or something like that!
I've spent today getting the nitty-gritty plans started for lessons that are supposed to begin next Monday. Of course that's when I pick up the books and see most of them for the very first time. So, while it would be nice to have a full day of lessons on Monday, I don't see how that will happen.
I'm finding myself in the "danger zone" of homeschooling though. I searched for some notebook pages and an easy plan for handwriting and found how one family is doing their Shakespeare studies. Well, that looks like fun. I can do that. And that led me to some nature study challenges, which led me to a neat geography program, which led me to a partridge in a pear tree.
See the problem with homeschooling, in my opinion, isn't that it's hard to teach your kids math or reading. It's more along the lines of knowing when to stop and call it enough. If you think about it, the world is full of fascinating things, most of which are interesting to study, and as a homeschooler, I get to pick which ones we study.
So while the list of subjects we are planning to study looked like this last week:
math
reading
handwriting
writing
science
history
Latin
grammar
spelling
art
music,
now it looks like this:
math
reading
handwriting
writing
science
history
Latin
grammar
spelling
art
music
Shakespeare
nature and outdoors
American geography
world geography and
Chinese (don't ask).
I need to drop a few subjects or try to fold them in with another. Or, better yet, buy The Latin-Centered Curriculum. I've heard that it streamlines language arts.
That way I could add all of the other fun stuff back in.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Getting Ready
It seems as though everyone is getting ready to go back to school in the next couple of weeks. While the kids aren't actually 'going' anywhere, I am finishing up my plans for teaching them the things they'll need to know so they aren't laughed at when they go to important dinner parties. Yes, I plan my childrens' educations so that they can fit in well at parties.
To that end, I've created a notebook for each of the boys. Harry's is green and Sam's blue so they are easy to find. Plus I'm reasonably sure that by this point they do know their colors. Annika is jealous, so I'll have to make her one too. In pink. Anyway, inside the super-cool, color-coded binders are tabs labeled with their major subject. Except Math. We are skipping Math this year so they can spend more time battling their Pokemon. (Kidding, we're skipping reading.)
Actually Math is self-contained in it's own little workbook and since I only got five of those little tab things, I left it out. The tabs are: History, Geography, Language Arts, Science, and Latin. In the front of the notebook, the boys find this:
Kids Daily
Each day I will write what they need to do--list the subject and the assignment. I'm hoping that they can work somewhat independently and they will see that the day will end at some point. Obviously I'll be right there if/when they need me, but this way they can see what they've already finished and what they still have to do. Interestingly, we have more subjects than will fit into the boxes, but I don't want to overwhelm them first thing in the morning. Life won't end if we have more to do or if we don't get everything finished, but on the whole I'll say that when the list is done, so are we.
Harry is going into third grade, so he'll be way more independent, and probably bouncier, than Sam, who is going into first. I'm anticipating that we'll spend more time in the first few weeks of school getting adjusted to things than doing serious school work. That of course, assumes that I set an actual start date. We'll see.
Oh, there's more coming. An awesome (if I do say so myself) organizer for doing Story of the World. And how I'm organizing language arts. I know, you can't wait.
To that end, I've created a notebook for each of the boys. Harry's is green and Sam's blue so they are easy to find. Plus I'm reasonably sure that by this point they do know their colors. Annika is jealous, so I'll have to make her one too. In pink. Anyway, inside the super-cool, color-coded binders are tabs labeled with their major subject. Except Math. We are skipping Math this year so they can spend more time battling their Pokemon. (Kidding, we're skipping reading.)
Actually Math is self-contained in it's own little workbook and since I only got five of those little tab things, I left it out. The tabs are: History, Geography, Language Arts, Science, and Latin. In the front of the notebook, the boys find this:
Kids Daily
Each day I will write what they need to do--list the subject and the assignment. I'm hoping that they can work somewhat independently and they will see that the day will end at some point. Obviously I'll be right there if/when they need me, but this way they can see what they've already finished and what they still have to do. Interestingly, we have more subjects than will fit into the boxes, but I don't want to overwhelm them first thing in the morning. Life won't end if we have more to do or if we don't get everything finished, but on the whole I'll say that when the list is done, so are we.
Harry is going into third grade, so he'll be way more independent, and probably bouncier, than Sam, who is going into first. I'm anticipating that we'll spend more time in the first few weeks of school getting adjusted to things than doing serious school work. That of course, assumes that I set an actual start date. We'll see.
Oh, there's more coming. An awesome (if I do say so myself) organizer for doing Story of the World. And how I'm organizing language arts. I know, you can't wait.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
To Do, 2009
I've decided that both boys are going to be home next year, so I've had to plan what to do with them. So far, I've come up with:
Harry:
Combined:
Harry:
- Grammar: First Language Lessons 3
- Spelling: I'm not sure yet if I want to use a specific spelling program. Harry is a natural speller and it gets tedious. Right now I'm planning to use words from his texts that are at the level he is at and go from there.
