School is a little different this year...
I captured Selah and Ember getting ready for their first day of school, but things are a little different this year...
What's With the Video?
Ok, ok. So those who know us know that my hubby is the filmmaker in the family. He's the one who get's his name somewhere at the end of the movie credit listings. Me... not so much. But I REALLY wanted to capture our first morning of "school" this year, and hubby or no hubby, I was determined to make this happen! He recently bought me a DSLR that shoots video, and I chose to use that. So... excuse the shaky cam and poor lighting or choppy editing. It was my first time filming with something besides my iPhone and iMovie app. Heck, I even used Premiere (I've been practicing a little). So I hope you enjoyed that short video! It was mostly for my girls (they loved it, and loved making it!), but I thought others might appreciate it a bit, too.
Day 10
Today marked our 10th day of officially homeschooling my girls! Already it's had lots of ups and downs. Getting used to the curriculum (which I researched forever before actually purchasing) has been somewhat difficult. Finding a way for it all to work together is not very simple at all. I'm so used to planning everything from scratch with developmental standards as my guide for teaching preschool, or coming up with my own activities and lessons when working with kids and youth. This is by far the most complex thing I've ever had to plan, because it doesn't just have to make sense to me... it has to work for my kids, too! I have an incredibly visual and mental math type of thinker, and a I-can't-sit-still, happy-go-lucky, all hands-on kid. There have already been tears and laughter, frustration and exhausted evenings, but I would not trade this for the world!
For my four-year old (the I-can't-sit-still one), this is her first experience with school and has never experienced public schooling. She is SO excited to learn, and jumps at any activity and lesson that comes her way. Everything can become a game (or a contest!), and besides making sure that there's lots of breaks, tickling, and most importantly, SNACKS, she's otherwise totally good! Lot's of attention is needed because it's hard for her to do much of her work independently, but she brings her toys to the table to entertain herself when mom's tutoring big sister.
My big girl (the one who does math in her head better than I do, like her daddy and certainly not me in that aspect!) is starting to really enjoy homeschooling. She has a fiery attitude and loves totally and wholeheartedly pursuing something she is interested in. However, mom trying to figure out curriculum and there being some redundancies in one subject to another... well, let's just say that's a major unmotivator. She attended a fantastic charter school in central California for her first two years of school, and also experienced some homeschooling after school and on holidays as I ran our family child care. But she terribly misses her family, her friends, and her teachers. There is a mourning that we've all been processing from that, and it's been especially heavy with her. We've taken many a break for alone time, and then to come together and talk and make sense of what life is today, with us, and what we want to make of it. But when she gets on board, she is my biggest cheerleader. She has such a warm and sensitive heart, and her little love notes to me keep me going.
Never Lose Your Sense of Wonder
I'm so inspired by the stories of other homeschooling families out there, and it encourages me to keep going. I often find myself at a loss of the sense of wonder these parents hold as they educate their families. I can see that in my girls, and even in Orlando and I. If you're a homeschooling parent and have come across my site, blog, video, or whatever, please reach out. It's definitely the community feel, even of social media, that helps us know we're not alone in doing the best for our kids, whatever it may look like, and trying to offer them the very best, raising them up to know they could accomplish anything they set their hearts and minds to. May they never lose their sense of wonder. They could change the world if they wanted to. I hope they do.