This post is so named because I've had it in mind for a couple months, ever since I wrote the first "Taking Stock" post - I just haven't had time to write it, and now that we've actually started school, it's not quite accurate. But, having evaluated and come to terms with the previous school year, I wanted to set down my hopes and goals for the coming year. My next post will be on how it's actually turning out!
Back in May, after Dave and I had watched the season finales of some of our favorite shows, I remarked, in reference to the way these shows always seem to end each season,"Wouldn't it be awful if once a year your life came to a dramatic climax, with some kind of huge change or major event?" He said, "Um...you mean like the way our life has gone pretty much since we've been married?", to which I replied, "Oh. Right." Because indeed, it has seemed that each year we've been together, our life has been marked by exactly that - some kind of huge change or major event. Babies, moves, job changes, family drama...and, in one fantastically memorable year, a baby, a move, a job change, and family drama all at once. Smashing! But each year I persist in planning for something decidedly less exciting, in the hopes that someday, we'll have just a "normal," predictable sort of year. And each year, I typically watch as the plan train derails in spectacular fashion, exploding in a ball of flames and burning everything in the vicinity to ashes.
Ahem.
Last year we had to get things done around a baby born at the beginning of our school year, and a move smack in the middle of it, so things were rather helter-skelter most of the time. That's ok, and as I've mentioned, I've come to terms with it. But this year it would be nice if things were calmer and a little more predictable (have I said that already?). If that actually happens, here are some of my goals:
1. I would like to develop in the kids a better sense of family responsibility. It frustrates me that if I have a down day, whether because I'm extra-busy or because I'm under the weather, the household seems to go to pieces. Of course, it's good to feel needed, but I would like to maybe be a little less so. I would like the kids to have a better sense of what gets done throughout the day, and to develop a better sense of their responsibility in getting it done - and maybe even to have the older ones able to take the helm to some degree if I can't for some reason.
Stop laughing!
Now, if this seems to have nothing to do with school, I will insert here the idea that while it's possible to make homeschooling simply "school at home," I don't think that's what it really is at all. I think homeschooling is a different animal altogether, that it involves developing every part of the child - discipline not only of the intellect, but also of the body, soul, sense of responsibility, worldview, etc, etc. So I think learning to be a part of running the household is an important part of their day, and I don't just mean giving them chores to do for the sake of doing them. I'm more interested in them developing a sense of responsibility, which is also something I think children enjoy...even though they might not know it.
2. I would like to make sure they have a good foundation of Biblical knowledge and church history. Sometimes we skimp on this when we're in a hurry, and I want to make it more of a priority. (So maybe this should be point #1. Cut me some slack!)
3. I know I've said I'm not a "lesson plan" kind of person anymore, but it might be nice to have a better feel for what each child needs to do so that I'm not scrambling around to figure it out AND trying to get their attention at the same time. This seems like a good idea given that I'll have three this year who will be getting more formal instruction, and that Aimee's workload (now that she's in 6th grade - yikes!) is really increasing. It's also easier to get some of my kids (not naming any names!) on task if the task at least appears to be inflexible.
4. If I can plan better, I also hope to be able to include more of the subjects that tend to get dropped by the wayside when things get the least bit hectic - namely, art, science, and a few other things I'd rather NOT name, so you won't lose whatever good opinion you have of me. And I'd like to be able to do more fun activities in all subjects, rather than just always be cramming the necessities in.
That said, here's the planned curriculum for the year (I'm not going to include links to all of them here. I'll try to update my favorites list in my Amazon widget later):
Art
Art: 2,500 Works from Cave to Contemporary
Little Hands Art Book
How to Teach Art to Children
Drawing with Children Mona Brooks
Crafts for Young Children
Bible
Homeschool Enhanced Kit Veritas Press
Cursive
Classically Cursive
Geography
Story of the World (map activities)
Geography songs
States and Capitals Songs
Grammar
First Language Lessons
Following the Plan Rod and Staff
History
Story of the World
Latin
Latina Christiana
Math
Saxon Math
Music
Piano Lessons
Violin Lessons (both given by yours truly)
Reading
Phonics Museum Veritas Press
Whole book selections to accompany art, history, and science studies
Science
God’s Design for Life
God’s Design for the Physical World
Spelling
Spelling Workout
French
Rosetta Stone
Spanish
Rosetta Stone
As promised, I'll let you know in a future post how it's all going!
No comments:
Post a Comment