- Reading: We don't use reading texts, instead we tie his formal reading into his history work. For this he will be required to narrate what he has read and it will go into a special reading notebook.
- Writing: Writing With Ease, Level 2 or 3. I'm testing him right now to see where he is.
- Penmanship: He'll start cursive and continue to fix the mess that his writing became when he was in school. I use copywork for that--phrases from his reading or from other good books.
- Math: Math-U-See Gamma
- Grammar: First Language Lessons, Level 1
- Spelling: We'll start with Spelling Workout A and go from there.
- Reading: Similar to Harry's work, but on his level.
- Writing: Writing With Ease, Level 1
- Penmanship: copywork to clean up his printing.
- Math: Math-U-See Alpha
- I'll teach her to read using The Ordinary Parent's Guide.
- Playing and being crazy.
- Eating Legos.
- Following Annika around.
- Pointing to the hamster.
Combined:
- History: Story of the World 3: Early Modern Times. I'm excited about this--most of our reading for the year will be based off of this time period, so SOTW is kind of the basis of what we do.
- Science: Classic Science, I think. It's an elementary overview, so I'm not positive. This is really the only thing that I'm not positive about. We'll also continue on our nature studies. We'll take at least one nature walk each week. The boys will have to find three things to draw and discover more about.
- Geography: I found an interesting set of lessons that I'm planning to try with the kids. It'll take them on a trip around the world.
- Art: We'll study artwork from the time period we're studying and try our hands at different techniques. My kids think I'm a talented artist, but I'm not really, so they will have to take outside classes for that.
- Music: Harry is taking piano lessons, so he'll continue that. We'll also listen to music at lunch and breakfast.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
It's Over
Harry isn't going back to his school. I will call on Monday and tell them that he has started at a new school and won't be needing their services. I also need to talk to his teacher and get the work that he's done for her. He's way more excited than I am at this point. I had no intention of bringing him home until Spring Break at the earliest. I realized on Friday afternoon, though, that the school is toxic for him. And I don't say that lightly. I honestly believe that I would be shirking my parenting duties to send him back with what's happening.
So now what? I don't know. We will spend the time before Spring Break "deschooling," and getting used to being home. We will read a lot of books and spend some time catching up with each other. We will also have to work on getting rid of some of the behaviors he picked up at school. That won't be as fun as some of the other things!
I probably won't start him on anything really new for the rest of the year. We'll loosely follow the Ambleside Online reading list and work on some math facts. He told me today that he wants to learn how to do multiplication and division, so we'll work on that. I'm going to stay as far away from worksheets and meaningless things as I can. He's already done enough of that for the year.
In the fall I'll enroll him and Sam in one of the local homeschool charters and we'll start over again. But we're done with traditional school. It's just not worth it.
So now what? I don't know. We will spend the time before Spring Break "deschooling," and getting used to being home. We will read a lot of books and spend some time catching up with each other. We will also have to work on getting rid of some of the behaviors he picked up at school. That won't be as fun as some of the other things!
I probably won't start him on anything really new for the rest of the year. We'll loosely follow the Ambleside Online reading list and work on some math facts. He told me today that he wants to learn how to do multiplication and division, so we'll work on that. I'm going to stay as far away from worksheets and meaningless things as I can. He's already done enough of that for the year.
In the fall I'll enroll him and Sam in one of the local homeschool charters and we'll start over again. But we're done with traditional school. It's just not worth it.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Myth Busters
People give many reasons for not liking the idea of homeschooling, whether they are considering it or they know someone else who is. Chief among the reasons they give is "socialization." People hate the idea that there are kids out there that aren't having the same experience as the other kids. They fear, among other things, that the kids are going to grow up not knowing how to relate to other kids, that they won't have a shared body of knowledge, and about a hundred other, made-up fears.
This is a false problem though, in my opinion. I went to school for something like 17 years. You can ask anyone who knew me in middle school, I didn't fit in at all. In fact, I still consider those the worst years of my life. But why? According to the theory that sending a kid to school, they will be socialized the same as the other kids. I should have fit in, I had the same opportunities as the other kids, the same shared school experience. But I didn't. So I spent three years crying almost every day after school because the other kids were mean.
Something happened today at Harry's school that makes me even more deeply skeptical of the socialization occurring at school. A kid said something that in any other situation would have gotten him sued for sexual harassment. But since it happened at the school, it's supposed to help Harry become properly socialized and learn to deal with people as he grows up.
Here's the thing. Harry is a normal 8-year-old kid. There is absolutely no reason for him to hear other 8-year-olds say things like he heard today. Not even so that he can be properly socialized. No reason whatsoever.
