Looking at math from another angle...

Brilliant or quirky?

"9+5+9=23!", shouts my seven-year-old in the car. As we all wonder what he is talking about, he shouts again,"Right there! On the lights!". It's then that I notice my digital radio tuned to 95.9 The Fish.

Okay, there's more...

While stopped at a red light, this same child starts calling out numbers excitedly. "2+2+7=11, 2+3+5=10, 2+8+9=19...". I follow his gaze to a gas station sign that reads the prices for various grades of gas: $2.27, $2.35, $2.89. He was adding the numbers!!

How about this one...

We were watching America's Got Talent on television. While the judges from the different countries were assigning their scores to the various participants, my seven-year-old was staring at his fingers and mumbling to himself. Before the final cumulative score was announced, my baby was shouting out the total score, and he was right!!!

So what am I to make of all this? This same kid that runs into walls, trips over nothing, and talks to himself is really quite brilliant yet he just doesn't seem to have a lot of common sense. I can see him as a highly acclaimed college professor somewhere important someday with a polka-dotted bow tie and a quirky personality.

On the other hand, what's wrong with that?

Popcorn and Icees do the trick!!

Okay, so my two oldest were assigned to read this particular book that they decided was boring before they opened it only because they HAVE to read it. To encourage them, I offered them a prize when they were done. So what's the next logical question? "What's the prize?", of course. Off the top of my head, I announced "A cop corn condo!". This is what my dear friend's 4 year old daughter calls the popcorn-Icee combo that is offered at Target.

So now, my 13 year old beginning teenager is so excited about the prize he began the book last night with a book light and was anxiously reading it this morning as well. Who would have thought that pop corn & an Icee would motivated a 13 year old boy!? Other boys his age wear goth make-up, skinny jeans, and text their friends all day. Mine just wants a cop corn condo! Who-ho!! I love homeschooling!!!!

Homeschooling Boys

Being a mother of two boys and two girls, one would think that I'd be prepared deal with the challenges that each provides. Yet somehow, my 13 year old man-cub never ceases to surprise me. Allow me to offer a case in point.

After being in bed the previous day with the flu, I emerged slowly from my room with my head tilted to manage the headache pain. Being somewhat disoriented and groggy, I vaguely heard my son ask me something about his science book. I nodded to dismiss him and went to look for medication for myself. Walking back to the kitchen, I realize that I smell something like burning popcorn. Blinking hard to make my eyes focus quicker, I now see my son with candles lit on the kitchen counter, a cookie rack with a small square of foil under it, and holding a peanut in a pair of salad tongs. He explains to me that he intends to heat the hot water for his hot chocolate by using peanuts for fuel. The peanuts, he explains, are a great source for fuel due to their high oil content. "How harmful can a peanut be?", I muse to myself.

No sooner did that thought arrive when I realized that there was a large flame now on my counter. Apparently the meat thermometer he had in his hot chocolate water was not showing the temperature rising quickly enough. He has now decided to set a cup of peanuts on fire. The other three siblings were behind him staring in amazement. Not wanting to kill his spirit, I asked him to log his science experiment and then clean up. He obeyed, after first using direct flame from a lighter to finish heating his hot chocolate.

At this point in the day I'm feeling stronger and have the children working at different stations on their school work. It's then that I notice that two of our guppies have died and are floating belly up in the fish tank. Realizing that this is why I had sons, to kill bugs and flush dead fish, I ask my man-cub to retrieve the dead fish and flush them in the toilet. Walking away was my first mistake. I came back to the table only to find my son with the fish on my good tablecloth and a pocket knife. "Hey mom, did you know that when you poke his eyes out black stuff comes out? Cool!", he exclaims.

Ah, the wonder of boys!

Sleep Schedules

Thanks to the Nutcracker ballet schedule, Christmas choir practices, midnight mass and family Christmas gatherings, my four little darlings are running around with high energy at 11pm and I'm dragging them out of bed between 9-10am! This new sleep schedule we have is not conducive to homeschooling and I'm fearful of the battle that lies ahead of me. We have one week to turn this around, but New Year's Eve is just days away! Should I start tying them in bed early now or wait until after the New Year celebration?

Where is the sandman when you need him?!? Maybe he takes a break when Santa is in town!

A Pro-life must see! BELLA, the movie...

What this home schooling mom is thankful for...

With Thanksgiving just a day away, it seems especially appropriate to reflect on what I'm thankful for. Thanks to Break Time at Home School Inc. for reminding me of these blessings...

Give Thanks for Homeschool Freedom!
As parents, Thanksgiving brings to mind the many things we have to be thankful for in our homes, our families, and our country.

