I'm on the verge of pulling out my hair! This is on ordinary graduation!
Homeschool graduations are an interesting thing with no two being the same.
In this case, we are working our way to a graduation that includes Arts presentations (my daughter's self designed show is timed at 20 minutes and includes costumes and songs... hard songs). We have been to rehearsals twice this week already, and there could be one tomorrow, to make sure she feels secure.
Costumes need adjustments... partly my job. And daughter is still trying to add things. I am certainly drawing the line there.
In addition to the Arts presentations, there is a reception and award ceremony, then caps and gowns. The affair will last pretty much from 1-6, meaning we will very likely be there from 12-6:30. I'm going to need to rest up.
Friends are coming over tonight, and I hope they help me power through.
And then, I've got to do The Diva's hair. (From now and henceforth, I think I'll call her The Diva.) It is the focus of her show, and it fits her. I wish I'd come up with it earlier!
Anyway. Wish me luck and success, and peace. I'm going to need it.
ps. click the photo tab above. I just updated with the latest pictures.
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Last Week of Homeschooling!
In exactly 1 week, Jordan will be in the midst of graduation exercises along with 10 fellow homeschoolers in the same Arts Program as she. Some also did the academic leg, but Jordan did most of her core courses independently. I am looking forward to seeing everyone's senior presentations, as I am only privy to what my daughter is doing. If the rest are giving presentations as ambitious as my kids, and I am sure they will, I will be so thrilled and happy!
Meanwhile, I spent the bulk of this morning calculating grades for the 2nd half of the year and reporting those grades to her homeschool Accreditation agency. I already actually have her diploma on my desk, as it arrived a couple weeks ago. Before I get up from this chair, I will also submit attendance for the year. I am gathering that will take an hour.
Plus, I am scheduling her road test Monday morning. She would have been driving sooner, but I refused to move forward if she refused to finish her work. It came down to health vs. the drivers license. No health. No drivers license. Needless to say, she finished her health curriculum.
This next week will include:
Agonizing over my son's application he has into the state college.
Sewing assistance on one final costume for Senior Project.
More rehearsals.
Crafting for things I want to put on her Sr. Table
Buying a dress for each of us and making sure the guys have on decent outfits.
Oh-shoot! I never ordered a yard sign. I'll get that around the corner.
Ugh. I'm sure I'm missing something else.
Wish us luck on getting through this week without killing each other. ... So stressful.
FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE ahermitt.com
Meanwhile, I spent the bulk of this morning calculating grades for the 2nd half of the year and reporting those grades to her homeschool Accreditation agency. I already actually have her diploma on my desk, as it arrived a couple weeks ago. Before I get up from this chair, I will also submit attendance for the year. I am gathering that will take an hour.
Plus, I am scheduling her road test Monday morning. She would have been driving sooner, but I refused to move forward if she refused to finish her work. It came down to health vs. the drivers license. No health. No drivers license. Needless to say, she finished her health curriculum.
This next week will include:
Agonizing over my son's application he has into the state college.
Sewing assistance on one final costume for Senior Project.
More rehearsals.
Crafting for things I want to put on her Sr. Table
Buying a dress for each of us and making sure the guys have on decent outfits.
Oh-shoot! I never ordered a yard sign. I'll get that around the corner.
Ugh. I'm sure I'm missing something else.
Wish us luck on getting through this week without killing each other. ... So stressful.
FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE ahermitt.com
Labels:
graduation,
journal
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Three major things I wish I had done differently in our homeschool journey
As we finish up our homeschool experience, and evaluate what we have accomplished and where we have weaknesses, there are 3 major things I would change.
1. I would have unschooled through grade 5. I have determined that the only thing a student really needs to know to prepare for middle school are:
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ahermitt.com
1. I would have unschooled through grade 5. I have determined that the only thing a student really needs to know to prepare for middle school are:
- Math: add, subtract, multiply, divide
- Language Arts: How to read and be able to comprehend what is read
- Exploration: so much about all other subjects can be learned through exploration, field trips, and group activities.
Some might not call it unschooling if you are teaching math and reading, but that would be where I would draw the line. I guess you could call it uber-relaxed homeschooling.
2. I wish I had found ALEKS.com earlier. I have found this to be the most intuitive and affordable system of teaching math to date. It allows kids to learn math at their own pace whether it be slower or accelerated. This program is still imperfect, but after all the ones we tried it still is the best. The only thing that could make it better is to add a video instruction option to the problems.
3. Dual enrollment in the final two years. My kids did take classes outside the home throughout their homeschool experience, but I think I regret not putting them in an actual college classes, so I could help them walk through their first collegiate experience. I wonder if I can get my daughter to do a summer class before she leaves home in the fall.
FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE
ahermitt.com
Labels:
homeschool methods,
journal
Sunday, May 05, 2013
Has my homeschooling been successful?