This is a false problem though, in my opinion. I went to school for something like 17 years. You can ask anyone who knew me in middle school, I didn't fit in at all. In fact, I still consider those the worst years of my life. But why? According to the theory that sending a kid to school, they will be socialized the same as the other kids. I should have fit in, I had the same opportunities as the other kids, the same shared school experience. But I didn't. So I spent three years crying almost every day after school because the other kids were mean.
Something happened today at Harry's school that makes me even more deeply skeptical of the socialization occurring at school. A kid said something that in any other situation would have gotten him sued for sexual harassment. But since it happened at the school, it's supposed to help Harry become properly socialized and learn to deal with people as he grows up.
Here's the thing. Harry is a normal 8-year-old kid. There is absolutely no reason for him to hear other 8-year-olds say things like he heard today. Not even so that he can be properly socialized. No reason whatsoever.
Monday, March 02, 2009
In case you were wondering...
Here are my plans for preschool this month:
March
Theme: Animals
Daily Theme Craft Letter/Craft Activity Story
| Tuesday 3/3 Wild Animals: Moose | Moose | M: marble painting | Eat muffins | If you give a moose a muffin, moostache |
| Thursday 3/5 Wild Animals: Bears | Brown Bear craft | L: lines with rulers | Color hunt | Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see |
| Tuesday 3/10 Zoo Animals | Giraffe: link below | D: dot markers | | |
| Thursday 3/12 Zoo Animals | Elephant: link below | Z: zebra stripes | | |
| Tuesday 3/17 St. Patrick’s Day | Shamrock table top craft | G: glitter | Shamrock hop or make green in shaving cream | |
| Thursday 3/19 Farm Animals | Create a farm with the kids | F: fingerpainting | Create a farm together | |
| Tuesday 3/24 Farm Animals | Don’t forget that R loves tractors—do something with that | K: keys | | |
| Tuesday 3/26 Pets | Fish | P: purple and pink | Goldfish pick up | |
Sunday, February 22, 2009
School Days... or is it Daze?
I wish school was working for Harry and Sam, but it isn't. I had a whole post in my head to explain why it isn't working and what I plan to do about it. But I just realized that I don't want to go into the whole thing again. So, I'll give you a very quick rundown of the problems we are having and then talk a little about my dilemma.
Problem #1: Both boys are bored to tears. Sam literally as I have to drag him to the car kicking and screaming.
Problem #2: Harry is learning things from the kids around him that I wish he wasn't. Have you ever tried to explain the f-word to an 8-yo?
Problem #3: Homework. I'm sorry, but you've got my kid for 7 hours a day. I at least get the couple of hours before he goes to bed. We don't do busywork in this house.
Problem #4: Wasted Time. When you've got a kid who doesn't know the alphabet in a class with another kid who is reading a couple of levels above grade, guess who sits and waits for the teacher to pay attention to him. (Hint: it's the one who is reading higher.)
Problem #5: I have to wake up kids to pick up other kids from school. I could, potentially, be driving to and from school 4 times each day. Thank goodness Jason takes Sam, but that still means I have to be out 3 times. And it always hits at naptime. No matter what I do.
Solution: Bring them home. You all know that I wasn't thrilled to send them to school in the first place. So, do I start homeschooling them right now or do I wait until the fall? There are pros and cons to both options, which I will go into in a different post, possibly tomorrow, but more realistically later in the week.
Bye, gotta go prepare for preschool this week.
Problem #1: Both boys are bored to tears. Sam literally as I have to drag him to the car kicking and screaming.
Problem #2: Harry is learning things from the kids around him that I wish he wasn't. Have you ever tried to explain the f-word to an 8-yo?
Problem #3: Homework. I'm sorry, but you've got my kid for 7 hours a day. I at least get the couple of hours before he goes to bed. We don't do busywork in this house.
Problem #4: Wasted Time. When you've got a kid who doesn't know the alphabet in a class with another kid who is reading a couple of levels above grade, guess who sits and waits for the teacher to pay attention to him. (Hint: it's the one who is reading higher.)
Problem #5: I have to wake up kids to pick up other kids from school. I could, potentially, be driving to and from school 4 times each day. Thank goodness Jason takes Sam, but that still means I have to be out 3 times. And it always hits at naptime. No matter what I do.
Solution: Bring them home. You all know that I wasn't thrilled to send them to school in the first place. So, do I start homeschooling them right now or do I wait until the fall? There are pros and cons to both options, which I will go into in a different post, possibly tomorrow, but more realistically later in the week.
Bye, gotta go prepare for preschool this week.
I'm sorry, so sorry...
