Year End Reflections

The past few months have been overwhelming with lots of interruptions while I try to keep my daughters on target with their education. As 2010 draws to a close, I think back on where we are and where we are heading.

The postcard project was a big disappointment. Within days my girls sent out dozens of postcards. A few trickled in back to them, but they came so slowly that the girls lost interest. Many we did receive were not "real" postcards but ones that were ordered on-line without a real picture of the area where the family lived. Also, the children did not write the postcards, as my girls did, but general info was pasted on the card. They weren't personal at all.

Liana has to take the California Achievement Test in January. She is stressed about it. She hates being timed and noise bothers her when she is working. In our state, I cannot administer the test. It has to be given by a certified teacher, so the homeschool co-op at our church offers this service every January. Liana doesn't pay attention to detail, so she doesn't notice misspelled words or punctuation errors. We have been steadily working on her Teaching Textbooks math program but I don't feel it is up to par with some other programs. Arielle has to take the test next year for 8th grade. I think I will give it to her at the end of this year as a practice so we will better know what to expect next year. (Tests I administer cannot be turned in to our school district.)

We did not reach our goals in science. Arielle had a short book on the study of the earth's water that our evaluator suggested to gently direct her to more serious science next year. We still have a few more weeks to go. Liana is almost finished with Zoology 3, which she has enjoyed. I want the girls to both complete these books so we can do Jeannie Fulbright's Anatomy all together for the rest of the year. Next year Arielle will tackle Jay Wile's General Science.

We spent the past few month studying South America. This has been a great adventure mostly because we ended up learning the story of the five missionaries killed in Ecuador in the 1950's. Arielle read an excerpt from Through Gates of Splendor and she read the book Bruchko by Bruce Olson, and then we watched End of the Spear. I am fascinated with this story and the outcome of this tribe who became Christians. Then Liana and I watched a recent documentary about these people and I read Steve Saint's book End of the Spear, which is a much more detailed account of what happened after the spearing. Highly recommended! We have just a few countries left to study in South America and then we will go back to American History, post-Civil War. That doesn't seem quite so exciting.

Arielle has her second literature class next week. Her assignment: read an autobiography or biography and write a short summary of the book. Then interview a live person in the same profession and tie it in to the story. That's why she read Bruchko. Today she is interviewing a friend of mine who returned from a misson trip to Peru this year.

Our home is filled with music again! Arielle got a guitar for her birthday and Liana got a violin for Christmas. Liana will have some lessons from a friend of ours who is a professional violinist, but Arielle is learning on her own and doing quite well!

Postcard Project

Hopefully we have finished this round of tests and hospitals and can get back to "normal" life. God is good. Our journey was short. My girls actually enjoyed the change in routine because another homeschooling mom offered to have them join her boys for two days. The children went to a free concert, played bocce ball, collected beautiful fall leaves and did art projects. My friend even added a dimension to their Spanish study by reading aloud a book in Spanish and letting them try to figure out the words and understand the meaning of the story.

I recently was invited to participate in a yahoo group for a postcard exchange. Do I need another project? But when I mentioned it to the girls, they were very enthusiastic. We add our name to a database and then we are to send a postcard about our state to everyone else on the list. There are a lot of names! The girls already have a small postcard collection, and they want more.

So where do we buy postcards? Of course they are in abundance every time we take a trip, but here at home? I wish we had stocked up on our last trip to Lancaster or Gettysburg. Instead, last weekend we drove out to a local state park and bought 20 postcards. We need many more, but there wasn't much of a selection here. We figured each girl would write 10 to start. That evening they spent a couple of hours writing out all the postcards. They even had fun going to the post office and getting the stamps. Now they are anxiously waiting for the cards to come in.

None have come yet, so I am thinking of how to make this educational! Not just a project to collect nice cards. What would I like the girls to remember about each state? They already are pretty sharp when it comes to geography. We have several games on the states and they know their location and capitals. Some families are marking a map to see the origin of all the responses. I think we will do that too since we have a large U.S. map in our school room. But what else?

