Why I Teach

Educational Field Trips for the win!

          Something I hear often as a homeschooler (and if you homeschool, you’ve heard it, too) is “I could never do that!”  And I always think, “How do you know unless you try?”

            You see, I never wanted to be a teacher. I’m sure that would surprise my little brother, who I used to make sit on our playroom floor in front of a large chalkboard, with his classmate stuffed animals, so I could “play teacher”. But when it came time to choose a major, teaching was the last thing on my mind. I was a writer, not a teacher.

But I guess it’s part of my DNA. My dad was a teacher, my grandmother was a teacher, one of my aunts was a teacher. I was destined to be a teacher. I just had to figure it out. And homeschooling helped me do that.

It hasn’t always been an easy road. There were times I wanted to drive my sons to the nearest school, throw them through the front doors, and yell, “Here, you do it!” But I didn’t. And along the way, I discovered something.

            Teaching gives me joy. I love sharing my passion for literature with my students at co-op. I love getting to know my own children and how they think in our school room at home. And it is a joy to see a student who was struggling finally “get it.”

            Teaching is satisfying. There is nothing like helping a young person find their voice. And what a tremendous satisfaction to hear those students’ success stories, to be told, “I never got literature before and now I love it!” Or a Facebook message – “Mrs. Hege, I tested out of freshman English thanks to you!”

            I love the relationships I’ve been able to form with my students. I get to know them through their writing and class discussions. And I get to know their parents, too. We’re all in this homeschooling thing together! We have an amazing community where we support each other, love each other, and pray for each other. Without that, I’d probably have given up.

            That brings me to the need. Some homeschooling moms just don’t know how to teach literature and writing, or they really feel the need for outside input about their children’s writing. Every year as our co-op plans next year’s classes, three or four ladies will approach me to ask what kind of literature I’m teaching or to request that I do my research paper class again. I won’t lie, it feels good to be needed!

            None of this could have happened if I had said, “I could never do that.” Once I figured out that I was good at teaching, that I actually loved teaching, I looked for every opportunity to do it. And the more I do, the more I feel that I am right where I’m supposed to be. 

Surviving at the Homeschool Convention

It's time for the annual trip to the CHAP fair - a huge homeschool fair and conference up in Harrisburg.  I love it.  I'm not sure how many times I've been, but I look forward to it every spring.  The speakers are always fantastic, and the shopping - oh, my, the shopping!

Every year, I also talk to at least one homeschooling friend who is terrified to go to the fair.  Maybe terrified isn't the right word, but it comes close.  And it definitely can be overwhelming.  So here are my tips for negotiating the homeschool fair, wherever yours may be.

1. Make a list.  If you know what you're there to buy, and you have a price range, you'll know when to buy and when to walk on by.  You're also less likely to buy lots of stuff you don't need.
2. Don't be rude.  Don't stand in front of a vendor and look for cheaper prices online with your cell phone.  If you absolutely must price compare, do it somewhere else.
3. Make a budget.  Yes, you're only there to buy next year's curriculum.  But when you pass that used book booth or you see the perfect birthday/Christmas/Mother's Day gift, you need to know ahead of time what you can afford.
4. If your children are coming, give them a budget also.  I guarantee there will be lots of toys, both educational and otherwise, and knowing ahead of time what they can spend will make it easier on everyone.
5. Schedule your seminars.  Look at the list of speakers online ahead of time and know which seminars you absolutely don't want to miss.  Last year, I thought I would buy the CDs of the ones I missed, but I didn't.  I'd much rather hear the speakers in person.
6. Plan on eating.  At CHAP, they don't allow food inside the complex, so I either have to have cash for the concessions or pack food in the car and go outside for lunch.  This year it's supposed to be raining, so lunch in the car might not be the best choice.
7. If you're shopping, bring a suitcase.  Or something on wheels.  Trust me, it gets difficult carrying your purchases around in a bag.  And if you don't have a longsuffering husband like mine who's willing to drag everything out to the car periodically, you will regret not having something rollable.
8. Relax.  If you get tired, or just overwhelmed, take a little while to sit down.  If you feel like leaving, go ahead and leave.  No one's judging.

