Tag Archives: Homeschooling

I’m not going to lie. Right now, getting any school done during the day has been a real effort. I have very little desire to keep everyone on task, and they have even less desire to do so.  The weather has been weird, there’s a lot of chores that need to be done (and furry friends needing to be snuggled) that I’d rather take care of, there’s other things that everyone would rather be doing.

Yet we slog through it as best as we can anyway, and hope it sticks. Today I cut Neve off before math because she couldn’t sit still and I sent her into the kitchen to make these:

This book is full of wonderful recipes for baking that are perfect for Neve’s current abilities.

It calmed her down, avoided the usual math tantrum, and kept her from distracting Emily. And bonus! She has to measure stuff, so…..math!

Ugh. Actually, no. It’s nice when you see homeschool people and blogs talk about using fun activities that incorporate learning math and science, and that’s great when your kids are like 7. But Neve really needs to be working on more complicated geometry and elementary algebra that she isn’t going to learn from whipping out a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Sorry, unschoolers. I’ve seen what happens when a kid isn’t well prepared for the SAT’s and college. You pay for two years of “Math for Dummies” and the like at the local community college before your kid can even start working on their degree requirements.  As much as we don’t love math, it is far easier for them to learn it young and keep building on it than trying from nearly scratch at 18.  And that whole argument about how kids will naturally learn what they need based on their interests? Also no. Not every kid is born motivated to work on improving their brains. It’s a discipline that for many has to be taught, along with time management skills.  And when at 16 your kid suddenly has to cram an entire school  lifetime’s worth of math into a year to prepare for college…it isn’t pretty.   Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m no fan of our public school systems. But there is a level of base knowledge everyone needs, no matter how they are educated.

This is where my brain is these days. It’s mired in the many things that have to happen each day and it certainly feels many days that we are just getting further and further behind. So we keep at it, knowing that this time is finite, and we will never get it back.

This is a post I’ve been meaning to write for several months now, and I figured I’d better get it done before another school year was upon us!

I am so incredibly proud that my sister Maddie completed her first year of college! There’s been a whirlwind of changes and activity and I can’t believe just how well she’s taken to it all.

Aside from going to school full-time, she’s worked several jobs; two at stores in the mall, and babysitting for my friend Lisa a few times a week.  She’s also made herself available to model for Susan when needed (as you can see from the picture above that I shamelessly stole from her).

I would be remiss, however, in not mentioning that she’s had some incredible help along the way.

Firstly, college is expensive.  Although she was awarded some financial aid, Paul and I filled in the gap for the first semester and helped her buy books.  Her second semester, Susan paid for tuition and books.  It’s one thing for family to pay; that’s what family is supposed to do.   Susan is my best friend.  She had no obligation to help out, but as she told me, she believes in Maddie and wants her potential to be realized. Not going to college was not an option. She was in a position to help, and she did. We owe a great debt of gratitude to my dear friend for making it easier for us to keep Maddie where she needs to be and help her on her way to her future. Her encouragement means the world to us.

Secondly is our new friend Kate. Maddie met her during her first semester when she signed up for a required writing class that Kate was teaching.  It was a tough class and Kate has high standards for college students (as she should!), so Maddie spent a lot of time with Kate during her office hours, getting extra help and learning how to manage her time. In the process, she and Kate got to know each other well, and became fast friends.

After several months working together and spending  a lot of their free time together, Kate and her husband Brian offered to let Maddie stay with them so Maddie could be closer to school and work.  We’ve become friends with them as well (what, you think I’d let my little sister move in with someone I didn’t know? No way!) and have been overwhelmed by how much they’ve helped my sister.  They pushed her out of her comfort zone (not an easy task!) to branch out in her job search, and as a result she found a job she adores (she works at Coach, and has discovered she loves work in sales).

(As an aside, I do love that I can go into town and meet my sister for a meal regularly; its one of my happy places)

They helped her learn how to save and manage her money and buy her first car. Now, Kate is working with her to narrow down her choices for college when she transfers out next year, and how to navigate the admissions process.  I’m watching my sister bloom into an incredible, capable woman and Kate gets so much of the credit for that. She believes in Maddie, and has stepped in give Maddie the push she needed in order to be successful in school and life. I cannot overstate this: I will never be able to repay her for all she has done this past year.

We are getting closer and closer to Maddie stretching out her wings and heading out to a bigger school, potentially someplace far away.  We will miss her, but I can’t wait to see what she will accomplish with her life.

Congratulations on all you have done so far, little sister. I am so proud!

Last week the girls once again took part in the Missoula Children’s Theater program at The Paramount Theater in Charlottesville.

This year’s production was “Treasure Island”, and they spent all week rehearsing their little hearts out.

As for me, I got to spend the week downtown among civilization!  It was nice to have an excuse to eat out for lunch every day and to meet with friends.  We don’t get into town very often, so afternoon gelato for no good reason is quite a treat!

One of the things I really enjoy about the pedestrian mall downtown is that they allow dogs.  Oona was overwhelmed with excitement at seeing so many different kinds of dogs and puppies all week.

Oona made a very sweet little Seagull. And she was easy to spot with her bright hair!

Emily played a “Pirate Clown”.  My normally very introverted eldest child had a blast dancing and singing with a cast of 57 other kids, only 2 of whom she knew besides her sisters).

Neve cracked me up with her funny faces.  She played one of Jim Hawkins’ “Ruffian” friends.

There’s not a single introverted bone in THAT kid’s body!

Our friends Jessie and Keith had their two kids in the play as well (that’s Brett on the left next to Emily) so we were fortunate to have company all week and at the performances.

These theater weeks have been an incredible experience for my kids. It’s helped them become more confident in their singing and has helped them with taking direction and being responsible to a team.

All the same, this has made me feel even more strongly about homeschooling them and given me less patience for the one bullshit question I get all the time.

What about socialization?

My kids don’t go to school with other kids their age, it’s true.  They are not forced  into artificial social situations that are strictly monitored and controlled by adults who want quiet (yes, the local schools have “quiet lunches” much of the time).  They are also not confined to spending time only with people their own age.  Being homeschooled has meant they get dragged along with me wherever I go, and being part of whatever project I have going on, and interacting with many different people.   This has meant that they know how to speak to all kinds of people and are comfortable in just about any social situation.  When we arrive for theater camp on the first day and they get on the stage to audition with the other kids, they are fine. Even Oona is not daunted by it. My kids might be weird, but they are not socially awkward.

They are not subject to peer-pressure. They do not suffer from low self-esteem. They are curious about the world around them and have many interests they like to pursue.  They speak their minds.

And let me tell you, when they get on that stage and throw themselves into their roles with their fellow actors, we couldn’t be more proud to be the parents of these weird  kids.