A Fly On My Homeschool Wall

We're getting 6 eggs a day right now . . . and watching for that number to increase.  The pretty eggs are a joy to me. I had an almost-panic attack this week. I spent a few hours on Tuesday wavering back and forth between freaking out and using our family mantra to try to bring myself to a functional place. It was moving laundry and my best friend from college that saved me. Work and talk. And listening. When I talked, I cried. When I asked questions about my friend and listened to her, I calmed down. I needed all three--working, talking, listening--to come back to myself. And good teens who put (the already prepared) dinner on the table, got the littles cleaned up, and then fed them.  (Thank you, Super Star and Belle!!!) I don't know whether the work I'm doing is that hard or if I'm just a wimp. But it feels that hard. So I made some changes. The first was that I gave up half an hour of my personal quiet time to do school with Ladybug.  It...

Easy Homeschooling Techniques: General Edition by Lorraine Curry This is another book I picked up on a whim at the library, and after skimming it, I'm returning it immediately.  There is nothing easy about what this author recommends.  It's surely full of good ideas--great ideas even--but implementing them for my big family is more labor intensive than almost any alternative I can think of. Because I am somewhat dramatic, I felt physically ill as I turned the pages, looking for anything that didn't make me want to run screaming: 1.  Read aloud--yes, good, that is easy, and we do that. 2.  Pages 129-131 had a classics booklist that I liked. 3.  Page 17 had a reprinted list from 1907 of what children should be taught. 4.  She encouraged teaching children to be independent. Yup, I can handle all of that. But the rest of the book is a manual for creating your own curriculum for every subject for every child. Nope, I'm not going to do that! ...

A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver Van DeMille I long ago decided that TJEd in its purity was not for me nor my children.  I felt at loose ends too much, and with various seasons coming and going, I felt punished for opening workbooks and simply saying, "This is what we're going to do today." Quite simply, I don't always have it in me to inspire instead of require. :) But rereading this book now made me realize that truly our household is an educationally inspiring household.  We read lots of classics.  We talk a lot.  I check in with my kids, and I provide lots of inspiration through my own example and through the supplies we keep in our home. It was a joyful reread, and it inspired me to keep up with our family reading . . . because lately I've felt in something of a slump. Core and Love of Learning--Oliver and Rachel DeMille When I finish assessing my kids, I'm going to write myself a separate post, assessing how I'm doing with the v...

I don't want to be ugly or angry.  So my prayer as I write is that I might communicate clearly and lovingly the feelings of my heart.  I believe that motherhood is valuable.  I believe in the art of making a home. The purpose of The Student Whisperer is not to defend motherhood or homemaking skills.  The purpose of The Student Whisperer is to show what it is like to be mentored and then to teach how to mentor.  I did not open The Student Whisperer searching for mothering tips or philosophical encouragement.  I am not complaining that the authors fail to defend motherhood or homemaking. But I am so very disappointed at the damage I feel Tiffany Earl accidentally does to both. In pages 105-108 Ms. Earl actually makes a strong case for motherhood and the homemaking arts.  She concludes, "The idea [that motherhood and homemaking leave women unfulfilled] has reached the point that most young women actually believe that being a homemaker is more un...

I've been waiting a long time to read this book-- The Student Whisperer .  I've finally got it to myself for two weeks via interlibrary loan.  And I'm furious! I'm so disappointed. That's why I'm writing.  I feel as if there is wisdom to be found, but I feel so blasted by arrogance and superiority that I'm reeling and have to find my center again.  I need to purge my mind of my frustrations to make way for lessons that might be beneficial. So Round 1 is my horror of how the authors believe they know what's best for all . . . maybe they don't believe that . . . but that is the message that I feel when I read it. There is a section of Tiffany Earl's narration in which she recreates a conversation with her mentor Oliver DeMille about a student who leaves her school.  She's devastated that the student is "lost;" she feels like a failure.  Over the course of the conversation it is revealed that the student was withdrawn from th...