschoolers running around, not after a heavy meal and not too late in the day. As it turned out, I procrastinated administering the test to the point that it looked like I wouldn't be able to start school until late September! I had to bite the bullet and just do it.

I tested my 9 year old one night after ballet camp at 8:30pm. We were home alone so it seemed as good a time as any. Even after her physically exhausting day she finished in less than an hour. My 11 year old came home after football practice and began the test just before 10pm. Not the ideal testing circumstances! Nonetheless, I packaged the tests up and rushed mailed them the next morning. In just three days I received a phone called that the tests were graded and the results were amazing! My oldest received a near perfect test score missing only 1 question out of all 5 testing categories! My 9 year old only missed 4 questions! It was my choice if I wanted to move them up a grade.

Being a novice home-schooler, I was a little uncertain. In the end I chose to keep them at their age appropriate grade level but placed them in accelerated Saxon math. Seton's curriculum is already advanced so I am opting to try it before exchanging it for the next grade level up. I pray this is the right decision.

My accolades go out the the Catholic school where they have studied since kindergarten. They obviously have been academically challenged and I plan to continue that tradition.

The Socialization Question

As people in my life start learning that we are choosing to home school our children, I am beginning to hear the same "Socialization" question come up. I came across this article that I'd like to share...

How to Answer the Socialization Question Once and for All
by Marsha Ransom

I am beginning to tire of the many articles, essays and responses I keep running across on what has become to be known as the "socialization question."

Homeschooling families, please listen carefully: What people refer to as socialization is a non-issue! It has become a buzz-word among the Official Homeschool Nay Sayers Society. When someone asks you the question ("What about SOCIALIZATION!?"), I suggest you begin by asking them, "What do you mean by socialization?" They will more than likely proceed with some variation on the following theme: "You know, having your kids spend time with other kids their age. Hanging out with their friends, stuff like that." At that point do not, under any circumstances respond with, "Oh my little Susie gets plenty of socialization! She's in 4-H and Awanas, and Sunday school and HomeSchool band and she volunteers at the nursing home etc.etc. etc. In fact she has so many opportunities for socialization that I hardly have time to teach her some days..YaDa YaDa YaDa." Why not? Because this is not what socialization really is!

Here is a more appropriate response: "Oh, I think the word you are looking for is socializing. Socialization is actually defined as the process by which the norms and standards of our society are passed from one generation to the next. I've never really thought that a complete stranger's six-year old child would be a good source of information on the correct standards of behavior in our family and in society as a whole. As for socializing, I remember from my school days that it was something you weren't supposed to be doing during class!"

We do not have to defend homeschooling based on false assumptions, false accusations, and false information. Please stop telling others about all the opportunities your kids have for "socialization" and start gently exposing them to the real issue here-- a lot of what kids learn from other kids in social situations is simply living according to "The Law of the Jungle." In our family, we have a higher set of laws to follow and I bet your family does too. Next time, don't be afraid to say so!

Jumping off a moving train...

Well, we are finally going to do it! After years of research, prayer and discernment, we have decided to pull our four children out of school and begin homeschooling them. It's difficult to explain why we decided to home school. There are dozens of reasons why. When all of these reasons are added together they tip the scale in favor of home schooling with a resounding crash! Oddly enough, any one of these reasons alone provide a good argument for our decision. Here are a few examples:

• Our two older children are advanced, self-motivated learners who could retain their love of learning with a lesson plan that accelerates with them and allows them to dig deep into subjects instead of just skimming the surface.
  
• Our child who went from two years of Special Ed into the regular classroom without mainstreaming (which was recommended by his IEP team) can be given all the love and attention he needs without the stigma of being "slow". His lesson plans can be adapted to fit his own needs and he doesn't need to sit in an overcrowded classroom with a distraught teacher who just doesn't have time for a child who needs extra care.
• My oldest was 1 out of 33 students, my next child was 1 out of 29, my third was 1 out of 22, and my baby was 1 out of 17. Doesn't 1 out of 4 sound marvelous?!?!
• My husband, who by the way is wonderful, loving AND handsome, works 12+ hours a day and travels frequently. Although we get his financial support it is up to me alone to handle teacher meetings, parent meetings, homework, school projects, school fundraisers, after school activities, ballet, soccer, football, piano lessons, teacher/parent communications, school committees, school services hours and run the house and care for the kid's needs. All this was being done with 3 different school schedules! By bringing it all home, the only outside schedules I need be concerned with are the afternoon sports and music lessons. I can handle that!
• The only thing Catholic about our Catholic school was the insertion of religion classes and a monthly mass. Some of the school's activities, curriculum, and problem solving methods were very secular in nature and lacked the Catholic/Christian perspective. By using a Catholic curriculum and exercising my duties as being the primary educator of my children (CCC2221), I can be sure that they are receiving a complete Catholic education.
• It's WAY cheaper than 4 Catholic school tuitions!
• Instead of spending 40+ hours a week in someone else's care, my children and I have time to grow, learn and be together! Our children can have time to play together.
  
• Our family has more time (40+ hours a week) to be an influence on our children's lives and character than their peers do. They won't have to endure school bullies or be forced to choose daily between their values or their peers before they are mature enough to handle it.

I'm sure I'll remember more reasons why we are choosing to home school as soon as I post this, but these are the top reasons. I'm actually really excited to begin and look forward to learning alongside my children as they venture into subjects that I'm not proficient in (like Latin). Do I feel organized and well prepared? No, but I'm putting my faith in our Lord and not in myself. These are His children that He has entrusted to me and He has put it on my heart that this is the best decision for them. I pray that He will guide me day by day and year by year. Should this at any time not be the right decision for them any more, I trust that He will guide me in what I should do next. I have only one chance to raise these little ones and I want to say that I did everything that I felt was best for them and I have no regrets. When these children of mine become adults I want them to remember a mom (and dad) that loved them unconditionally and did everything they could for them. I want them to remember us laughing and learning together.

It feels a little like we're jumping off a moving train, but I feel we've landed on a soft surface. It's not even scary anymore. I just feel a great sense of peace that we are headed in the right direction.