Like a Square Peg in a Round Hole...

...we just don't fit.

Even though we pulled our kids from private school in March 2013, last fall began our official start to homeschooling.  I was nervous to trust my instincts, and pretty much felt completely overwhelmed at the idea of schooling my Ladybugs.  I was quickly pulled in a hurricane of teaching the girls during the day, teaching private lessons on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturdays, and taking care of my grandpa Ray on Monday and Wednesday evenings (and throughout the weekend).  I had no time to even think about anything.  I was pulled in many directions, and I was constantly frustrated with the girls.

What a difference a year makes - as my brain is much more focused on what we can achieve by homeschooling.  Less structure and more substance.  Zoe wants to spend a half hour baking cinnamon bread?  Okay!  She's working on reading, following directions, and measurements.  If Evie wants to take a time out to sit in the front tree?  Okay!  She is spending time with nature and refocusing herself to the tasks at hand.  I actually scheduled recess in the beginning of last year.  I had a plan, and I was going to adhere to it.  But by Christmastime (and the passing of Ray) I could not continue the path I had started.  Did that mean an end to homeschooling?  A part of me knew something had to give, but from the moment we left the private school, I knew I had made the right decision for our family.

This August was completely crazy; flood, power outage, canceled vacation, etc.  I thankfully had the first part of our school year mapped out (i.e. I had an action plan with movement).  However, each day is a little different, and I am flexible to the needs of my children.  After all, if you are going to set up your home like a school, what is the point of teaching your child(ren) at home?

Why don't we fit the homeschool picture?

We aren't homeschooling for Christian reasons.  At one point I thought that was the case.  The truth?  I loved the small class sizes of the private Christian school.  Their focus on individualized education was truly awesome.  Of course a small, family environment also means people saying and doing things that are very hurtful and spiteful.  Regardless, I wanted to provide that individualized curriculum.  So why was I streamlining everything?

We aren't homeschooling for political reasons.  We are not very political in nature.  We vote at all elections, but know that most of the time the outcome is the same as always.

We aren't homeschooling to shelter our children.  Yes, Zoe had huge issues with her anxiety.  And, yes, these issues did prevent her from wanting to take part in dance classes and the like.  But the truth is: our children have more friends than the average school-aged child.  We just had an 80s movie week, where we showed our children favorite movies from the 80s.  Yes, there were swear words.  Yes, they have heard them before.  No, we aren't worried.  I'm not going to say I don't want to protect my ladybugs from the nastiness of the world, but sheltering is not why we did this.

So , I ask myself - Why did we decide to homeschool?  The answer is simple: our education system is flawed beyond repair at this point.  Yes, there are some decent private schools, but they are all religious based.  There are also charter schools, but most will tell you a charter school is not necessarily better than a public school.  I don't have all the answers, but I do know that the quality of education today is not the same as it was 30 years ago.  Standardizing curriculum, testing all the time, and eliminating recess are just a few reasons I chose to continuing homeschooling.

I must admit the last month has been a hell on earth for us.  Our home has been in a constant disaster; almost giving people on Hoarders a run for their money.  But the flood has taught us to be smart about our purchases and the amount of things that are needed to survive.  So we push through the darkest moments and laugh when there are no tears left to fall.  For this too shall pass.

The Circus Act

When my family made the decision to homeschool our two daughters, I was hesitant at first.  Maybe hesitant is not exactly the correct word I'm looking for...AFRAID.  I was completely paralyzed at the thought I would be in charge of providing the education for my our girls.  I already felt inadequate as a mom, and now I'm going to add to the chaos?

Here we are, over a year later, and I can honestly say that I am still afraid.  But I'm not afraid of not being capable to teach our girls, instead I am afraid I have created a circus act in my home.

I laugh when I read homeschool blogs that depict a "typical day," because in our home the ONLY thing that is guaranteed is chaos at some point in the day.  At any given time I could have a child writing an essay, another doing math, papers scattered around the floor, math manipulatives used to build minecraft houses, a dog running around the living room with a stolen toy from one of the girls, whistling tunes from one daughter, and singing from another.  A fight could break out at anytime between siblings, pets, or one from each.

