Home Education Week

It was Home Education Week last week. I missed it! That's the story of me--finding out about things late. Find out about the whole deal here.



I am taking the April Fool's idea from Principled's site as my springboard for this post. Share your greatest challenge. Or one of those terrible, horrible no good, very bad days where the only thing there is to do seems to involve moving to Australia.



This past year has been our greatest challenge as a homeschooling family. We've had our years where things didn't go as we planned:

• September 11 brought a year of uncertainty as John volunteered to "go" and go he did--in March, for a 12 month stint with Enduring Freedom. Big, Wild Year for us. But school was not the challenge.


• When that year finished, surprise! baby #3 was on the way, then miscarried. Shock, depression, but school carried on.


• The next school year was John's 6 month tour to Afghanistan. Scary, but school carried on--this was school year #3 messed up because of terrorists. But school went on, and went on well.


• The year after that, we paper-chased for Luci and got our house ready to sell.


• Next school year, got Luci, sold the house, moved to an apartment. No big deal for school.


• Stayed in apartment until Thanksgiving the following year, then moved into new house, school was fine!

Then this year hit: No new wars for John to go to, no new baby in the house, no new house to build. But--The 15-year old all of a sudden has Plans for his future, he knows More than we do, and Disciplining him is all different. And the Plans he has involve mathematics that is looking like he might not ever understand!

Homeschooling this year has been one big fight after another--mostly between the boys. FIGHT. FIGHT. I hate it! I saw my brothers act this way (like brothers) and it was rough. My boys are carrying on in that family tradition. Nothing seems to help. The 3 year old thinks her job is to tear the house apart while the rest of us try to learn something. She'll learn some with us and play learning games, and color, but she's just as likely to be climbing and getting markers (Have you seen Luci? Find her!) and grabbing the safety scissors and cutting her hair (did you know that safety scissors can cut HAIR?). This is not what I envisioned homeschooling to be like.

What I thought it would be: I'd have my beloved children cocooned with me on the couch, listening with rapture, their adoring eyes drinking me in while I read Classics to them. Then they would gather their writing books and pencils and write me a story to rival the one I'd just read. With perfect penmanship. Then we'd all go outside and marvel at God's handiwork and draw the minutest detail of the wild violets in our biology notebooks, and sketch that lovely bird we just saw soar overhead. Then the boys would write (in that gorgeous penmanship) the Latin name for the bird. Afterwards, we'd luncheon on my homemade bread, which was slathered with organic peanut butter and homemade mango jam.

WHAT?! Life's not like that?!

It's more like a three-ring circus. John knows that I can either teach the kids well, make a grand dinner (called supper at our house) or clean the house. Sometimes, if he's lucky, he'll get two of those. Almost Never have all three happened in the same day. And homemade bread? Pullease! Never.

After lots of soul-searching this year, we've found a new approach to learning for our family. It's just new to us, as it's been around for quite a while. Weaver Unit studies. They begin with the Bible, and all things are built around the Scriptures. First and foremost is Bible study. We are not out to build boys (and Luci!) who are grand test-takers. We are out to build men and a young lady who love God. We will, of course, guide them towards the career that we think (and they think) God is calling them to do. That might involve needing to be the best test-taker in town. That is super, for that one winner, but usually life goes on for the rest of the population.

I am excited about next school year. Getting to spend the time we have left with Bryan and JT before they fly out of our nest, doing fun things together (science experiments, field trips, maybe even sketching that bird!) and reading lots of books that go right along with Scripture, instead of trying to fit the Holy Word into what we are studying. Luci has a while with us yet, and I am hopeful that this is a going to be a great way for her to learn about God and His world.