1st Term Reflection: Meltdowns, Mayhem, & Memorable Moments

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This morning I'm sitting in my fleece pj's, sipping coffee, & reflecting on the last six weeks. On August the 4th we began our second year of homeschooling, & already I have a tendency to think fondly back over the time since then with a haze of nostalgia clouding my view...hence the need for this cold water dose of reality I'm about to plunge myself into. 

The night before school began lended a bit of foreshadowing that my overly romanticized day dreams about the impending 'school days' were just that....a little too glorified. On the eve of the new school year, The Davidson School for Girls has a tradition in which the Principal (The Lone Ranger) prays a blessing over our school room & the year ahead, but this year that tradition went awry. We'd had a long day (mistake #1), a late evening (mistake #2), & an OCD Teacher/Mommy (mistake #3) who couldn't let go of her tradition despite the warning signs of impending meltdowns. By the time we gathered in the schoolroom fists were flying & attitudes were blazing. The Lone Ranger cast me a sideways glance that I chose to ignore, & I pressed for the tradition to go on regardless...needless to say the Blessing didn't happen & almost everyone went to bed with tears in their eyes. A good night's sleep went a long way towards mending spirits (temporarily). We had our annual celebratory big breakfast, donned special pj's, & marched down the hallway to our school room. Morning Meeting went well, & inwardly I was fisting pumping my success (mistake #4). The problem began when Goldilocks & Sweet 'N Sassy headed to their desks, & Belles 'N Whistles realized that her playmates were to be otherwise engaged. Needless to say hysterics & bedlam ensued...and proceeded to last every morning for the next 3 weeks. My littlest lady had no clue how to play by herself, & that has been a tough lesson to learn. Midway through the term she caught onto things & it has been smooth sailing (in that area) from there. 

The second major blip came in the form of my overly high expectations. With a background in Elementary Education, one would think I'd be more perceptive of things...but I tell ya, it's just different with your own kiddos. By the end of Day 1, I realized that I'd set expectations of Sweet 'N Sassy that she just wasn't ready for. I pushed. I prodded. I goaded...and then my Father lovingly jerked a knot in my tail. For the next little while I battled a sense of failure & inadequacy. By the end of week 2, I scrapped all 6 weeks worth of Sassy's lesson plans & began to go day-by-day. I'm an uptight perfectionist, & I tend to burden my children because of my ways. The Lord has been teaching me hard (but good) lessons in patience & humility. My old college lessons in learning styles were put to good use, & Sweet 'N Sassy is doing exceedingly more than I knew she could now that I've laid aside societal & personal benchmarks. 

It was around this point that I remembered a dear friend & fellow homeschooling momma's advice: Create a long term goal for your family/school...anything that doesn't support, encourage, or advance that goal is disposable. In the world of homeschooling the options for curricula, techniques, & methods for educating your own children are endless & overwhelming. Having a firm grasp on why you're doing what you're doing is imperative in deciding how to do it & what to do in order to accomplish the goal. The Lone Ranger & I had a chat about our heart for homeschooling & the motives behind it. My hope is to have our goals hanging in our school room as a reminder to myself. Those goals create a litmus test that prevent stress & that drowning feeling. Over the years these objectives might be added to or amended, but currently these are the goals for our Davidson School for Girls:

1. To raise children who love & follow Christ. (Deuteronomy 6:5, Colossians 3:23)

2. To equip our children to be disciples & to make disciples. (Matthew 28:19)

3. To teach our children how to learn & decern truth. (Romans 12:2)

As we choose curriculum, make lesson plans, & further delve into to homeschooling lifestyle bearing this agenda in mind will keep our hearts & minds in check. 

Here are some of the adventures of homeschooling thus far. 

Just yesterday we got together with a fellow homeschooling family & had a Fall Fun Day. At the end of each term the momma of this crew & I will be alternating planning events & activities for the kiddos. 

Midterm we had a 'field trip' to the Children's Museum. My Sweet 'N Sassy is a Dino lover so this trip was right up her alley!

Sick Days are inevitable, but unless buckets are needed, we still try to get the meat of our curriculum in so that we can keep on track with our 180 days. A late summer cold caught everyone unawares (especially poor Sassy), but with pj's on & Piggy in tow, she was able to make it through an abbreviated school day. 

Thursdays are our grocery/errand days. When you live 20 minutes from town, you don't venture there too frequently. In the car & throughout the grocery store we do oral learning in the form of Recitation & discussion on current lessons. The gaggle gets a kick out of this (and so do fellow shoppers). 

When we return home, the paperwork begins as I unload groceries & fix lunch. Goldilocks thrives on independence so I set her up with her daily binder & away she goes! 

Fridays are a little hectic (for me) as I begin the next week's preparation as soon as the current school day is complete. I switch our command center's Letter of the Week, Christ-Quality, & Artist card. The living room is then overrun with binders, hole punch, highlighters, text books, & workbooks as I refill Goldi's daily binders (my version of work boxes). My goal is always to have all preparation done so that Saturday & Sunday are completely school free days. 