I finally came up with a one-page worksheet. It's very simple. It has a box for the name of the state and four categories: Capital and major cities, geography (mountains, rivers, etc.), history and important people, and famous landmarks. I think I will add date admitted to the union too. This sheet will not detract too much from the fun of their postcard project, but it will give them something to look back on and help them remember some facts.

Discipling

Once I went to a church event and heard a speaker tell about her family's experience with homeschooling during the time one member had serious health issues. School work had to be temporarily suspended while the family journeyed through this difficult time. I don't remember this woman's exact words, but she said what the children learned during this season of life was more valuable than anything they could have learned from a textbook.

I was thinking about that while my daughters spent many hours in waiting rooms during their father's doctor appointments and medical procedures. On one hand I felt bad for them, and I worried about the school work they were missing. But then I thought, better this than to be far removed from us sitting in a public school classroom. We are a tight family. We need to be together for the good times and also for the hard times. Their school work will get finished. We have all year, even summer to catch up if need be.

It took me many years to realize that school work is secondary to relationship. Academics can slide from time to time, but the daily one-on-one we share can't be shoved aside and taken lightly. A sermon at church brought this idea home to me a little more clearly. It was about John the Baptist and how he made disciples for Jesus Christ. He pointed everyone in Christ's direction. He didn't care about his own life, and in fact said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

All my interactions with my children must point them to Jesus. "Look at him!" That should be foremost in my mind for every issue, every problem, and every joy. Our girls will walk through the medical troubles with their parents and we will show them how to trust God through it. They will see our prayers, our faith, our victories, and even our failures. Above all, they will see God at work as he comforts us and answers our prayers.

My main job is to disciple my girls to be followers of Jesus. Relationship with him and with me is crucial. But sometimes I need a little help too. I recently bought Training Hearts, Teaching Minds by Starr Meade. This book has daily devotions for passing on our faith to our children. In the introduction the author states, "God calls the church of each generation to 'contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints'. When our children replace us as contenders for the faith, will they have a clear grasp of the faith they must defend? When they replace us as supporters of the truth, will they know the truth well enought to articulate it clearly and to recognize counterfeits?" Simply, this book is "What do we believe?" and "Why do we believe it?"

We have a rough road ahead crossing treacherous terrain. Isaiah 40:3 says, "A voice is calling, Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness, make smooth in the desert a highway for our God." Isaiah 41:18 says God will make the wilderness a pool of water. In Isaiah 42:16, God says, "In paths they do not know, I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into a plain." In all the circumstances of life, we will look at Jesus.

Banning Books

Choosing good books for my children and restricting others is always challenging as a homeschooling parent. I frequently read Jimmie's blog for her interesting stories about China and her great advice on teaching. "Banned Books Week" is her very informative post on books for kids. Check it out.

http://jimmiescollage.com/

Arielle reads so much that there would be no way to pre-read her books and censor the ones I didn't like. We talk about books a lot and we read together a lot and that brings up many topics to discuss. I've fed her a diet of good books from the time she was a baby and she is very discriminating when it comes to reading books that are just plain not good literature.

Together we have been reading Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi. It was a Newberry Medal book, so I figured there must be some reason it won that distinction. The language in this book is at times disturbing and it is full of violence. As I read it to Liana, there were a couple of times I edited as I read. But the message behind the book is worth talking about and kids learn a lot about the Middle Ages in England. Arielle has gone on to read the two sequels to this book.

Sometimes we used the school reading lists to find good literature. But moms need to have a discerning eye. I ask myself why this particular book is on the list. Public schools have their own agenda and message they want to get out. Not all books on their lists are worth reading.

Marsupial Lapbook

We are in week four of the new school year and overall, things are going well. Arielle is very independent now and desires that. She likes to get her assignments and then work at her own speed to complete them. She especially likes me to give her an assignment for the week, rather than just daily. She is very responsible to complete her work by Friday.

Arielle is working toward another deadline in October when her first literature class meets. She completed The Giver but it not so interested in reading The Time Machine. Moms also need to read The Giver. What a disturbing book! But it provides a lot of opportunity for discussion of important topics.

