American Literature and Composition

This year we used Janice Campbell's American Literature (published by IEW) for our American Literature spine.  It was perfect!  We included:

Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin
Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

There are nine modules in the book, and we opted to do six very well rather than doing all nine poorly.  Roughly, we spent 4 - 5 weeks on each book, with the exception of Moby Dick where we added a couple weeks.  For each book, we completed an author profile, at least one enrichment assignment, and an essay.  Some of the assignments were suggested by the Guide and others I assigned because I thought they'd be fun.  ;)

Author Profiles, brief biographies of the authors, included best-known works as well as how personal experiences, current events, public figures, and American places influenced their writing.  Our enrichment assignments varied from writing our own list of 13 Virtues (Franklin) to a social media page for Ichabod Crane (Sleepy Hollow) to a map of the Pequod's voyage (Moby Dick) to a slave narrative (Huck Finn) and more!  Intentionally, I included much Geography and History in our enrichment assignments.  For composition, we wrote a variety of essays that included an autobiographical excerpt, several short stories, a persuasive essay, and a comparative essay.

Recap: Huck Finn was the best, Mohicans was the worst, Moby Dick was the most challenging, and the Irving stories were the easiest (and best read-alouds!)

In my earlier blogging days, I would have had separate posts for all our different assignments to showcase all the learning and fun.  Today, however, I'm counting this a success for at least summarizing our Literature plan for the year!

Transcripts

I haven't gotten a child into college yet, but I'm super close. Others who have gone before me assure me that I am on the right path.

Remember, colleges today are far more interested in who your child is and what makes them unique. Every student applying for college will have taken U.S. History. Not every student applying for college will have rebuilt an engine, or served on a mission trip, or starred in a musical, or volunteered faithfully at the YMCA. This is what you will want to showcase.

General Credits for College Prep Transcripts

UNC Schools

Approximately 24 Credits Needed

In the state of North Carolina, nothing is required to graduate a student from your homeschool.

However, if your student desires to attend college, a college prep transcript is needed.
Students will need approximately 24 credit hours (in the following subjects) for their transcript. A credit
can be earned from 130 - 160 hours of work in the subject.

My personal advice (to make your life simpler and joyful!) is to award your student 4 credits a year

from academic subjects and then let the other 2 - 3 credits come from stuff they are already doing
[music lessons, dance, theater, sports, babysitting (call it home ec), driver's ed, Bible study,
computer coding, typing, scouts, test prep, etc.]

I.  ENGLISH I, II, III, IV - 4

Includes Literature, Grammar, Spelling, Vocabulary, Writing, Composition, etc.  

II.  MATHEMATICS - 4

Suggestions for transcripts:

a. Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Pre-Calc

b. Algebra I, Algebra II, Advanced Math I, Advanced Math II

c. Math I, Math II, Math III, Math IV

It is recommended that prospective students take a mathematics course credit in the 12th grade.

III.  SCIENCE - 3

One unit in a life or biological science (ex. Biology)

One unit in a physical science (ex. Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, etc.)

One lab course

IV.  SOCIAL STUDIES - 2

One unit must be in U.S. History
Includes World History, U.S. History, U.S. Government, Civics, Culture History like Music/Art,
Geography, etc.

V.  PHYSICAL EDUCATION - 1-2

VI.  FINE ARTS - 1

Includes Music Lessons, Art Classes, Art Curriculum, Photography, Theater/Drama, Dance  

VII.  FOREIGN LANGUAGE - 2
UNC schools suggest two years of a foreign language.  Many colleges want three.
My advice would be to contact an admission counselor at a college your student wants to
attend to see what the college prefers.  You would want to learn this information early in
their high school career, not later.

VIII.  HEALTH - 1

First Aid/CPR/Cooking/Etc. can all count as a health credit

IX.  ELECTIVES - 6 or more

a.  Logic

b.  Home Economics

c.  Driver's Ed

d.  Computer Coding/Programming

e.  Typing  

f.   Bible

g.  Philosophy/Sociology/Psychology

h.  Debate

Teens Need Teens

Multiple times a week, my children and I will have a moment of learning, and I will think: This would make an excellent blog post!  I long to keep updating my blog regularly, but life and learning get in the way.  That really is a good thing.

However, now that I really am in the homestretch of this journey, I do want to remember what it is that I have learned through the years as much as I want to remember all that my children have learned and accomplished.  My hope is that maybe I can bring new life to my blog by sharing some quick and easy tips about how we've made this journey last as long as we have.

