Are we doing enough?..Yes!

    While chatting with some home school parents today, I am struck by how we all have varying levels of insecurities, myself included. How could we not? Being a parent is full of second guessing, so it stands to reason that home schooling would follow suit. Intellectually, we all know that the schools are not the best model and we are indeed doing better, but there is always that nagging feeling. The buck truly does stop here, there is no one else to blame, and although we will gladly take the credit, credit is less free flowing.  Everyone I have ever talked to feels like there is one area that they have given insufficient attention. For me it is Spanish, I had grand plans in September, I fully expected Sarah to be fluent by June. In November our Spanish program broke..yep wouldn't load..really slow and well..just broken. I don't have to tell you how that went. She barely knows basic vocabulary much less how to  conjugate verbs. For some it is writing or science or religion. We all have our things. For some it may be style or quantity. Are we doing enough school? does my style simply replicate traditional school? How can I make it fun and interesting enough so they will retain this information beyond fifth grade? I take much satisfaction in the fact that I haven't met one homeschooler , new or seasoned that doesn't have the exact same issues.


   In the end I think this fear is what makes a great teacher. I can think of nothing worse than complacency. In every area of my life there is room for improvement which creates room for change and growth. This is the way it should be. Without this nagging feeling that I suck, I would never improve. My accomplishments would not have the same impact and my failures would be devastating. It is comforting to know that I have not peaked and that tomorrow  may be the best day yet.  When your kid says something smart or insightful (preferably in front of other people) you feel so proud you forget all the days they stared at you blankly and said "what Civil War?". As the official school year enters the home stretch, I will focus on how much we did accomplish instead of what we may have missed. At least that is the plan. 

Spring Break Lite

       After a lot of conversation, Sarah has convinced me that she needs a spring break. It wasn't that hard a sell because I need a Spring break too. Of course the weather is Chicago decided to turn back to seasonably March, just in time. We have a busy homeschool week planned with the usual activities but we will forgo our typical schedule. Compromise is becoming my middle name. Until I moved to the midwest, I thought Spring break really just applied to college students in fort lauderdale. Times have changed, College kids go to Cancun and families everywhere take elaborate vacations to Disney world and beyond. We are not a spring break family but this week we may sleep a little later, see a few movies and relax a bit.  


         This week Sarah will go to science club where the topic is organic chemistry, Cooking club where she will present her project on Ireland, take a maple syrup field trip and  participate in an Archery lesson. She will serve Mass twice. Between this busy schedule we will try to visit with friends and take a little break from school .


     We are also on day 5 of our Gluten free experiment. I think it is making a difference with Sarah but I oddly enough feel worse..maybe I am intolerant to corn or rice...if so, I am screwed. The good thing is we haven't eaten out in a week, which is good because gluten free food is crazy expensive. Come on!!..8 oz of pasta for $5.00. Of course, the smart way to do it is just eat healthy fruits and vegetables instead of a bowl of Chex cereal and a diet coke for breakfast...I can't understand why I don't feel better.  

Project Based Learning

     I have been researching project based learning lately. It is basically integrating your curriculum into a real world project or theme. For example, students design a new product or solve a problem in healthcare or investigate the causes of racism. All this is done by incorporating English, History, Math and Science. The project spans some time and concludes with some sort of report or presentation. I am curious how the schools are able to do this with all the time and budget contraints. For homeschoolers it seems perfect, except for the fact that it really is designed to be done in groups with the exchange of ideas.  Perhaps some sort of co-op is on the horizon.


     Everyone speaks of creativity and critical thinking but how do we really teach it?  How do you get a child to  take initiative and be take chances on an idea when it may not come naturally to them (or us)? Are the great innovators accidental or were they nurtured by a teacher or parent?  I Find this challenging with Sarah. When I say write a report on anything you want she becomes very overwhelmed and literally shuts down. If I give her a topic, she resists. I think it has a lot to do with confidence and fear. She is afraid she will pick the wrong topic or she wont be able to finish it. I completely understand that fear and it can be paralyzing. How do we overcome this in our children when as adults we struggle as well?


     Back to PBL, this could be a huge shift in how we home school.  If done correctly, it could make sense out of school. The age old question, "when am I ever going to use this?" may actually have merit. Are we raising test takers or great thinkers.   If we open the walls of education and embrace failure as a natural part of learning we may uncover some amazing ideas.   This is such a great time in their life, free of pressure and responsibility. This is the perfect time to explore without having to achieve. Now, onto picking the first project.....

