What's he up to? A little of this:
and a little of that:
I highly suspect that James' newest mission involves recruitment and training....
February 28, 2009
Joseph's Journal--January, a little late
He's pulling up and climbing stairs and cruising on furniture.
February 11, 2009
Teacher Work Day
My work day is Friday, and I have to admit that my personality plays a large role in the fact that it must be planned and the kids must be out of the house for it. I need long stretches of quiet to think, and even little easy interruptions can make me frustrated and angry when I'm deeply pondering something important to me. Bill is graciously taking a day off of work to help me out.
My preliminary schedule is:
AM
*clean/dust/declutter school shelves
*declutter toddler toys
*double check science supplies
*order history, science, and movies for the rest of the year
*buy classical pieces we need from i-tunes
*put potential poems to be memorized into files ready to be printed
Noon--
*Adortation and Mass
*lunch with the kids
Afternoon--
*buy running shoes
*at Barnes and Noble, read over the lesson plans for the rest of the year, making notes and lists
hmmmm...or stop by B and N on the way to Panera which has free Wi Fi and better chairs....
*put Mommy It's a Renoir cards into folders
*make Latin flashcards
*check calendar for Feasts coming up
*chart characters to be added to history timeline
*go to the library
*look over how to paint book for art study
I planned too much on purpose, and I'm hoping to take a second day in March. That one will be for planning my potential curriculum purchases for next year. I'm sooo excited!
My preliminary schedule is:
AM
*clean/dust/declutter school shelves
*declutter toddler toys
*double check science supplies
*order history, science, and movies for the rest of the year
*buy classical pieces we need from i-tunes
*put potential poems to be memorized into files ready to be printed
Noon--
*Adortation and Mass
*lunch with the kids
Afternoon--
*buy running shoes
*at Barnes and Noble, read over the lesson plans for the rest of the year, making notes and lists
hmmmm...or stop by B and N on the way to Panera which has free Wi Fi and better chairs....
*put Mommy It's a Renoir cards into folders
*make Latin flashcards
*check calendar for Feasts coming up
*chart characters to be added to history timeline
*go to the library
*look over how to paint book for art study
I planned too much on purpose, and I'm hoping to take a second day in March. That one will be for planning my potential curriculum purchases for next year. I'm sooo excited!
February 10, 2009
Substandard is Still Standard
For the first several years of homeschooling, this was my time of year to have a complete crisis of confidence. I was sure I was doing everything wrong, and school came to a screeching halt for about a month. Then I would pick myself up and keep on doing what I had been doing because I didn't know any other way to do it. In the end, I think I was just tired and there was nothing wrong with my curriculum.
Now that I've learned to pace myself better, I spend a little thoughtful time in February to evaluate what my lesson for the year is. I always think there is one important lesson for me to learn, but I have stop long enough to see what it is. School continues to click along as this train of thought chugs in the background.
I've decided that this year my lesson is about quality and how to really achieve it. Not a new thought, but one that needed to be revisited.
Bill and I have always made our expectations clear whether for behavior, chores, or schoolwork. I've made written reminders for the kids for how to do their chores and lesson plans for their schoolwork. Expectations for manners or behavior we discuss over the dinner table so everyone is present and we can answer questions. The systems have helped a lot, especially since something or someone else is there to help me remember what the standard is.
But I'm seeing that I have slipped in the "walk behind" whether it is personally checking how well chores were done or grading papers at a set time each day or even getting up and disciplining the 2 year old. I won't bore you with the details of how the "walk behind" happens each day, but I have made some recent improvements. However, the one I will share is the one I consider the biggest improvement. Bill and I have decided to enroll our family in the Mother of Divine Grace School, and I found out today (thank you, John) that we were accepted.
For those who don't know, MODG provides teacher support for those who enroll in their school, and they take new families on a space available basis. We have to use their curriculum, and they will allow us to make approved changes if we want. We enroll as a family each year, and they provide consultations and transcripts among other things.
There are so many reasons why MODG is good for our family and our homeschool, but for now I'm only addressing how it should increase the quality of our school. As background, we have been following the MODG curriculum for the most part since we started the boys in Kindergarten so there should be no major change in how we do business. I expect the school will add two things to improve quality: insight based on experience and impartial accountability.
One thing I have struggled with at times is how to make the kids' education richer. For example, Thomas and Anthony could read all of their history text and readers for the year in a few months, but does that mean I should move them forward faster or provide a wider range of books at this level? Which books? When I've exhausted my trusted lists, I have at times wondered where to turn especially since my pre-reading time is limited as is the budget and shelf space for new books. (Side note: I've very picky about who I let advise me about actual curriculum choices.) Having a consultant will give me a trusted source to turn to with these questions.
This year I have also struggled with how assess how well the kids are doing in some subjects. Now I can ask my friends, and loving souls that they are, I'm sure they would tell me that the kids are all brilliant! But...I need someone impartial to look over the kids' work with me. I need them to tell me whether my instruction is poor or the work is poor. I need them to tell me if I am slacking off in the wrong places or working the kids too hard in others. And I need to know if I am expecting too much of myself when things are tough or too little when things are going smoothly. I see that as the sort of advice only a paid consultant will willingly give.
Bill loves to joke that "substandard is still standard" which is something he heard at work, and I am always equally amused and infuriated by it. I think of it as both a smart joke and a sad commentary of how people set their expectations. But, like any parent, I don't want substandard education to limit my kids. And a quality homeschool education can only be achieved by my action. I have to get off the couch, I have to walk behind the chores, I have to let someone else guide our school. Because I have high standards. :)
Now that I've learned to pace myself better, I spend a little thoughtful time in February to evaluate what my lesson for the year is. I always think there is one important lesson for me to learn, but I have stop long enough to see what it is. School continues to click along as this train of thought chugs in the background.
