Homeschooling so far...

As we approach the three month mark of homeschooling, I feel that it's time to take a look back and see how far we've come. 

When the first day of school was finally upon us, I was ready.  Public school teacher kind of ready.  I had specific lesson plans for every minute of every day.  There wasn't much room for going with the flow, because I had plans and that's what good teachers do (or so I thought)! 

Well... here we are with three months under our belts and I am here to tell you that many of those plans have been modified, switched, moved, or even deleted.  I had the idea in my head that for homeschooling to be legit, that I had to have our days resemble a day in the life of a public school student (remember that I come from a family LOADED with public school teachers who I felt/feel I need to prove my credibility to).  Our beginng days were kind of rigid.  We stuck to my plans to the letter.

As time went on, I realized that we could relax a little.  We still do our morning routine with calendar, weather, and review of our basic schedule.  We still hit all or most of our goals for each day.  We read, spell, write, do math, and practice speech & communication on a daily basis. Grandma Lynn continues to teach Science every Thursday (which is one of the things Will looks forward to most each week).  We hit our extra subjects and specials classes most of the time.  But if Will would rather read a book on Physics instead of the Solar System, we go with it.  If we find extra videos on youtube that appeal to him, we go with it.  If he grasps/masters a skill after a few tries, we move on instead of drill him with thirty more problems. 

Now that I feel I'm in the groove of our daily school schedule, I'm also finding that I'm ironing out wrinkles in other areas.  For example, today while Will was working on his writing project, I sat nearby where I could check in on his progress every couple minutes and keep him on task, but I also used that time to request books online from the libray for my next two units! 

There are things that I need to work on though... and they all have to do with me.  Homeschooling has added a new hurdle to everyday life.  I'm good at putting my family's priorities first.  Their laundry is all done and their rooms and closets are clean and tidy.  My own laundry, however, is almost always piled up and my closet looks (in Jay's words) like it could be on an episode of Hoarders.  I have found it so difficult to get to the gym since August that I ended up canceling my membership to my beloved gym.  I have gained at least five pounds, and if I'm being honest, probably closer to ten.  Not cool.  But... even though the scale shows I'm heavier, my heart is MUCH lighter -  and I don't feel like I'm going to vomit all day every day (look for more on this in my upcoming post on the day the school lost Will), so I'd say things are going pretty well.

All the previous ups and downs aside, the greatest report of the first three months has to be that Will's speech/communication has improved in leaps and bounds! I knew he would blossom if given the chance to talk all day long. I've said it before, but sitting in a classroom all day being told to be quiet and listen does absolutely nothing for a child who needs to develop their communication. This is not the fault of the public school system. It is my fault for not following my gut instinct from the beginnig. That is my only regret about homeschooling... that I didn't do it sooner, when in my heart I knew it was the best option for Will. But we're here now and he is thriving... and we couldn't be happier! We are all excited to see what the next three months have in store!