Saturday, October 25, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Ready to go on the HOMESCHOOL journey?
I know it's been a while since I've posted on my blog. It's been a crazy year to say the least!!!!
.....getting settled in Peoria,
working through the school issues (we're not in Algonquin anymore),
having two hip surgeries (call an oil and lube by the Dr. at Rush until I eventually need to have 2 hip replacements),
teaching literature/Bible/history at Aletheia,
keeping up with my two very strong willed kids,
saying "hi" to Tim every now and then,
adopting a homeless cat,
burying one mouse, one gerbil, and one hamster,
seeing Tim off on trips to Quito, Sidney, and the Manila,
a few Jonas Brothers concerts,
dealing with a few rounds of pink eye,
helping with the Jr. High youth group here and there,
starting a small group,
saying good bye to my parents as they head back to Chicago to do ministry again,
......whew.....I know there's more, but I'm getting too tired thinking about it all..........
After a year at Aletheia, I can't believe that I'm considering homeschooling Zach and Heather. It was a good year, but also a hard year of school for the kids. I love the people at the school, and I love their passion for the Lord. But prep and teaching and keeping my kids focused and finishing their loads of homework became ALLLLL toooooo consuming!!!! I know education is all consuming!!!!!
Oh, I do miss the days of a great school district with so many caring teachers, and families who supported the teachers and were so involved with their kids and the school. But Heather was sinking with the overwhelming requirements of middle school. And her attitude and choice of friends were awful!!!!
So, the next step in the journey begins. I've been researching curriculum and methods. I'm very impressed with the Core Knowledge Curriculum. It's a wise plan of teaching the same information in the same grades across the nation. It leans a little more toward the classical method of memorizing information, but only for the reason of some information being very foundational to a solid education. I've found great resources from Colorado public schools who have lesson plans online and the Baltimore Project doing the same thing.
Because Zach is ahead in math and Heather struggles a little, I'll be able to have them at the same level. I've done research on math curriculum and am pretty sold on Saxon but with some extra practice added.
www.math.com
and
www.softschools.com
are great resources for additional math practice!!!!
I taught Saxon 87 last year and was not impressed with that text, but.... it sounds like Algebra 1/2 is rated much higher and Saxon is highly regarded by both Classical Education and Core Knowledge. The key is to move only when the concept is understood.
Well, I'll be posting more later. We've been invited to go boating with a family from our church. Wouldn't want to pass up a fun opportunity like that!!!!!
On His amazing journey,
Liz
.....getting settled in Peoria,
working through the school issues (we're not in Algonquin anymore),
having two hip surgeries (call an oil and lube by the Dr. at Rush until I eventually need to have 2 hip replacements),
teaching literature/Bible/history at Aletheia,
keeping up with my two very strong willed kids,
saying "hi" to Tim every now and then,
adopting a homeless cat,
burying one mouse, one gerbil, and one hamster,
seeing Tim off on trips to Quito, Sidney, and the Manila,
a few Jonas Brothers concerts,
dealing with a few rounds of pink eye,
helping with the Jr. High youth group here and there,
starting a small group,
saying good bye to my parents as they head back to Chicago to do ministry again,
......whew.....I know there's more, but I'm getting too tired thinking about it all..........
After a year at Aletheia, I can't believe that I'm considering homeschooling Zach and Heather. It was a good year, but also a hard year of school for the kids. I love the people at the school, and I love their passion for the Lord. But prep and teaching and keeping my kids focused and finishing their loads of homework became ALLLLL toooooo consuming!!!! I know education is all consuming!!!!!
Oh, I do miss the days of a great school district with so many caring teachers, and families who supported the teachers and were so involved with their kids and the school. But Heather was sinking with the overwhelming requirements of middle school. And her attitude and choice of friends were awful!!!!
So, the next step in the journey begins. I've been researching curriculum and methods. I'm very impressed with the Core Knowledge Curriculum. It's a wise plan of teaching the same information in the same grades across the nation. It leans a little more toward the classical method of memorizing information, but only for the reason of some information being very foundational to a solid education. I've found great resources from Colorado public schools who have lesson plans online and the Baltimore Project doing the same thing.
Because Zach is ahead in math and Heather struggles a little, I'll be able to have them at the same level. I've done research on math curriculum and am pretty sold on Saxon but with some extra practice added.
www.math.com
and
www.softschools.com
are great resources for additional math practice!!!!
I taught Saxon 87 last year and was not impressed with that text, but.... it sounds like Algebra 1/2 is rated much higher and Saxon is highly regarded by both Classical Education and Core Knowledge. The key is to move only when the concept is understood.
Well, I'll be posting more later. We've been invited to go boating with a family from our church. Wouldn't want to pass up a fun opportunity like that!!!!!
On His amazing journey,
Liz
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