I am really sorry that I didn't continue my Christmas posts. I meant to, but my eyes are bigger than my stomach. Or something like that. I always think I have more time than I really do. Although I'm not sure why I think I have time in December. We have Christmas, of course, and two other birthdays that month, just in our little family. In our extended family we have a lot more. Anyway, I really am sorry and I think I'll hold off on making any more promises any time soon. But, changes are coming up, so hold onto your hats.
Although, you can probably let go, what with the pace of things here being what it is.
(And if you understood that last sentence, applause.)
Although, you can probably let go, what with the pace of things here being what it is.
(And if you understood that last sentence, applause.)
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Yes, I know...
I skipped a day. That's going to happen though. I have a real life too. And unfortunately, my imaginary life is much more organized than my real life.
We ended up making paper bag gingerbread men and ginger hamsters. They are very cute. And since it's two days later and the kids have all but forgotten about the gingerbread cookies, I have all of the stuff. I'm going to mix it up tonight so that after school tomorrow we can dive right in with the cookie cutters. Wish me luck.
Oh, and tonight we read a bunch of books because I was desperate to calm them down. It didn't work, but we read:
Of Course Polly Can Do Almost Everything by Astrid Lindgren. It's a translation from the Swedish. I think the book is out of print, but you can get copies from amazon for cheap. Jason gave me this one when he bought every Astrid Lindgren book in both Swedish and English. So every time I read this, I am reminded of how well taken care of I am. So I like this for a lot of different reasons!
A Pussycat's Christmas by Margaret Wise Brown. Which I didn't like at all. And really, I'm not a fan of Goodnight, Moon either, although everyone else seems to be.
I really, really liked this one. It shows sand and that Joseph was wearing sandals and the shepherds were out sleeping while watching the sheep. It's good to read a Christmas story that doesn't talk about snow.
We didn't do any crafts tonight, but I have a couple of other A. Lindgren books to read with the kids and we'll make Christmas heart ornaments for the tree. We might make some other things typically Swedish, but we'll see about that. I'm getting too many craft ideas for my own good.
We ended up making paper bag gingerbread men and ginger hamsters. They are very cute. And since it's two days later and the kids have all but forgotten about the gingerbread cookies, I have all of the stuff. I'm going to mix it up tonight so that after school tomorrow we can dive right in with the cookie cutters. Wish me luck.
Oh, and tonight we read a bunch of books because I was desperate to calm them down. It didn't work, but we read:
Of Course Polly Can Do Almost Everything by Astrid Lindgren. It's a translation from the Swedish. I think the book is out of print, but you can get copies from amazon for cheap. Jason gave me this one when he bought every Astrid Lindgren book in both Swedish and English. So every time I read this, I am reminded of how well taken care of I am. So I like this for a lot of different reasons!
A Pussycat's Christmas by Margaret Wise Brown. Which I didn't like at all. And really, I'm not a fan of Goodnight, Moon either, although everyone else seems to be.
I really, really liked this one. It shows sand and that Joseph was wearing sandals and the shepherds were out sleeping while watching the sheep. It's good to read a Christmas story that doesn't talk about snow.We didn't do any crafts tonight, but I have a couple of other A. Lindgren books to read with the kids and we'll make Christmas heart ornaments for the tree. We might make some other things typically Swedish, but we'll see about that. I'm getting too many craft ideas for my own good.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Christmas, Christmas time is here
(sung in a nasally, chipmunky type of voice.)
So I've decided to post what we're doing each day to get ready for Christmas. And, maybe, if the stars align and I can get myself together, post what my plans are for tomorrow. We'll see, that might be way too ambitious.
Going back in time:
Sunday, November 30:
We read the book Cranberry Christmas and made the cranberry cookie recipe off of the back. I also remembered that I don't actually like cranberries. Oh, and I didn't have the walnuts the recipe called for, so I substituted white chocolate chips. Sadly, that didn't help and I still didn't like the cookies. The kids of course did, but Jason decided that they looked like hunks of raw meat. We gave them to the neighbor after this and I made a pan of brownies. Other than that, we liked the story.
Monday, December 1
We started on the Advent calendar from the Friend. We read a scripture and talked about it and the picture. The picture is great for Annika--she can have something visual while the boys are reading. There are a bunch of other calendars on the Friend site that I like a lot, but I'm just doing this one since it's so easy to keep up with.
It seems like we read a book, but I've already forgotten which one. It's sad, this whole mommy-brain thing.
Tuesday (today)
We read the scripture for today and looked at the picture. Annika tormented Emma with the picture. We had to kick her out so we could actually have our little spiritual moment. We made little handprint Rudolphs from Family Fun. They don't look exactly like the picture, but isn't that the point. It also would have helped if I actually had any red pompoms. But I do have a ton of little red sparkly things, so the day was saved. Oh, and Sam decided that his Rudolph needed a beard instead of antlers, so his is a little scary. But it was fun. It kept the kids' attention for more than twenty minutes which is a true miracle.