This first term of the 2014-2015 school year has FLOWN by! We've laughed...we've cried...we've bonded...we've disagreed. They've learned oodles, but I've learned more. We've got 30 days in the books & 150 left to go!

The greatest lesson for myself has been this:

I am wholly and richly blessed...to be wife to the Lone Ranger & momma/teacher to the Gaggle. When all is said and done I LOVE this life & the opportunity I've been given. The days ahead will continue to be both idyllic & less than so...but at the end of each day He is good, & "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me". (Philippians 4:13) 

Proverbs 31:11-12 & Adrian Balboa

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'The heart of her husband safely trusts her; 

So he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good and not evil 

All the days of her life.'

Last night the Lone Ranger & I cuddled up on the couch & hit 'play' on the movie I'd convinced him to watch...20 minutes later tears poured from my eyes as Rocky Balboa surrenders his training (he's getting ready to fight Apollo Creed-Heavy Weight World Champ) to stay by his wife's bedside. Adrian is in a coma after childbirth complications, & her life hangs in the balance. Rocky's never far from her bedside. He holds her hand, writes her poems, & in his slurred speech struggles to read to her. The only time Rocky leaves Adrian is to go to the chapel to pray. He doesn't even see or hold their newborn son...he's waiting for Adrian so they can meet him together! It's heart wrenching. I'm a blubbering mess throughout the fore mentioned scenes, but I manage to cran my neck & sneak a glance of the Lone Ranger. In my feminine mind, I'm swooning over Rocky's devotion. As I glance at my own man, I can't help but wonder how he'd react in that situation. I envision myself glamorously pasty...errr pale...laid out on a bed. I picture my husband holding my limp hand and sobbing at the potential loss of his better half. He'd be devastated (he'd better be if he knows what's good for him). Alas, I digress...as I'm sneaking glances at the Lone Ranger & caught up in the haze of Rocky's romance...like a ton of bricks, it hits me. I've watched this scene play out a dozen times (literally), & every single time I react the same way (swooning over Rocky), but I've missed the point! I've always gotten sidetracked over Rocky's admirable qualities...his faithful & selfless devotion to Adrian...that I've given very little thought to her. This scene really says more about her integrity than it does his. What kind of woman causes a man to behave in such a way? A woman of Noble Character that's what!

A woman worth far more than rubies! Adrian has earned Rocky's devotion. Her character, decency, goodness, & virtues are the reasons that Rocky behaves as he does. Adrian does Rocky good and not harm...and she has for all the days of her life, however much longer that life may be.  As this dawns on me, I can't help but relive my little personal scenario in my head...this time not focusing on how my Lone Ranger would react, but considering what kind of devotion I would inspire...what kind of response I'd deserve. 

I know that's a long intro for the breakdown of our next two Proverbs 31 verses, but it just seemed fitting. I've lumped verses 11 & 12 together because they both refer to the Proverb 31 Woman's husband...but also because they say so much about her. 

**Side Note: If you are single, consider the other male figures in your life. Your father, grandfathers, older brother, or father-figure are impacted by the type of woman that you are. These admonitions and character traits are applicable despite marital status**

Vs. 11: 'The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.' 

Webster's defines Trust as this: assured reliance on one's character, ability, & strength; one in which confidence is placed. Proverbs 31:10 spoke of the Proverbs 31 Woman's (P31W's) Noble Character. Integrity such as that elicits trust. A man (husband/father/etc.) can wholly and fully have confidence in a woman who is firmly rooted in her morality & faith. He can completely trust that she will behave & speak in a way that is appropriate & reflects well upon his own character. The P31W's Noble Character impacts & enhances the integrity of the man in her life. A woman who has Noble Character & who is worth far more than rubies adds wealth of all kinds to her husband/father. He has much because he has her. We must also bear in mind that the reciprocal is also true...the absence of Noble Character will result in an absence of Trust.

Vs. 12: 'She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.'

In the Feminist culture that we live in, we very easily & quite frequently do much harm to the male gender. We demasculate & demean him. We rob him of his need to be needed. We scoff at his chivalry. We deem his desire to lead as dominance, & then gripe that he has no initiative. We've stolen his right to be head of our households and have instead made him the doormat. We nag at him to fulfill his honey-do list & then nit-pick the manner in which he does it. We yearn for romance yet sneer at the gentlemanly qualities needed to breed it. Oh yes, my sisters, we do much much harm to the men in our lives. We are women, hear us roar...and cry, and nag, and gripe, and complain. When we lack Noble Character, we most certainly bring our husbands and fathers much harm & precious little good. On the conrtrary, however; if we embrace our calling, our righteous heritage, we can be certain that we will bring good to those we love. 

