I have been very, very ill since Wednesday. I suspected I was getting sick during the day as my body thermostat went haywire and my teeth kept chattering. But around 10pm, I got hit with a fever that knocked me off my feet, followed by several days of stomach distress. During my week of inability, and with my husband out of town, my daughter (soon to be 15) quickly stepped into the caretaker role needed to get us through the week. The only outside help I had to call on was for grocery deliveries in a desperate attempt to ease my symptoms.
She not only assisted me, and kept my fever from getting to high, but she also checked on her brother was was also suffering, though to a lesser degree. She made meals. She sat nearby. She was attentive, and I was well cared for.
Is this something I trained her for as a girl who is homeschooled. No. Not directly. But I believe that her numerous opportunities to watch me and other family members in action helped her step into the role she was needed for this week. I also suspect that she has a strong maternal nature... the line between mother and daughter was very blurred this week.
I don't raise or homeschool my daughter any differently than my son, with the exception that we focus on each child's individual gifts and talents. It was interesting however to see how my daughter will operate in a caregiver role as an adult.
Makes me wonder if roles is something that we can teach, or something that we model, or just something ingrained in us.
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Homeschool Blogging A-Z: Q is for Questions
As we finish our 8th grade of homeschooling and look forward to our 9th, It is interesting to reflect on all of the questions about homeschooling that have been presented to us over the year. Like we have evolved over the years, so have the questions. Here is a general accounting of them.
1. Why aren't the kids in school? In our early days when the kids were small children, all kind of people would sto us as we went about our day and grill me and the kids about why they were not in school. Most seemed annoyed that children were invading their quet time at the library or supermarket at a time when they did not expect kids there. My duaghter, who was quite tiny at the time, would pointedly say, "We don't go to school." Then she would walk away. Great fun!
2. What about socialization? This question came from people we knew who worried that our kids would become weird misfits. My personal research about the subject taught me to not bother answering the question as no one would be satisfied with the answer. So I didn't.
3. Why don't you put the kids back in school and then volunteer at the school? Parents of public school and private schooled kids were appalled that I would bring my kids home to educate them and give them ALL my time. Many felt that I should be contributing to the greater good by using my strenths and knowledge in the schools and putting my kids back in classes. I knew, however, that I only had two children and if I did not look out for their best interests first and foremost, who would?
4. What do you use for curriculum? The tide started to turn in the mid 2000's and more and more people knew about homeschooling and were beginning to look at if favorably. At the point people began drilling about curriculum in what seemed like and attempt to decipher if were homeschooling 'correctly'.
5. Can you homeschool my child? When people began to realize that I did in fact know what I was doing and having positive results, I got an overwhelming amout of people asking if I would homeschool their kids while they worked. They felt that their kids also deserved the benefits of homeschooling even if they could not or would not do it themselves. I declined. People were unhappy with me.
6. It's time for high school. Shouldn't you put them back into school? As my kids began to approach high school years, we noticed that other homeschoolers were putting their kids in public schools. We actually have some quality schools in our area. We began to feel pressure and even got some direct demands from relatives that "enough was enough". We'd had our homeschooling fun. It was time for the kids to go back to school. We polled our kids and like us, they did not agree. We continued to homeshool.
7. What about the prom? By this time I was homeschooling big, strong, adult-looking homeschoolers. People began to worry about socialization again. Fortunately, when they asked the coded question about the prom, I was able to recite where and when all of the local homeschool proms occurred.
8. Why did you start homeschooling in the first place? There days, people are generally curious. This question most often comes from the parents of other homeschooling parents. Yes, homeschooling grandparents. It seems to me that they are trying to reconcile for themselves their own kids homeschooling journey and are looking for comparison points.
9. How do I start homeschooling? This past year, I have been pleasantly surprised by the vast number of new homeschoolers who have approached me looking for help. It appears that we are having a resurgence of homeschooling. This is going to get interesting.
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1. Why aren't the kids in school? In our early days when the kids were small children, all kind of people would sto us as we went about our day and grill me and the kids about why they were not in school. Most seemed annoyed that children were invading their quet time at the library or supermarket at a time when they did not expect kids there. My duaghter, who was quite tiny at the time, would pointedly say, "We don't go to school." Then she would walk away. Great fun!