Liana is still battling her daily reading assignment. She has so much trouble concentrating and every bit of sound she hears when she is trying to read brings her to a frustrated frenzy. She now had to go upstairs alone to read. She doesn't like that, but there is no alternative. What ever would she do in a regular classroom? Thank God we can homeschool.

In the afternoon we are doing some serious science, history and geography. And no one is complaining! Liana has completed her first topic in science--the study of marsupials. Jeannie Fulbright's website had some good worksheets to print up and I had Liana write a little report on an animal of her choice. She will do that for each order of animals we study. I have to step it up a little this year.

While working on her lapbook, she has said several times, "I just love doing this." I help her organize her material, but she cuts and glues and writes captions for hours with incredible patience. In the mornings she struggles and lashes out and has absolutely no patience. But this is her thing, the creative stuff.

Good Running Start

We completed our first week! We had several interruptions. Our family members are not with the program yet and forget that we can't take phone calls during the day. Also, on Friday, I was called to do some emergency babysitting for a friend, but my daughters are more independent this year and can more easily work around interruptions.

Our days are longer this year. We can't skimp on history and science like we sometimes did in the past, so that is what we do every afternoon. We are studying South America right now using Around the World in 180 Days. Arielle likes doing her own research to find answers to the questions and both girls like doing map work. Liana's learning style draws her to a more creative approach, so she has started a lapbook on South America and also one for her zoology study of marsupials. I give both girls some freedom in designing lapbooks, but then they need guidance to organize their information. Otherwise they would just be gluing pictures on paper. We have lots of resources for pictures. At the homeschool fair I bought old atlases and several books of animals. Also, we still have our ancient set of encyclopedias. I give the girls the freedom to cut out all the pictures they want.

Arielle has received her literature assignment for the class she is taking. She has to read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and The Giver by Lois Lowry and write a compare and contrast essay. She started reading The Giver and likes it, so she's off to a good start. Liana is reading the stories in the Abeka series. So far, she is enjoying them and I hear no complaints. It helps when Arielle remembers the stories from years back and tells Liana how good some of them are.

Liana had a little bit of a rough start this week after a very busy Labor Day weekend. She couldn't find her glasses and it put her in a frustrated frame of mind. But after a few tears shed and being told to go to her room until she got some control, she recovered quickly and we had a good day. This is a great improvement and it is encouraging to see her maturing. In the past, a minor set-back in the morning would ruin the entire day.

I start each day with much prayer for our school. This is the Lord's work, not mine.

We're Back!

Today we began a new school year. Summer flew by and here we are the end of August. The past few days we were in Gettysburg, but too quickly, vacation is over and it's time for school.

On our trip we began reading Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi and the girls wanted to start the day (after devotions) with that. I read too little of it to suit Arielle and she has spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the book. So much for read-alouds as a family.

First thing this morning we also started Andrew Pudewa's book All Things Fun and Fascinating: Writing Lessons in Structure and Style. He has a clever technique for teaching children how to summarize non-fiction passages by first reading it through once, then reading it sentence by sentence as the child writes down three key words from each sentence. Then using just their key word outline, they re-tell, or rewrite, the story. My daughter who does not like to write--Arielle--said, "This is fun! Can we do it again tomorrow?" Arielle also told me she thinks she will like her literature book this year, after reading the first story. I like this good attitude! In the picture both girls were trying to act angry because it was the first day of school. It didn't work. They were laughing too much.

Liana has come a long way in her reading and I will not press her to read aloud her assignments to me anymore. She hates it, I hate it, and it seems pointless. She comprehends what she reads silently. That's the main concern. Unless we are reading to a child, how often do we really read aloud? So our morning was more calm for that reason alone.

The girls are finishing up a Singapore math review book before we move back into their Teaching Textbooks. I think the Singapore math is more difficult, but it is a change of pace and useful for bringing in a new perspective.