Three years ago our son was convinced that he wanted to go back to school.  Now mind you, he hadn't been to school since he was seven, so he really had no idea what school was like.  After helping him unpackage his thoughts and concerns on the subject, my husband and I came to a realization.  He didn't really want to go to school.  He just wanted to be around students his own age more often.  Through some trial and error, we also discovered that he did not want those times to be academic.  He didn't want to gather with peers once a week to discuss Literature (this is often what happens in a homeschool co-op or class setting.)  He wanted to gather with teens regularly yet spontaneously in order to shoot hoops, eat Chick-Fil-A, or wander the mall.

Fortunately, a healthy-sized community has evolved within our YMCA Homeschool Program.  This has made the biggest difference in our personal homeschool.  Teens need other teens in their lives.  

Our son, even more so, needed some friendships that were his own.  It was important to him to initiate relationships without me.  Sometimes, as homeschoolers, this is a bit of a challenge because we are often connected to entire families.  Because I am friends with another homeschooling mother, naturally our children will be friends.  This works well when children are young, but this is not what my son desired.

My son now has contacts all over the South Charlotte area, many of whom I do not know.  (I do not even know all of the people in the picture above, which I lifted off his Instagram.)  Giving him this level of social independence has enabled us to remain on this journey.

Ten Activities of 2017

I'm allowed to post about 2017 as long as it's still January, right?

2017 was an even busier year for us.  I know all of you with teens understand.  As homeschool children age, their lives become more active.  The same could be said of teenagers in high school.  It's a season of life, and like all seasons that have come before, it will pass by rather quickly.  It just seems rather hectic and eternal when in the throws of it.

However, even with all the chaos and all the activity, 2017 was a wonderful year for us.  Since I am still desperately trying to record memories for my children, I thought it would be appropriate to post what I believe were our top activities in 2017.  Here are ten, in no particular order.

Traveling

We journeyed to Alaska, then Portland, for two weeks in June.  It was magical.  My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and this was their request for a party.  Since the trip, weekly we've had discussions on how we can return to this great state.  In the little bit of time that we were there, we actually saw quite a bit of Alaska -- by train, by boat, by car, and by plane.  Our children were the perfect ages to travel to the 49th state.  They enjoyed the trip as much as we did.

Solving

I've made it no secret that we've upped-our-math-game.  Basically, my homeschool philosophy for high school is:

1. Make sure they know Algebra.
2.  Let them teach themselves everything else.

I will let you know if it gets them into college.

Running

My son runs daily.  Literally.  In 2017, he got pretty fast.  In 2018, he's hoping to get even faster.

Dancing

It's how my daughter spends her spare time.   And by spare time, I mean 20+ hours a week.  But she loves it.  In 2017, she performed with two separate dance companies within her studio.  We had several weekend trips for classes, conventions, and performances.  We will be traveling even more in 2018.

Working

It's how I spend my spare time.  And again, by spare time I mean 20+ hours a week.  Our homeschool program at the YMCA has grown tremendously.  We have close to 500 students involved!!  What started 5 years ago as PE and swim lessons has evolved into a complete alternative learning center.  We are in the works of tweaking the program a bit to make it more simple and sustainable going forward.  Stay tuned ....   

Reading

I would love to say that I still read aloud to my children every day.  Sadly, because of our schedules, that doesn't happen.  However, I did discover in 2017 how much I loved reading short stories aloud to my children.  Short stories are the perfect read alouds for teens.  Most can be finished in about an hour.  Then, if you don't pick up the book again for a week (or two, or three) you don't need to remember what chapter you're on.

Driving

My son spent all of 2017 earning his necessary hours for his provisional driver's license.  In November, he received his 6-month license which allows him to drive between the hours of 5 a.m. - 9 p.m. with a single passenger.  This has changed my life.  Seriously.  I wasn't sure if I wanted young teenage drivers.  But, my husband talked me into it.  He said, "I think your life will be significantly freed up once you have another driver in the house."  He was right.  I see light at the end of the hectic-lifestyle tunnel.

Scouting

I think my son would rank driving much higher on the list than scouting, but nevertheless, it needs to be mentioned.  He spent two weeks of July at the Boy Scout Jamboree in southern West Virginia.  He will never forget that trip -- it was a phenomenal experience.  I believe the Boy Scout Jamboree is the way Scouts are rewarded for their perseverance.  We also helped our son make the decision to switch troops.  This will hopefully provide him with the necessary motivation to finish the journey.  Anyone who has managed a Scout's career knows that it pretty much takes a village to keep him motivated and encouraged til the end.  We're nearing the end now.

