After a horrible start to the 2017 year, (my broken leg, a busted vehicle, daughters mumps and divorce, and I nearly quit grad school), I used the summer to refocus. I mean, who wouldn't need to after all of that nonsense, right?
In May, I began working on the next school year - because if there is one thing that grounds me, that provides solace on those "unsure" days, it's that I made the right decision to homeschool our children. In the classroom, I pored over curricula, trying to decide whether we should continue with what we used last year, or risk something new. Was I capable of working with something new when I wanted the certainty of something I knew worked? What was making me consider a new curriculum? Would my goals for this homeschool year be the same as last year or would I update them to include better mini-goals?
0 Comments
You know that feeling? The one that hits before you really had time to process it and before you know it, you're in a funk of astronomical proportions. The one where you'd just as soon drop everything and go back to life before homeschooling. The one where you had a small amount of "me time" that happened after the kids got on the school bus. Or perhaps when they went to daycare so you could go to work. I mean, at least at work, you didn't have an infant attached at the breast, gnawing away at the very fibers of your being. That small little light, where If you played your cards right, you might get a hot lunch out of the deal, too. You could go to the bathroom and didn't worry about a tiny hand reaching under the door scaring the bejeezes out of you -- and if you did -- you'd report to HR as soon as you washed your hands, to tell on them!
Regardless of how you got here -- here you are, in all your "hot-mess homeschool glory", trying to keep a smile on your face when you really have a hard time just walking through what used to be your living room, but you've now dubbed "ground zero". Your hair hasn't seen a hot roller or hair dryer in a week and you are almost positive that if given the chance, you could sleep standing up and not fall over. And let's not forget the husband, you know, the man you fell in love with and promised to cherish - he's missing you and telling you all about it. He might even be putting negative thoughts into your mind such as "enroll them in public school" *GASP*! I've been there. In fact, I just went through it. It started in late March. I brushed it off as end-of-the-year burn-out, knowing that I would push through and feel better when the school year ended. But then a rather dismal blanket of depression settled over me. I was no longer the semi-chipper person I used to be. I didn't worry if the house was tidy. I fought back tears every time I had to leave the house. I was suffering from some heavy emotions and I was certainly not prepared to deal with them. I talked to God, my husband, my friend, I'd journal or blog... Nothing. Nothing seemed to help. The closer it got to summer, the more confused I became. I couldn't understand why I wasn't perking up. After our last homeschool class, I vegged for an entire week. I didn't read anything, do anything, or go anywhere. I literally became a fixture in our home. My husband even began to worry about me, so much so, that he suggested I go to the doctor. But after that week, I began to feel a little lighter. Granted, i wasn't back to my old self yet, and as I posted previously, there is a changing season going on for me (and I don't like it, nope, not one bit). Said change is causing me to feel emotions I haven't felt in a while, and requiring much more sleep than I am accustom to. Truth be told, I'm nearly 40 and working my way through grad school - there isn't a nerve I've not frayed, nor a thought I haven't entertained about why in the devil I am doing all this. Then it happened. Hello all,
The last month has been a difficult one. Not because of any tragedy, nor was it because of any specific 'fault' or "person". It's just been difficult. After acknowledging this, I started wondering about how things used to be. When time was abundant. When worries were small. When I could put on a pair of heels, a little red lipstick, and take on the world. But this past month, try as I might, I couldn't seem to find my "Get up and Go" that I was used to. No, I'm not ill. And I don't think the allergies made me lose that extra pep in my step. It could be age, but I'm still pretty young, seeing as how I've not reached the 40-year mark and I know 50-year-old's that are still going at top speed. No, it was something else. It had to be. And that made me think more about who I had become. To do that, I had to remember who I used to be. A season was changing for me and I was not ready! Hello dear readers,
Today, I'll be writing about those wonderful yet worrisome official documents that can truly make or break a college future. Transcripts! They can be bothersome, but if you are patient and organized, they can be relatively pain free. Of course, I'm writing this in hopes that you have kept some sort of record of the classes/courses your child has taken over the years as well as some sort of grading system, and have accurately depicted your child's achievements. The task at hand now comes to filling out the transcript. Good Morning fellow homeschoolers,
Today, I realized just how quickly a school year goes by. Even as I am surrounded by my children on a daily basis, the school year flies by. Before I know it, it's time to start planning the next school year, finding activities to keep them busy through the summer, and well... finding time to breathe as a mom, wife, and grad student. It can be done. But it is also important to remember the basics. Curious? Read on. Dear Readers,
