Homeschooling, Day 1

I let this blog lie fallow for a long time, but it's time to give it a new life.  Why?  Because Nathanael and Phillip have started homeschooling!

(For more information on why we decided to start homeschooling, please click here to go to my other blog.  Then come back here when you're done.)

As I mentioned in my other blog, we purchased the 6th and 8th grade versions of Switched On Schoolhouse (SOS) and here are my first-day impressions.

I'm thrilled!

No, it's not perfect.  We've found some glitches already (though they may be cured when we download some updates), and there are some things I find a tad confusing.  But overall, this first-day experience was overwhelmingly good.

Nathanael says that homeschooling is like a dream come true.  He is bubbling over with joy at this new way of life, and he seems much more relaxed than I've seen him in a long time.  He did 5 days' worth of work in about a day and a half, all on his own initiative.  He says he can't wait for tomorrow so he can do more schoolwork.  That's something I never expected to hear!

Phillip also did well, though it took him until about 8:30 at night to finish his work.  He didn't start until around lunchtime, because he slept late.  Even so, that's a long day, but he usually works on his homework until that late anyway.  Much of that is due to dawdling.  He does find it hard to focus.  And of course today he had breaks when needed throughout the day.

He did have one major meltdown during the day, but that's nothing unusual.  What was unusual was how quickly he recovered and got back to work!  I believe he finds the computerized format much more engaging than books and papers.  For the most part, he seemed to enjoy it.

I loved seeing the boys studying the Bible as part of their curriculum!  Nathanael had been in Christian school from Kindergarten through the first half of fourth grade, but Phillip never had been because of his need for special intervention from the beginning.  It was so wonderful seeing them studying Bible now!

Nathanael wrote something I thought was absolutely stunningly wonderful.  He was asked to write down why we should hallow God's name, and part of his answer was:

God's holy name reflects on his holy self, and we don't want to be looking at God through a broken mirror.

I think that's pretty profound, especially coming from a 13 year old!

But back to talking about SOS.  I am so pleased with how easy it makes my job as teacher, and how good the curriculum seems to be, and also the immediacy of interaction that it allows.  Nathanael can be working at his computer in the basement, and I can check from my computer upstairs and see exactly what he has done, how well he has done on it, and if there are any items that I need to grade myself (SOS does 95% of the grading automatically, leaving only 5% for me to do).  And I also can instantly communicate with him via a messaging system.  If I'm not satisfied with the work I've graded, I can attach a note to it (all on the computer, no actual paper), and send it back to him for reworking at the click of a button.  If he needs to consult with me about something, I can be there in a matter of seconds.  It feels absolutely wonderful. 

Oh, and I love the fact that I'm not dealing with stacks of paper.  Paper always piles up and needs to be filed, and it's extremely stressful and messy for a disorganized person like me.  But despite having completed a very good day's work for Phillip, and 5 days' worth for Nathanael, not a single piece of paper was generated.  Gotta love it.

I apologize for over-using superlatives, but it's hard to even express how I feel about all of this.  God clearly led us, and He is blessing. 

Now, I'm going to be realistic here.  With big new ventures like this, there is always a honeymoon period, and then there's usually a real low time, and then finally things level out to some sort of norm.  I know it won't always be peachy.  But then again, today wasn't "peachy."  Phillip came closer to my nose with his fist than he ever has before. 

But this is such a good thing.  I'm sure of it.  I feel energized with a whole new sense of purpose, unlike anything I've felt in I don't know how long.

I should mention dear Andrew, our 4th grader who does not have "special needs."  He is being such a good sport about this, even though he clearly feels left out.  He has made it clear he would like very much to be homeschooled as well, but he understands that right now we can't afford a third curriculum.  I'm proud of him for being as classy about it as he's being.

Enough for now.  It's after 10pm, and I'm tired.  I haven't slept well for days, mostly because of excitement and some nervousness about homeschooling.  Life is busy right now in several ways.  There is a stack of dishes waiting for me, and tons of laundry, and grocery shopping that I haven't gotten to.  All of these things will be made more complicated by having the boys with me.

It is so worth it.  I have no doubts.