We ended our first day making maps of South America. The girls got the game "10 Days in the Americas" over the summer, so they have a jump start on the geography. They could easily rattle off all the countries. Now we need to learn about those individual countries.

We ended our school day with popsicles!

Summer break

What is your favorite month? Fred and the girls were asking that question. Fred says December because he loves the Christmas season. Arielle said April because she likes spring. My best time of year is not the spring, that's for sure. That's when we try to finish up school, plus work on getting the portfolio together before we meet with the evaluator, plus finish up 4-H projects for the Fashion Revue. On top of that, this year I was a census worker. It has been a crazy time.

On Friday and Saturday last week I attended our annual local homeschool convention. These two days encourage and invigorate me to keep pressing onward in teaching my girls at home. Every year there is a speaker that really speaks to my heart or I find a book or curriculum that stirs me. This time, I found both.

Andrew Pudewa lectured on teaching children to write. For me, this has been the hardest subject to teach. This man is the director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing. He gave us some tools to use when we are teaching that are especially helpful for reluctant writers--those children who continually say, "I don't know what to write." I bought a book that uses his methods called All Things Fun & Fascinating: Writing Lessons in Structure and Style. In the fall, I will report on how this is working for my girls.

My other big find was Gladys Hunt's Honey for a Teen's Heart: Using Books to Communicate with Teens. Honey for a Child's Heart is the classic many homeschoolers use for reading lists, and this one has that feature as well. But it also talks about how to use good books to help us talk to our kids about ideas, values, and issues. There are even mother-daughter reading lists. Arielle is always asking me to read books that she has enjoyed so we can discuss them. Usually I just don't have the time to read all that she recommends. Maybe this book will give us a place to start.

I ran from the homeschool convention straight to the girls' fashion show. In the new profile picture the girls are modeling their 4-H entries.

This blog will take a break until fall when our new school year begins.

The Home Stretch

Now that we are already mid-March, I feel the pressure to complete projects and see where we are lacking in our educational program before the year ends. We've done some good things this year, but we also have some gaps. But it is so hard to press more into our schedules, especially when the girls have Guinea Pig Fever! Yes, they have those tiny, cute pets now and are just fascinated with them. We have them in the school room so the critters will get a lot of attention, but we will be in the middle of a lesson and when one of the piggies squeaks, the girls jump out of their chairs to see what happened. It's hard to get back to adverbs.

To finish up the year, Arielle has a research paper to complete, besides her last book to read and write about for literature class. Liana has not read as many books as I would have liked, and we still need to do some civics and health lessons, as required by our state. I wanted to do more poetry, especially with Liana, and we didn't go around the world in 180 days, as our geography program is called. We only got as far as China and India. So I am a little discouraged about what I know we cannot complete.

I think I will focus on what we have accomplished and how the girls have learned and grown this year.

Hard Work

Long time, no write. Our days are getting longer and schedules tighter. This homeschooling has become hard work! Oh, we've had our difficulties in the past. Teaching Liana to read was no easy task. But we had a little break the first of this school year. Each girl settled into a routine with a minimum of struggle and complaint. The past couple of months, though, the pace has quickened and it's become HARD! Not so much for the girls as for me.

It's Arielle. She has a lot to learn and I need to teach her how to work independently without relying on so much hand-holding from me. She needs to step it up a notch, but I have to show her how to do this. She started work on a research paper on the plight of Native Americans post-Civil War. There is plenty of information available, but she must learn to organize her thoughts and her writing. I think it is harder to teach a child to write than to read.

Arielle also has work to do for her literature class. She is reading a historical fiction book on the Nez Perce Indians and then she has to take the heroine of this book and write a series of correspondences with the fictional character Johnny Tremain--who lived a hundred years prior! The two characters will be pen pals and through the letters Arielle has to reveal the plot of both books. How can I help her if I am not familiar with the books? That means lots of research on my part to talk her through some ideas.