I'll see you all at the fair!

Deadlines and anniversaries

This coming week has some important dates.

Our homeschool portfolios are due on June 30, but since we are going to be at Good News Camp the whole last week of June, I need to get them turned in by Friday.  This is always a big stress-out time for me because I don't want to forget anything.  Also, inevitably, Caleb has not finished all of the required writing for the year.  So we need to finish a paper he's been working on and write up a lab report as well.  Thankfully, I'm already finished with Isaac and Joshua's, and Noah is still too young to need one.

On Wednesday, hubby and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  How it got to be 20 years already, I'll never be able to tell you.  What I can tell you is that every single day, I love this man I married more and more. He is planning to take me up to Hershey later today for some serious roller coaster time, without the boys.  Yep, he knows what I like!

Did anyone see the guy walking across Niagara Falls last night?  My stomach still hurts from all the anxiety.  I am so scared of heights, I can't even watch other people do stuff like that without my palms sweating.  Eek!

Time4Learning.com

Recently I was given a free month of Time4Learning.com in exchange for a review.  I was really excited about it, because I'd seen so many positive comments about it in the past.

The first thing I discovered was that time slows down in the Time4Learning universe.  And not in a good way.  After signing my two youngest up on the website, I received a message saying it would be (trying to remember here) either 24 or 48 hours until the account was active.  A week later it still said the same thing.  Just when I was ready to call customer support, the account finally went live.  But I was already ten days into my free trial.

Now the good news: the boys really liked it.  They weren't interested in the math section, so we did quite a few science, social studies, and reading lessons.  The lessons were cute, although somewhat repetitive.  The quizzes at the end were EXTREMELY repetitive.  The animations/stories are what really sold the kids on it.  We were all laughing out loud at some of the discussions between the animated characters.  There was also a lot of interactive clicking involved in the lessons, which keeps the kids engaged and learning.

So overall, I was pretty happy with the website.  I would definitely consider adding it to my curriculum for next year.  It would be great to let the two younger ones do some of their work online while I work with the older two.  I don't know that it's complete enough for a stand-alone choice, but I liked what I saw.

Language Arts, Part 3

The next year, I bought some used Bob Jones University Press books. They included several textbooks and workbooks for each grade. Again, there was so much work, I felt like we spent half the day doing language arts. I guess if you're stuck on BJU, it's okay. It seemed very thorough. It went into sentence diagramming and a good amount of grammar. But it was just too much.
PROS: Very thorough, good for those who like a classroom approach
CONS: Too much work per child, especially if they are not close enough in age to use the same books.

Language Arts, Part 2

The next language arts program I tried was K12. I really liked it. It was thorough from a grammar and spelling standpoint, and there were a lot of interesting stories to read. However, again there was so much work involved, it just felt overwhelming. While I would highly recommend their phonics program (worth the price if you can afford it), I don't think I would use their language arts again.
PROS: very thorough, no scheduling required
CONS: very work-intensive - there's grammar and usage, spelling, vocabulary, plus phonics for early grades, plus literature. It's also expensive.

Language Arts, Part 1

The first language arts program I tried was Alpha-Omega's Lifepacs for 1st grade. In short, I didn't much like it. There was not a lot of substance as far as I was concerned, and it cost way too much for what it was. Fortunately, I was able to sell my teacher's guide the next year and recover some of the cost. I don't think I would try AO again for language arts.

PROS: Nicely laid out, easy to follow, no planning involved. Good for parents who don't like to spend time planning.

CONS: Not advanced enough for my 1st grader, too much busy work.

Put the pencil down!

When my oldest son was five, he hated the idea of me teaching him anything.  He didn't want to learn his ABCs, how to write numbers, or anything else.  So he spent a year in public kindergarten, learning what his alternative would be if he wouldn't let me teach him.  And he chose to be homeschooled after that.

Now, I have another five year old, my youngest son.  And some days I almost wish he didn't want me to teach him.  Almost.  But mostly I am awed and amazed by how quickly he picks up on things.  He just turned five in December, which means if I were sending him to public school he wouldn't be allowed to go to kindergarten until this coming fall.  However, here at home, he is doing first grade work, and blowing through every workbook I get for him in a matter of weeks.  He's doing simple addition and subtraction and just started doing two digit addition.