And since we had the pipe cleaners, oh, I mean the chenille stems, out, we twisted a red one with a white one and made candy canes. They were more proud of those than the Rudolphs.
At bedtime we read The Gingerbread Man. That was fun--"you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." If I had actually planned this, I would have the molasses and dark brown sugar to make gingerbread men tomorrow. But I didn't so, I think we'll make faux gingerbread folk from Family Fun. Strangely, I do have a ton of dark brown felt.
It sounds like a lot. But really it isn't. We did what was fun until it wasn't and there was no stress. And, as you read, very little planning. I do have a list of things that are important for me do before Christmas, so we will make sure to do that and if we fit anything else in, great. If not, there's always next year!
Oh, in the interest of full disclosure, I've been trying to make this Advent calendar for several days now. I think I finally have all of the stuff, so I'm starting on it tonight. Yes, I'm starting on my December calendar on December 2!
So I've decided to post what we're doing each day to get ready for Christmas. And, maybe, if the stars align and I can get myself together, post what my plans are for tomorrow. We'll see, that might be way too ambitious.
Going back in time:
Sunday, November 30:
We read the book Cranberry Christmas and made the cranberry cookie recipe off of the back. I also remembered that I don't actually like cranberries. Oh, and I didn't have the walnuts the recipe called for, so I substituted white chocolate chips. Sadly, that didn't help and I still didn't like the cookies. The kids of course did, but Jason decided that they looked like hunks of raw meat. We gave them to the neighbor after this and I made a pan of brownies. Other than that, we liked the story.
Monday, December 1
We started on the Advent calendar from the Friend. We read a scripture and talked about it and the picture. The picture is great for Annika--she can have something visual while the boys are reading. There are a bunch of other calendars on the Friend site that I like a lot, but I'm just doing this one since it's so easy to keep up with.
It seems like we read a book, but I've already forgotten which one. It's sad, this whole mommy-brain thing.
Tuesday (today)
We read the scripture for today and looked at the picture. Annika tormented Emma with the picture. We had to kick her out so we could actually have our little spiritual moment. We made little handprint Rudolphs from Family Fun. They don't look exactly like the picture, but isn't that the point. It also would have helped if I actually had any red pompoms. But I do have a ton of little red sparkly things, so the day was saved. Oh, and Sam decided that his Rudolph needed a beard instead of antlers, so his is a little scary. But it was fun. It kept the kids' attention for more than twenty minutes which is a true miracle.
And since we had the pipe cleaners, oh, I mean the chenille stems, out, we twisted a red one with a white one and made candy canes. They were more proud of those than the Rudolphs.
At bedtime we read The Gingerbread Man. That was fun--"you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." If I had actually planned this, I would have the molasses and dark brown sugar to make gingerbread men tomorrow. But I didn't so, I think we'll make faux gingerbread folk from Family Fun. Strangely, I do have a ton of dark brown felt.It sounds like a lot. But really it isn't. We did what was fun until it wasn't and there was no stress. And, as you read, very little planning. I do have a list of things that are important for me do before Christmas, so we will make sure to do that and if we fit anything else in, great. If not, there's always next year!
Oh, in the interest of full disclosure, I've been trying to make this Advent calendar for several days now. I think I finally have all of the stuff, so I'm starting on it tonight. Yes, I'm starting on my December calendar on December 2!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Annika today
We had a little "tea party." We had juice and little cookies while I read her a couple of books. We read Roxaboxen, A Visitor for Bear, and Piggies.
I love spending time just with Annika and she just eats it up. I really miss homeschooling, more than I can say, but the time I get to spend one-on-one with the kids helps to make up for it.
Neither of us said anything profound or memorable, but our little juice and cookies party is something I hope Annika will remember. Even if she doesn't remember this one specifically, I hope she remembers that we did it at all.
I love spending time just with Annika and she just eats it up. I really miss homeschooling, more than I can say, but the time I get to spend one-on-one with the kids helps to make up for it.
Neither of us said anything profound or memorable, but our little juice and cookies party is something I hope Annika will remember. Even if she doesn't remember this one specifically, I hope she remembers that we did it at all.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
I've Decided...
that this blog will become my "afterschooling" blog.
That means that I will chronicle the intentional learning things I do with my children in it. From the preschool-type stuff with Annika, the reading practice with Sam, the subtraction with Harry, and the playing with Emma, I'll try to list it here. I miss homeschooling more than anyone knows, but it's not the right time to bring them home. Sam, in particular, is doing great at kindergarten.
Fortunately, though, I do have time before and after school with the kids that I can use to teach them what I think is especially important. So, that's my plan. Let's hope that I can actually fulfill my intentions!