2. What about socialization? This question came from people we knew who worried that our kids would become weird misfits. My personal research about the subject taught me to not bother answering the question as no one would be satisfied with the answer. So I didn't.
3. Why don't you put the kids back in school and then volunteer at the school? Parents of public school and private schooled kids were appalled that I would bring my kids home to educate them and give them ALL my time. Many felt that I should be contributing to the greater good by using my strenths and knowledge in the schools and putting my kids back in classes. I knew, however, that I only had two children and if I did not look out for their best interests first and foremost, who would?
4. What do you use for curriculum? The tide started to turn in the mid 2000's and more and more people knew about homeschooling and were beginning to look at if favorably. At the point people began drilling about curriculum in what seemed like and attempt to decipher if were homeschooling 'correctly'.
5. Can you homeschool my child? When people began to realize that I did in fact know what I was doing and having positive results, I got an overwhelming amout of people asking if I would homeschool their kids while they worked. They felt that their kids also deserved the benefits of homeschooling even if they could not or would not do it themselves. I declined. People were unhappy with me.
6. It's time for high school. Shouldn't you put them back into school? As my kids began to approach high school years, we noticed that other homeschoolers were putting their kids in public schools. We actually have some quality schools in our area. We began to feel pressure and even got some direct demands from relatives that "enough was enough". We'd had our homeschooling fun. It was time for the kids to go back to school. We polled our kids and like us, they did not agree. We continued to homeshool.
7. What about the prom? By this time I was homeschooling big, strong, adult-looking homeschoolers. People began to worry about socialization again. Fortunately, when they asked the coded question about the prom, I was able to recite where and when all of the local homeschool proms occurred.
8. Why did you start homeschooling in the first place? There days, people are generally curious. This question most often comes from the parents of other homeschooling parents. Yes, homeschooling grandparents. It seems to me that they are trying to reconcile for themselves their own kids homeschooling journey and are looking for comparison points.
9. How do I start homeschooling? This past year, I have been pleasantly surprised by the vast number of new homeschoolers who have approached me looking for help. It appears that we are having a resurgence of homeschooling. This is going to get interesting.
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Homeschool Blogging A-Z: P is for Pajamas
It's True. Homeschoolers don't bother to get dressed until it is time to leave the house. We literally spend the day in our pajamas... sort of. Actually, my son prefers sweat pants. I like yoga pants and t-shirts, and my daughter lives in scrubs.
The scrubs she wears are the same medical scrubs you find on a doctor or nurse at the hospital. They are no-muss, no-fuss, wash and wear, and they are also great for sleepovers, and tech week wear, when you have spend every single minute at drama club rehearsal getting in and out of costumes.
I keep her closet stocked with these easy wear, easy care outfits by ordering them from stores like http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/
The scrubs she wears are the same medical scrubs you find on a doctor or nurse at the hospital. They are no-muss, no-fuss, wash and wear, and they are also great for sleepovers, and tech week wear, when you have spend every single minute at drama club rehearsal getting in and out of costumes.
I keep her closet stocked with these easy wear, easy care outfits by ordering them from stores like http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/
Homeschool Blogging A-Z: O is for Online Classes
(Has anyone figured out how much of a Dork I am yet?) In my a to Z blog project I listed M, then N, them M again!)... I am going to pick up now with O... forgive my scattered brain!
Homeschool blogging A-Z: O is for Online Learning
Over the years, we have approached learning is a great mixture of ways. We have taken classes in the community, used online programs and educational websites, and we have also studied from textbooks at home. One option we haven't had the opportunity to explore, but is still a great option is online learning through online classes.
Online classes including online college courses are classes run by a teacher who communicates through the internet through video programs and message boards. The teacher and student may communicate live; in real time, or they may leave messages and video instruction for the other to retrieve later.
MIT online learning and other Open Source type classes are one form of online learning. The student can follow the lectures and classwork given by an actual professor at a top college.
My daughter plans to take a food chemistry class next fall using this method of learning.
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12 grade year of homeschooling, Finishing Strong
We are almost done with my college prep series. There will still be a video on completing the transcript. Stay tuned... meanwhile, ...