Home school rock climbing

   Today is what I like to call a wash. Our Cooking group was postponed until next week, so I thought great, we can catch up on some school work. Not so much..After some unexpected errands in the morning, I realized some days you just have to give up the dream of it being a productive academic day. At around noon, I realized how it was going and just decided to take Sarah to Homeschool Rock Climbing. 2 hours for 10 bucks, you cant beat that except that I bought a $6 smoothie from the gym cafe..so I guess you can beat it. This is a sport that Sarah loves! She climbs up that wall like a little monkey with no fear. It is two hours that I get to catch up on phone calls or read.  Not much learning today, but there is always tomorrow. When I feel guilty, I remember that the public school will only go to school 12 days of a possible 22 in March. I guess you could call today a teacher institute day.

No more Gluten, maybe

I think because we have had this little burst of summer, our brains have decided that summer is actually here....unfortunately it's not and we still have full time school for over 2 more months. I know if it is hard for me, it is quadroopilly hard for Sarah, (I know it's not a word, that's why I made the spelling extra fun).

Luckily we started early in the day so we were able to get a lot done. Around 1:30 we decided to go the Trader Joe's.  I have been entertaining the idea of a gluten free diet for years but have never really committed to it. I have no doubt that we would be healthier, exercise wouldn't hurt either but I don't want to go all out crazy. It turns out Trader Joe's has a lot of Gluten free items and they are only about three times the price of the regular things. How come every time you take something out of food, the price goes up, sugar, fat, salt, caffeine, and gluten? I think to compensate, a bag of sugar and a carton of salt should be given away free with every order. 


Sarah had a great time at the store, she had her list  of gluten free items and read all the labels. My fear is that she will end up living on Chex cereal and Fritoes. Turns out..snacks are not the problem when going gluten free.  I have to roll my eyes a little to think I am one of those Moms, just last week I heard myself saying..I could be Vegan.  


Through the homeschool community, I have met many people with varying opinions about diet and how it relates to behavior. I think much of it is valid, but also individualized. What works for one kid has little effect on another and what one parent perceives as an impact another can barely recognize.  I think it can all be summed up by one statement. 
                               
                  Don't let your kids eat crap and make them run around. 


If that involves chasing them to pry the Oreos out of their hands than so be it.

Spring!

       Something oddly wonderful and a little unnerving is happening in Chicago. It is mid March and Spring had sprung. I don't mean it is peaking through the sky to say hello, I mean it is here in full force sitting on my deck waiting for the burgers to be done. The tulips are sprouting and the trees are flowering and everyone is confused and a little giddy. Shorts and tank tops adorn the whitest of arms and legs and no one cares! It Spring!  Neighbors are outside commenting on how much the toddlers grew over the winter..but really what winter. The snow blower still has gas in it and the firewood was hardly touched. Chicago, you should be ashamed of yourself. You call that a winter. This is a town where Easter egg hunts are often snowed out and  the last frost may come just shy of Mother's Day. But I forgive you for this  blip, this anomaly this pleasant surprise and hope you don't take it out on us in Summer. For now, all I can say is Thank you Mother Nature! For once I get to  go on Spring Break even if it is in my own back yard!

Kid teaches Mom

     Sometimes in our efforts to pack everything into a school day we revert to what we know. What I know is traditional school and although I realize it is not the best model, it quickly becomes my default. I can basically end up lecturing and  giving out worksheets if I am not careful. I have to admit, there are days when it is just easier.


    I looked at Sarah during a lesson on cells and she looked totally bored. So I decided to switch it up a bit. I gave her the materials and told her I would be back in 30 minutes for my lesson, (at which time I took a well deserved break and read O magazine) She had to teach me about single cells, multicellular organisms, bacteria, protozoans and amoebas. What kid doesn't want to be the teacher?   She did great and we both learned a lot.   Sarah likes to be the boss which is tough because I like to be the boss too.  Of course when she does it, it is bossy and disrespectful and when I do it, it is parenting.


Sometimes I find the best solution is sitting right in front of you. One of my favorite quotes is " If you can't explain something simply then you don't understand it well enough" I'm not sure if that is it exactly but you get the idea....I think Einstein said it but I could be wrong...I got it off Pinterest. 


If anyone reading this blog has never heard of Pinterest..google it and say goodbye to your life. I know  people say smoking is hard to kick but...ohhh this Pinterest is a tough one.  There are a ton of great home school ideas if you are tempted.. but you have been warned.


I think I may have Sarah research and teach a lesson once a week. She's smart, likes to talk and can use the internet just like me. I'll let you know how it goes.