Tweaking, Growing, Learning: Home-school Front

Home School Front

Home School has been a challenge this year.  It has nothing to do with Julia and Mark.  Julia and Mark have been really awesome.  It is just me learning how to manage having a mobile baby around and schooling the big kids all at the same time.  And for some reason, Micah does not fit in a "box" like my other two did who followed neat schedules and napped when they were supposed to.  It's not Micah's fault either.  He's an amazing baby, but he is just his own little person, with his own little needs, and he just does not need the same amount of sleep the other two did.  He also is bigger, faster, more verbal, and so mobile.  Frankly, he's a genius at 8 months and mommy is mystified how to meet EVERYONE's needs.

This is life in the classroom.  As a teacher you are given 15-25 students each year, give or take a few, and it's like, "Here you go!  Good luck!  I hope they learn something!"  Each year is a challenge to meet the many needs of all those students, follow curriculum, go on field trips, plan special activities, pictures, field day, plays, concerts, fire drills.  You just have to roll with the punches, teach whom you are given, and pray they learn something!

My problem as a teacher, as a person, has always been that I have very high expectations.  When my expectations are not met, I do not like that one bit.  I think this is something that God has been teaching me for many years.  I'm so thankful He has been so patient with me, and it seemed as though now that I have Micah, I am learning that my expectations are not bad, it's good to expect great things from your students, and your kids, they just need to be appropriate for each child.

Tweaking-Growing-Learning

So, now that it is December, I have learned in November that we have a great flow in the morning.  We can get a good 1-2 hours of school done easily.  We work around Micah's nap schedule.  The kids take turns playing with Micah as I teach each big kid one on one.  Micah enjoys the play time with the big kids and the big kids appreciate one on one attention.  

After Micah wakes up from his morning nap we take a break from school.  We have a snack and try to do an errand (cleaners, bank, library, grocery store, post office) it is good for us to get out of the house.  Then we come home eat lunch and do another hour of school before 2:00 nap time.  Yes, my big kids STILL nap!  It is a Godsend.  I am so thankful for those naps!  During the afternoon nap I am able to clean sweep the house, fold laundry, prep dinner, blog, and cuddle/play with Micah.

After nap time we do Math homework (one sheet), spelling review (orally or handwriting), and go over any Awana verses and memorize books of the Old and New Testament.  I am thankful for this loose schedule.  And I also have added a Mommy helper once a week for two hours so that Julia and I can do more reading, history, and science while Hannah watches the boys.  Julia asks me a lot of questions during school that I just cannot answer or research all the time, so on the days that Hannah comes over I can give her more attention and dig deeper with her because she is just a sponge!  And she wants to learn, and so I really want to invest this time in her.