Our First Weeks of School!

Whew! I have a whole new respect for you home-schooling mothers out there in the blogosphere. How in the world do you find time to blog?? I only have one student and we haven't even started all of our courses yet, but the last thing on my mind these days is posting. And when it has been on my mind, our internet's been down. Even now I'm typing this in Notepad hoping that Trevvor can post it for me at work tomorrow--yey flashdrives!



As I've posted before, this year I am the primary teacher of my 14 year old brother. It's his first year of high school, and my mom asked me to do it (along with helping out around the property) in lieu of rent. Of course I accepted (and not just for the "free" living space either)! So all summer I've been making out four-year plans in Excel, pouring over curriculum catelogues in print and online, searching for CDs and books on Ebay, hoping I could remember my algrebra, and most of all, praying that Christopher would be willing to learn from me.



Chris isn't exactly a school-loving kid; he much prefers taking things apart and driving any vehical he can get his hands on (mostly the tractor at this point). In contrast to my reading-while-I-walk self, he has little love of books (which we're working on, trust me). Our learning styles are incredibly different, and as all siblings do, we've had our share of conflicts over the years. So I was worried that he would resent me teaching him, that he would fight me in learning, that every day would be a struggle for academic survival.



Boy, have I been pleasantly surprised.



Yes, we've had better days than others, but those "better days" have vastly outweighed the "others" thus far. We've had a blast, which is especially surprising when you know that all we've been doing is Bible and not one but TWO lessons of math each day! He even told me last week that he was having "the time of his life" doing math with me! I was floored.



We start each morning with a prayer and the pledge, followed by learning two memory verses (one for the week and one for the month) and reading an inspiring quote. Then we listen to two chapters of the Bible on CD while reading along and answer some objective questions using Balancing the Sword: Volume I. He really seems to be enjoying that, and often asks if we can listen to another chapter!



Next we begin math. He's technically doing Saxon Algebra I this year, but we're playing a little catch up and finishing his pre-algebra Teaching Textbook first (thus the two lessons a day). Now, Chris and math are mortal enemies, so I was somewhat dreading the experience of trying to force-feed it to him. But I was amazed both at his mathematical skill as well as his (more often than not) willingness to learn and work the problems. I think my extra-cool graphing calculator has helped, haha, though I'm attempting to teach him how to use it as an aid rather than rely on it. Some days he's more independent than others, which is nice as I can read a good book (right now I'm reading A Virtuous Woman by Ruth Mast) while he works the problems, making sure I'm still available to answer questions.



After the first lesson, we have a half-hour to an hour for lunch, depending on the time of day and what our afternoon holds (not to mention whether or not we've already taken any imprompteau breaks thus far--Chris has a habit of thinking of random things he needs to do during school). Then we go back and do the second lesson, as well as a few stretches and calisthenics, and that's been our day!



This week we've added Exploring Creation with Physical Science to the mix, and that's been a bit of a challenge for both of us. Chris thrives on routine, so getting used to this addition has been somewhat difficult for him, but he's being a good sport, and I'm phsyching him up for the home-labs that are coming up. Like I said, he's EXTREMELY hands-on (and I'm extremely not), so we're trying to strike a textbook/project balance.



Our school year "officially" starts the day after Labor Day, so that's when we'll go down to only one math lesson each day and begin the other few subjects. I'll be adding geography, literature, grammar/vocabulary/spelling, and some as-we-have-time electives, like P.E., typing, mechanics, and--believe it or not--farming. A family close to our home offers home-school farming classes once a month for a full day. They start in September and go through next August, so he'll get to see a working farm during each season! And the coolest part (for me) is that I get to tag along!



But really, isn't that one of the most wonderful things about home-schooling? You and your children get to learn together, side by side, when you rise up, when you walk along the way, and when you lie down.