However, in the chaos is exquisite perfection.  I have seen both girls grow this year; physically, emotionally, and intellectually.  Through teaching them, I have learned more than I could have imagined.  Has it been a challenge?  Of course.  Have I had to make accommodations to put homeschooling a top priority?  Of course.  However, I am actually not upset that I have to rearrange my private teaching schedule, nor am I upset that I am not home all day working on house projects waiting for the girls to come home.

A product of homeschooling, at least in our case, is that at least once or twice a week I am reminded of the continued destruction of our educational system.  A know quite a few teachers who are looking for a new career, and my heart breaks for those educators that have no choice but to persevere through adversity.  I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to get little support from parents and even less from administrators.

For many reasons, we are continuing to educate our daughters at home in the fall.  I'm getting quite fond of the circus, and cannot imagine my life any other way.

Not My Kid - A Year Later

It has almost been a year since I wrote "Not My Kid" and thus began the journey toward a very VERY big choice: homeschooling my ladybugs.  At this one year anniversary I want to muse about how that moment changed my life.

Regrets
They say hindsight is 20/20, and quite often when I make a choice (regardless of the time spent mulling it over) I look back and say, "I should have done things differently."  I'm not perfect, but I do try to make important decisions after much thought and prayer.  The crazy part of 2013 was that the end of 2012 seemed to be so positive: I got a job as a music teacher with the ladybugs' school, and everyone was healthy and happy...so I thought.  When I left said job in December for the Christmas break, I was at an all time career high; the Christmas pageant went amazingly and I was feeling completely loved and reassured that I was in the right place.

However, I had my rose-colored glasses on, again.  The school was on a course to destruction and I do believe there were very ill-fitted people people running the show.  People show their true colors under stressful circumstances, and the bullying that occurred only brought to light who people actually were inside.

Finding out who your true friends are can be difficult at times, but afterwards the grateful knowledge supersedes the pain...eventually.

Results
First of all, we continued to homeschool passed the summer months.  Mainly because it works for us.  The Lutheran school that "everyone" was going, in fact, did see quite a few new students and families this fall.  Of course, that was never an option for us anyway; maybe that was just the way it was always supposed to be.
I am only in contact with a few people from the school, and that's okay.  We have all moved onward down different pathways...maybe we will meet again.  For some though, I sincerely hope not.

Rhetoric
One of the reasons I left the diseased environment of the school was due to the environment itself.  Of course my blog entry Not My Kid did have a bit to do with it.  I was bullied to pull the blog post, and I was encouraged to simply turn my cheek and "make up" with those involved.  When Jim visited the school to get Zoebug's schoolwork, people approached him regarding having conversations between me and "those who hurt me" so that "the air could be cleared," and everything "could return to normal."  Normal.  What in God's name was normal about that environment in the first place?  No thank you.  Bullying is not something I take lightly, and my removing my children was, and will forever be, the best decision I made in 2013.

What a difference a year makes.

Having the Confidence to Homeschool

I think one of the greatest hurdles I had to get over was the concern I would not be able to adequately teach my Ladybugs.  Granted I teach piano and voice, I do have some pedagogy classes under my belt, I've taught in a classroom setting, and I was always a very bright student.  However, it is difficult to transfer that into successful teaching of my own daughters.  

We are very lucky, because in Michigan there are not the same restrictions with homeschooling as there are in other states.  If you are interested in which states require what you can click here: HSLDA

I began to consider if I was any less intelligent or educated than those with degrees in teaching.  And I realized that even though I never took education classes at a college, or special pedagogy classes, or classes designed to help organize and manage a classroom, I have been teaching for over 20 years.  I have taught Kindermusik, group piano, theory, choir, music at a K thru 8 school, private piano, and vocal training.  Plus I have been the music director for multiple shows, and an accompanist for many different situations.  I have a lot of teaching experience.  Maybe I have not taught reading, or history, or astronomy, but I have taught my children about our world, and how to take care of themselves and others.  I have taught them many MANY things in their little lives, so why not add a few traditionally school taught subjects as well?