Grieving and Caring

We had our beloved boxer-lab mix euthanized in February.  Since then we have taken a rabbit and a Weimaraner into our home.  While searching how to spell Weimaraner correctly, I noticed Wikipedia describes the breed as stubborn, alert, intelligent, energetic, speedy, and aloof.  Ha!  This adequately defines the puppy we brought home in mid-August.

Preparing

For almost ten years I've been educating my children at home.  I only have a fraction of that time left.  I do believe that 3/4 of the journey can be filled with games, costumes, snow forts, crafts, Legos, and all kinds of fun.  But during the last quarter of the journey, some consideration needs to be given towards my children's future.  I think we're on the right path.  And, we're still having fun!

My Quarterly Blog Post Where I Post About Not Having Time To Post

Halloween 2008.  I only know this because digital photos tell you when they were taken, thankfully.

A dozen or so years ago, I used to regularly scrapbook with several women from our church.  Some of the women were younger moms (like me), others were empty-nesters, and the rest were somewhere in between.  I remember one evening in particular where many older women were sorting through past Halloween photos.  Each woman was having difficulty remembering which year went with which costume. At the time, my children had lived through maybe three Halloweens.  I thought:  Will there really come a day when I won't be able to distinguish when or where a picture was taken?

The answer to that question is:  Yes.  Overwhelmingly, yes.

Now comes the paragraph where I explain (like so many times previously) how I want to take regular pictures of my children's learning, events, and activities and very simply post it all to this blog like I used to.  However, it's not regular anymore.  Nor simple.  It's rather sporadic, and I can no longer remember which Halloween is which.

So periodically, I'll log back into Blogger and inform the few people who read this that I love homeschooling teens.  I could not imagine my children's high school years being any different.  I firmly believe that we are accomplishing all that we need to (and more!) for a college preparatory home education.  Plus, my children have the added enjoyment that comes from not being in traditional school.  Our routine still looks very similar to what it did in the beginning of our journey -- somedays structured and other days completely unconventional.  (Although, now we do much more math.)

Last week, we finished our first 10-week term with the Y Homeschool Program.  We have one more week of workshops following Thanksgiving.  Since I have difficulty blogging regularly, here are ten highlights from the past ten weeks.

• We are all on LESSON 44 (!!!!) of our Saxon Math levels -- Algebra II for my son, Algebra I for my daughter, and Pre-Algebra for me.  (Side note: Last spring I told parents to work their way through Saxon 7/6.  I'll add to that challenge, and now say work through Algebra 1/2.  I can do Algebra II alongside my son, simply because of what I know from Algebra 1/2.)

• To my children, I read Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (not the easiest read aloud) and Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (excellent read alouds for teens!!)

• Along with Algebra II, my son is also in a Problem-Solving class that uses the book Crossing the River with Dogs.  The class promotes collaboration while teaching mathematical problem-solving strategies.  If you're looking for ideas for an upper-level co-op class, I highly recommend this book.

• My daughter has been in a Creative Writing class and has completed three short-stories (that I know of.)

• Both children were in a Psychology class that ended the term with this article.  Is there a correlation between smartphones and mental health in teens?  Most likely.  

• Cross-Country ended for my son a little sooner than he had hoped for because of a recurring pain in his left foot.  Even with an abbreviated season, he still posted some respectable times for his sophomore year.  

• Our YMCA program now boasts 400 students (and it continues to grow).  Originally, I was slated to work about 8 hours a week.  I'm averaging about 22 - 25 hours a week.  This is one of the reasons I am having difficulty blogging.  (And cleaning our house.) 

• My daughter's ballet company performs their version of The Nutcracker six different times in four different venues over five weeks.  She began performances last weekend and will continue rehearsing and performing until December 15th.

• We still have a puppy. 

• My phone died.  Literally.  It started dying a slow death after we got caught in a monsoon at a Muse concert last June.  I managed to keep it alive until October.  I am not interested in purchasing a new phone right now, so my son managed to make my SIM card operable in an old phone of his.  I'm now disconnected from all apps.  It's kind of nice.  On the other hand, I'm taking even fewer pictures than before.  Fortunately, I can 'borrow' pictures off of my children's devices (which I did for this post) and they are now old enough to help me remember which Halloween is which.

