Taking Care of Homeschool Business

We've vowed to get our paperwork done on time this year, and so far I've at least thought a lot about it. Does that count? Making up a curriculum is a bit of a chore, you really need to do a bit of research to see what the state wants. Unfortunately, the language is incredibly obtuse and redundant, so you have to sift through the muck and distill it down to the bare essentials, and this takes time. Who's got time? I guess we do, if we're off skiing and having fun all day.

Either way, this process has begun. In the next month, our goal is to have the curriculum done (hopefully sooner), have a sense of our place in the academic universe, and clarify what still needs to be done. I can foresee a bit cramming in our future, but what else is new when it comes to school.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Wearing Glasses and Homeschooling

We wear glasses, as do our kids (at least one of them), and the subject of myopia has recently come up. What exactly causes it, and how can you avoid it. Our optometrist said that they really don't know what the causes are, though there is no shortage of theories out there. I will say this-the whole stereotype of the nerdy bookworm who wears glasses has some merit to me. I've read that from an evolutionary standpoint, reading doesn't necessarily fit into the survival equation, because animals in the wild need to focus on the big picture and see their enemies. Reading focuses on the minute details that are food for thought but are not going to help you avoid predation.

So, maybe it makes a little sense that when you read as young child, you're putting undue strain on your eyes that could lead to shortsightedness. And it's not just reading, TV and computer games count, as well.

Nobody can say for sure, but it's interesting to think about. Of course, there are exceptions, and reading does not guarantee anything, but again, it is intriguing to think of the studious bookworm and the reading glasses.

Speaking of reading, we're still in homeschool mode in terms of answering to the state. We really want to get our enrollment in early, unlike last year, but like all things, it will take time and sweat, two things I don't have a lot of. Actually, sweat is readily available. Don't even get me started on the portfolio, but we do have some time, and we will get this done. Famous last words. Every day I plan out how we'll tackle the government and history objectives, and every day I fail. Something always comes up, though skiing is becoming less of an option.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Homeschool Considerations and Goals, Writing, and Skiing

We have made a vow to be more diligent about our homeschool obligations. I don't mean in terms of our daily teachings, but more in terms of answering to the state. It behooves us to do as such. We just received our enrollment paperwork for the next school year, and last year we waited until the zero hour and suffered accordingly. The shame of it all was that we had so much time and rested on our laurels. Or should I say, I rested on my laurels.

The fact of the matter is, homeschooling is my job, though I got a little huffy when my wife seemed to hint at this. My apologies to her, and I'm sure she wants to flog me for my behavior at times. Then again, she'd better be careful, I just got my blue belt.

Either way, our short terms goals go something like this-we need to sit down and assess where we've been and what we've covered, then compare that to what we said we'd do (i.e., our curriculum). We can still cover the things that fall short because there is still a lot of time, but again, it goes by quickly, and the better prepared we are, the easier it will be.

Then we need to begin assembling the portfolio, which isn't due until Labor Day, I believe, but like a lot of situations, when you have so much time, you waste all of it. The easier part will be to fill out the enrollment for the next school year. For the record, I admit that I got a little whiny when it became clear that this was going to fall in my lap. My apologies, once again, to my wife, but at least I'm not getting angry... sort of.

Just thinking about it makes my head spin, which is the kiss of death because those are the times when I just shut down and try to ignore it. Can't do that this time.

To make matters all the more complicated, I have my minor writing gigs that don't pay much but I want to maintain, while I'm also searching for the elusive writing gig that will pay me much, or at least enough to maintain our fabulously opulent lifestyle (for those of you who don't know me, this is a joke) And then there's my blog, or should I say, blogs?

It's all a bit much, so we'll deal with it in the best possible way-by trying to go skiing. Today is Friday, the last Friday that the Quechee Hill will be open, and it's supposed to rain. Bummer, but yet another example of how life is unpredictable, and rather than moan or get angry, just deal with it and make the most of it.

See how well my anger management is working?

If it were possible to put in a humble request to the weather, however, we would not complain if the rain came later rather than earlier, but that's just us.

We have a busy weekend up ahead, and it just might involve... you guessed it, skiing. Looking forward, however, to Saturday in Hanover at the Howe Library (one of my favorite libraries of all time!) and dinner at Boloco, one of my five favorite places to eat in the Upper Valley.

Until then, thanks for reading.

More on Homeschooling, On a Roll, and Burrito Bowls

Looking back on our year, I think we're in pretty good shape, if only for the fact that we're monitoring ourselves early than last year, where we totally blew it and just squeaked by with the extensive assistance of the state offices. Much thanks for all of them for their patience and help. Hopefully we've learned something. The biggest issue for us is still history and social studies. How the heck do you teach it so it's interesting? Maybe the point is, at this stage in their lives, it just isn't. All things considered, we are doing fine, and will begin the process of reviewing our year and answering the to the state, who for the record have been very helpful and patient with us. Did I already mention that?

Spaced out on homeschool art class yesterday, didn't even know it was going on and thus missed out. Bummer.

That is not to say that we haven't been having fun, however, even though we haven't skied for three whole days, maybe four. As I've probably mentioned for a million times, we skied for six days straight last week, so it's almost as it if it's become our regular routine. With the recent storm, we can't wait to get back out there, but the Quechee Hill is back to it's weekend schedule, so mid-week skiing is a bit of a challenge. Our goal, however, is to give the Dartmouth Hill a try again, and hopefully it will work out. Looking to Wednesday for that, if all things work out.

