School is in Session
The lesson plans are made, the books are bought, the pencils are sharpened: today we officially began our homeschooling adventure. I say “officially” because this is the first time I’ve ever drawn up a lesson plan (as simple and modest as one could be) and stuck to it. We’ve been sitting down and “having school” every now and then for the past year or so, but more to just get Sam (and now Tommy, too) and me into the groove of what that might be like, try out different locations in the house for different subjects, how long we should spend working on a particular subject, etc.
When writing up my so so-called lesson plan, I had to come up with something rigid enough to hold myself accountable so that I don’t fall into my poor habits, yet flexible enough to work around the younger ones and not completely overwhelm Sam and me. For now I’m only scheduling one week at a time on the off chance that I’ll want to change my format one way or the other, but still keeping in line with my plan for the whole year. And for those of you that don’t know (although I’m sure it’s very obvious): I have absolutely no formal training in early childhood development, education, etc. My only knowledge is gained from the few books and gazillion websites I’ve read, backed up with a fair bit of common sense, personal experience, smart friends, and—most importantly—the downpours of grace the Almighty has kept drenching me in ever since I’ve submitted to what I once thought was this crazy idea of educating my children at home.
In the upcoming posts, I will discuss what resources I used that led to my hodge-podge curriculum choices, exactly what we’re using, what my lesson plan looks like, and how the first week is shaping up. And just to give a heads-up, I will be posting often on how our math curriculum is going, since many of you are interested in RightStart Mathematics. So stay tuned!
When writing up my so so-called lesson plan, I had to come up with something rigid enough to hold myself accountable so that I don’t fall into my poor habits, yet flexible enough to work around the younger ones and not completely overwhelm Sam and me. For now I’m only scheduling one week at a time on the off chance that I’ll want to change my format one way or the other, but still keeping in line with my plan for the whole year. And for those of you that don’t know (although I’m sure it’s very obvious): I have absolutely no formal training in early childhood development, education, etc. My only knowledge is gained from the few books and gazillion websites I’ve read, backed up with a fair bit of common sense, personal experience, smart friends, and—most importantly—the downpours of grace the Almighty has kept drenching me in ever since I’ve submitted to what I once thought was this crazy idea of educating my children at home.
In the upcoming posts, I will discuss what resources I used that led to my hodge-podge curriculum choices, exactly what we’re using, what my lesson plan looks like, and how the first week is shaping up. And just to give a heads-up, I will be posting often on how our math curriculum is going, since many of you are interested in RightStart Mathematics. So stay tuned!
posted by Anonymous | 8:10 PM
5 Comments:
and—most importantly—the downpours of grace the Almighty has kept drenching me in ever since I’ve submitted to what I once thought was this crazy idea of educating my children at home. There's the rub, isn't it? Having been public schooled as a child ( and turned out OK, another rub) the conviction of homeschooling is one that will not let go.
May God bless as you begin the new school year. We start TODAY!
So excited to follow along with your adventure! May God bless your endeavor!
Jen
Thanks Tony--good to "see" you again! And blessings to you, too, on your new school year! It's difficult sometimes to deal with all the "but you turned out okay" remarks. I just wish more people understood the notion that it's much harder arguing with the Master of all creation than not having someone else educate my kids!
And thanks Jen--I'm really excited to get back to blogging and sharing our experiences with anyone who will listen (or read, rather). I'm thankful for friends like you who are showing me the way!
Oh, what fun. I need some sort of a plan or we don't do much. Kinda sad, really. I added "afternoon walk" to the plan to make sure it happens everyday, too!
Hey Dana--glad you stopped by. I just read that you're flying solo these days. I'll be thinking and praying for you!
Afternoon walk....hmmm, not so sure we'll be checking that one off anytime soon unless we drive to the mall. If I were a real mom, we would've aleady gone for a walk this morning! One of these days....
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