I hope your Thanksgiving is grand.

The Wells Fargo Wagon Is A-Comin'

For the past year, we have diligently worked to help our children learn some basic finance fundamentals, specifically in regards to budgeting and stewardship.  If you are curious to how we've managed this, read on ...

Last January, they opened their own checking accounts.

We have never been a family that paid money for specific chores because we believe that if a chore needs to be done, someone needs to do it.  Immediately.  If the dishwasher is clean, unload it.  If your clothes are dirty, wash them.  If the lawn needs mowed, cut it.  If it needs to be done, no one is getting paid for it.  Therefore, my children have never operated with an 'allowance' system.  However, over the past year, my husband became very convicted about our children having their own money.  If they wanted to see a movie, or grab food, with friends, they needed to be responsible for paying for these events.  Our children needed to have some concept of how much things cost as well as begin breaking the habit of always asking us for money.

Enter the checking accounts.

After some discussion and research, we decided to have our children operate with a monthly stipend plan.  Every month, at the beginning of the month, our children are awarded their stipend.  This is their own money for entertainment, clothes, cell-phone add-ons, toiletries, fast-food, event registrations, gifts for others, etc.  It is not a large amount of money, but it is a significant amount if you're not used to having any.  They add to the amount with any money they earn from odd jobs, babysitting, gifts, etc.  The genius of the plan is that my children now pay for everything they need, or want, independently.  It's beautiful.  My husband and I put 1000 texts on their phone every month for $5, and we have told them that we will pay for the shoes they need for their activities, but that's it.  [Running and dancing require specific expensive shoes frequently.]  Everything else they need, or want, they pay for.

It only took a matter of weeks before my children began to understand money.  They learned that they could save to buy big ticket items.  They learned, sometimes the hard way, that if they spent their money by the 12th of the month, and they were invited to a movie the following week, they would be declining the invitation.  They've learned that Suave hairspray works almost as well as a salon brand, and Walmart athletic pants are almost as good as Adidas.  They've also learned that if they spend a significant amount on Lululemon leggings, they are going to take really, really, really good care of those leggings.  My personal favorite has been when they've attended concerts, or races, or dance competitions, and wanted to buy a t-shirt from the event.  I've simply said, 'It needs to come out of your account.'  Instantly, they stop bothering me about said t-shirt.

They each have their own debit card, which I believe helps with the entire process.  They have access to their accounts online, so they are able to track their spending and balances.  They both have begun learning when they are able to spend and when they need to save.

With this system, our son was able to complete several requirements for his Boy Scout Personal Management merit badge effortlessly.  And, just so you know how well it works, in the first month alone, my husband and I came out over $500 ahead in our personal budget!  Ownership.

Qualified

Nine years ago, when I began this homeschooling journey, my children and I joined a local co-op. New parents were not required to teach a class their first semester with the co-op.  However, after a few months of involvement, all parents were expected to submit at least one course description for a potential class.

At the time, my children were seven and five.  I was still pretty unsure of how this whole homeschooling thing worked.  My husband and I had read several books about homeschooling, and we had already taught both our children how to read, so we knew that educating our children at home was possible.  Looking back, though, I didn't have a vision for how I was going to teach my children all the subjects.  At the time, I also had no idea what classes I could offer a co-op.  I remember telling my husband: Maybe I could lead a high school girls' Bible study [we had spent the past ten years serving in collegiate ministry] or a high school girls' Health and Fitness class [I have always enjoyed exercising].

A few weeks into my homeschooling journey, I quickly realized I wasn't teaching my children.  I was facilitating their learning by learning right alongside them.  That winter, I offered a Natural Disasters class for the co-op because, at the time, my son was fascinated by Natural Disasters.  We studied hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, tsunamis, and more.  Prior to the class, I knew nothing about Natural Disasters, but I had access to the library and the Internet.  I also had a willingness to learn about Natural Disasters spurred on by my son's love for learning about Natural Disasters.  The class turned out to be a blast, and the following semester I offered another similar science-based class.

Since that day I have gone on to facilitate homeschool classes in English Grammar, Shakespeare, Ancient History, Medieval History, American History, Science, Math, Magic Tree House, American Girl, Latin, Geography, IEW, and more.  This fall alone, my schedule at the Y includes: Pre-Algebra, Poetry, Logic, [critical thinking and math problem solving skills for upper elementary students] American Literature and Composition, a beginning and intermediate level of Henle Latin, and an ACT/SAT Prep class.  [Side note -- I have never yet facilitated a Bible study or an aerobics class for teenage girls.]