While you bask in the glow of your festivities, consider for a moment the freedoms we still have as homeschoolers. Certain states require greater accountability, with some predicting that their laws will become more strict, in the future. But even in the most highly regulated states, homeschoolers still have these freedoms:

- The freedom to read whatever we like. If your young reader prefers graphic novels to the classics, together you can still choose which they will read (hopefully peppered with some works of greater depth). No one is standing over your shoulder to tell you what to read. Don't take this freedom for granted.

- The freedom to think whatever we like. We are not forced to adopt a worldview. We can, indeed, immerse our family in the worldview that resonates with us.

- The freedom to disagree. Some homeschoolers choose to homeschool because of specific educational goals and perspectives. Some choose homeschool so they can also teach their faith. Some choose to homeschool because of what they perceive as a negative indoctrination prevalent in the school system. Whatever our motivation, we still have the freedom to choose.

- The freedom to choose our comings and goings. We can start "school" at 8 a.m. or 11 a.m. We can pick vacation times that make sense for our family. We can even go to class in our pajamas!

Educational choice for our children today and tomorrow -- it's what homeschooling is all about. It's what freedom is about. Live it, love it, celebrate it, and guard it.

At War With The Media

It is impossible to not notice that Hollywood is poisoning an entire generation against God and the Christian lifestyle. Every time I flip a channel there is foul language, fornication, homosexuality, and lust for money, sex and power. Oddly enough I find that even the Disney Channel shows are indoctrinating our children to believe that adults are dumb, talking back is cool, and dressing immodestly is fashionable. Appetites for dating relationships are even being encouraged in pre-pubescent children. What's a Christian mother to do? Well, as unthinkable as it may seem, we are done with random TV watching. Somedays it just doesn't even get turned on.

With the invention of TIVO and DVR I can record what I consider appropriate and we watch it at a convenient family time. We record shows like "I Love Lucy", "Little House on the Prairie", and "The Brady Bunch". We also check the History Channel for shows that enrich what we may be studying at the time. The point is that I don't have to feel forced by the media to teach my children anything I don't want to teach them. I don't care about what everyone else is watching. I want to build strong foundations in my children and I want to keep their hearts towards God.

I was surprised when I found a Catholic website for renting films, sort of like Netflix. It makes me feel good to know that I'm not alone in my philosophy.

Piusmedia.com is a Catholic DVD Rental Membership Club! They are a source for movies depicting the lives of the saints, children’s movies, educational tools for Religious Education teachers, conversion stories from the greatest apologists, Catholic-friendly Hollywood movies, and some great old television series.

As stated from the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2525-

Christian purity requires a purification of the social climate. It requires of the communications media that their presentations show concern for respect and restraint. Purity of heart brings freedom from widespread eroticism and avoids entertainment inclined to voyeurism and illusion.

Yes on Prop. 8-Save marriage/protect our children!

Teaching about the election year

Being that this is an election year, it is a perfect opportunity to educate my children about the election process and to allow them to watch more closely as the events unfold. As we began our discussions on this, I found out that terms such as caucus and platform were new to them and the Electoral College was a little difficult to explain. I even found myself learning along side them as we discovered that the federal elections are held on the first Tuesday in November after the first Monday to avoid it falling on All Saints Day, which is a holy day of obligation for the Catholic church. The Old Schoolhouse has a wonderful Presidential Election Process Lapbook that makes learning fun and takes a lot of guess-work out of the subject matter. The results are captured within the Lapbook. It is a little time consuming and it involves quite a bit of cutting and gluing, but it is well worth the effort.

After watching the debates as a family, the children were naturally interested in who we were planning on voting for. We tried to explain to them that Catholics have a moral obligation to promote the common good through the exercise of our voting privileges, but voting cannot be arbitrary. Some things are always wrong, and citizens support these evils indirectly if they vote in favor of a candidate who proposes to advance them. The five non-negotiable issues that fundamentally conflict with moral law (abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem call research, human cloning and homosexual marriage) are looked at in the following video.

Let us all pray for guidance as we select the next leader of our great country.

Home School moments...

You know you're a home schooler when...

You know you're a home schooler when someone asks your pre-teen daughter what her favorite song is and instead of naming a song from the Jonas Brothers or from High School Musical, she answers, "Vivaldi's Concerto in A Minor".

I Will Survive Homeschooling!

