Too Many Choices!
One thing you don't realize about homeschooling until you are staring a school year in the face is how many CHOICES there are for curriculum! From free stuff on the internet to a pack that costs $1000 and includes your supplies (down to the last paper clip!) for a year, the choices are truly dizzying. Then you add on outside groups like co-ops, and you can really stress yourself out before the first day of school is even here.
I have literally spent 2 years looking off and on for that "perfect" curriculum. I have made photocopies of sample plans from 4 companies, borrowed old curriculum to look through, pawed through bargain bins, searched Ebay and Amazon high and low. I even bought a basic kit from one company, only to discover a very important difference in worldview that would have required me to rewrite parts of the curriculum for our use, so back the package went.
I have decided to accept that this perfect curriculum does not exist. I am finally picking something that looks fun, educational, and easy to use- and praying for the best. My final choices are Trail Guide to Learning and Math Mammoth. I am super excited about learning American history with my girls this fall through the Trail Guide's Paths of Exploration. The program has a detailed focus on American history and geography, which I love and can really make come alive for my girls (this is from the person who last weekend gleefully melted in 95 degree wet heat watching men in wool Civil War uniforms fire cannons at one another). All of the science, literature, grammar, and other language arts are also included.
I can't wait to get started and share with you how this year goes! How about you? What have been your curriculum choices when you started homeschooling? How and why did your choices change over time?
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
My name is Angela, and I am never sending my kids to school again! (I hope)
After about 5 years of praying, wishing, and rethinking myself, I am finally becoming a home school mom this fall to 2 awesome elementary age daughters. I will also continue to work full time as a Children's Ministry Director. This blog will be about my thoughts and experiences as we join the ranks of all the other questionably sane parents home schooling for the first time this fall. I look forward to this adventure so much. I love learning, and I want to see my daughters enjoy school more than I did (I always went to public school, albeit high-performing, well-thought-of schools).
Factoring into our plans (but only slightly): in our city, two separate - and NOT equal- public school systems are currently being merged for the upcoming school year. There has been sniping and fighting, and quite a bit of bad blood between both sides. Consequently, there are lots of families in upheaval, teachers and support staff being laid off left and right, and tons of people considering other options besides public school. I'm sure this will come up in other posts.
Right now, I am in the planning and getting excited phase of this adventure. Telling people about our decision to home school makes me cringe as much as it excites me.
When I tell people about home school plans, I get quite varied responses. Most people think it's a fabulous idea and express a ton of confidence in my ability to someday churn out two contributing members of society. (I think my teaching experience has a lot to do with this.
Because I have a Master's degree in Elementary Education and experience as a teacher in public and private schools, some people reply with a variant of "Well, if ANYONE is qualified to teach their own kids, you are.")
Some people are not clued in about homeschooling and are politely curious.This type of person asks the standard questions about whether home schoolers are socially awkward, able to go to college, etc. They seem genuinely fascinated, non-judgmental, and I love talking to this type of person.
Luckily, I don't -yet- run into those people who seem to be secretly dialing children's services as they listen to me talk, eyeing my children with sympathy over how their mother is planning to ruin their lives.
I DO get lots of questions about how I think I am going to manage teaching and working at the same time. Truthfully, I don't know. I plan on a lot of prayer, venting to my girlfriends, relying on awesome family, and counting on God to know what's best. I feel strongly that He brought my family to this place. I hope to meet and get to know lots of other parents on the same journey so that we can support one another!
After about 5 years of praying, wishing, and rethinking myself, I am finally becoming a home school mom this fall to 2 awesome elementary age daughters. I will also continue to work full time as a Children's Ministry Director. This blog will be about my thoughts and experiences as we join the ranks of all the other questionably sane parents home schooling for the first time this fall. I look forward to this adventure so much. I love learning, and I want to see my daughters enjoy school more than I did (I always went to public school, albeit high-performing, well-thought-of schools).
Factoring into our plans (but only slightly): in our city, two separate - and NOT equal- public school systems are currently being merged for the upcoming school year. There has been sniping and fighting, and quite a bit of bad blood between both sides. Consequently, there are lots of families in upheaval, teachers and support staff being laid off left and right, and tons of people considering other options besides public school. I'm sure this will come up in other posts.
Right now, I am in the planning and getting excited phase of this adventure. Telling people about our decision to home school makes me cringe as much as it excites me.
When I tell people about home school plans, I get quite varied responses. Most people think it's a fabulous idea and express a ton of confidence in my ability to someday churn out two contributing members of society. (I think my teaching experience has a lot to do with this.
Because I have a Master's degree in Elementary Education and experience as a teacher in public and private schools, some people reply with a variant of "Well, if ANYONE is qualified to teach their own kids, you are.")
Some people are not clued in about homeschooling and are politely curious.This type of person asks the standard questions about whether home schoolers are socially awkward, able to go to college, etc. They seem genuinely fascinated, non-judgmental, and I love talking to this type of person.
Luckily, I don't -yet- run into those people who seem to be secretly dialing children's services as they listen to me talk, eyeing my children with sympathy over how their mother is planning to ruin their lives.
I DO get lots of questions about how I think I am going to manage teaching and working at the same time. Truthfully, I don't know. I plan on a lot of prayer, venting to my girlfriends, relying on awesome family, and counting on God to know what's best. I feel strongly that He brought my family to this place. I hope to meet and get to know lots of other parents on the same journey so that we can support one another!
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