The other thing is education doesn't make a person better at their job.  I have had some really HORRIBLE teachers in my past, as I have blogged about before: CLICK HERE

The point is: I can do this.  And I am confident this is the right choice for my Ladybugs.

The Past Meets the Present

Today the Ladybugs and I have exactly two weeks of summer vacation left, and I am slowly coming to terms with starting a new school year.  In fact, I start teaching piano and voice next Tuesday, which means I only really have a week left of lazy summertime.

I have made some changes in the design of my homeschooling space - moved furniture, altered the placement of the existing furniture, and have begun to wrap my brain around a full week of homeschooling. I was even lucky to look through our curriculum, and set up a high level schedule for the school year.

Zoe and Evie's Kindergarten teacher came to visit us today.  She brought all over Evie's papers and such from the end of the school year.  I had contacted her through email and phone back in March, but I now realize that she wasn't avoiding me but just trying to save her own job, and/or finding a new one.  The school situation was heartbreaking for everyone involved, including her.  This woman, whom shall be called Barb, has always been a fantastic supporter of mine.  In fact, she was pleased to announce she will be teaching homeschool art in her new home art studio.  I'm really excited for her - and us (even though we already signed up for a fall art class, there is always future possibilities).

As much as I enjoyed our brief visit, I started having panic attacks last week as I remembered the hell my family experienced at school last year.

It has now been almost five months since I pulled the Ladybugs and quit my part-time job as music instructor at their private Christian school.  Some felt I left as a result of the blog post from February 25th: Not My Kid, in which I described the bullying that was taking place at the school.  Some parents sent beautifully written letters and note cards about how they will miss me and my family.  But most have never spoken to me, and have physically avoided me in grocery stores and other public places.  However, the sad part is that even after I was bullied by parents and my Zoe was bullied by students, I was bullied by the administration of the school.  I was not certain how other teachers felt, but I was pleased to have the opportunity to talk to Barb.
 
Barb suffered a lot of heartache herself, as she had been at the school for a very long time.  She was the matriarch of the school, and she also taught art classes.  The Kindergarten thru 8th grade classrooms have been replaced by a larger preschool, but Barb was overlooked for the job.  She definitely deserved the opportunity, but the administration was as narrow-minded as always.  They had their chosen few to run the program, and Barb did not fit their plans.  From previous conversations with the preschool teacher, I knew she didn't think Barb taught enough in her Kindergarten classrooms.  In fact, I'm not certain the preschool teacher even liked children, let alone parents.  The preschool matter was a difference of opinion, but I know that the school closed because of the group of people who wanted to expand the preschool and, thus make money for their already wealthy church.

The past is a chapter that I am happy to close, but I'm not sure why I always feel so horrible ending relationships with people.  Maybe it is that I hate to have people end relationships with me.  Regardless what is the reason for my feelings of remorse, I am going to acknowledge them and continue to move forward.

Here are two pictures of my homeschool area:

Everyday is a Learning Opportunity

After reading many Facebook posts about school letting out for summer, I thought I would share my feelings regarding the subject.

Most educators anticipate and celebrate the upcoming summer months.  I completely understand the desire and necessity to rejuvenate, revitalize, and relax so that one can be a better teacher in the fall.  This is the first year I am actually NOT teaching this summer.  I have offered summer lessons for the past 20 summers (doesn't seem possible, but alas it is true), but felt that my family needed my undivided energy and focus this year.

So I imagine most will find what I write next as a complete contradiction to above.

An Arbitrary Date
I have always felt sorry for teachers when the end of the school year approaches.  National and state benchmarks are needed to be met, but 99% of the time books and curriculum are never finished.  A few of the items are sent home with families on the last day of school (everything but the books that can be reused in the fall), but teachers never assume all students complete the materials during the summer months.  In fact, I know that only a fraction of my private students will practice daily over the summer break, let alone practice at all.