Well, we completed our first week of school. It actually started off easier than it should have due to a delay in receiving all of our curriculum. I decided to accept this delay as God's way of easing me into the school year. At my husband's suggestion, we started the mornings off on a happy note with Veggietales on TV from 6:30-7:00AM as our alarm clock. The children woke up and gathered around the TV in shock that we would allow them viewing time before school work. The secret to this is the DVR! After the program, the TV stops! There's no begging to watch the next show and no chance for error on my part by allowing the time to slip by. When the TV stops it's time to shower, dress, do morning chores and feed the critters (kids and animals).

This first week the big kids tackled math first as I did grammar and phonics with the little kids. Then I checked the math work as the big kids started vocabulary. The little ones were left to do their writing assignments and play with the dog. After this we all did some reading and religion. By the end of the week we added our Latin class. By Friday the children we greeting each other with "Salve!" and "Salvete!" Our meal time prayers now begin with "Oremus". It's actually a lot of fun and we don't even mind the DVD instructor with the heavy southern accent any more.

Our science books arrived this weekend so we are looking forward to beginning our joint science class. Yes, all 4 children will be on the same subject and participating in the same experiments. We will, however, be at different levels. More will be required of the oldest. We are followingThe Well Trained Mindand doing a classical education approach.

This week we should be adding grammar, writing, history, geography, literature, penmanship, Spanish, logic and bible study. My husband tells me I look pensive lately. I guess it is a lot to think about! Let's keep all homeschoolers in our prayers this month!

A successful event!

Open house went better than expected! The children worked diligently on their displays during the week and were finished in time for the event. Our 12 year old put together a poster on our trip to the Bahamas and all the research he did on it's geography, currency and politics. Our 10 year old made her poster on our trip to Mission San Juan Capistrano. Thanks be to God that our adobe mission models survived long enough to be displayed as well! I found wonderful portfolios to showcase their art projects and made a yearbook of our field trip throughout the year. I printed out all of their book reports and quarterly exams that were graded by master teachers and the comments they had on them.

But the highlight of the evening was watching the excitement in my children as they ran from the kitchen door to the front door to let in our guests and give their "tours". They would squeal with excitement at the sound of the doorbell as they ran to figure out which door had people waiting to enter. We had about 30 people trickle in and out who patiently listened to their piano songs and eagerly accepted the children's narrated tours throughout the house.

Somewhere along the way the Open House turned into a karaoke and line dance party! It was great! Thank you so much to our family and friends for supporting our children so lovingly!

Homeschool Open House

After much deliberation, we have finally come up with an answer to our question of "What about Kindergarten Graduation?". A Homeschool Open House! Okay, this might sound like "schooling at home" instead of "homeschooling", but it serves several purposes. Our darling 6 year old gets to leave kindergarten with a bang, even if he doesn't get a graduation cap. Our littlest one can celebrate the end of pre-school and her transition into compulsory education. The two older ones can also proudly show off a job well done in our first year of homeschooling. Another added benefit is that skeptical family members and friends who aren't familiar with the concept of homeschooling can come and see how we do it and have proof that we aren't just twiddling the days away.

Now that we have the idea, a date, and invitations sent out, all that we need to work on is what we will share. Art projects are a given, as are book reports, field trip pictures and our year book. We also plan on giving a sneak preview of our piano recital pieces. Any other ideas out there?

Summer Schooling?

Every year about this time, a phenomenon, applicable only to homeschoolers, sweeps the continents. We ask ourselves, "Should we school through the summer?"

What is "summertime schooling" anyway? Do we use this precious time to further our educational goals for our children? Do we use it to pursue interests that we don't have time for the other months of the year? Should we continue with our regular schedule....or use the time just to brush up on basics while enjoying the good things that summer brings?

As I ask these questions to other homeschoolers, I find that the answers are as different as the families. Some take a complete break, some do light schooling some days of the week and some school year round. Being that we are in our first year of homeschooling, I'm not sure of where my "happy place" is. Part of me feels that I could have done more, and should still try to attain my original goals(ie completed texts and workbooks thoroughly). On the other hand, I don't want to miss out on the joys of summer and the ability to let the children's play and interests direct our summer. This actually is the first year that I'm not thrilled it's summertime. It arrived so fast that I don't feel like we're ready yet.

I am praying for discernment. For now, I think I will just set a time block, such as two hours, and have the children put forth at least that much effort. It could be in the morning, afternoon, or evening. It really doesn't matter. Being flexible this way will hopefully allow us some summer playtime.

Kindergarten Graduation?

Some of our friends and family members are preparing for their 6 year-old's Kindergarten Graduation. I remember the cute ceremony my first two children participated in when they graduated from Kindergarten. They marched in to "Pomp and Circumstance" and wore paper graduation hats. Cute poems were recited and darling songs were performed for the parents. Of course this was an occasion to invite extended family and host a small lunch gathering.