I have been in a bit of a tizzy this week because my son has had some issues in college. In my mind, success of homeschooling would be based on success after homeschooling. This means I have tied the job I have done, and even my self worth to their success. But life has a way of kicking you in the butt doesn't it? So when son announced that this semester was not going as well as he thought and that a school transfer might be in order, it was as if someone had punched me in the gut.
FAILURE. That was all I heard. Not my son's failure, because he wasn't doing THAT bad, he wasn't on academic probation or anything. He was just having a hard time. But was the failure mine for not adequately preparing him for college. That's how I felt.
When I decided to homeschool, it was clear to me that if the kids continued on the track they were on that they would never-ever even make it to college. This particular child had taken to not speaking at all in school (selectively mute), and the other was being forced into ADHD testing. The boy ended up in college with scholarships, and the girl is right behind him, so that is not failure on my part, at all.
Still, I had to ask myself if I overlooked something I should have anticipated??? I will honestly never know. But asking that question, and putting his issues on myself would have been the same as expecting the schools to take credit that I, an "A Student" in high school completely flunked out of Fordham University after my first semester and had to start over at a community college. For some kids, the transition to college is just hard. It was very, very, hard for me... it is a challenge for my son... and we have the same learning styles. Fortunately, I can help him turn it around just like I did.
I have also seen some blessings in this experience. Son has had a year to find out what college is actually like. He has a better idea of what he likes and does not like. His perspective on what is a good college and what is a bad college has also changed. He is educating us on his discoveries. He is looking at schools he had not considered before and measuring the finances vs. the prestige. He is making a bold decision to weigh where he is against a school he would have never considered before.... and in all that a new and more appropriate major (for my son) has been added to that school he is considering. It is starting to look like a blessing in disguise, that he could transfer into a brand new program that is more suited to his strengths and more in line with what he wants to do with is life. Prior to this, the only 2 schools that offered this new major were very, very expensive.
So, in the end, I can look at a young man who is able to make a decision for himself before a decision is made for him. He is able to weigh the pros and cons of a situation, and is working on a measured decision, and not something that is impulsive of knee-jerk. He is not emotionalizing the situation like I was starting to.
When I look back at why I chose to homeschool I know that THIS IS NOT FAILURE. The statement I made then was "I don't know if I can do better than the schools, but I can't do worse". I know I have met that goal. He is well ahead of where I was at his age, and more confident too... and let's not forget that the schools were in much better shape when I was his age. When I compare him to his same age relatives, he falls into the middle of the pack. Some are the same or better, some are behind. I will take my comfort in having met the goals we set.
FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE
ahermitt.com
FAILURE. That was all I heard. Not my son's failure, because he wasn't doing THAT bad, he wasn't on academic probation or anything. He was just having a hard time. But was the failure mine for not adequately preparing him for college. That's how I felt.
When I decided to homeschool, it was clear to me that if the kids continued on the track they were on that they would never-ever even make it to college. This particular child had taken to not speaking at all in school (selectively mute), and the other was being forced into ADHD testing. The boy ended up in college with scholarships, and the girl is right behind him, so that is not failure on my part, at all.
Still, I had to ask myself if I overlooked something I should have anticipated??? I will honestly never know. But asking that question, and putting his issues on myself would have been the same as expecting the schools to take credit that I, an "A Student" in high school completely flunked out of Fordham University after my first semester and had to start over at a community college. For some kids, the transition to college is just hard. It was very, very, hard for me... it is a challenge for my son... and we have the same learning styles. Fortunately, I can help him turn it around just like I did.
I have also seen some blessings in this experience. Son has had a year to find out what college is actually like. He has a better idea of what he likes and does not like. His perspective on what is a good college and what is a bad college has also changed. He is educating us on his discoveries. He is looking at schools he had not considered before and measuring the finances vs. the prestige. He is making a bold decision to weigh where he is against a school he would have never considered before.... and in all that a new and more appropriate major (for my son) has been added to that school he is considering. It is starting to look like a blessing in disguise, that he could transfer into a brand new program that is more suited to his strengths and more in line with what he wants to do with is life. Prior to this, the only 2 schools that offered this new major were very, very expensive.
So, in the end, I can look at a young man who is able to make a decision for himself before a decision is made for him. He is able to weigh the pros and cons of a situation, and is working on a measured decision, and not something that is impulsive of knee-jerk. He is not emotionalizing the situation like I was starting to.
When I look back at why I chose to homeschool I know that THIS IS NOT FAILURE. The statement I made then was "I don't know if I can do better than the schools, but I can't do worse". I know I have met that goal. He is well ahead of where I was at his age, and more confident too... and let's not forget that the schools were in much better shape when I was his age. When I compare him to his same age relatives, he falls into the middle of the pack. Some are the same or better, some are behind. I will take my comfort in having met the goals we set.
FREE HOME EDUCATION WEBSITE
ahermitt.com
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