What is going on with me? I have changed my way of approaching homeschooling over the past year and I LOVE it!!! Last night we took out the SAT prep book that I bought nine months ago and our son was pouring over it. He could do A LOT of the things in the book and that made me feel a little better. He patted me on the shoulder and told me not to worry. (BTW, he is a really good test taker.)
A few years ago I had big dreams about having all of the children do really well on these tests. ...Maybe even have one National Merit Scholar. I've realized my goals have changed. It is really bugging me though! Sometimes life kind of forces you to change your goals. I work with my husband in our store, I work with our boys especially on vocals, songwriting, and advice, I work with the girls planning lots of activities, talk on the phone with people in NYC, photograph, film, now the new thing is styling which thank goodness my husband is doing! I don't do these things alone thankfully my husband is heavily involved! From the minute we get up in the morning it is a whirlwind of activities.
So where will PSAT prep and the upcoming school year fit in? I don't know. But it will. It always somehow does. I've realized my plans are not God's plans. It has been very rare indeed when my plans match God's. There are times when I sit and contemplate about my new views on life and my heart skips a beat. There are times when the peacefulness leaves me and I think, "Marianne, what are you doing? Where's the old you? Why aren't you worried? Then I stress and think to myself..."You are being a little irresponsible here."
But we have managed to have French lessons, Latin review, math lessons throughout the summer, and a piece of literature completed each week. We have managed prayer daily ( well, most days anyway), a daily mass here and there, and gathering for the Cenacle Rosary and church on Thursdays. Sometimes it really helps to reflect on the tasks that we HAVE completed.
So when do we start school? Well, the boys Latin 2 online class begins Tuesday. I have our books stacked and laid out. We have everything we need to begin school. I just need the motivation. We WILL start because we always do. Everyone will get into the rhythm of it all. We always do that too.
Maybe I just need to hang out with some "gung-ho" home schooling moms. Suggestions? Please comment :)
1 comment:
Don't worry - it'll all fall into place just like it always does. I'll admit that I'm not planning lessons "a week in advance" anymore - but I do manage to get together each day's lessons in the morning. :) The boys get started whenever they want to - usually not until after lunch - but last Friday they wanted to try it in the morning, and really liked being "done" so early in the day, so they might be changing things a bit. :) I think it looks like we're pretty structured from the outside, when in reality we're really laid back. :) It looks like we do a lot every day, but the lessons are often short, and we enjoy a lot of read alouds together as well. I guess, as time passes, I'm not as "stressed" about "school" either - I have a certain confidence in my children's ability to learn that I didn't really grasp when I started this adventure with them... And what an adventure it's been!
~Jenny
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