As far as reading goes, he is on the same level as my seven year old (who admittedly is behind where I'd like him to be, but I learned with the oldest that you can't force somebody to read).  He often will read something on a sign or a book just by using the phonics skills he is learning.  He is hungry for knowledge, and it's an amazing thing to behold.

My biggest problem is that he won't leave the school room.  He wants me to teach him all day long.  And I have to get him to understand that as much as I love seeing him learn, I'm responsible for three other boys and their schoolwork, too.  I can't spend all day with just one of them.  Next year my oldest starts high school and it's only going to get harder to cram all four of them into each day.

All I can say is that I hope I always have this problem with him, with one change - that he'll work on it independently!!  If he can do that, he can go through as many grades as fast as he wants.  And I can work with the boys who actually need me sitting right there with them or they don't get their work done.

Great lit website

In preparing for my literature class tomorrow, I came across this truly excellent website on literary criticism. If you have an interest in the subject, or if your kids are trying to learn about it, it's definitely worth a look.

Freebie resource!

One of my favorite things about the internet is the free stuff. If I added up the value of all the free stuff I've gotten just over the last year, it would be well into the hundreds of dollars. And my absolute favorite thing is when I find wonderful websites that share free stuff every day of the week.

Homeschool Freebie of the Day is one of those sites. They have offered e-books, audio recordings and printables that I have downloaded, used and loved. This weekend, for example, they are giving away a whole package about Paul Revere, celebrating the anniversary of his famous ride. You don't have to be a homeschooler to join their mailing list or download their resources. Just a parent who likes to share great stuff with her kids!

Click here to visit and get your free stuff!

What's new with you?

It's awfully quiet around here, isn't it?

I went on a two-day trip down to Florida last week and got to see my parents, my bro, and my grandmother. It was a really nice vacation and I came back feeling so rested, I felt like I'd been gone for a week.

Now it's back to the craziness of my life. Things are going well with school this year. The two younger boys are both learning to read (and actually, the four year old is picking it up faster than the six year old). I spend about an hour a day with each of them. The older two need to put more time in, and it's been hard getting back in the swing since I was gone for over a month and then sick for so much of January. We'll get there, though.

I've been put on the ballot of my local homeschool association for the position of Head of Development or something like that. If I'm elected, that won't start until June. I would be the person new homeschoolers would call for advice and information, among other duties. I told them I already do that, so I'd be happy to do it "officially."

So that's what's new from here.

Talking about teaching

Pardon me while I gush about how much I love teaching my high school English class.

About half the kids in there don't really care that much. But the other half make every Tuesday morning a pleasure. I have been so HUGELY impressed with their writing, the thought they put into answering the literature questions, and even, on occasion, the discussion (though this is still slow in coming).

We're now getting to the part of the book with 19th century writers. These are some of my favorites - Hawthorne, Poe, Emerson, Longfellow. I hope the kids can sense my enthusiasm, that perhaps it might even be a little contagious.

And the writing assignments have been so fun! There is some real talent there. I'm going to put together a literary magazine full of their work at the end of the year so they all have something to be proud of. I know I'm awfully proud of them!

I'm sure if I had to teach every day of the week it would get old, but this once-a-week class is just perfect for me. I'm loving every minute of it!

Almost time for school

It's time to start planning the first month of school for the year. I've already started teaching my first grader so I can give him some extra one-on-one attention. I'll probably start my other boys a week from Monday. We're going to have to be more organized this year, with my oldest in seventh grade. He's got to be more focused; we've got a lot of material to cover.

The big problem is going to be the three year old. He's not willing to leave me alone with the six year old for even ten minutes - I can't imagine he's going to be happy with me taking two hours a day to work with the twelve year old. He's very much like my oldest son was at his age - he wants ALL my attention ALL the time.

I hope I've assembled enough busy work for the three year old that he'll be happy and quiet. Ha! Wishful thinking!

Have a good weekend!

I'm off to a homeschool convention today and tomorrow! Have a great weekend, and I'll see you Monday!