I've bolded & italicized the term Noble Character at least a half dozen times in this post. Sisters, this trait is the stepping off point for the rest of this study. Vs. 11 & 12 hinge on it. If we cultivate Noble Character, we will earn the full Trust of our husbands & fathers, & with it we will bring much good into their lives. The antithesis is equally true...without this integrity we lose their confidence, & we hurt them. This study of the P31W is not about transforming the attitudes of the men in our lives, but is about morphing ourselves into the women that God intended for us to be, & we can only so this by His grace. By becoming P31W, we become women who are worthy of trust...who are deserving of a man who would wait faithfully by our bedsides. I am fairly confident that the more I strive to become a woman of Noble Character, the more devastated my Lone Ranger would be if he lost me. 

Application:

I can scarcely imagine that any of us desire to hurt those we love, and so Noble Character must be cultivated...it will require some elbow grease and intentional effort on our part. The following verses will outline very practical traits that the P31W should possess. As we dissect each one & to begin developing those traits within ourselves our Noble Character will begin to emerge. Proverbs 14:1 warns, 'The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.' Without Noble Character, sisters, it is almost certain that we will bring, not only ourselves, but our households to ruin, therefore; let us strive in all ways,in all areas, & with all our might to cultivate such integrity!

2014-2015 Homeschool Room & Schedule

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One week from today our second year of homeschooling commences. Last year we dipped our toes into the homeschooling abyss in the form of preschool. We laughed. We cried. We learned. This year we are wading waist deep in the lifestyle that is domestic education. 2/3 of my Gaggle are now also my pupils as Sweet 'N Sassy embarks upon preschool this year. (Goldilocks is advancing to Kindergarten curriculum)

In addition to moving up to a 5 school days/week, the Lone Ranger & I have also decided that a year round schedule is more beneficial (& practical). Davidson School for Girls will now be operating on a 6 Weeks on/1 Week Off schedule. We hope to complete 90 days by Thanksgiving so that we might have an extended holiday during the month of December. 

Our school days (day in general) will look something like this: 

5:30-6:00 I wake up & begin my day with coffee & quiet time (the two are inseparable)

6:30-7:30 The Gaggle wakes up & drags in

7:30-8:00 Breakfast, Morning Chores, Get Dressed, Brush Teeth, & etc.

8:00 School begins with Morning Meeting & Recitation

8:30 Alphabet/Phonics

9:00 Math

9:30 Copywork

10:00 Literature/Storytime

10:30 Enrichment/Activity

11:00 Lunch

12:00 Recess/Play Time

1:00 Naps

3:00 Playtime & Afternoon Chores

6:00 Supper & Family Time

8:00 Devotions with Daddy

8:30 Bedtime

Yes, I really am that anal. I like order. Our family functions best with a schedule. We also do best by having school in a designated room. Last year it seemed as though I was constantly rearranging our schoolroom. I mentally made notes of what worked & what didn't. If we aren't in our schoolroom they can't/don't focus & neither do I...so schoolroom it is. 

2014-2015 School Room

View from the doorway. Our morning meeting takes place at the table. 

This area is new, & the result of a poor setup last year.

View from the back of the room.

Our shelves contain from top to bottom: Books, Binder System (more on that in a minute), Resources & Games, & lastly toys.

The top of our shelves hold our 'treasures': Globe, Microscope (Discovery Toys), Plaque, Musical Instruments, Giant Pig, Antique Lunchbox, 'Crown of Thorns' (Grapevine Wreath)

The plaque hung in my Grandma's classroom, & she passed it on for our schoolroom. It's such a reminder that modeling Christ is vastly more important than the teaching of Him.

This is our command center complete with easel, bulletin board, & white board. 

Our bulletin board contains our weekly artist, letter, & Christ-Quality

My girls each need their own space to work...we found that out the hard way. The desks are divided by a cube shelf. Each girl has a 'Do' & 'Done' basket above her desk to help cycle through material. She also has a tote with her curriculum, & the bottom tote holds my manuals, Planner, & etc.

My binder system is my (inexpensive) version of the workbox system. If you're considering homeschooling or new to it, you'll want to google 'Workboxes'. Each day's work is placed in it's given binder. The material is divided by subject. As my girls cannot yet read, I simply labeled them numerically. Daily each girl will work her way through her binder. When she's done with the final tab, she's done with school for the day. Some tabs hold an activity or game as an opportunity for one to work independently while I teach the other. 

In the pockets I will also place supplemental material so that we simply have to grab the binder to begin our day.

This is my corner of the schoolroom. My desk holds our prayer jar & 'untouchables'. 

Beside my desk hangs our calendar.(Oriental Trading) This little thing was a worthwhile purchase! I can't get over how much they learn from it!

It's not much, but the truth is, 'There's No Place Like Home'...and I wouldn't change a thing! We are so blessed & so grateful to live our life as we feel led! I cannot wait to see what The Lord has in store for us! 

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.'  -Deuteronomy 6:5-9