Grade for Homeschool Blog F!

Good thing I don't give a fig about grades!!! LOL

Okay... but seriously folks... My first instinct is to just delete this whole thing. How sad that I didn't keep up with it. I wanted to journal our entire experience, so that I could look back at our first baby steps into homeschooling, and remember how far we've come.

Well... maybe that's what it all comes down to anyway. All those blank spaces... all those days, weeks, and months where I didn't post a blooming thing... we were living! We were learning. Some of it was great. And... some of it sucked. Bad. Like sour lemons. Not the homeschooling parts, so much as the life's challenges part. But, I chalk those up to homeschooling lessons as well.

Thus, this post will be my overview of our first year of homeschooling, as we prepare to begin our second. That's right! Keeping at it. Because I'll tell you the ending first. This was the best parenting decision we have ever made, and every single one of our children do not ever want to return to traditional school. On that note... A+. Gosh, old habits are hard to break.

Here's the thick and the thin of it. Hubby and I failed miserably some days. We dropped some balls. We did not take the children on nearly as many exciting, world exposing adventures as we had planned. Money troubles. Car troubles. Relocation preparations. Life. It just kind of stalled a lot of our plans. And it took a lot of our focus away from the core of adventure. We even had a few... dare I say it... boring days. That was the LAST thing I ever wanted homeschool to be. I could beat myself up about that 'til the cows come home. But, we don't have cows, so that would be futile.

The flip side is that our kids still saw the best side of us amidst all of the tribulations. They saw two people who refuse to let finances or broken dreams stop them from being madly in love with each other, our children, and our life. They saw that faith and family always comes first. They saw that it doesn't take a lot of money to spend a lot of quality time together, laugh together, learn together.

I think the first year of homeschooling might best be described as a year of detox for all of us. It was more about what we didn't do than what we did do. We didn't stress. We didn't join in on the chaotic rat race of life. We didn't let anyone else's opinion of what we were doing change our course. We didn't give in, even when we didn't do it perfectly. We forgave ourselves for not being perfect.

Amazingly, throughout this first year, the children continued to share frustrating stories about public school experiences. I kept having to remind them that they could let go of it because they weren't there anymore. I kept reminding them that was not the way we were going to do it. But, obviously, they had things they still needed to get out of their system.

We learned within the first days of homeschool, that we could let go of our doubts because we had already been doing it better our way than the way the curriculums were set up. Better for us anyway. And that is what it's all about, right? We embraced unschooling, and enjoyed the child-led model of learning. Each day was filled with new subjects, one leading to the next. We learned that it was best when we all learned together, than separating the children by age. They all engage at the level of their own understanding and interest. They all share and come away with their own perspective.

There were a few things I thought were failures, which in hindsight, I consider successes. Case in point... Foreign languages. Our 14 year old had wanted to learn French for years. Now that we were homeschooling, we decided to make this part of our studies. Our 8 year old decided she wanted to learn Spanish. Great. I investigated our options, and we chose duolingo, a free online language site. It's a great site. Seriously. There are numerous languages one can delve into. I even signed up to learn Italian! Yay! The girls took their first few lessons with gusto. Then, one day, when I said, "Girls, it's time for you to do your foreign language studies", I got "the looks". I got the requests to do them tomorrow, followed by tomorrow's request to do them the next day. I reminded them that not everything we learn is easy or "fun" and that sometimes it is hard, tedious work to learn something we are interested in. At first, I was sure it was some kind of laziness. I was worried that unschooling was training them to not pursue anything that took a lot of effort and time. Because it was not a necessary course, mandated by the state (don't get me going), I decided it wasn't worth the battle.

Here is my assessment looking back.... This was a success!!! A success? Yes. How so? This is what unschooling is all about! They were interested in something. We provided the means to learn it. They found it boring and tedious. My 14 year old said to me one day, "What's the point if there's no one to talk to?" She hit the nail on the head! All of our family members who spoke French have died. It was my husband's stories of speaking French with his grandparents that had inspired her to want to know the language. I think she romanticized it all, and wanted to capture a part of it. But, with no one left to carry on a conversation, it all seemed very one sided and purposeless. Is that a word? Don't judge. Dr. Seuss did just fine with lots of unwords. Oh, God...
What I can share is this... I took seven years of French through middle school and high school. I do NOT speak French. I remember a few cute words and expressions. I can sing the alphabet. I know a few lines from the French adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves as performed by my 8th grade French class. That's it. Not exactly a glowing recommendation. If you don't use it, you lose it. So, indeed, as my 14 year old is so fond of asking, "What is the point?"

