Finishing up Week 32- Updating Progress & Some Thoughts

It is Thursday of "week 32” but really, it’s only technically the end of week 31 because of our missed days. I’m not splitting hairs. When we get to May 18, 2012, we’re done. *I* need a break.

We have finished with school by between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm this week which is excellent. It’s been a really good week. We get started no later than 9:00 am and sometimes as early as 7:30 am {but that’s a real rarity!}.

For Lee:
Bible: Judges 1-3; Romans 15-1 Corinthians 1; Psalm 139:1-12; Esther commentary (finished Matthew Henry commentary and an article; writing a ‘report’)
Math: Life of Fred Advanced Algebra Lessons 30-32
English: Screwtape Letters (page 52 of the study guide; Letter #20; Excellence In Literature (Unit 3- Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court; Mark Twain author profile, new chapter headings & Yankee ‘report' on technology versus tradition); History of English Literature chapter 58
Gov’t/Civics/Citizenship: Whatever Happened to Justice? chapter 42; Francis Bacon’s “Of Innovation” (this took two weeks to get through)
History: Western Civilization pages 453-457; Galileo online ‘activity’; Queen Elizabeth’s speech to the Spanish Armada; Death’s Duel
Current Events
Foreign Language: Latin review through lesson 20; Greek Level 5, Lessons 34 (she’s dragging it out because it is the last of the level and we don’t have the next one yet)
Art/Composer Independent drawings of a seal and a vase (working on realistic drawing, shading); Bierstadt (On the Saco); Beethoven

For Fox:
Bible: Joshua 13-15; John 18-20; Romans 12:1-14; Saints and Heroes rest of Cromwell and Bunyan; Who Am I? #26
Math: Saxon Algebra 1 Lesson 13-15
Science: Murche’s Science Reader VI chapter 51; Creek Edge Press Task Card #15 (motion: flying); The Sciences (263-284); The Story Book of Science (chapter 52); Amazing Science DVD; The Sea Around Us (to page 56)
English: Jensen’s Grammar Lesson 34-37 & Test 7; The Iliad (chapters 6-8); Pictures in Cursive (penmanship and Art Study); The Age of Fable (Druids); The Bronze Bow (page 27, #14a in the study guide; chapter 8)
History: The Story of the Romans chapters 31-48; Around the World in 180 Days (researching for ‘report’)
Foreign Language: Latin review through lesson 20; basic German (found a children’s book and he’s trying to pick out words)
Art/Composer Bierstadt (On the Saco); Beethoven

That is the ‘update’ part and now here are the comments. Deep breath…exhale… being a teacher is hard work! Being an actual teacher. I have at quite a few points in this homeschool journey *not* been an actual teacher; I’ve let the kids do their own learning. By that I mean I told them what they would be covering, what pages to read and let them go. Come find me when you’re done. Might I say {of course I may} that while that does indeed foster quite independent learners, it does not necessarily create well learned independent learners.

With two very different, yet related individuals, perhaps it is not realistic to expect the characteristics of one to be present in the other just because it is present in the first. {You think?} I have a motivated self learner and I have an unmotivated student. At no point will I say that I never have issues with my motivated self learner {msl} and never will I say that my unmotivated student {ums} doesn’t surpass my expectations. Both of those scenarios do happen.

This week and the previous week of school have shown me the above two paragraphs even though I did know this already somewhere in my head. I started planning for the next school year this month {really planning, not just figuring out that I *might* use ‘this’ or *might* cover ‘that’} and it took me a good two weeks to get it all out on paper. You’d think {or is it just me} that it should be much more simple since my curriculum is already written at Ambleside Online.

Sometimes {just some} I think it’d be easier to plan for a classroom of 20+ students! With only two kids {and yet so different} I can, and have to really, individualize my planning. This is a good thing, don’t get me wrong. But just because I did it such-and-such way with #1 doesn’t mean I can get by with doing that same thing with #2. And now that they are getting into more detailed histories, sciences, thinking, I have to know what it is they are reading and talking about. I have to be able to hold a conversation with them in whatever subject they are going through. I am their teacher. Actually, I am their facilitator.

Being a teacher doesn’t mean that I am giving them the ‘facts’ and that they must regurgitate them. That isn’t how learning works. They must {and I must as well} be able to look at the ‘facts’ that are supplied to them and be able to critically think about what they are hearing/reading/seeing, form their own thoughts about them and then be able to explain why they agree or disagree. They also need to be able to see when a ‘fact’ is in reality not a fact. I want them to be able to say, “I don’t see it that way and this is why…” or “No, that is incorrect and here is why…” and to not just be like sheep, following the crowd.

My brain is getting more of a workout than I can really recall it ever getting! Even when I was in undergraduate classes! A lot of the things we are covering now are at the same level and in some cases, above that. Of course some things I just never learned in the first place, so I am learning as well. Today for a change, with our Latin review, the kids quizzed me. I did very well {way better than they thought I would, so they said}. It surprised me and I liked it.

