Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Wisdom for the Ages

My children's uncanny ability to embarrass me - especially in public - never ceases to amaze me. Occasionally, these episodes even cause me to wonder why it was that I ever considered motherhood. But then, every once in a blue moon, one of my little spark plugs will do or say something that reminds me EXACTLY why I love being a mom. Today's Bible lesson produced one such moment.

The kids and I were reading from our daily devotional, and the phrase "Know God, grow in God" was used. Many times, when I read Bible truths to the kids, I get discouraged because uncomprehending, glassy eyes stare back at me with a blank expression that reads, "I totally did not hear one word you just read, Mom." I wasn't sure that today's lesson had been understood, either, until T blurted out,

"To 'know God' means that I know His name. To 'grow in God' is wisdom."

It is for these priceless and profound insights that I live.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Stone Soup

As a child, I heard the story of Stone Soup, where many different people each contribute something to the stock pot and the end result is a delicious dinner that no one person could have made without the help of others. As an adult, I can see how this idea plays out in our home schooling efforts. I cannot adequately teach my children without the love and support of many, many other people.

If it weren't for my husband's desire and encouragement, I would never be able to complete the home schooling course before me. Were it not for veteran home schoolers - who have already tread the same stretch of racetrack - guiding me and cheering me on, I would fall off course. If it weren't for friends who are in the same place in life, I would drown in loneliness. Yes, home schooling is truly a group effort!

I've already shared a little about our small co-op that meets once a month, and this past Friday we had another gathering. I was reminded again just how beneficial working together is when undertaking the task of educating children at home.

One of the other moms taught a fantastic lesson on light. This was great, not only for the kids, but also for me. First of all, it gave me a much-needed break from teaching. Secondly, I got to see just how she chose to teach: lots of hands-on activities, multiple reinforcement experiments, and various methods of explanation. I came away with many new ideas to try at home!

After our light lesson (and after enjoying lunch and celebrating a birthday), we all walked over to a nearby organic farm. Since it was about a half mile away, this afforded physical exercise and fresh air for us all; visiting time between the moms; and proper street-crossing etiquette for the kids. Once at the farm, we saw beautiful chickens (prior to this visit, I would never have thought of fowl as beautiful, but these birds were truly exquisite and clean!), toured a green house, climbed dirt "mountains," and viewed a large tractor up close. It was a child's paradise!

The whole day was a perfect reminder of how working together can create something much richer than anything I can do on my own. We don't have to meet every day, but by working together, we all benefit from one another.

It was a most delicious stone soup day.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Reading Between the Lines

Over all, our home schooling experience has been fantastic. I love the flexibility, the joy, and the excitement that home education brings. There was an area where questions still plagued me, though:

Into which grades should we place the boys?

This was a huge hang-up for me. Over and over I've been told that, especially with boys, it's better to start late rather than early, but both Jon and I graduated early and we like some of the advantages that come with that. To confuse matters even more, T's birthday is December 2nd, which is considered by the government to be the "cut-off" date between grades. I don't even know what that means. Are kids with 12/02 birthdays supposed to go into the higher grade or the lower?

I was truly confused. On the one hand, the perks of having an extra year in between high school and college was appealing. It was then that Jon got his first car, acquired his driver's license, and started his first job. During that extra year, I took junior college courses that both prepared me for a 4-year university and gave me transferable credits that counted toward my chosen major. On the flip side of all of that, I didn't wan the boys to struggle through school in an attempt to stay a year ahead of their similarly-aged counterparts.

Part of my dilemma stemmed from my errant belief that California had set standards for each grade level that students were required to complete before moving to the next grade. (I had completely forgotten about a public school teacher whose class was 50% illiterate.) My mom reminded me that most children are ahead of their grade level in some areas and behind in others. Currently, the both of the boys are blurring the lines between grade levels.

Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that it doesn't really matter what grade I fill in on the affidavit next year. I simply need to teach the kids at levels where they progress but don't struggle, and these levels will vary from subject to subject. And since Jon had a preference of putting T in First Grade this year, that's what we're doing. If T's not ready to graduate after he's finished 12th grade, we can always spend another year finishing up, and if he is ready, it will give him the extra time to prepare for college.

Although I've really mastered this art of making mountains out of mole hills, especially with home schooling, learning to go with the flow is yet another positive by-product of our home education experience. Really, I think I'm learning WAYYYY more than the boys are right now.

I wouldn't want it any other way.