I've said this many times, but I firmly believe that everyone can homeschool their children.  I'm convinced.  It does not take years of training with advanced degrees.  It doesn't even take lots of organization and structure.  Believe me!  It does take a little confidence, a little independence, a love for learning, a willingness to 'look something up' if you are unfamiliar with it, an enjoyment of your children, and a vision for who you hope your children will become one day.  All the rest of the details can be learned along the journey.

I share this today because when I am out-and-about with my teens and the homeschooling topic presents itself, the conversation has shifted from what it once was.  Nine years ago, strangers would respond:

Oh, you homeschool?  I could never spend all day with my children.

Today, I'm often met with:

Oh, you still homeschool? Do you think you're qualified to teach all the higher-level subjects?

Yes, absolutely.  Still.

Year Nine, Week Three

This week, we started our homeschool classes at the YMCA.  Along with teaching seven different classes, I also help to facilitate and to lead the program.  It really is an impressive site.  For the fall ten-week session, we have over 400 students enrolled in 104 different classes or workshops.  My children are taking a couple of academic classes [Algebra, American Lit, Biology] and a couple of classes for fun [Photography, Psychology, P.E.].  More updates on their classes will come.

I posted about our YMCA Homeschool Program earlier this year.  You'll need to reference that post to see a small picture of the 22-acre facility where we hold the majority of our classes.  This week, over the three days that we held class, I logged 40,000 steps.

This was just Day 1!

Our program runs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  Because my responsibilities require me to be out of the home more than my children, I have equipped them with several ways to complete their work.

I joked on Instagram that this is the working mom's solution to a Morning Time Basket for independent-learning teens.  I made a Bingo card full of English/Language Arts activities and assignments for eight weeks.  I stapled a couple file-folders together in lapbook format, and inside I included copies of everything they need to complete the card.  The folder is portable.  A completed Bingo card by October 31st wins a prize.

Our son ended the week with a canoe/camping trip to Lake Jocassee, South Carolina.  We have heard Lake Jocassee called the Tahoe-of-the-East.  He confirmed that the place is beautiful, and that we need to make a trip soon.

Year Nine, Week Two

This was our soft-opening week.  We organized ourselves to prepare for a full-start Tuesday morning.

Dance resumed for my daughter.  She truly loves life when dance classes are in session.  This year, she will be at the studio upwards of 20 hours a week.  Unbelievable.  Her studio is a place that teaches character development as much as dance technique, and for that I'm grateful.  The most exciting addition to her schedule this year is the Beginning Combination class where she is the Teacher's Assistant [pictured above].  We're so excited for this opportunity for her.

Our son took the ACT Saturday morning.  Saturday evening, he ran a 17:11 5K.  Again, unbelievable. It was his first race breaking into the 17-minute-mark.  At the finish he said, 'Had I known how close I was to breaking into the 16-minute-mark, I would have run 11 seconds faster.'

Year Nine, Week One

My new plan for this blog is to post weekly summaries as I find the time.  Doing this will enable me to compile some sort of year-end portfolio.  Every now and then, if I discover or learn something worthwhile, I'll document it.   This blog has always been more for my children's memories than anything else, and I want to follow through with that until we've completed this journey.

This week was a slow start.  I've always believed in not overwhelming my children with all the subjects on Day One.  Usually we do a week or two of math.  Then we add in more structure and subjects as needed.  My children start their community classes at the Y next Tuesday.   To be honest, most of this week was helping my teenagers go to bed and wake up at a reasonable hour.

We do have this new addition to our home that is somewhat messing with our sleep schedules.

My son is taking the ACT on Saturday morning, so he has been spending his 'school hours' working through practice problems.  He is in the throws of cross-county and has been encouraged with his training.  He had two meets last week.  Finally, and most importantly, he advanced a rank in Boy Scouts and earned another necessary Eagle-required merit badge. 

My daughter has faithfully worked her way through Pre-Algebra this summer.  She will begin Saxon's Algebra I next Thursday.  I am super impressed with the math knowledge she has gained.  She is not as quick or as confident as her brother is with the subject, but I believe she has far more knowledge of math than he did before beginning Algebra.  