Last night had the killer pseudo-vegetarian meals, our favorite Boloco inspired burrito bowls. We put a little chicken in the kid's bowls to make it more interesting for them, but I think they could go vegan, because it's all about the beans and the salsa. Maybe not as good as Boloco burritos, but close. The key I've found is the juiciness, from the salsa and the fillings. When it's drippy and wet, somehow it just tastes better. Funny how that works.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Confronting the Educational Dilemma

As we negotiate our way through the process of teaching the kids about government and history, it becomes clearer to me what a farce education can seem at times. I remember hating history and how it had no meaning or value to me. For the record, now that I'm older (much older), I love the subject, but when I was younger you couldn't have paid me to show any interest, and I see a bit of that in not only our kids, but in all kids. It just becomes a case of memorizing facts and regurgitating them for the benefit of the us adults. What does it really mean to a seven-year-old?

At the very least, we're finding our way, but only because as homeschoolers we have some flexibility in molding the lessons and optimizing our approach, though optimizing it is a stretch. I guess in the end, history is best learned with some context, and without that context, it just becomes a process of learning a bunch of facts... you guessed it, out of context. I don't have an answer, and I realize this is just the way it's done and the way it's gotta be, but it's a shame, in a way, that the subject has to be such a chore to learn. I struggle with this and am still searching for the holy grail of the interesting and fun approach to learning history. Something interactive that will grab their imagination would be best, so if you're reading this and have any thoughts, I'd welcome your advice. Until then, we're taking the public school approach and memorizing and regurgitating.

It works as far as placating the state, but we'd like to find something that bestow the kids with more meaning and maybe even, if I may be so bold, inspire them. Maybe a trip, or something interactive. I'm scouring the web for something fun and interesting, and from what little research I've done, feel optimistic that there is something out there.

In meantime, we'll continue to have fun with math and reading. Learning can be fun, as we all know, you just have to have the right attitude, and I'm not here to knock conventional schooling, but it's difficult to argue with the fact that it doesn't instill us with the best of attitudes about learning.

Thanks for reading.

Christmas Eve-Enough Said

Not to sound so darn cliche, but I can't believe it's Christmas Eve. Even though we've been inundated with the white stuff, somehow I still don't get that Christmas feeling, even though we are so on top of this gig. I think part of it stems from not watching TV or being heavily engaged in pop/consumer culture. We've been listening to a lot of radio, however, and the Christmas buying spirit is alive and well. Whatever be the case, the kids are thrilled to pieces.

In fact, even though I'm cynical about it at times, the Christmas spirit is alive and well in our house, and I'm glad. Children should have magic in their lives, and as parents it's within our powers to help that along, even if I find the whole Santa Claus thing a little complex to deal with. If your kids are reasonably astute, they must see through the whole charade since there are so many holes in the story. It is impressive how the whole legend and mystique of Santa Claus has been formed and promoted through the years.

We spent most of the day inside yesterday because temps were hovering around -10 degrees, if you can believe that. I had to go out and finish some stuff, but the kids decided to hang out inside and play with Legos and read books. It was an awesome day, and once again, they behaved well. We made chocolate chip cookies and I think we've figured out (sort of) the problem with burning the darn things-something that really irks me. We seem to burn a tray or two of them, and it ruins my day. The solution? Move the racks up higher to they're further removed from the heat. Duh! One solution would be to bake one tray at a time and place it on the highest rack, but that would take more time and be less energy efficient. Either way, we achieve pretty good results and we're happy with it.

My wife has been working furiously on her grant, but will stay home the next couple of days, so it'll be nice having family time at home. We got a nice message from A telling us that C misses the kids and that they've been too busy to come over. The reason this is key is because A called her two days ago and has been waiting with bated breath to hear from her. They are busy people, and she never heard from them. She's good about it, but I could tell it bummed her out. How else can you feel when your best friend doesn't call back?

Either way, it was nice of her to let us know, and she says that she's vowed to spend more time at home so the kids can play, but in the end, you do what you gotta do.

I'm still feeling my way through the homeschool gig, but one thing I love about it is when things click and you somehow feel vindicated-not that this is a requirement. First of all, N has become increasingly interested in learning, and yesterday he even wanted to do more work just for the sake of doing it. How cool is that? He's really coming along, and he works hard and feels pride in a job well done. A is amazing, she really loves to learn. The math and english are pretty straightforward, it's the history and government that are truly challenging. We've been chipping away at health and science is very accessible, and just yesterday we touched on government as a way to segue into history/social studies. Again, I have no clue what I'm doing, but that often leads to the best result. The key I've found is to take it slowly and spark interest in the subject. We'll see how it goes.

One great thing that makes me look at the kids in awe is that they're really showing interest in music. I can't even begin to tell you how happy this makes me. N picks up his guitar every day and strums it, as does A, but to a lesser degree. A's thing is the keyboard, and it really stokes me when she sits and tries to figure out songs, and she's good. Very patient. I think the keyboard is good in that way, straightforward with immediate gratification and less pain. I hope they stick with it, and it inspires me to pick up my guitar and play, as well.

Just wanted to take a moment to say thanks for Susan for her supportive words and to Gary for being my mentor.

There's so much to say, but so little time. I've resolved to write more to AC in the hopes of making some pocket change to finance rock climbing, bowling, and ice skating for the kids. It ain't much, but it's something, and it is writing.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.