We all know the last week (or weeks) of school are flooded by picnics, field trips, and other fun activities that put traditional curriculum on the back burner.  During the school year, teachers must comply by the requirements put in place by those in charge and therefore, not able to complete everything.  There is also a mindset with children (and their parents) that it is okay to "turn it off" in the summertime.  After all, children are force-fed so much information that a break is definitely needed.  In many cases children are taught to do schoolwork like it is a race, rather than at their own pace which only leads to partial learning.

I can remember the countless tests I studied for and memorized the important dates, definitions, and information, just to simply forget it the day after the test.  Garbage In/Garbage Out I would say.  And I still use this analogy with my students today.  I am not teaching children to learn a song so they can play it/sing it for the recital.  I am teaching students to become musicians - to truly understand what they are learning, so they can one day not need me anymore.

And isn't it interesting that one school ends on one date and another school ends on another date?  I know it has to do with days in school, per government regulations, and how many days are not taught during the "school year".  However, I think the "last day of school" is only an arbitrary date on the calendar.  I have been very aware of this mindset, so I have done my best to engage the Ladybugs in learning activities throughout the summer months.  However, if one homeschools there never has to be a break from the daily grind, the testing, and the ridiculous benchmarks made by people who no longer have a pulse on the changing education dynamics, because there isn't any of that.  There is simply learning.

So What Does This Really Mean?
I believe that learning shouldn't simply happen between 8am and 3pm, Monday thru Friday, September (or end of August) thru the beginning of June (or end of May).  What if school was all year and the students and teachers had breaks throughout the school year?  Like a week here and two weeks there.  And more breaks throughout the day, rather than one recess at lunchtime.  I remember getting three recesses when I was in school, and having an hour for lunch.  Now there is barely enough time to scarf down a lunch and run off steam to be gathered back into the classroom.  And people wonder why we have so many kids with attention problems.

Therefore, rather than the proverbial summer slide, students would move at a steady pace and truly learn about the subject(s).  Students could move into curriculum and objectives when they were ready, rather than when someone sitting in an office thinks it is time.  We could return to a time when school was taught to learn and not to determine who was the smartest or the best.  School used to be a privilege when the public school system was created; now in many cases school is a prison.

I have to agree that with the amount of "stuff" given to students for 9 months of the year, they do need time off to recuperate.  But what is the answer?  I do not have the answer, just ideas that float around in my head.  I do know that with my Ladybugs they each learn differently and at different paces.  Some material is taught and the light bulb goes on quickly, and in other cases the light bulb needs more time to glow.  They also have completely different interests and it is obvious when we are working on daily tasks.

The one thing I've learned this year is that no one situation works for everyone.  Homeschool is not for everyone, just like private nor public is made for everyone.  The bigger issue is that so many people judge others for the decisions they make for their families, rather than embracing that we all must make decisions based on what is right for our own family.

This reminds me of a quote attributed to Einstein (there is much speculation regarding the origins):

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

So What About the Ladybugs?

As we round out our eighth week of homeschooling, I am happy to report the blessings are immeasurable.

Many ladybug blessings...

I must admit that it took awhile to get things where they worked for us, but I have learned to leave my "schedule" behind, and ROLL with it.  Our basic day is as follows:

Morning Work:

Handwriting

Math

Grammar & Phonics

Read Aloud/Language Arts

Afternoon Work:

Silent Reading/Finish Morning Work

Social Studies

Science

Originally I had a different schedule, but I changed things a couple times to make it work for us.  One of the biggest changes is the time schedule for things.  Now I just have us complete morning work before lunch and do afternoon work after lunch.

As you can see I am not currently doing Spelling words.  I find that spelling is involved in book reports, questions for language arts, social studies reports, and science reports.  So spending time copying words and taking a weekly test just doesn't seem prudent for us at this time.  

I have also been asked if Eviebug does what Zoebug does.  The answer is, yes!  She prints, while Zoebug works on cursive writing, she has her own Math while Zoebug does Math, they both have Grammar/Phonics workbooks, and they both work on Science and Social Studies as well.  The one area I separate them is Language Arts.  Eviebug listens while Zoebug reads her story of the day.  Then Zoebug writes answers to the daily story while Eviebug reads aloud to me.  

