Are you in one? Seems as though everyone is re-evaluating their homeschool curriculum and schedule around this time of year. New resolutions are being made on the 'web to actually GET OUT THE BOOKS and make kids read one or two by the end of this year. I find it pretty funny because these writers are the people who were working hard already.
I do know some people who have literally scheduled their children's lessons into fifteen-minute increments (complete with page numbers in each subject for each day). The problem with this way of thinking is that it just takes one sickness to totally screw up your schedule. For the YEAR, baby.
I use the sticky note method. I know you're tired of hearing about it, but seriously. A sticky note to tell your child where to START in the book and where to STOP. Move the sticky notes to new START and STOP positions at the end of the day. Stick a worksheet into the book in question if you want one completed tomorrow morning. Or whatever. I guess I'm just not colour coding all my lessons and scientifically portioning it out so that I get 1/36 of an academic year done in a given week. Mehh. I sort of look at the book and feeeeel how long I want the next lesson to be. It's not very scientific.
We're finished with our Science books for the year. And our Latin. And The Story of the World (Ancient Times). And our Reading. I'm not saying we won't work on these subjects at all until the next school year, because we are going to be doing our extensive study on Ancient Rome now. It's also probably time to get cracking more on the grammar and writing. And to just keep on keeping on in the mathematics department.
The reason for our uneven curriculum completion is simple: I was doing drugs for about a month after my surgery and was too loopy to actually teach. That meant Emperor needed to do mostly subjects in which I could just check his work at the end of the day. Writing is such a guided process, the outlining, the editing, the brainstorming... I just couldn't do it. I can now! So, we'll work on that.
Maybe my "slump" just happened earlier what with the surgery and all. It really stunk for a while there. I cannot lift anything much bigger than a couple milk jugs ever again, but I do feel much better and not slumpy at all. I'm grateful for that. I can even vacuum a room or so if someone brings the vacuum up or down the stairs for me.
How are you doing? Are you re-evaluating your homeschool plans currently? It's ok to leave a comment even if you are not homeschooling at all but just wanted to say "hi."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Look Out, Dad!!
My father is the purple dot above the blue weather station. He's juuust outside Milton's evacuation zone. Well! My brother and I jus...
I'd say the surgery had a definite impact, who can possibly teach after that?
ReplyDeleteBuy another vacuum and leave it upstairs so you don't have to lug the other one up and down.
We use the just do the next thing approach. Do the next math worksheet, read the next chapter of our read aloud, read a book (or several pages anyway to mom), work on the next country in our geography color book... but I don't do stickies. Partly because my kids aren't YET independent learners. If I am not right there, the learning room deteriorates into playing, laughing and giggling.
ReplyDeleteI am not reevaluating. But, well, I did get all the Sir Cumference books to read after math time. I am even considering doing a little Five-In-A-Row with them... if David were a bit better at writing I would for sure. Because I was getting bored with our curriculum and wanted something fun to do.
I just lectured my two today. Son needs to finish all curriculum by end of March so he can focus on his SR. project. Daughter wants to be a camp counselor this summer, so no summer homeschooling. I swear I threatened to hold both of them back a year if they don't keep on schedule.
ReplyDeleteI am refusing to coddle people who are taller than me.
I'm refining rather than reevaluating. The plan seems to be working but I noticed some speech and language issues to weave into narrations during Pamela's exams. I have started collecting books for next year, however. :-)
ReplyDelete