And the New Year begins

It's January 2nd, and school begins again for us tomorrow (officially), although with homeschooling, the learning never really ends. There have been a tremendous number of lessons learned this last year - primary for me as the homeschooling parent. The longer I do this, the more changes occur in my curriculum. I find myself tossing out books I thought would be necessary, skipping over lessons that are far repetitive, and doing more and more project based and independent learning activities. I think the school year is constantly adapting for any type of teacher as you get to know your students. While I may know my children fairly well from having been their mother, getting to know them as learners - especially as they continue to grow and change through the year - is a constant struggle, but I'm excited to find new patterns in their personalities.

I'm learning that my Selah excels when she can be her own teacher. Give her a tiny bit, and she'll take care of the rest on her own. However, coaching her and teaching her when she's going off in a wrong direction has proved to be quite difficult for my stubborn and perfectionist daughter. On the other hand, Ember is such an easy going kid! She goes with the flow, and takes direction very well, and doesn't fight (usually) on trying new approaches and ways of seeing problems. At the same time, she is my squirmiest and most hyper little girl. She will do her tasks in and out of her seat, and trying to keep her focused has become like a game with her. And how do I teach them each at their levels in completely different ways? It amazes me how teachers attempt this feat with 25+ students. I've got my work cut out for me with my two students (and one on the way).

I have to say, though, this is the best job I've ever had. In many ways, I feel like everything in life has prepared me for this. I still fail, I still feel disheartened and discouraged, and I still feel some days that nothing is going right, but with God's help and my husband's encouragement, I press on for the next day, and the next. And our little homeschool is already so very different from where we started last year.

As I go along, I'm finally getting to the point where I'm creating my own resources to help me stay on track on their education. Coming from an Early Childhood Education background, and being involved in the intimacies of tracking documentation and childhood assessments (good and bad), I'm learning what works for us. I'll try to share what I make, in hopes that it helps other HS mamas (and dads!) out there.

For those still reading, whether you homeschool your kids, public/private school them, or have little ones that aren't even grade school level yet, keep teaching. Remember, YOU are their first teacher, and no one can replace your role in their lives. :) And happy new year! Best wishes and may you have plenty of new beginnings this year.