The girls had the exposure. If either of them had been intrigued, and wanted to dig deeper, we would have. They weren't. And they didn't. Success! That's what unschooling is all about. By not forcing the learning of something which they neither enjoyed nor had purpose for, they had time to move on to other things. Hannah, my 14 year old has discovered the world of youtube and the millions of subjects one can learn about. She spends countless hours on jewelry designs and hair braids and other styles. Will she ever be a jewelry designer or a hair stylist? I don't know. But, my guess is that both skills will serve her better in her own life than speaking French will. If she ever decided to go to France, we can revisit the language. I should say that her older sister has visited a dozen countries in Europe on two separate trips, and never took a class in any of those languages. She did just fine, and had a wonderful time.

I have a friend named Normand. He was a brilliant international interpreter.  He also took 7 years of French throughout middle and high school. We even took one class together. Guess what? He spoke French at home. My guess is that his love of foreign language was fostered at home, not in school, through compulsory learning. I am sure that he took many more languages  throughout his specialized college years. If one of my girls is bitten by the language bug, they can do the same.

Oh.... No. I cannot speak Italian. BORING! I decided to spend that time painting.

Math? Don't get me started. There were days when the 14 year old didn't want to take her lessons. I told her that if she could answer 10 random questions, she wouldn't have to. She answered them all. We couldn't stump her. She knows more math than I ever will, or ever care to know. I'm not worried about whether or not she ever learns trigonometry. I will confess. I don't even know what trigonometry is. "GASP" Does that make me a blooming idiot? Maybe in some circles. I don't want to live in those circles. Ever. My younger children are right where they are supposed to be, and this year will be a bit of a challenge for me to push them further as math is my weakness. Not as in "powdered frosting donut weakness where I want more and more no matter how many calories they are".  More like if "I had to choose between death and learning more math, I would miss you all" weakness. Fortunately for my kids, my greatest strength is how much I love them and am committed to their well-being. And that strength trumps the math weakness. So... we will trudge on together, learning this year's system of arithmetic, knowing full well it will change again in a few years. I want them to know how to count, do basic math, tell time, and make change. Anything more than that is gravy and more than I have ever needed. If one of them decides to have a passion for math, I will find a way for them to explore the deepest depths of it. I happen to know a math genius, who I am sure would love to assist. Score 2 for homeschool!

Man sakes alive I am rambling. Good thing this is my journal, and no one will ever read this. There aren't even any photos, for goodness sake! What is wrong with me???

So, in a nutshell. We fumbled a bit. If we hadn't dropped a few balls, our kids would be even more brilliant than they already are. The pre-schoolers are doing great. Everyone else is on target and then some. Mama and Papa learned a whole lot of things we didn't learn in 12 years of traditional school! Hey, did you know there's this whole other side of history they don't teach you in school? Ya. Cool. Check it out! Not to mention, I just learned from a friend on facebook what no local teacher in our public school system ever mentioned throughout 12 years... Our local factory workers designed and built the "Ghost Army" in the rubber mill, right here in Woonsocket, RI! Those rubber tanks turned the tide of the war. Imagine that? Friggin' factory workers helped win the war! Never heard of it? Ya. "Thank you public education". Why on God's green earth are our local schools not teaching that amazing story??? See what these homeschooled kids are missing?

What's more important than all the studies, comparisons, academic successes and failures, is how much I have seen all five kids bloom this past year. They are independent, strong, and curious. My heart breaks with joy every time my 14 year old takes it upon herself to teach the younger ones. It is a treat to watch her share with them, and help them to find their own answers. I have also seen the affect that Martial Arts is having in their life. They are confident, brave, focused, driven, and strong. My four year old earned his "Little Dragon" black belt, and is now in the big kid classes earning regular belts. He is a leader. No. Seriously. He leads classes that have adults in them! He has learned complex creeds, which he recites with confidence. He leads class openings and is not shy about comprising warm up routines for the entire class. He practices at home, competes in tournaments, and encourages others. My 8 year old daughter continues to be an outstanding ninja princess and leader, assisting in over 100 classes. But, what really amazes me is that my 14 year old daughter, who hated martial arts when we began, has decided on her own to stick with it. Once she decided that she was going for her black belt, she has been unstoppable. She is committed and determined. She has already logged the one thousand push-ups and one thousand sit-ups that she needed to do by the end of November. She is the family drill sergeant when it comes to making sure everyone else is doing their exercises and forms. And she was one of a very few to pass the first pre-test last week. If we were still in traditional school, there is no way we could devote as many hours to martial arts out of the week as we do. And I believe these skills will benefit them far greater than any extra curricular classes at school. The training is mind, body, and soul. They have the opportunity to lead like no where I have seen before. They are not limited by age or grade. They work beside small children and grown adults. They see that their only limitations are how hard they are willing to work and how much they are willing to put themselves out there.