I've decided that this year my lesson is about quality and how to really achieve it. Not a new thought, but one that needed to be revisited.
Bill and I have always made our expectations clear whether for behavior, chores, or schoolwork. I've made written reminders for the kids for how to do their chores and lesson plans for their schoolwork. Expectations for manners or behavior we discuss over the dinner table so everyone is present and we can answer questions. The systems have helped a lot, especially since something or someone else is there to help me remember what the standard is.
But I'm seeing that I have slipped in the "walk behind" whether it is personally checking how well chores were done or grading papers at a set time each day or even getting up and disciplining the 2 year old. I won't bore you with the details of how the "walk behind" happens each day, but I have made some recent improvements. However, the one I will share is the one I consider the biggest improvement. Bill and I have decided to enroll our family in the Mother of Divine Grace School, and I found out today (thank you, John) that we were accepted.
For those who don't know, MODG provides teacher support for those who enroll in their school, and they take new families on a space available basis. We have to use their curriculum, and they will allow us to make approved changes if we want. We enroll as a family each year, and they provide consultations and transcripts among other things.
There are so many reasons why MODG is good for our family and our homeschool, but for now I'm only addressing how it should increase the quality of our school. As background, we have been following the MODG curriculum for the most part since we started the boys in Kindergarten so there should be no major change in how we do business. I expect the school will add two things to improve quality: insight based on experience and impartial accountability.
One thing I have struggled with at times is how to make the kids' education richer. For example, Thomas and Anthony could read all of their history text and readers for the year in a few months, but does that mean I should move them forward faster or provide a wider range of books at this level? Which books? When I've exhausted my trusted lists, I have at times wondered where to turn especially since my pre-reading time is limited as is the budget and shelf space for new books. (Side note: I've very picky about who I let advise me about actual curriculum choices.) Having a consultant will give me a trusted source to turn to with these questions.
This year I have also struggled with how assess how well the kids are doing in some subjects. Now I can ask my friends, and loving souls that they are, I'm sure they would tell me that the kids are all brilliant! But...I need someone impartial to look over the kids' work with me. I need them to tell me whether my instruction is poor or the work is poor. I need them to tell me if I am slacking off in the wrong places or working the kids too hard in others. And I need to know if I am expecting too much of myself when things are tough or too little when things are going smoothly. I see that as the sort of advice only a paid consultant will willingly give.
Bill loves to joke that "substandard is still standard" which is something he heard at work, and I am always equally amused and infuriated by it. I think of it as both a smart joke and a sad commentary of how people set their expectations. But, like any parent, I don't want substandard education to limit my kids. And a quality homeschool education can only be achieved by my action. I have to get off the couch, I have to walk behind the chores, I have to let someone else guide our school. Because I have high standards. :)
Feb Declutter
Master Bath Closet--I thought I would buy some shelf dividers to keep things in their place, but I've waffled again. Maybe next move.
Linen Closet--This was fairly painless, mostly it was refolding. I did buy a little organizer to keep the washcloths together for each of the closets.
Landing--Maria's bedroom declutter has overflowed my walk-in, so phase 2 was on the landing outside the bedroom door. It only took about a half an hour for me to prescreen everything and then give her the tiny pile of things she was allowed to keep if she wanted to.
From these 3 areas combined I removed one leaf bag full of garbage and there was also give away. Horrifying.
I haven't arranged to have the chest repaired yet, but I realized that I bit off more than I can chew for March so I'm starting that now.
One thing I have noticed is that EVERY area in our house has a small sewing project waiting for attention. ugh.
Linen Closet--This was fairly painless, mostly it was refolding. I did buy a little organizer to keep the washcloths together for each of the closets.
Landing--Maria's bedroom declutter has overflowed my walk-in, so phase 2 was on the landing outside the bedroom door. It only took about a half an hour for me to prescreen everything and then give her the tiny pile of things she was allowed to keep if she wanted to.
From these 3 areas combined I removed one leaf bag full of garbage and there was also give away. Horrifying.
I haven't arranged to have the chest repaired yet, but I realized that I bit off more than I can chew for March so I'm starting that now.
One thing I have noticed is that EVERY area in our house has a small sewing project waiting for attention. ugh.
February 2, 2009
Who are "they"?
OK, so last night we all went over to our friend's house for the Super Bowl because she and her husband are saints and are willing to share their cable connection with 17 children and 5 adults on the most important night of the year for any American male.
As we drove home, Maria asked me if "they" were making us do school today. My answer was yes we would have school as usual but start a little later.
This morning, Anthony commented on how smart "they" are by not planning much work on the day after the Super Bowl. Then he paused...and asked how "they" knew that Week 19 Day 1 would fall on the day after the Super Bowl to plan it like that.
And they all looked at me with surprise when I stood up and said, "It's ME! I decide to teach school every day! I make the lesson plans! I'm in charge here!" humph
As we drove home, Maria asked me if "they" were making us do school today. My answer was yes we would have school as usual but start a little later.
This morning, Anthony commented on how smart "they" are by not planning much work on the day after the Super Bowl. Then he paused...and asked how "they" knew that Week 19 Day 1 would fall on the day after the Super Bowl to plan it like that.
And they all looked at me with surprise when I stood up and said, "It's ME! I decide to teach school every day! I make the lesson plans! I'm in charge here!" humph
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