Now we're a homeschooling family and my 3rd child is finishing his Kindergarten year. But somehow it's not the same. He finished all of his Kindergarten curriculum by last December and has now worked through all of his 1st grade books except for math (he's half way through with that). So what grade is he in now? I would love to celebrate his academic accomplishments. He loves to "do school" and works constantly in his workbooks. I want to encourage this enthusiasm. Should I create some type of graduation ceremony to invite extended family to? Or did he technically graduate from Kindergarten last December? We plan to continue schooling during the summer since he loves it so much. Do we need the kind of closure that a graduation ceremony provides or is there another idea out there?

Socially challenged?

Homeschool Kids are "Socially Challenged"

From Jennie von Eggers, for About.com

I was recently in a checkout line and the clerk asked if my kids were home schooled. When I answered "yes", he responded as any caring citizen concerned about the social welfare of my children would, and asked, "aren't you worried about them not getting enough socialization?" The "socialization" question seems to be the old-standby, passive aggressive attack, by those outside spectators of the homeschool movement. How would my children be able to integrate into society, without first learning the valuable "social skills" that only a public school experience could provide? After all, the socialization part of a typical day-in-the-life of a home schooled child, looks nothing like the government school experience. Many homeschoolers spend their day doing things such as; helping out with family business', running errands, going on field trips, visiting relatives and friends, doing odd jobs for neighbors and partaking in family responsibilities. As the "socially challenged" homeschool kids are out and about, partaking and interacting in real life situations, the government students are "socializing" under a controlled environment, behind four walls with a controlled group of people (also known as their peer group). Yes, the sales clerk that offered his unsolicited opinion on my choice to homeschool, was right! My kids are "socially challenged" by not going to public school!

This "social" problem comes out in other areas as well. For instance, when a group of home schooled kids are playing together, it is typical to see older kids playing with children years younger. Don't they know that "social rules" dictate you only play with kids of your own age group? You also might find boys jump-roping along with girls! No one told these poor kids that jump-roping for boys is an open door to being labeled a "girly boy", a reputation that could follow you all the way through high school! And the way these homeschool girls dress is so out-of-style, and dare I say… modest. Where's the low cut pants and the revealing spaghetti string tops? Without learning how to focus on their sexuality, how are these "fashion misfits" ever going to make it in the real world someday? They might have to rely only on their talents, skills and abilities to get by in this world, such a shame. Speaking of the "real world", did you know that a vast majority of these home schooled, social-misfits are sheltered from the mainstream media by their parents not having cable hookup? Without unlimited access to cable t.v. shows like MTV how will they know the pillars of our society like Brittney Spears, Paris Hilton or Snoop Dog? Without the influence of these pop culture icons, they will be totally in the dark to what society values in people...it's a crying shame!

So the next time some well meaning stranger decides to bring up the "socialization" question, my answer will simply be, "Yes, my children certainly are socially challenged and that's fine with me!"

Homeschool Video-too funny!!

Inch by inch it's a cinch!

I think it is part of Seussian literature, that states "Inch by inch it's a cinch, yard by yard it's just too hard!" Too bad I'm realizing this in April and not last August!

Since the school year began I've been giving our two oldest children a lesson plan that spans the week from day one to day five. The idea is to start on day one and check off what you complete for that day. The next day you start checking off the items on day 2 unless you worked ahead. Either way, by Friday all work should be completed. Our 12yo gets this. He completes each day and checks the assignments off. Sometimes he works ahead. Sometimes not. The point is he does it. He may whine about it a little bit, but he does it.

How did I forget that not all children learn alike? A mother of 4 should ALWAYS remember this. You can guess where I'm going with this. 12yo is done and 10yo is not. She's on day 4 in this subject but day 2 with that one. These over here she's done with but she never started day one in that thing. Yikes! It takes me sitting side by side with her to get her day completed. It would be fine if she were an only child. The fact is that there are three other people walking around the house calling me "mother".

Last week I had an epiphany! I never handed her the lesson plan on Monday morning. I just told her which pages to do in English. When she was done I asked for her religion book. We read the chapter together and she answered questions (this was actually two assignments for two different days). She was done in minutes. Then I assigned the next pages due in reading. The day went on like this for three hours. When we decided to stop, she had completed two days worth of work in half the time it usually takes her to complete half of one day. Amazing.

Apparently, the lesson plan was too overwhelming for her. It looked like a big stack of "things to do" and she froze. The job was too big. But when I gave it to her in pieces(inches)it was more manageable.

I think we both learned a lot this week.

Kindergarten at all hours...