Okay... Okay... Enough is enough. I'm even losing my own interest here.  But as I look forward to the year ahead, I am excited, even more than last year. I have more confidence. I have learned from my mistakes. I know what areas are important to focus on and what areas we can quickly leave behind if there is no interest. And I won't feel a bit guilty about it. This freedom is an amazing place to be. The rebel in me relishes every moment. The traditionalist is so happy that we are focusing on faith, family, and the simple life. And the real life everyone is so concerned my children will not be prepared for? If more people let go of the precepts of "real life" and took a chance on living the life of simplicity, love, joy, and peace, they'd discover that the lie of real life doesn't compare to the authenticity of living your dreams.

Decorating!

Rebekah was quite the exterior design pro this afternoon. The fact that our porch needs a good paint job, cleaning, and is growing it's own cobwebs lends into easy Halloween themes ;)  Daddy added the orange lights. Rebekah decorated the rest of the cemetery in the window box.  It all works hand in hand with our All Souls and All Saints lessons, as well as add a bit of whimsy for the kids to enjoy.

Science Pops!

8:51am, and the kids are excited about their science lesson, experiment, and reporting, all led by their big sister. They made their own Popsicles by squeezing clementines into cups, and adding handles. They discussed solids, liquids, and gas. They followed the 7 steps of the scientific method. The little ones are so proud of themselves, and thrilled with the results. I love it when one project includes, science, home ec, AND health/nutrition!

Time with Dad...

 

Rebekah had to have yet another tooth extracted today due to abscess. This is about the 5th one in a little more than a year. The initial excitement of her "special" dilemma has faded into melancholy and trepidation. So daddy has turned her... dental visits into an excuse to enjoy some daddy/daughter time. They go on various adventures and end up in places where mommy doesn't like kids eating lunch (For the ice cream!). LOL! Today, Rebekah spotted some ducks as they drove by, and they stopped to explore <3

Lego Lessons!

The only thing Jacob asked for as a birthday present was an Iron Man Lego set. He was so excited that it was clear formal lessons were not going to happen until some seeing some Lego action. I decided to let them have their cake and eat it too. I told Caleb that if he followed the directions, and  helped his little brother assemble the pieces, it would count as their school time.

They did a  great job! Gosh... they worked together so well, and were so enthusiastic about building the lab and helicopter. One thing I love about Lego, is that all three of my sons enjoy working on them together, and they range in age from 25-4!

Jacob didn't want to wear anything more than his Iron Man skivvies, so Caleb served as my model to show off their work!

Our Babiest Baby is 4!!!

Our little guy is four years old. In so many ways, this blows my mind. Time always flies by, but for some reason, it seems to be faster than the speed of light with this sweet fella. He is so busy trying to keep up with his older siblings, that he seems older than he is. He hasn't been interested in "baby stuff" in forever. He wants to forge forth on new adventures, learn new things, and help wherever he can. He is so sweet. He loves simple things. And he loves being surrounded by his family. In so many ways, homeschooling has had a huge impact on his life. He doesn't miss his siblings all day long anymore. He gets to play and learn alongside of them. And our life has become so untethered to the ways of the world. Some people say, "But that's not real life". They can keep real life. We're choosing a different path that's better than a dream come true. And this little guy will only know the joys of it all.

Non-Violent Civil Disobedience at the Grocery Store...

We were at the grocery store. Air wicks has "National Parks" scented fresheners. Hannah was cracking up. She started smelling them all, and said, "they can stop us from visiting, but they can't stop us from smelling!"

I think I'm raising a rebel...