That means that I will chronicle the intentional learning things I do with my children in it. From the preschool-type stuff with Annika, the reading practice with Sam, the subtraction with Harry, and the playing with Emma, I'll try to list it here. I miss homeschooling more than anyone knows, but it's not the right time to bring them home. Sam, in particular, is doing great at kindergarten.
Fortunately, though, I do have time before and after school with the kids that I can use to teach them what I think is especially important. So, that's my plan. Let's hope that I can actually fulfill my intentions!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Sam's Kindergarten Orientation...
I'm going to start this post with a brief look back on Harry's kindergarten orientation.
Two years ago, I took Harry over to his old school and went into the kindergarten room where I met his two teachers who went over a bit about their classroom. His teachers went over the rules of their room and how they were one person in two. Then I was told to leave Harry head over to the cafeteria. The principal spoke to all of us parents about how our job was basically over and the kids were now theirs to do with what they will. Okay, so she didn't actually use those terms, but that was the gist of the talk. She also talked about how kindergarten is now really academic and the kids would need to do lots of work and listen and sit for a long time.
There was more, but that was the first warning about how kindergarten was going to go.
Contrast that with today. Sam and I walked into the cafeteria where the principal welcomed us and turned the time over to the teachers. There are five total, three morning classes and two afternoon. They briefly talked about how kindergarten would work and we went over to the classes. The only thing that gave me pause was one of the teachers saying, "if the kids are five minutes late, that's five minutes of learning time they miss." My thought was, "oh, no, whatever shall we do." But hey, apparently I'm a total rebel.
We went back to the classroom where his teacher (who is really, really tall) asked the kids to line up and practice walking out to meet the parents picking them up. Sam froze. I led him out with the other kids and left him standing there. He was with the kids, but not really with them. His teacher told the kids they could go find their parents and Sam just stood there. I wanted to see what she would do, how she would handle Sam just freezing.
Sam had brought a book to show the teacher, so I went over and asked Sam to show it to her. He just opened right up! He told her all about the bionicles in the book. Miss B listened and talked to him. It was great. She spend at least 10 minutes just talking with him about Bionicles and this little seal toy he had in his pocket. He was eating up the attention and really liked her. Finally it was time to leave and he kind of froze up again, but he was still doing okay. I was able to tell Miss B that he is really, incredibly shy and there is no magic key for solving it. He just has to make the decision to keep moving. I also totally impressed her by telling her that Sam can read on a third grade level and that he actually read the Bionicle book he brought with him.
When we got back in the car, Sam told me that I was right, she is really nice!
Two years ago, I took Harry over to his old school and went into the kindergarten room where I met his two teachers who went over a bit about their classroom. His teachers went over the rules of their room and how they were one person in two. Then I was told to leave Harry head over to the cafeteria. The principal spoke to all of us parents about how our job was basically over and the kids were now theirs to do with what they will. Okay, so she didn't actually use those terms, but that was the gist of the talk. She also talked about how kindergarten is now really academic and the kids would need to do lots of work and listen and sit for a long time.
There was more, but that was the first warning about how kindergarten was going to go.
Contrast that with today. Sam and I walked into the cafeteria where the principal welcomed us and turned the time over to the teachers. There are five total, three morning classes and two afternoon. They briefly talked about how kindergarten would work and we went over to the classes. The only thing that gave me pause was one of the teachers saying, "if the kids are five minutes late, that's five minutes of learning time they miss." My thought was, "oh, no, whatever shall we do." But hey, apparently I'm a total rebel.
We went back to the classroom where his teacher (who is really, really tall) asked the kids to line up and practice walking out to meet the parents picking them up. Sam froze. I led him out with the other kids and left him standing there. He was with the kids, but not really with them. His teacher told the kids they could go find their parents and Sam just stood there. I wanted to see what she would do, how she would handle Sam just freezing.
Sam had brought a book to show the teacher, so I went over and asked Sam to show it to her. He just opened right up! He told her all about the bionicles in the book. Miss B listened and talked to him. It was great. She spend at least 10 minutes just talking with him about Bionicles and this little seal toy he had in his pocket. He was eating up the attention and really liked her. Finally it was time to leave and he kind of froze up again, but he was still doing okay. I was able to tell Miss B that he is really, incredibly shy and there is no magic key for solving it. He just has to make the decision to keep moving. I also totally impressed her by telling her that Sam can read on a third grade level and that he actually read the Bionicle book he brought with him.
When we got back in the car, Sam told me that I was right, she is really nice!
New School Orientation
So, after all of the kids left yesterday, we high-tailed it over to the school. I don't know if I mentioned it, but the school is brand new. In fact, they are still finishing a few things up. We hadn't been able to be on campus until the PTO meeting Tuesday night, and the official tour was not until yesterday evening.