Do the write thing

Fake Quote of the Day:

"Writing is easy. It's putting the words together so they make sense that's hard." -J. Joyce

Tonight I have to take the two older boys for their annual homeschool evaluation. It's required in Pennsylvania. We have to be evaluated every year by someone approved by the state to do so, and get a signed letter from her saying that I am providing a good education at home.

We are fortunate to have found a wonderful evaluator who is also a long-time homeschooler. She is very understanding, supportive, and a great role model. If she ever quits evaluating, there will be a major uproar, I'm sure. Anyway, I'm not concerned about the actual evaluation. BUT...

We also, in this lovely state of PA, have to turn in a portfolio of work for each child 8 and older. Included in this portfolio must be a sample of writing. My children do not write. It's like the worst form of torture for my oldest son. It comes down to the last week every year, when I'm hounding him to please write ANYTHING so I can finish his portfolio. Talk about frustrating!

I tried getting him to learn typing so he can just type whatever, but he still won't do it. Unless it involves Bionicles, he's not interested. So we'll see what happens.

I might just enroll him in the composition class at co-op next year. Maybe someone else can drag it out of him.

A homeschool family video

This video is a riot!

Fun with history

I've been thinking about doing a unit on American history. I say unit, but I'm thinking it will probably last the rest of the year. I mean, we've got over 200 years to cover! I realized how little US history we've done when we were at Epcot watching the American Adventure show (that's the one where Mark Twain and Ben Franklin animatronic robots tell the story of America - in very abbreviated form). The kids had no clue what most of the scenes were about. Who's Susan B. Anthony? What's a Depression? Why are those women welding? Absolutely clueless.

So we've got a lot of work to do. And I'm thinking about field trips when the weather gets warmer (today it's supposed to be 68, but that doesn't count). After all, we live only an hour from DC, three from Philadelphia, forty minutes from Gettysburg. A great deal of early American history took place within a four hour drive of us. I know when I studied British history in London, it sunk in a lot better when we went to the actual places where it happened. Maybe this summer we could even drive up into New England and see where the Revolution started, visit Plymouth, and all that good stuff.

I absolutely love this country. I am a patriot through and through. And I can't wait to share that passion with my kids.

What day is it?

School is moving right along this year, which is definitely a good thing. We haven't yet had a major battle. But then, I haven't tried to get the sixth grader to write anything yet. I guess he gets that from his father. Hubby doesn't even read anything unless I'm not around to read it to him, so writing is pretty much off the table for him. Which is fine. We balance each other out. I do all the reading and writing, and he does all the math and science. I've already told him he's going to teach high school math to the boys because it's just not my thing.

Anyway, long weekends always mess with my head. It feels like a second Saturday, and then Tuesday is completely thrown off. I need to start lessons this morning, but I really don't want to. And Hubby's off interviewing for that job in Wisconsin today, so that throws the daily rhythm off, too.

Okay, gotta go.

But what was he happy ABOUT?

We seem to have fallen right into the swing of school this year. That's definitely a good sign. I think all my preparation paid off. Even on a day like today, when we went to the last free movie of the summer at our local theater, we still came home and got all our work done. Excellent.

The movie was Happy Feet. All I can say about this movie is that it was cute. There were a couple of laughs. For the most part, I just kept feeling like the plot meandered in too many directions. I mean, what's the conflict here? It seemed there were three or four things that all could have been the main conflict, and the plot kept moving around those things without making any of them the most important. I really liked the combination of live actors with the animation, but other than that, I don't think I'd watch it again.

Free movies are a good thing.

I've got shelves!

I mentioned a while back that Hubby was going to build me some shelves in the schoolroom, but I hadn't gotten a chance to show them to you. This first picture is the amount of shelves I asked for:

Just those two shelves under the window was all I really needed. But Hubby pointed out that it would be just as easy to add a few more on either side. So now I have this:

And this:

And see the shelf around the top? That goes all the way around three sides of the room! Let me tell you, this is a homeschooling mom's dream! I had a couple of homeschooling friends over and they were so jealous! Thanks for doing this for me, honey! I love it!