Strange Changes
Three weeks into homeschooling my son and I'm already facing some very strange changes... The biggest of which is that I am slowly turning into a morning person. Although this is something I have wanted to become for many years, I think I'm going to miss my night owl duty. Not that I'm in bed at 10pm or anything... But I have adjusted my schedule to be asleep just after midnight rather than my usual 2am.
When you homeschool, you have to be fresh and alert. It's tough to stand there and pretend to know what you're doing. Well, actually, it's getting easier, because after three weeks it's all becoming second nature to me. We're hitting our stride as teacher-student.
But other changes have been made. And that's the beauty of homeschooling. If something doesn't work, change it. One major change that had to be made was to jettison my wife. She's a great teacher, but on her days off she needs to go and do her day-off things. We both realized that it's more efficient for just one of us to make preparations and it's easier on our son to have the same daily expectations that one teacher can bring. She'll still step in and present some lessons, such as the science experiments that turn me into a stuttering moron.
Flexibility is the key to homeschooling. We follow a state-approved curriculum, but if I want to substitute a particular subject then that's okay. We skip over some things that my son finds too easy, and we spend extra time on those that he still needs to master.
Speaking of the curriculum, I love being able to go online to see what lessons are coming up in the weeks and months ahead. This allows me to do more research on my own. I also get on NetFlix to rent documentaries that sync with what my son is studying, arranging to have them come up in our queue at just the right time. Reading over future lessons also lets me plan appropriate activities and outings away from the house.
So, three weeks in and homeschooling is going well. My son is thriving as we hoped. Today he took his state-required Idaho Reading Indicator test and read 140 words in a minute, with 100% comprehension. He was quite proud of himself today. As he should be.
When you homeschool, you have to be fresh and alert. It's tough to stand there and pretend to know what you're doing. Well, actually, it's getting easier, because after three weeks it's all becoming second nature to me. We're hitting our stride as teacher-student.
But other changes have been made. And that's the beauty of homeschooling. If something doesn't work, change it. One major change that had to be made was to jettison my wife. She's a great teacher, but on her days off she needs to go and do her day-off things. We both realized that it's more efficient for just one of us to make preparations and it's easier on our son to have the same daily expectations that one teacher can bring. She'll still step in and present some lessons, such as the science experiments that turn me into a stuttering moron.
Flexibility is the key to homeschooling. We follow a state-approved curriculum, but if I want to substitute a particular subject then that's okay. We skip over some things that my son finds too easy, and we spend extra time on those that he still needs to master.
Speaking of the curriculum, I love being able to go online to see what lessons are coming up in the weeks and months ahead. This allows me to do more research on my own. I also get on NetFlix to rent documentaries that sync with what my son is studying, arranging to have them come up in our queue at just the right time. Reading over future lessons also lets me plan appropriate activities and outings away from the house.
So, three weeks in and homeschooling is going well. My son is thriving as we hoped. Today he took his state-required Idaho Reading Indicator test and read 140 words in a minute, with 100% comprehension. He was quite proud of himself today. As he should be.
Permalink posted by Phil at 12:05 AM
7 Comments:
I wonder if I could be turned back into a morning person. My husband corrupted me, and now we rarely get in bed before midnight.
A thousand blessings to you for making sure your wife gets a day off! I'm sure she appreciates it as much as I do when Paul unclenches my hands from the broom and sends me out to the bookstore to relax. :)
I'm so glad to hear how much fun it is. I now wonder how I as a teacher would have done. Did you really go to bed at 2am?? good gollie! I am half dead if I'm not in bed by 9 or 10pm LOL!+
Nothing wrong with being a morning person; just make certain that coffee prepration is a course that he starts studying.
Congrats to him (and you) for finding a system that really works. It sounds like he's thriving.
I love reading "how my day went" stories from other homeschoolers. Funny, I turned into a night owl when I started. Actually, I returned to being a night owl.
Net Flix is a great service for homeschoolers. If nothing else, you have something educational for those days you just can't face another assignment.
I'd love to hear more about your homeschooling and what you learn from it. It amazes me all the different things people learn about themselves and their kids when they homeschool.
I'm very much a morning person and will be snoring when the clock strikes 10! Good to know that both of you are doing well..auww, it is so much fun to be really involved in your son's study. One day he'll shout out to everybody, I owed it all to my Dad!
Sounds like your parenting and teaching roles are meshing. You seem to both be enjoying the time and effort put into this way of schooling.
My kids turned me into a day person, too.
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