I have also noticed that taking many breaks throughout the day helps the Labybugs stay focused on their work.  These breaks do not include watching TV or playing a video game.  Rather they are playing with Maggie outside.  

We also play many educational games.  Our current favorite is Quirkle.  

I have also enjoyed teachable moments - unscheduled opportunities to teach and be taught.  I look at these as being on the same vein as what some call, "unschooling".  It is a way to have child-directed learning.  However, for our purposes I am only having these interests determine our science and/or social studies work.  

For instance, every spring we have a mom and dad robin who make a nest using our gutters: Robins  We talked about how every year they come back to have babies. And then we watched this great video:

CLICK HERE!

Are You Teaching Them Enough?

I also have been asked what curriculum I use.  I have had the great pleasure of having a retired elementary school teacher as a mom, and I also have collected "stuff" throughout the many years I have been teaching.  Therefore, I use a hodge-podge of curriculum at this point, but if we continue in the fall I will use a more focused curriculum series (maybe).

Here is what I use for each subject:

Morning Work:

Handwriting

• Originally we were continuing Handwriting Without Tears with Zoebug (she was working on this in her classroom), however, after WAY TOO MANY TEARS (I know, right?), I switched to Zander-Bloser Handwriting.  Eviebug prints words from her read aloud books.  I have her print them 3 times each.  

Math

• Originally I had Eviebug in a book I got Zoebug from Target 3 years ago.  However, she finished it last week.  Now both girls are in Evan-Moor Skill Sharpeners.  Zoebug is in a 3rd grade book and Eviebug in a 1st grade book.

Grammar & Phonics

• Zoebug was given Grammar worksheets from school, so we've continued a unit of those per week at her speed (3 or 4 pages per day).  Eviebug was using that Target book, but this week Eviebug started a new book, Word Skills Fun from The Mailbox Books for K-1.  

Read Aloud/Language Arts

• Zoebug has been using a series of books from my mother's years as a teacher.  The series is for 2nd and 3rd grade and is from the D.C. Heath and Company.  Eviebug is currently reading first readers from Margaret Hillert.  We have been enjoying watching Eviebug grow at reading, considering before homeschooling she was reading one and two word stories.  

Afternoon Work:

Silent Reading/Finish Morning Work

• Zoebug reads chapter books for book reports which she does upon completion.  She read a few Magic Treehouse books, then switched to The Bailey School Kids series.  She likes mystery/detective books a lot (her past favorite was Nate the Great).  Evie reads picture books (looks at pictures somewhat) to herself.  

Social Studies

Science

• In both cases the girls have been taught subjects that they find fascinating.  We have learned about Thomas Edison, Robert Frost, crystals, rocks, and robins.  It is so much fun learning as we go.

The Future

I have been asked by many what our plans are for schooling in the fall.  Zoebug was accepted at our school of choice (School L).  Unfortunately, Eviebug was not.  The 1st grade for the fall at School L does not have the space the 3rd grade does.  So now we have applied for a boundary extension for Eviebug.  When will we hear?  August.  Yeah, August.  If Eviebug does NOT get the boundary extension, we have decided to continue homeschooling in the fall.  There is nothing wrong with our neighborhood school (School N), but I feel homeschooling would be the better choice for us.  If Eviebug in fact does get approved for the boundary extension, we will have to cross that bridge at that time.

I have many friends who are looking forward for school to be done this spring - in order to spend more time with their babes.  I also know many who are excited there is no more "homework" during the summer months.  However, we are not going to stop learning this summer.  We will be doing curriculum from the Prairie Primer.  In fact, we are all looking forward to learning more about the time Laura Ingalls lived.  One of my problems with traditional schooling is the mindset that summer is when you no longer learn.  I really feel it is sad to teach our children that reading, writing, math, and other skills are only important between September and June.  I believe it is my job as a mom to cultivate their desire to ask questions, and want to learn more from our world.

The Healing Continues

As our fourth week of homeschooling begins, I am exhausted but extremely thankful I made the choice to remove ourselves from the toxic environment.

There is always hope.  Even in the darkest moments of the school situation, I was able to find beauty.