My latest advice to home educating parents of teens has been:  If you only have one hour a day to sit down one-on-one with your student, spend that hour learning math. By this stage in the game, home educated teens can teach themselves any other subject. 

Last week, I gave myself a sizable goal of organizing many of our Alaska pictures before the school year gets underway.  If you were unaware, we spent the last two weeks of June in Alaska [and other parts of the Pacific Northwest].  We all agreed it was the best vacation ever.  It was in celebration of my parent's 50th Anniversary, which happened to be yesterday.  We have over a thousand pictures from our trip.  I'm still not sure what we're planning on doing with all of these pictures, but at least now they are all in one place.

  

Year Eight

I so long to still label myself as a blogger.  From Day One, I have enjoyed capturing the day-to-day moments of my children's life and learning.  I have had much fun walking this educational journey with them and sharing that journey with others.

Reality is, this year I ran out of time.

The photo above is a list I made on April 24th in hopes to 'catch up' on my blog.  I still have the first post from this list in draft form on my site.  All summer I have intended to organize and upload pictures with written summaries of our activities because we have done some pretty incredible things this year.  Plus, over the past year, I have learned much about homeschooling teens and the preparation for what comes next. I wanted to share that with others.

However, if you missed a post earlier in the year, I also started working.  My job has been what my family, and myself, have needed for some time.  It has been a huge blessing, a healthy transition, and it has provided us with many educational opportunities to post about.  But, as many of you know, during this season of life, one can only do so many things well.  I can work and homeschool teens.  I can blog and homeschool teens.  I cannot work, homeschool teens, and blog well.  Something was bound to give.

Four months have passed since I created the above list.  Because we are starting yet another academic year tomorrow-ish, I've decided that in order to homeschool, work, and blog well, I need to restructure how I maintain this blog.  I still want some sort of memoir for my children, and I still want to document our journey [even though North Carolina doesn't require it].  I still desire to encourage other homeschoolers with the discoveries we make along the way.

Three years ago, I wrote a post on some simple ways to maintain a homeschool portfolio throughout the year.  I have revisited that post myself for some new ideas and a fresh vision for documenting our journey.  My homeschooling has always reflected Socrates wise words: Better to do a little well, than a great deal badly.  Do less.  Do it well.  Keep it simple.  I need to implement that wisdom into my blog maintenance for the future.  Blogging will happen, just less of it.  That's ok.

And someday, when the time is right, I will return to 2017 and post all of the pictures and all of the stories I can remember.  It is the year we memorized Shakespeare, resided almost permanently in the Middle Ages, got a pet rabbit, visited Alaska, mastered mathematics, [so. much. math.], learned to take standardized tests, and opened checking accounts for our children [this has been a HUGE WIN, and I do need to share more about it].

Our son ran a 5-minute mile, spent two weeks at the Boy Scout Jamboree, and built two different award-winning Rube Goldberg devices for the Science Olympiad.

Our daughter taught herself sign-language, danced at UNC's School of the Arts, and memorized 18 different poems [including works from Carroll, Whitman, and Stevenson].

Both have logged countless hours volunteering for the YMCA of Greater Charlotte because it truly is a family affair.

And Friday afternoon, we picked up a seven-week old Weimaraner.  Eeeek

Year Nine is shaping up to be great.  I can't wait to keep you updated.

Day 43 / 106 - The Book That Revolutionized My Homeschooling

Friends.  I finished reading a book this year that has completely changed how I approach homeschooling my children.  It was not the Bible, or a devotional, or a book about Jesus (although those are all worthwhile).  It was not a book about Latin, or the classics, or history (again, all worthwhile reads).  It was not a book about how to, or how to not, or why you should homeschool (but I have many favorites there).  Nothing on Classical Ed vs. Charlotte Mason vs. Unschooling.  This book falls into a completely different genre.  Upon finishing it, I have gained more confidence and more knowledge to homeschool my children.  I feel adequately equipped to educate them through high school.  I can't wait to share this book with you.

Wait for it .... 

That's right.  The book is the math textbook, Saxon 7/6.  Crazy, right?

This year, I committed about 45 - 60 minutes weekly to work through this book independently.  Usually, I would treat myself to a latte, and rather than opening a novel, I would crack open this math text.  If you are unfamiliar with Saxon, there are 120 lessons in the text.  Each lesson presents a New Concept, a Lesson Practice (with about 8 - 10 problems to solve stemming from the New Concept), and a Problem Set (with 30 problems that review all previous lessons).  In an hour's time, I would work through four or five lessons, solving all the problems in the Lesson Practice, along with working through one Problem Set.  I would check my work as I progressed through the text.