Arielle just finished Teaching Textbooks 7. The last set of lessons have been difficult. This program is set up for the student to work totally independently. But what happens when she just doesn't understand how to work the problem? There are solutions, but just because the child listens to the explanation doesn't mean she really knows the material. So day after day I sit through her lessons and re-learn math. We are on to pre-algebra now. It is all coming back to me! Actually, I liked algebra, so I hope I can convey a little enthusiasm to the child who "hates" math. (Isn't this mental gymnastics good for a senior brain like mine? Maybe I will fend off Alzheimer's!)

We need to spend more time on Spanish. We're only in Unit 3 of Rosetta Stone and the vocabulary is increasing rapidly. My need to see it on paper is hindering my progress. I wish there were supplemental lists of vocabulary to study. I tried making lists for Arielle and me, but that was extremely time-consuming.

So we move forward into this foreign territory of middle school. I love it though. I told a friend of mine who is also homeschooling that I wouldn't want to be doing anything else. Her only comment, "Interesting..." Maybe she doesn't agree. Peace comes when you are completely in the center of God's will. So for now, this day, that's where we are.

Arielle as Louisa May Alcott

Arielle had her second literature class this week. She finished her book Invincible Louisa on time, but since she ended right before Christmas, it was difficult to get her to begin writing the three page report. What kid wants to do homework over Christmas break?

It isn't the mechanics of writing that challenges Arielle. She is fine with grammar and sentence construction. The problem is getting her to put her thoughts and ideas in logical order. She also wants to make her composition as brief as possible. I'm sure it is just a learning process and maybe if I compared her writing to another child's of her age, I might find she is doing quite well.

As she wrote and re-wrote, I helped her to take her good ideas and arrange them to flow smoothly. She was frustrated with me. But I reminded her how lucky she is to be able to compose on a computer because when I was young I had to write and re-write with pen to paper and if I made an error, I had to start again. I'm sure I never did as many drafts as Arielle did, though. By Wednesday morning, she had written a great paper.

Part of her assignment was to dress in a costume portraying her character and give an oral presentation to her class. We looked at pictures of Civil War era attire for women. I fixed her hair in a severe bun and she wore a button-down blouse with one of my long skirts. She was perfect for the role! But she wasn't happy and would not let me take her picture. After all, the outfit was not "cool."

With her sour attitude, Arielle went to her class. She came home glowing! Her teacher said she did very well and that she wrote an excellent paper. Good job, Arielle!

Happy New Year!

We were back to school today after a wonderful Christmas break that was relaxing and fun. In the past I did not allow the girls to take off the whole week like public school kids do. It seemed foolish to waste time when we could be clocking our days. We would fulfill our requirements by May and start an early summer. But as the girls get older I think they need this winter break. I think I did too. We had a successful first day back.

The girls' older sister who is a hair dresser cut Liana's long, long hair yesterday. Liana looks adorable! We joked with her that she looks like a new girl (and maybe she lost the attitude with the hair?) We could only hope. If today is any indication, yes, she did. She was cheerful and worked hard with any complaint. At one point I asked her to do an assignment that usually would follow with her whining, but no, not today. Right before Christmas she finished an adapted version of Oliver Twist and today it was time to choose a new book. Even that decision is often accompanied by moans of anguish and thumbing through the choices to make sure the book isn't too long and has large print and pictures. Today I gave her a stack of suggestions and to my amazement she chose the longest one--On the Banks of Plum Creek. I am excited to read this book again myself! Either Liana reads her boo aloud to me or she reads alone, but I pre-read so I can ask her questions to make sure she is comprehending. So in any case, I will be hearing this book again--one of my favorites from childhood.

Now Arielle was another story today. Her literature class meets on Wednesday and she is down and out about the report she has to do on Invincible Louisa. Writing just does not come easy for her. I think it really bothers her that she can't just breeze through a report because other subjects are not challenging at all for her. So poor Arielle was at the computer much of the day, writing, editing, and re-writing. Her reward for finishing will be to read anything she wants for the next couple of weeks, her choice entirely.

I wrote about Teaching Textbooks the last post. We are about ready to order the next in the series for each of the girls. Pre-Algebra costs $184.90! Wow! That is not in the budget. I just bid on a used one on ebay.