We've almost made it through the school year. There are three graduations coming up, as Taz leaves 8th grade and middle school behind to start high school. Boo graduates from kindergarten, and JJ has preschool grad day this Thursday.
I'm pretty burnt out with the end-of-year activities, not to mention the three plus hours of driving I did every weekday for the entire year. The getting to and from school is so time consuming, I have to ask myself, "Is it worth it?"
I think there is a better way for us to manage our lives. Therefore, I am making a huge change. I am going to home school the two youngest next year. We will do this through a program with one of the public schools, and the kids will still go to school for a couple of classes a week. The curriculum is provided and goes along with state requirements, and the kids take all of the state tests, and do other tests to make sure we can assess their grade level. We will go to at least one field trip a month. Every two weeks we meet with our teacher and turn in all of our logs and assignments.
I am excited and nervous about homeschooling. I am excited about being in control of the schedule. I'm ecstatic about not driving as much. Also, I like that I can focus on my children's learning in a way that school can't. For example, I know that Boo is advanced in reading and math, yet behind in writing, so I can adjust to strengths and weaknesses. Also, if I want to add typing, Spanish, music, or tennis to the agenda, I can.
My areas of concern are around scheduling. When will I have time to clean, do laundry, and make dinner? Will I ever have a moment to myself again? Will I be able to keep the kids focused? Will my husband interrupt, and want us to run errands? Will I try to take on too much?
To get through my anxieties about it, here is my new long mantra. Keep it simple. Throw away clutter. Get the teen to babysit once in a while. Turn off the phone during school hours. Make learning fun.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Changing
Boo - She's about to finish Kindergarten. She is doing 1st grade work at home. I found a surplus textbook store, and we do a chapter of math, reading, history, and science every weekend. I also try to take her somewhere like a museum or festival once a week to stimulate her mind. She is still the more difficult child to discipline. My husband said she seems to have just snapped out of it recently. I said, "Ya, after a year of parenting classes, four parenting books, a discipline workshop, a developmental specialist, and child psychologist, she just snapped out of it!"
JJ - I was very excited about the discipline class I took and I wanted to share it with Boo's kindergarten teacher, so I have my book in hand, and then on the way to her class, JJ dropped his pants and urinated in the main hall of the school. Three teachers saw this event, and it made quite a scene, so I quickly tucked my book inside my jacket, and decided that I have nothing to teach the teacher.
What people wouldn't understand about JJ's little stunt is that he was really being compliant. His father takes him golfing frequently, and there are only bathrooms every four holes. Since Dad doesn't like to interrupt his game, he has been trying to get JJ to pee outside. The first thing JJ said was, "Daddy wants me to pee outside. Daddy says it's okay." I of course was livid, so I got Daddy on the phone right away.
JJ graduates from preschool at the end of the month. I hope he's ready to go to kindergarten. He likes reading, but not counting. His preschool teacher said that academically she's not worried about him, but he may not be mature enough yet. He will be a young kindergartner.
Taz - She has lost interest in everything except a boy, and doesn't live here as much as she used to. She claims to hate it here, because her siblings are just too annoying to tolerate. She should try living with a teenager.
As for me - I've been spending a lot of time enforcing that the children pick up their own messes. Also, I volunteer a lot. At the end of the year there are scrapbooks to make and graduations to prepare for, so I'm getting tired. I look forward to next year when both kids are in the same school.
JJ - I was very excited about the discipline class I took and I wanted to share it with Boo's kindergarten teacher, so I have my book in hand, and then on the way to her class, JJ dropped his pants and urinated in the main hall of the school. Three teachers saw this event, and it made quite a scene, so I quickly tucked my book inside my jacket, and decided that I have nothing to teach the teacher.
What people wouldn't understand about JJ's little stunt is that he was really being compliant. His father takes him golfing frequently, and there are only bathrooms every four holes. Since Dad doesn't like to interrupt his game, he has been trying to get JJ to pee outside. The first thing JJ said was, "Daddy wants me to pee outside. Daddy says it's okay." I of course was livid, so I got Daddy on the phone right away.
JJ graduates from preschool at the end of the month. I hope he's ready to go to kindergarten. He likes reading, but not counting. His preschool teacher said that academically she's not worried about him, but he may not be mature enough yet. He will be a young kindergartner.
Taz - She has lost interest in everything except a boy, and doesn't live here as much as she used to. She claims to hate it here, because her siblings are just too annoying to tolerate. She should try living with a teenager.
As for me - I've been spending a lot of time enforcing that the children pick up their own messes. Also, I volunteer a lot. At the end of the year there are scrapbooks to make and graduations to prepare for, so I'm getting tired. I look forward to next year when both kids are in the same school.
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