And I feel like it's test time, because we have reached that point in the school year where things usually start to crumble. I'm burnt out, the kids are burnt out, the lessons are boring, every one is arguing. But I feel like we are passing the test this year, because we seem to be pulling through. The enthusiasm isn't completely gone, as proven earlier today when I ran into the bathroom waving an apple, a cork, a quarter, and a candle over my head and yelling, "Let's be scientists!" And my kids followed enthusiastically.
So what have I learned?
1. We aren't morning people.
I feel like this really shouldn't have taken me two years to figure out, but I had it set in my mind that in order to have a productive homeschooling day, we must get up and get started right away. This year, we switched our schedule, and we don't start lessons until after lunch. It has made a world of difference in our attitudes and productivity.
Even though my kids rise early in the morning, they are not ready to learn early in the morning. They get the morning to run and play and goof off, and after lunch, I have more settled and focused students to work with than I had in the morning. Not saying they are actually settled and focused, but they are closer to being settled and focused. I can work with that.
On the flip side, my kids get a better mommy-teacher. Since I also work full time from home, I have to have time to, well, work. When we did school in the morning, I started off with an already tense attitude because we had to get through everything before lunch, or I wouldn't have time to get my work done. Now, I get up and do my work in the morning, often completely finishing before lunch or with just a few things left to do. So in the afternoon, my kids actually get my full attention, and I am more patient and eager to learn with them and do more than just "get through" the lesson plan.
2. My kids have different learning styles.
Joy is a little tape recorder. I can read a story or a short lesson or even a chapter from Little House on the Prairie, and she can recall and regurgitate most of it. Not verbatim, but at least the general idea. And she loves to be read to.
I can read the same story to William (while he fidgets and squirms and looks around the room), then ask him about something that happened in the story, and receive a blank stare. Thankfully, he is now a fluent reader himself, and if I assign him the history book for reading instead of a read aloud, the discussions we have afterward are more productive and rewarding. We work on auditory comprehension in small chunks separately, just to build a vital skill that he will need in life.
And all my kids have a wonderful love for exploring and discovering and learning that I'm trying so hard not to squash. I've only pieced together a few pieces of the puzzle so far, but it's at least enough for me to appreciate that I will see better learning from my kids when I take the time and the effort to approach things the way they do. It's very trial and error, and still a work in progress, and I've barely gotten started with Elijah or Grace!
3. Curriculum matters.
I've really always realized that the curriculum choice is important, but I've only this year figured out what type of curriculum works for us. We made a drastic switch this year from Abeka to My Father's World: Abeka being a very traditional worksheet heavy curriculum and My Father's World based on the Charlotte Mason style of learning with more books and exploration and hands on stuff based around unit studies. Overall, MFW is just a better fit both for my kids' learning style and for the way it fits in with our overall lifestyle.
I still appreciate Abeka's strengths. After attempting Singapore math the beginning of this year, we made the decision to continue with Abeka math for William, and I will start Joy in Abeka math for first grade. Abeka also has a phenomenal pre K, I don't think Joy would have done so well with the MFW kindergarten without the Abeka pre-K foundation. I plan to have Elijah do the Abeka pre-K curriculum next year.
Overall, MFW gives us enough structure that I don't have to spend hours planning lessons with enough flexibility to have fun and choose our focus.
4. It's ok to lose the calendar.
I knew from the beginning of the school year that we would need some flexibility, so I picked a 4 day school week (Wednesday being our off day most weeks, but it's flexible) with a plan to school almost year round. Then I sat down with a calendar and counted units and weeks and planned out breaks all the way through to the end of the year.
Then I lost the calendar. Seriously, I have no idea where that thing is. But that's not only ok, it's actually very good! We take breaks when we need them, and we keep going when we can. We can all enjoy and learn more when we are not stressed about sticking to a calendar.
I got curious a couple of days ago and sat down to figure out where we were. I discovered William is on track to finish mid-May, but Joy and Elijah will be working into July. No idea how that happened, but I find I'm not too concerned about it. They are actively learning, and that's the goal, not finishing a curriculum.
5. My kids are capable of so much more.
There is always the temptation, especially since I spend so much time working one on one with my kids, to do too much for them. It's easy to take over the scissors so that all the cuts are straight and perfect. But if I hold back and give them a little freedom, they not only can do it, but they also love to do it, and they do a great job! And even more importantly, they are practicing and mastering skills if I just give them the chance.
Elijah especially has amazed me this year with what he is capable of. Mostly because he'll jump in and get it done while my back is turned before I can turn around and give him the help I think he needs. Tracing, coloring, cutting, and all kinds of things!
William astounds me with his insights when I give him opportunity to read and think about things by himself. He picks up on details that I would typically gloss over as unimportant, but they capture his imagination. He is also learning to manage his own time and education. Every morning, he has a list of independent work that I expect him to have done before lunch. Sometimes that means he goes racing to his desk when he sees me heading into the kitchen before lunch, but I think the value of work before play is starting to work its way into his mind when he sits down and completes his work after breakfast.
Now I'm working on giving them more independence to help with the housework. Oh what a glorious day that will be!
One day at a time, by God's grace, we keep going! Learning and growing as a family. ❤️