But, let me tell you how this has changed my life.  I now know math.  I now know it pretty well.  Just from this one middle school textbook.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that last month I posted a plethora of math problems.  I was able to solve those problems (even the SAT ones) because of the skills I learned (or relearned) from this book.  My son is finishing Algebra I.  His math skill-set has far surpassed mine.  Yet, anytime he has had difficulty solving a problem in Algebra, chances are he missed a step with a concept that came directly from this book.  He would ask for help, and I would (and could) help him.  I believe that this book has given me the confidence and the knowledge I need to tackle higher level mathematics with my children.  More importantly, I am joyful about math.  It is fun!

As homeschoolers, we generally spend the most amount of time educating our children in what interests and excites us.  Naturally, those subjects ebb and flow.  Over the last 18 months, I have made it a high priority to help my children master mathematics.  The more I understand math, the more excited I become to have my children experience it, learn it, and master it.  Math has become the defining concept of our homeschool this year, and I could not be more thrilled.  I attribute most of our math success directly to myself spending an hour a week re-educating myself in the subject.  When homeschooling mothers value and commit to their own learning, that will positively influence their homeschool.  Believe me!

My advice to you, if you are looking for a homeschooling book to read and/or discuss during the next 18 weeks before Labor Day, I highly recommend Saxon 7/6.  You will not be disappointed.

Day 42 / 106 - Mount Mitchell

On December 29th, we journeyed to the dramatic summit of North Carolina's Mount Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi.  At the summit, it was 28 degrees with a windchill dropping the temperature below zero.  We have clearly acclimated to living in the south because experiencing that level of cold was misery.

Day 41 / 106 - CCBC Holiday Performance

Last fall, I posted that my daughter is an Apprentice member of the Charlotte City Ballet Company.  Naturally, that company has a holiday performance.  However, their performance is a tad different from the usual Nutcracker.  We like to call their performance a 'Nutcracker Sampler' because it highlights some of the best pieces of the classical ballet.  This sampler is performed alongside several original pieces of choreography.  Because they've simplified the performance, the company is able to take the show on the road.  Literally.  They performed five different shows at five different venues in four weeks' time.

There are twenty ballerinas in the company, so there is much dancing [and costume changing] done by all in order to perform.  One of the goals of the company is to provide quality performance training and performance opportunities for aspiring dancers.  This is true.  I believe she danced more on stage in these five performances than in all her other recitals and Nutcracker performances combined.  

I'm definitely late to the party with this post because their spring performance is just two weeks away.

Day 40 / 106 - Shakespeare Workshop

A favorite class that I facilitated this year was a four-day Shakespeare workshop.  If you don't remember, last year I became enamored with The Bard primarily because of this book.  Once I learned how to read Shakespeare, I learned that I loved reading Shakespeare.

I opted to discuss A Midsummer Night's Dream.  My children and I were still pretty familiar with the play from studying it last spring.  Plus, if you are familiar with the comedy, there are four different plot lines throughout.  This made simple planning for four days of material.  Our main focus was discussing a different plot line each day.

We kept busy with several enjoyable activities which helped us know and understand this comedy.  For many students, a highlight was the different scenes we acted out.  [If you are searching for Shakespeare resources, the California Shakespeare Theater has some superb teacher's guides.]   Because it is such a win in my Middle Ages History class, we also hashtagged several of the characters.

On a personal note, while searching the library for resources on A Midsummer Night's Dream, I stumbled across this book.   I thought it would have tips on teaching Shakespeare.  It doesn't.  Instead, it has the life-changing story of a thespian-turned-author who started a Shakespeare club at a struggling, inner-city school.  Her club performs A Midsummer Night's Dream.  If you are a lover of teaching, learning, acting, Shakespeare's notorious comedy, or life-changing stories, I highly recommend this book.  It is excellent.  You will not be disappointed.

Day 39 / 106 - Cake Decorating

One of the benefits of being a part of the Charlotte YMCA homeschool program is the variety of classes that my children now have access to.  In November, my daughter spent an afternoon in a fondant workshop.

If you know her at all, you must know that this was a high point of her year.  Naturally, the cheeseburger and french fries, that she made out of a cupcake, deserve their own blog post.