Homeschool Anyone?

Alright, let's get this out. I've not been a real supporter of homeschool in the past. There are some things that the home just can't provide for kids. That said, if you ever find yourself in the situation where homeschooling is the only option, this would be the way to go. Buy a program--a "year in a box" type--that provides the entire curriculum and daily lesson plans for each grade level of student that you have. Also, if at all possible, hire someone else to do the actual teaching for you. I will be free after this school year if any of you are interested!

Now for the particulars. On Monday of this week we started our "school." I find that teaching this way has its challenges as well as some bonuses. On the down side--coordinating everyone's activities is rather difficult. Especially with Emma, the Kindergartener. Her activities and instruction needs the teacher almost the entire time. So it's hard for the kids, when they finish one task, to wait for me while I finish up with someone else.

The oldest, McKenna, is totally self-motivated. The 6th grade curriculum can be mostly self-taught and she is willing and ready to teach herself everything. In her case, I'm just there as a facilitator and cheerleader. Well except for math. That one will require more actual instruction especially as we get past the review concepts.

Next is Eli, he's bright (4th grade). He has some holes in his education because of their moving around. He wants to learn and know everything. The hard part is that if I'm not giving 100% attention to him, he tends to slack-off and daydream, instead of actually get his work finished. Of the materials that we received, his math is the only part that hasn't yet arrived. Maybe that's a good thing, because for the last two days of the week I had to sit with him individually while we finished all of his subjects--everyone else got done before him because of his tendancy to daydream and become distracted by what the others were working on.

Saeleigh, the 2nd grader, is a tender-hearted, enthusiastic learner. She is excited to be learning and wants to always do well. This is a great trait, except for when she doesn't do well--then she cries. We're working on that. It may be an ongoing instructional opportunity.

Mostly, I'm having a great time. And as the week went by, I felt myself falling into more of a rhythm--being able to juggle the different levels and contents better. I like the scriptedness of the lessons--especially for the first few weeks, but I have a feeling that as I get more comfortable with the program, I'll improvise and add my own style in more often.