Another School Year

Well, we are in full swing on another school year. We are several weeks in, and it actually is going a whole lot smoother than last year. I frequently tell people that, if I had it to do all over again, I would have given myself a year off work to just figure out homeschooling, then added the job. Of course, as somebody pointed out to me, we probably wouldn't have eaten for that year....so maybe hindsight isn't always that great. :)

I have applied some of last year's lessons to this year, and I think it has paid off - and I mean MY lessons, not the girls'. For instance, I shoved my sewing machine and some other things aside and made room in our spare bedroom for the girls' desks and my office stuff. It has been WONDERFUL!!!! I am able to work while they work; our kitchen table isn't buried every night; I am not losing stuff because it could be in any number of places.

Last year, I was going to "wing it" on Bible lessons, and I did a horrible job. This year, I bought the Bible curriculum, and I am so thankful I did. I did not like the literature curriculum, so I have been writing that. The girls have started reading a book called Boys and Girls Who Became Great Missionaries - it is convicting to me to read what people went through on the mission field, and I complain about how "difficult" things are in America. I hope the girls retain some of those lessons.

I broke down and bought a globe - best $11 I think I have spent on school stuff. It has made science and history so much easier - explaining the earth's rotation, the Prime Meridian, the equator, even time zones. I think my kids are very visual learners, and seeing things on the globe has really helped them.

My older daughter wrote in print last year, and her work was quite sloppy. I told her that this year had to be in cursive.... you would have thought I had given our dog away. She wailed; she gnashed her teeth. But after a few weeks of it taking literally 60 seconds to write a cursive lower-case "e" she has learned to blend speed and neatness - her work looks so much better, and she isn't taking all day anymore.

There are still challenges this year, but we seem to be off to a good start, and I am thankful for that.