The school is gorgeous--as much as a modern school can be. The kindergarten rooms are attached to the administration building and they have their own playground. It's small, but I like that they will be by themselves. The rooms have high ceilings and lots of light. They seem inviting. The teachers have baskets of books out and I hope Sam will have time to read some of them. Harry's room is smaller, which makes sense--there are 33 kids in Sam's room and 20 in Harry's. His teacher had their reading books out, so we flipped through them. So easy. In fact Harry pointed out that "they have lots of big pictures and hardly any words." Something to talk to the teacher about, but not something to freak out about. Both of their rooms have lots of things on the walls and seem very cheery.
The school library is filled with light. I took a sneak peak at the books, some of them are very good, but there are a lot of others I'd like to see, so I think I'll have to donate a few. They have no less than five copies of each of the Harry Potter books, which Harry thought was funny! The helpers and guides were all fifth graders and were very talkative. I liked that they all spoke well with me, a grown-up they didn't know.
Overall, the building impressed me. The teachers seemed nice and happy to be there. They were talkative and good with the kids. I think part of it was that they are relieved to be in their rooms and have the school mostly finished. I also know that the school building doesn't matter a bit if the teachers aren't good, so I need to keep my full opinion for after school starts.
But my first impression is positive. Yay!
The school is gorgeous--as much as a modern school can be. The kindergarten rooms are attached to the administration building and they have their own playground. It's small, but I like that they will be by themselves. The rooms have high ceilings and lots of light. They seem inviting. The teachers have baskets of books out and I hope Sam will have time to read some of them. Harry's room is smaller, which makes sense--there are 33 kids in Sam's room and 20 in Harry's. His teacher had their reading books out, so we flipped through them. So easy. In fact Harry pointed out that "they have lots of big pictures and hardly any words." Something to talk to the teacher about, but not something to freak out about. Both of their rooms have lots of things on the walls and seem very cheery.
The school library is filled with light. I took a sneak peak at the books, some of them are very good, but there are a lot of others I'd like to see, so I think I'll have to donate a few. They have no less than five copies of each of the Harry Potter books, which Harry thought was funny! The helpers and guides were all fifth graders and were very talkative. I liked that they all spoke well with me, a grown-up they didn't know.
Overall, the building impressed me. The teachers seemed nice and happy to be there. They were talkative and good with the kids. I think part of it was that they are relieved to be in their rooms and have the school mostly finished. I also know that the school building doesn't matter a bit if the teachers aren't good, so I need to keep my full opinion for after school starts.
But my first impression is positive. Yay!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
It's Getting Closer and Closer...
I really don't want to send the boys to school. The time is getting shorter and shorter and I'm panicking. Not really panicking, but just very emotional. I will do this and I'll only show them how excited I am, but inside...I really don't want them to go.
The Curse of Low Expectations
I went to my first PTO meeting last night at the kids' new school and I ran smack up against what I am calling "The Curse of Low Expectations." It's the attitude that what we have is fine, it's all we'll ever going to get and nothing will ever change, so why ask.
Example One:
I was looking at the kindergarten playground which has one small structure for up to 90 kids to play on and mentioned to another mom that it seemed small. Her response, "well, they only have 20 minutes to have their snack and play, so it's okay."
Really--I would think that since they only have 20 minutes to play, we'd like it to be spent playing, not waiting to play.
Example Two:
There is no art or music taught at the school. None. And it's not a priority for the school. However, if the PTO wants to pay art and music teachers we can. Doesn't that seem odd to you?
Those are the two main examples that came up last night. I'm sure there will be more as they actually start school!
Now I'm repeating my new mantra: "They will be fine, they will make friends, they will have fun, they will be fine."
Example One:
I was looking at the kindergarten playground which has one small structure for up to 90 kids to play on and mentioned to another mom that it seemed small. Her response, "well, they only have 20 minutes to have their snack and play, so it's okay."
Really--I would think that since they only have 20 minutes to play, we'd like it to be spent playing, not waiting to play.
Example Two:
There is no art or music taught at the school. None. And it's not a priority for the school. However, if the PTO wants to pay art and music teachers we can. Doesn't that seem odd to you?
Those are the two main examples that came up last night. I'm sure there will be more as they actually start school!
Now I'm repeating my new mantra: "They will be fine, they will make friends, they will have fun, they will be fine."
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
What Do I Want?
I want a perfect school. Preferably one that I can take the kids to in the morning and pick them up at lunchtime. That way they will get to have school, I'll get some time and we will have most of the day together. No homework unless absolutely needed--in case they don't understand something and need more practice.