I thought I prepared myself for the most likely challenges of homeschooling. I've purchased many books on the subject and have navigated online endlessly in search of the tools I need to prepare myself. Leave it to my 6 year old to stump me with a problem I haven't anticipated. He loves school so much that he wants to do it all day long! This may not sound like much of a problem, but walk a mile with me in my moccasins if you would.

We get up in the morning and I do the Distar Reading Program with the little ones first. Then they do their writing tablets. I move on to the older children and then focus on math with the 6 year old. The children go out to play while I fix lunch. After lunch I'm focused on the older children so we can finish up before ballet/soccer/piano/art lessons/choir etc. During this last stretch of school work, 6yo wants to work further in his math or phonics book. "What does this say?", "What do I do next?", "Is this right?", "Can you help me?", are being endlessly chanted to the point of getting annoying. I really need to be with the older children, but how do you bark at a child who only wants to work harder?

After our afternoon activities, we come home hungry for dinner and I'm busy cooking, cleaning up "school" from the table, continuing with the laundry, and/or helping the older children tie up any loose ends.

"Can I do another math lesson?"
"Not now, I'm busy."

Minutes later I find that he did in fact continue with his studies and has done an entire chapter incorrectly in his book because he couldn't read the directions. Uggh!

This continues through to bedtime where he wails that he can't sleep and wants to do phonics now.

I love his enthusiasm, but when does the bell ring to signal that school is out?

The challenge with multiples...

Let me preface this by saying that I don't regret our decision to homeschool for even a moment. No more barking at the children to leave their warm cozy beds at a cold, dark morning hour to put on a stiff uniform and jump in a cold car with their sack lunch and a book bag that weighs more than they do. No more stressed evening hours at the dinner table trying to figure how to get the homework done and projects completed before the babysitter arrives so I can get to the mandatory parent meeting on time. No more committees to lead, meetings to schedule, teachers to reason with or school yard bullies. It's just me and my kids, warm and cozy in our home. We are learning to be patient with each other, to be encouraging and to love learning for learning's sake.

However, as with life, there are still challenges. My 6th grader is very bright and a quick learner. He is capable of independent study and can retain an incredible amount of information. He's also an energetic boy who gets bored easily and feels the need to run around at top speed at least once every hour. He has trouble finding the need to sit still and loves to talk continuously! He does his best work when I can dedicate my attention to him as he talks me through his assignment or reads out loud to me. He prefers all his quizzes to be oral and detests anything he has to write down and turned in (math being an exemption). He likes me to read ahead of him in his texts and assigned reading books so we can discuss the information. Dialogue is his favorite past time second only to sports.

Then comes my 4th grader. She a much quieter personality and needs the quiet to focus and retain information. Unfortunately, even when she's struggling she remains quiet and forgets to ask for help. Suddenly out of nowhere she'll have a break down and I'll realize that she's two chapters behind on something or hasn't understood the foundation of something and now she's overwhelmed. Tears flow freely at this point and I need to remember that hugs work better than getting mad or impatient. She has also become best friends with her sister (which is a good thing, don't get me wrong). This, however, leads to many distractions as playing "Polly Pockets" or doll house can become more interesting than a boring lesson. Baby sister also cries for her attention and begs for her playmate, very dramatically I might add.


Our six year old is bright and very eager to learn. He goes to bed looking for promises that the next morning we'll do "school" again. He has finished a year's worth of math in two months and is beginning to read. He is also our most sensitive child and spends part of every day crying that someone hurt his feeling. Although academically he's been quick to catch on, logically he seems a little slow and often repeats the same questions regarding daily living as though he has never heard the answer. His attention span is short most of the time and he requires a change of activity frequently.

Our pre-schooler enjoys completely being the baby of the family. She expects everyone to adore her (which we do of course) and looks for love all day. She is also very bright and has been keeping up with the kindergarten curriculum easily. She is a born leader and drags our six year old behind her throughout her daily adventures. She lives for attention and is a complete clown! She sings, dances, and parades around enticing her oldest brother to leave his school work and begin a game of chase. Before I know it I have all four of them running at top speed around our kitchen. I have since began opening the back door and resigning to the fact that it must be recess time and shooing them all out for a few minutes.

Now, add to all this two different history lessons, two different science topics, two different reading assignments, and four different math lessons. No wait, it gets even better! Every ten seconds or so, some calls out "Mom!", "Mommy!", "Mama!", "I need help!", "He hit me!", "She's bothering me!", "He took my...". What's a homeschooling mom to do?

Momsense! (TAKE 2)

It's too funny not to share; hopefully this video works now...

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.