Can it really be time for school? This summer has been amazing. Justin and I were able to work out a fantastic schedule that kept me home every day with the exception of Friday afternoons when he could be here. On Friday afternoons and a few evenings a week I have been able to see some of my students. It was worked out well because the professional side of me can't neglect their needs, but at the same time I am a mom first. It can get tricky to balance that. Justin's company does a wonderful thing called summer hours where he works longer Monday through Thursday and is home by lunch on Friday. It has been wonderful to be able to be home more consistently and to know when I am away, the boys are with Justin.
We have spent our summer swimming, playing outside, going to movies, eating ice cream, and just enjoying the routine of summer. You know we didn't just pull an all out free for all. I am too scheduled for that. We did have a routine, but it has been a wonderful easy routine. I am loving it.
Scattered throughout summer I have sat down here and there to order curriculum, register for Classical Conversations, and research what school will look like for us next year. Unlike last year when the littlest guys were in preschool and Grayson attended a morning program, everyone is coming home this year. We are full on home schooling for the first time. I don't feel like a newbie since we completed Kindergarten last year, but I also do feel new at this since we are diving into a whole new routine. First, we are adding Classical Conversations. It is something I looked at doing from the very moment we considered homeschooling. I like the idea of a community of learners and I love the Classical model. Secondly, we will have everyone home. This means that I am not only responsible for a first grader, but I also have a 2 and 4 year old to keep entertained. Additionally, said 4-year old needs to learn letters and numbers. Did I mention that we will be adding a newborn to the mix in 3 weeks (OR LESS!) and I still plan to work at the school two days per week. Does your chest start to feel tight reading all of that? Mine does!
So back to my point about planning. As I was doing some school organizing and oogling over my new curriculum that had been delivered (yes I am a complete dork that really loves the feel and smell of new books) it hit me that I need to get moving on this. I was reading blogs and FB posts about all of the planning and organizing other moms had completed and I started to feel like I was failing before even getting started. I had a minor freak out moment, that was fortunately followed by encouragement from some sweet seasoned homeschoolers who convinced me that I should ease into this and not freak myself out. So, I sat down and started planning.
I quickly made the decision that we should not start as late as we did last year. Trust me, I could do summer for another two or three months. I have really loved the lack of a more pressing schedule. Last year we started school at the end of August and finished by Memorial Day. It was awesome! The reality is, we have a baby coming and I know that means that we are going to have a period of adjustment. I feel like to ensure we don't fall too far behind during our baby adjustment period, we need to get a head start. Classical Conversations will not start until after Labor day, but in addition to that work we have reading, spelling, and math that we can get started on.
So I have gotten serious about getting our plans together. We are scheduled to have our first day of school next Monday (8/4). That may give us two full weeks to sort out our routine before baby arrives and a full month to make adjustments before our new sitter begins in September. She will be here on the two days I work and will oversee the work while I am not here.
I am getting excited! I am looking forward to the work we are planning, but trying to keep my head on straight and realize that I will need to give myself some grace as we get started. My schedule will need adjusting, the days may not work as they are presently planned, and the baby will likely turn it all upside down. I have prayed over that the most. I want this to be a positive experience from the beginning for my boys. They have finally gotten used to being at home all together and I don't want to place unnecessary stress on how they view school at home. I must remember to ease into this.
Last night I had trouble sleeping. I was up for about four hours during the middle of the night. I prayed, I read in my devotional, I got on Facebook. There I saw a link to a post at one of my favorite home school bloggers. I'm not going to lie. Reading this blog often stresses me out. Not because the women who writes it conveys the idea that they get it all perfect all the time (in fact it is just the opposite), but because her organization makes me a little jealous and I can't wait to be in a place where I am more familiar with what we are beginning. It stresses me out a little but I love it just the same. The link was to a post about easing into the school year. It was about doing a tapered start. It was just what I needed to read. I needed to know that this mom was easing into things and planning to adjust here and there. In all her experience and preparedness, she is still planning to ease into things. Additionally I learned she has three boys and a newborn. The newborn is one of her main reasons for a tapered start. I felt instant relief and motivation. It can be done!
So, we plan to begin our "tapered start" on Monday. I am such a dork that I can hardly wait. Well, except for that I really need to get things ready. Also, if you are home schooling (you likely already read her blog because I feel like I am always the last to find anything) please check out this post on "Half-a-hundred Acre Wood's" tapered start.
http://www.halfahundredacrewood.com/2014/07/curriculum-schedule-classical-conversations-at-home.html#more
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