A school where they read good books--not parts of books and not readers. But actual good books. Ones that I would select. And once they are finished with the book, the kids would narrate back to the teacher what they read. That way they would learn how to discuss and learn from others. One where printing is actually taught, not to be picked up by osmosis. Because osmosis only really works in science. A school that teaches how to write as fluidly as they teach narration. If you read good books and require kids to narrate, their writing will reflect that. Their spelling will too, for the most part. But if spelling does need to be taught as it's own subject, it won't be with little lists, but again by reading good books and absorbing how language works. Grammar would be taught early, but not in a manner that the kids circle all of the verbs, but by using the whole body and things around them. I want Language Arts to be taught as something that they use all of the time, not just in class.
Math would not be taught using guessing. There is one right answer in math and if you aren't right, you are wrong. It sounds harsh, but I'd rather my doctor be someone who actually knows the right answer instead of one who is told to guess for it. I'm probably crazy like that.
Science would start with nature studies and how the world works. Not with textbooks and by reading about experiments, but by getting outside and being part of the world.
Social Studies would be banned. Kids would learn history instead of about firemen and mayors. Geography would be a major part of their history lessons. The past would be taught using stories about the people who came before them. The children would learn that where things happened is just as important as what happened and why.
Art and music would be integral to the lessons. The children would have time to get up and move and play.
There's more to my perfect school, but let me end there for now.
A school where they read good books--not parts of books and not readers. But actual good books. Ones that I would select. And once they are finished with the book, the kids would narrate back to the teacher what they read. That way they would learn how to discuss and learn from others. One where printing is actually taught, not to be picked up by osmosis. Because osmosis only really works in science. A school that teaches how to write as fluidly as they teach narration. If you read good books and require kids to narrate, their writing will reflect that. Their spelling will too, for the most part. But if spelling does need to be taught as it's own subject, it won't be with little lists, but again by reading good books and absorbing how language works. Grammar would be taught early, but not in a manner that the kids circle all of the verbs, but by using the whole body and things around them. I want Language Arts to be taught as something that they use all of the time, not just in class.
Math would not be taught using guessing. There is one right answer in math and if you aren't right, you are wrong. It sounds harsh, but I'd rather my doctor be someone who actually knows the right answer instead of one who is told to guess for it. I'm probably crazy like that.
Science would start with nature studies and how the world works. Not with textbooks and by reading about experiments, but by getting outside and being part of the world.
Social Studies would be banned. Kids would learn history instead of about firemen and mayors. Geography would be a major part of their history lessons. The past would be taught using stories about the people who came before them. The children would learn that where things happened is just as important as what happened and why.
Art and music would be integral to the lessons. The children would have time to get up and move and play.
There's more to my perfect school, but let me end there for now.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Feel the Power!
I already wrote about visiting with the principal and my concerns with Sam's teacher. Well, the principal said that he would try to put Sam in the teacher's class, but that the morning kindergarten was full, so he might put him into the afternoon class that has a different, also good, teacher. Then I spoke with the secretary who said that both of these classes were full and he would be in the class of one of the teachers we didn't want in the afternoon.
I had a very frustrated moment, then got back on the phone with the principal who said he'd straighten everything out. And he did!
Thank goodness. Sam is going to morning kindergarten with the really good teacher, Miss B. He's actually really excited and keeps looking at the paper with his teacher on it. I'm excited too. This school experiment just might work out after all!
I had a very frustrated moment, then got back on the phone with the principal who said he'd straighten everything out. And he did!
Thank goodness. Sam is going to morning kindergarten with the really good teacher, Miss B. He's actually really excited and keeps looking at the paper with his teacher on it. I'm excited too. This school experiment just might work out after all!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Another Thing...
I don't think that people understand. I'm not sending the boys to school because homeschooling didn't "work" or that I couldn't handle it or that they weren't listening or it was too hard. I'm sending them because it is time.
Sure, I pulled Harry from kindergarten because of issues we had with the school, but sending him in the first place wasn't planned. I had planned on keeping him home for kindergarten.
It really is a lifestyle. I enjoy spending my days with my children. I enjoy teaching them and being the one to watch their eyes light up when they discover a new interest. There probably isn't a parent out there that would say they didn't. But for a year and a half, I was the one to introduce everything to Harry. I got to see everything. And not all of it was sweetness and light. Some of it was quite difficult. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. That's another part of why this is such a difficult transition.
Sure, I pulled Harry from kindergarten because of issues we had with the school, but sending him in the first place wasn't planned. I had planned on keeping him home for kindergarten.
It really is a lifestyle. I enjoy spending my days with my children. I enjoy teaching them and being the one to watch their eyes light up when they discover a new interest. There probably isn't a parent out there that would say they didn't. But for a year and a half, I was the one to introduce everything to Harry. I got to see everything. And not all of it was sweetness and light. Some of it was quite difficult. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. That's another part of why this is such a difficult transition.
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