The end of the first quarter

I remember when Mark and I had been married about eight years and we were having one of those 'someday when we have kids conversations', I said to him "why do we say 'when we have kids', we are never going to have kids." I had no interested in kids. A year later we were filling out adoption forms. And Mark said "I always knew we would adopt children."

Then it came time for Kalen to start school and off and on over the years the subject of 'homeschooling' would come up. Mark was always interested in it. I would say I could never homeschool our kids. I have learned that when I say 'I'm never going to do something' I better prepare myself because "I will" be doing it.

Anyway, today was the end of the first quarter of school. We did it!!! I can't believe we are a quarter of the way through the school year. It's been a ride. It's been frustrating, it's been exciting and it's been exhausting. It was a good decision.

I have learned so much about my children. I have watched awesome things happen. I have come to realize some important things I want my kids to learn and some things I don't think they need to learn. Homeschooling may not be for everyone, but every parent should try it for just one year, they'll never regret it.

I have watched Kalen blossom. She has become more confident and more mature. I have watched the anxiety that she lived with going to school disappear. I have watched her enjoy learning. I have come to realize more of who she real is and who she can be.

Kaleb........the kid can figure out amazing math facts laying over a the top of a bean bag flopping like a fish. His reading was low and his spelling stunk when we started the school year. I have watched him gain in reading and I have watched his spelling get better and better. It's cool!

The history in the k12 curriculum for third grade stinks. It is about the Middle Ages/Greek/Rome. It's hard for me to teach because it's BORING and Kaleb has ZERO interest in it. The light bulb went on about two weeks ago. My third grader needs to learn American History and he needs to read. So I went to the library and got him books that he could read about American Explorers. He loves them. When he is done with silent reading he will say 'mom, did you know..........' and off he goes telling me what he learned. He is excited about it. We will force our way through the k12 curriculum, but it's not for us.

The Campbell County Virtual School has been under scrutiny this year because of low PAWS (standardize testing) scores last year in writing. (That's a whole other story). So the VS is putting the pressure on the parents and kids about writing. Every other week the teacher that monitors Kaleb has an online 'writers workshop' with her students. It is done live with her and probably 9 other kids.

As I listened yesterday to the 'writers workshop', I realized what was going on was not what I wanted for my child. To start with Mrs. B lectures about how they are going to be doing 'tons and tons' of writing this year to prepare for PAWS. She wants the kids to be more creative with their words. She was giving them words like 'good', 'really', 'happy'......and wanted them to come up with different words for them. At one point she got down right mean about how they over use words like 'good' and 'really' and they need to be more 'creative'. In the previous session Mrs. B had taught the kids how to write a 'friendly letter' and had given this strict format on how it should be written. Sure, there needs to be some basics for the 'friendly letter' but a strict format? Get real. Mrs. B put a 'friendly letter' form up on the white board and started ragging on them about how they were not doing them right (they had to write her one). So she goes over how it's to be done and it how it has to be done blah blah blah blah and then she says "this is the way it is on the PAWS test and you need to learn it."

Let me sum that up.............The kids need to be creative thinkers but they can only do it 'one way.' Is the PAWS test the absolutely know all on how a 'friendly letter' is to be written? NO!!!

I do not want my kids to be educated on info that is only important to pass a standardize test. I do not want a teacher ragging on my kids like that. And you know what, I can make that choice. More to come on that....................

People say the stupidest things.......

These pictures were taken last Christmas morning.

Their are people out there that just say stupid things. We keep our own hours as homeschoolers. We work 4-5 hrs. a day on school. We usually start at 8:30, but that can also vary because we HOMESCHOOL!!! It's been one of those weeks with denist appts. and orthodontist appts. It's one thing if you have the child with you that is having the appt. but its another thing when you have the child with you that isn't having that appt. People find it necessary to ask "why aren't you in school?" Like its any of their business. Maybe I need to come up with the responds "are you the worlds hall monitor?" Oh, well.

So today, Kaleb and I needed medical attention. The swine flu is running wild here. There was no way we were getting into our regular doctors so we went to the walk in clinic at about 10:00 a.m. Kalen went with us. When we finally got back to the exam room, the nurse proceeded to asked why the kids weren't in school. We explained. Then the doctor comes in. He asked the same thing. Then he asked if the kids were in sports. So Kalen said she danced and Kaleb played soccer. Then he said "well, at least you get some socialization." It's interesting to see how the world perceives homeschooling. I wish I was quick witted enough to respond, but it takes me several hours to formulate a reply. Then again I probably didn't want to be quick witted to the guy that stuck a needle in me.

I was tested for the flu, but it was negative. Of course the test is only 60% acturate. My oxygen level was down to 93% (at 90% you go to the hospital). Since I have asthma the doctor treated me agressively. I got a steroid shot in my vein and an antibiotic shot. He wants me to take the tamaflu even though the test was negative, along with oral steriods. He didn 't bother testing Kaleb for the flu. He isn't real sick but starting to wheeze so he gave him a prescription for oral steroids and tamaflu. He thought it was best not to risk it with both of us having asthma. I don't feel all that bad, just run down and tire.

What I do with my life.................

Once in a while I do something with my spare time that doesn't involve horses. I quilt a little, but I haven't done much the last year and a half. Below is a paper pieced table runner that I finished over a year ago and never quilted. Then this summer our friends daughter got married and I decided I wanted to give her a keepsake wedding gift, so I quilted this and gave it to her.

This is a baby quilt that I made for our pastor and his wife that had a baby on 9/11. I made this quilt design a couple years ago. The orginal piece I made I have not quilted, but I need to get it done for a silent auction the library is having. I couldn't find a pattern I liked for a quick baby quilt (that's what I'm into QUICK) so I decided to use this one again. (I also like to make my own designs because I don't read directions well. So if I make up my own I get along better.) I decided that I would not buy any fabric. I forced myself to use scraps for this. I love bright colors for babies. As it turns out, the quilt is the same colors as the nursery. Who would have thought!

But this is my true passion. Some people call it fiber arts, some people call it portrait quilts or it might be called studio art quilts. Anyway, I spent 7 months making this. Part of the length of time has to do with my spare time and I also like to work a little at a time and ponder my color choices. This is made from a photo I took of our mare Tari and her first colt Whit. The quilt is called "The Kiss". I have joined a studio arts group and have entered this quilt is a show they are having this fall. (I mix my horses and quilts.)

Thoughts from the homeschooling week

I've done some thinking this week about Language Arts. Kaleb is learning subjects and predicates, Kalen is learning direct objects, indirect objects and compound indirect objects. So far this year Kalen has reviewed verbs, nouns, pronouns, proper pronouns and adjectives. Yeah, its been a walk though the past for me.

I pondered this thought the other day as Kaleb and I are going over subjects and predicates........... why do you need to go any further in life picking a sentence apart than knowing what the subject and the action is in a sentence? Does a sentence really need to have all these word labels? It makes you wonder. I'm not sure that it makes you a better person for knowing them. I guess on need to mark "english teacher" off the list of what I want to be when I grow up.