The parents, teachers, and children at the school were like the flowers in the picture above.  However, as the year progressed, toxic waste was killing each and every one of the uniquely beautiful flowers.  Petals drooped, leaves wilted and once sweet fragrances turned putrid.  The nasty weeds were at every corner, whispering lies into those who were carefully cultivated, turning the other glorious blooms into wilted intruders.  I refused to allow my Ladybugs to lose their bright and blooming minds and spirits indoctrinated into the lies perpetrated by the poisonous soil.

One of the reasons that kept me at the school for so long was that I had created a field trip for the entire school to see an opera.  I have three current private students, and one former student who are all part of the Michigan Opera Theater Children's Chorus.  I thought taking the school to see their opera, The Happy Prince, would be a wonderful experience, especially for those children who would never attend another opera.  When we left the school, Zoebug was upset about the fact we would not be able to see the opera.  However, a dear friend of mine (and mother of the former student mentioned above) was taking a homeschool group to the opera.  And we were able to tag along!

I was so thrilled to see such talent in young people - and so were the Ladybugs.  It was truly a memorable experience.

But it is not just the "field trips" that make homeschooling the right choice for us.  I am also enamored  by the amount of knowledge Evabug is taking in each day.  Her reading has taken flight and her math skills have increased dramatically.  Zoebug is also doing quite well in the less stressful environment of home.  The dull and dreary days of this school year have been replaced with much more happiness and ease of learning.

The biggest downside is that my life is completely focused on them.  I'm not saying the my focus should be elsewhere.  But I very rarely get time alone, as I am with the girls 24/7 now.  With the exception of when I work, they are my everything.  However, I do believe this is where I am supposed to be - with my blooming flowers in the garden of our home.

More Online Homeschooling

Thought I would share our homeschooling days at the Martin household.

We start each day with Journal entries.  Currently we are doing the journal pages from www.graceisoverrated.com.  Then we do math.

I have been teaching Zoebug to multiply by 0s, 1s, 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s.  I found this really helpful site that has FREE printouts for extra work:

Multiplication Worksheets

I have also had her use a clock face with a multiplier in the middle to work take a different look at multiplication tables.  The clock works well, because Evabug is learning how to tell time.

Evabug is also working on addition, and this site has a way to generate worksheets:

Addition Worksheet Generator

We have been studying poetry, which I thought of before I realized that April is poetry month!

Scholastic has great information for incorporating poetry in the daily school day:

On Monday thru Wednesday we spend time on music after math is complete.  Then we have a quick snack.

After morning snack we spend time on reading aloud and grammar and phonics.  We have also been doing worksheets on poetry.

Poetry Ideas

So far the girls and I have learned about Shel Silverstein and Emily Dickinson.  This week we are studying Robert Frost, who wrote my personal favorite poem, "The Road Not Taken."  His home from Ann Arbor is at Greenfield Village, so we are able to incorporate Frost into Social Studies as well.

We follow the morning studies with a nice long lunch hour (11:30 to 12:30).

We move into silent reading after lunch.  Then time for writing.  Zoebug is currently using the handwriting without tears, and Evabug is working on her printing skills.

Then we spend time on Science and Social Studies.  Thomas Edison has graced our brains for the last two weeks.  Now we are spending time on Mr. Frost.  I thought it apropos to do people who are represented at Greenfield Village, since it is so close.

Science has been rocks and minerals, and we have used a microscope and other tools to research different rocks and minerals.  We plan on making rock candy this week too.

Hope I can inspire others who are not homeschooling to consider the option.

Why Didn't I See It Before?

I have a wall in my basement painted with chalkboard paint.  I have tons and tons of children's books that were purchased before having children.  I have a sick love of planning lessons and researching information.  Why didn't I see it before?

I LOVE HOMESCHOOLING!

Remember when you could make flashing fonts back in the day?  The above would be flashing and dancing and hip-hip-hooraying!

I have found that planning takes patience and preparation, but there is so much awesome stuff online to help out a parent who homeschools.  Here are a couple favorites of mine thus far:

Journal Pages
click here

Book Report
click here