I took all his spelling words he was suppose to learn over the rest of the school year and copied them down. I wrote down all the things they to learn in reading and science.....just in case at the end of the 2nd tri I would say no way and stick him back in school, he would not be behind. What I realized after 3 weeks is that I was doing it exactly like school was and it was not working. I had to toss it all away and jump into the darkness with faith that I would be guided to do it the way CJ needed me to.
Background on CJ and reading:
All of my other children were reading by the time they got into Kindergarten - some at a 1st grade level others at almost a 2nd. We read a lot in our house. I worked with my kids on letters, colors and reading - especially reading the summer before they entered Kindergarten if not sooner.
Well the summer before CJ entered Kindergarten we were driving in the car back from the Library. I asked him if he wanted to start learning how to read a few words on his own so he could start reading his own books by himself. His response was, "I don't need to learn how to read, I have you, Dad, Amanda, Parker and Adyson to read to me." Conversation was done. After 3 kids that ate it up when I taught them to read, this kid was NOT interested.
Now jump to the last 3 years of school. Having him try and get his 15-20 minutes of reading done each night for school was like pulling teeth. I would try and get him to choose anything - from books about sports to world records. I did not care what he read but I wanted him to read. 5th grade brought on the whole - You will read this book or this type of book and do a book report. We got through that, and he showed he was very capable of it. Problem he hated it. I hated it. I hated seeing him starting not only not liking to read but starting to HATE reading all together.
Back to today. After deciding I needed a new approach I sat down with him and asked what he saw himself doing when he was older. What things he wanted to learn about? What things he wondered about? We made a list. I told him we would start on bridges, since said he wanted to be someone who created and built things but also designed them. ENGINEERING I thought. So I made him learn about different kinds of bridges, what parts where used in them (these were his spelling words), about men who were designers/engineers of bridges, bridges that collapsed and why. Then I said he had to find a chapter book to read for reading time. He picked an ancient mythology series.
We started doing bridge stuff for three days straight. Then I said it was time to start the book. The next day We mixed the time up with both. By the end of the 2nd week of this he was asking if he could just read for 2 -3 hours his book he was reading!!!! I was so excited!
From what research I have done, it seems that what parents are finding out is that when you first start homeschooling of any kind, you have to have a deprogramming or un-schooling moments. You cannot go from school to doing the same thing at home. You have to take some kind of mental break from the routine to be able to open and be ready to take on the new challenge. You will also have to find that balance in pushing your kids to do hard things, and realizing there will be days that nothing productive school wise will get done - and that is okay. Don't we as adults have days we are just not connected to our daily jobs and are not as productive as we are other days?
So this is just for my own record for next year. But below is the schedule I have figured out for him. The question is still up in the air as whether duel enrollment is going to work for him or not. We shall see. But here is a first attempt at a schedule:
CJ:
Master Math - Level 8th Grade
Reading - Level 7
English - Level 7
Foreign Language - Level 6(beginning) Spanish
History (Year 1) Ancient History Level M
Science (Year 1) Biology
Bible - the 4 Gospels and the life of Christ - one gospel for each quarter
Monday - Math/Reading/English/History/Biology/Bible
Tuesday - Math/Reading/English/Foreign Language or Art/Bible
Wednesday - Field Trip/Library or Art Project
Thursday - Math/Reading/English/Foreign Language or Art/Bible
Friday - Math/Reading/English/History/Biology/Bible
Now I may have drop History/Biology into one section of time and break it up into 2 quarter clusters - so one is studied for 2 quarters and then the next. This would line up with the math time line which is also done in quarters instead of trimesters.
This schedule could have him available to go to school for elective classes by 1230 or 1.
We shall see if this can happen or not. But it is my starting off goal as of now.
One of the reasons I am starting to embrace the whole homeschooling idea is that it hit me that my kids spend way more time at school and other activities than they ever do with me. Yet my belief is that I have a divine calling as a mother. That I was chosen to be these children's mother for a reason. If my belief is true when am I suppose to have that biggest impact of their lives? How can my influence be greater than those at their school (teachers/peers)? By homeschooling I am the one sculpting and building their minds. I am the one that gets to watch and experience the moment they learn something new that excites them. I get to see their growth and progression.
I realize that homeschooling is not for everyone. Just as I know everyone approaches homeschooling completely different, if they are doing it. For me I like the idea of duel enrollment so they get majority of teaching time with me and the opportunity to still have the socialization of traditional school for an couple of hours. Now I may decide that is not the best idea down the road, but right now I feel the need to move forward and see where this path I have started down takes us. And I know that it will not be blue skies the whole way. Good think I know how to dance my way through the stormy days that will come. ;)
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