I hope you have had some time to read over and digest my previous post "13 Reasons Why You Should Watch 13 Reasons Why". I hope that my words did not fall on blind eyes (because you couldn't hear them, you could only read them). Nevertheless, I told you I would be following up with second post and I had to take some time to digest how I wanted to approach it. Please keep in mind, I love my children with all of my heart and I've always told them to be a beacon of light for others. It is my hope that this story, while extremely personal, will be a light for others who have been in or are currently in situations similar to these. This is a true story. Hello Readers, Tonight, as I sat at my desk thinking about all the things I should be doing, I couldn't help but keep thinking about a post I seen on Facebook. It was the image you see to the left - a Netflix Original based off of a book. I've never read the book, but I found the title to be intriguing and decided to watch it. It wasn't until I pressed play and got about 3 minutes into the show that I realized something: This could be a tool for parents everywhere. Why wasn't this available sooner? After finishing the episodes - all of them - I found myself fighting my brain to piece all of the issues together and how to blog about it. Partly because it was such an informative and empowering show, and partly because it hit home in a way that I can't express right now. Due to my own course work in college, I had almost forgotten about the things I wanted to write about, when I came across another post today that got me thinking. The comment was something like: "... romanticized suicide and should be removed from streaming immediately!". I sat there with my jaw on the floor. Was this person serious? How was it romanticized? You'd have to live in a bubble to think that. Then I thought, OK, let me see if I can "make it seem" like they were indeed glorifying suicide. I could not. I analyzed it from top to bottom, front to back, and all points in between. What I did see being "promoted" was: drinking, bullying, dishonesty, revenge, anger, oppression, embarrassment, selfishness, and pure hatred. Suicide was merely an effect of those things. So, in attempt to provide a less narrow-minded point of view, I started making a list of reasons why parents SHOULD watch the show. Not because I like to cause a stink, but because it hit home in a way I hope none of you ever experience. Here they are! Hello faithful readers, My apologies for having not posted in a while. The year is rounding out and we are reviewing all of our materials for the comprehensive test that I will administer to our kiddos toward the very end of the year. It's more or less for me to gauge where they are and to determine what areas, if any, I need to focus on for the remainder of the year. But, today I wanted to talk to you about learning. There are a number of ways of learning. From visual to audio to kinesthetic learning, each person learns in one of- or a combination of these methods. Where our oldest was always an auditory learner. Our second born values both auditory and kinesthetic. Our two smaller boys have an appreciation for all three. Little bit (a.k.a. Shortcake) is so young, she is all about visual learning right now and that is excellent. This approach allows me to get down to her level - literally. Today, I lowered one of our dry erase boards to be just her height. Then, with markers in hand, I drew a letter and she mimicked it. She did very well, but had difficulty with a couple -- to be expected: She is FOUR! But then we broke out our homemade felt board and went to work on numbers and counting. Ahead of time, I traced the numbers from 0 to 9 on a white piece of felt. Then, I cut up some yellow felt to make counting pieces (in the future, we will use them as one's blocks for base-10 counting). For now, they are excellent pieces to count! She really enjoyed this and I cannot wait until tomorrow when we do it all over again. Changes are also happening at Generation Homeschool. We have adopted a new approach to our spelling studies. Where lecture is a thing of the past when it comes to learning how to spell, there is nothing better than repetition. Each day of the week we do the following spelling assignments:
Hello faithful readers, Today was a great day! We did some learning, we had some fun. And by fun, I mean to tell you: we jammed to some hard hitting licks from our very own little ones. I am constantly amazed by their independence, their yearning to learn something new. Thank goodness my husband is musically inclined, because if my kids depended on me for music, it would be the clarinet! Great instrument, but not something that typical boys would be inclined to play. No. They love the guitar! So sit back, hang on and enjoy these little clips from their impromptu music show! Until next time, LaVonda Hello Readers,
I come to you a very humbled woman today. Not because of my own issues, but because sometimes, seeing what others go through makes you truly appreciate what you have. I want to tell you about a woman and her son. No, he is not an only child. He has four siblings. He is an uncle. He is in First Grade. He has not always been a homeschool kid. But he wasn't pulled from public school for many of the reasons you might think: Bullying? Never Problem child? No way Education standards? Nope Spoiled? Heck no. Loved? Of course Cared for? You bet Lazy pancreas? Unfortunately Younger than three years of age, this little guy was diagnosed with diabetes. Since then, his life and that of his family was literally tossed up into the air. Throwing aside all other issues, the most important became keeping their son alive. Through heartache, lonely cries, and mounds of support, this family has become a beacon of hope for many other families who struggle with childhood diabetes. And no matter how difficult their journey has been, they have found a way to make the best of a bad situation. His mother elected to homeschool him because he is still too young to know what his body is going through and she hopes when he is older, he can return, should he choose, to a traditional school settings. You see, this little fellow has won the hearts of hundreds of people. His infectious smile and bright blue eyes make it hard to stay away. His eagerness to be involved is heart-melting, and his strength to battle through the numerous blood checks, ups & downs of sugar, and the fear of simply knowing he is not like others, is a tug at the toughest of hearts. Yet he perseveres. He knows the angels that encourage him to keep going. But little do people know about the lives HE has touched. Along with receiving hundreds of birthday cards from family and friends, to patches from local police, fire, and rescue departments, and around the country, he continues to remain a part of the public school life and the teacher he left behind. I've requested permission to post this about him, and his mother has generously allowed me to do so. Read on to find out just how wonderful they are! |
HELLOWelcome! My name is LaVonda. I am the wife of Rodney, the mom of 5 remarkable kids (well, 2 are adults now), an avid homeschooler, blogger, and sociologist. I am blessed with the ability to spend my time sharing our homeschool and life experiences with you. It is my hope to provide you with motivation, ideas, and some candid stress-relief through my blog - Mom's Scribe! Grab a cup of coffee, sit on down, and make yourself at home! Past Scribes
August 2020
Categories
All
|