These past two school weeks have really made me appreciate the way we do school. I have a lot of pre-reading to get done before next school year but I am so looking forward to being in the 8th and 10th grade all over again- as a teacher but really as a facilitator –and a student.

School Stuff- What’s Been Done

For record keeping purposes  

For Lee:
Bible: Joshua 23 & 24; Romans 14; Psalm 139:1-10; Esther commentary
Math: Life of Fred Advanced Algebra Lessons 28 & 29
Science: “Cells”, finished chapter 9, test. FINISHED
English: Screwtape Letters; Excellence In Literature (Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court); History of English Literature chapter 57; Westward Ho!
Gov’t/Civics/Citizenship: Whatever Happened to Justice? chapter 41; Francis Bacon’s “Of Innovation”
History: Western Civilization pages 448-452; Galileo (chapter in Great Astronomers)
Current Events
Foreign Language: Latin review through lesson 18; Greek Level 5, Lessons 33 & 34

For Fox:
Bible: Joshua 11 & 12; John 17; Romans 12:1-12; Saints and Heroes 1/2 of Cromwell; Who Am I? #25
Math: Saxon Algebra 1 Lesson 12
Science: Murche’s Science Reader VI chapter 50; Creek Edge Press Task Card #14 (motion)
English: Jensen’s Grammar Lesson 33; The Iliad chapters 3-5
History: The Story of the Romans chapters 27-30
Foreign Language: Latin review through lesson 18; basic German (salutations)

Okay, that is all.

What, where'd that come from!?

It seems that somehow I have the money for my internet...where did it come from? I don't want to think negatively and my first thought was that it is a blessing from God because it is something that I asked for guidance with, help with (to turn it off or keep it, where the money would come from, help to keep it reasonable). But at the same time, I also worry (bad me I know) that it is not a blessing but a disguised fiasco waiting to happen. I have problems with limiting my net time. Although I feel that I have done exceptionally well the last few weeks. Perhaps you've noticed I haven't even been here...and if you didn't notice, well, that's alright ;)

I discontinued a few subscriptions and services that I'd not been using as I used to and yet was still paying for. That could be where the 'extra' money came from... who knows!

What is for certain, I am grateful that I could keep it! I will do my best (and turn to God for the strength I need) to moderate my usage.

I don't have much to write lately. Not sure why...perhaps because nothing much is going on :)

Oh! One thing that I have that is note worthing, I think, is that I have begun to use Homeschool Skedtrack. I have used Homeschool Tracker before (which is a great program) but it corrupted on my computer. It has taken a little while to figure out Homeschool Skedtrack but now I like it :) You might have seen the banner I asked them for up top on my blog ^-^

Budgeting..because I just don't know where I put my money!

Oh, gee... I have been thinking lately about how I budget (or rather don't) my money. There are certain things I pay for a month (internet, cell phone, netflix, ancestry.com, sponsoring a child in Africa, daughter's ballet class) and also grocery buying. But I have a limited amount of money to pay for those things. As a matter of fact I couldn't pay for dd's ballet this month. What a horrible feeling...going to tell her teacher that I couldn't pay. I don't want to take her out and am so grateful that her teacher said "don't worry about it. We have an anonymous donor that I think will take care of her the rest of the year." Such a relief! But at the same time: I should have the money for that!

I have decided that I will keep track of what I spend and on what. I want to see exactly where my money goes to because I think there should be enough for all the things that I have committed myself to pay for.

I was taught how to do budget in high school and have occasionally put it into practice as an adult but honestly not very often. In our household, dh pays for and keeps track of all the major payments and bills. I only have responsibility for a few things and many of those are the things that I myself want and could most likely live without.

I am not going to go looking for a budgeting how-to, because I know how to do it. Now, if I could just find something that would make me do it, that would be marvelously helpful ;) I will probably just use an excel sheet to keep track of things. It will be somewhat difficult because I don't usually keep receipts (it's like pennies, I don't like carrying them around although they are beneficial!). That is something to work on.

I think to start with I will list all the recurring bills/payments that go out each month. Then I will try to estimate what I spend on other things (such as my beloved coffee, dc's occasional toy/treat, randomness that steals my money). Of course, I am thinking my estimations will be off by far from the true amounts and so I will need to start to keep those receipts.

So much fun... imagine if I were to stop buying the coffee drinks and cremosas, stop buying frivolous items that are used just once and left on a shelf (or given to Goodwill within a short time). Imagine how much money I will recapture (because it isn't saving it...it's just not spending it). I could put that to better use...such as buying healthier food for the family, buying the plants/seeds for my garden that I can't at the moment (because, I am sure, I spent too much on the coffee/cremosa drinks this month) or just for things that are needed here and there, like new pants for either of my kids. Or even a special treat like a trip to the zoo (I can't afford that either right now but I think I should be able to).

It will mean sacrifice though. Mostly on my part...perhaps some on the kids' part. Oh, I know of one sacrifice that I will gladly make: the morning headache I have from the caffeine!