I think that this is what truly makes me...ME. On the flipside, I have always been one to follow rules, laws, conforms of society and never wanted to displease anyone. That, is a direct result of a good upbringing with parents and grandparents who taught and demanded respect. So, "formal structure" within the conforms of respect for community, is ok for my soul too.
I guess what I'm getting at is that my brain needs to be allowed to wander. It needs to see the many options for an activity. The many choices for an answer. The endless possibility that a creative brain can concoct. This part of "me" is the driving force behind my choice to homeschool my children. The decision was not ALL mine...obviously. The "Farmer" is the boss of this family, and he had to be on board as well. But as we weighed the pros and cons, made t-charts and and graphs, we both came to the same conclusion. We wanted to raise 3 boys who:
1. Loved God
2. Loved their Family
3. Loved their Farm and all that it provides
4. Loved Learning
5. Loved being Creative
With the recent implementation of the dreaded Common Core, with funding being drastically cut for public schools and the honest to goodness fact that we live in a horrible school district (5th worst in the entire state of New York) We knew that if we wanted our boys to grow to be the type of men that we can be proud of and know that we have given them the best foundation possible, we would have to take their education- their TOTAL education into our own hands. So- homeschool.
I have a masters degree in Literacy Education. I have taught special education, music, drama and Language Arts throughout my tenure as a public school teacher. (We'll talk about my "other" career at some point as well. It plays a part in many of our activities, so it will be thrown in on occasion) With my education background, teaching my OWN children just seemed to be the natural progression. And so- it began.
I didn't know what curriculum set to by. There are SO many different programs out there. WHOA...SO many.I went with what I knew, and for this year. Kindergarten for Jackson and PreK with Philip, I am using publishers and programs that I was familiar with from when I was teaching, as a profession. It's working for us. Quite well actually, but I do know that as they get older and need to add those content areas, I will need to branch out.
Now, back to structure. (see...I can't even follow structure for a short blog post!) In order to teacher a super smart advanced 5 year old, lay the foundation blocks for my PreK level preemie who is a bit behind academically AND snuggle, feed, and care for my Baby boy, I had to implement...structure. We have a master schedule. We eat breakfast at the same time, do our lessons in the same order, play, read, paint...etc. at the same time EVERY day. Well, not the EXACT same time, but in the same order and general vicinity.This type of structure was necessary for US to be successful. It may not work for everyone.
I'm sure that as the Baby gets bigger and the weather gets warmer, and we are planting or garden and enjoying the outside, our schedule will morph...and that's ok too. But structure has kind of become my friend. It keeps me sane. It keeps me on track. It keeps my kids feeling successful and it keeps the "Farmer" fed at lunch and dinner. (because if I didn't have this level of structure, he would get home at night and be served microwaved Ramen noodles for dinner)
This is only the beginning of our journey as a homeschooling family. Join us on this wild and crazy ride! My kids are SUPER awesome. I am sure that their antics and sheer cuteness will keep you entertained, and I hope to offer other mama's and homeshooling families some advice, some product and material reviews and most of all, proof that NO ONE in this life is perfect. NONE of us REALLY know what we're doing. BUT...we ALL have the same goal in mind. We are doing the GREATEST, most AMAZING thing for our children. We are allowing them to learn from their FIRST teacher, the one who will ALWAYS have their best interest in mind. The ONE who would lay down her life for them, and wants THEIR life to be the best it can possibly be. Mama.
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