Friday, April 22, 2016

Our Week in Pictures

Wow ~ it was a whirlwind week!

Where We Went ~ We attended Lego Club, church, Chimes Choir, Dance, multiple appointments, co-op classes and round one of educational testing for Dean (he still has a few more assessments in round two ~ gifted/talented, ADHD and learning disabilities).
The students made a Lego quilt in Lego Club.
Chimes ~ their first concert is this Sunday.
Anne is stretching during break time at co-op.
School ~ The kids managed to log 25 hours of school this week, including dance and co-op classes. They made great progress on language arts and history. We never made it to our literature studies this week, but that is okay. We are very busy with several review items. There is some cool stuff coming up soon. I think we will be done with school in about three weeks!

Goldilocks Update ~ Goldilocks had extensive psychological testing this week. I think that the psychologist seemed good and really caring. I hope the results will help us uncover if there is anything else we can do to help Goldilocks. Dear Husband and I took her on an outing this week. I think she enjoyed herself. 
I have a picture of her with this statue as a toddler. It is hard to believe she is 15. 

Observations and Confessions ~ This is the time of year when I really start formulating my thoughts for the next school year. I am in the observation stage of planning. The kids have grown so much this year. One major thing I have recently realized is that my two remaining homeschool students are not academics and are not going to become so. Neither one of them particularly loves book learning as I did as a child. I loved, LOVED learning. I went to school all day and came home and played school some more and I am still totally in love with education. However, my kids are not. Sure, they like learning and are smart kids, but they don't live and breathe books like I do. They both test high on end of year tests, but even our very fun, tailored to their way of learning school is something they look forward to completing so that they can have time for their own passions. Anne is an athlete first and a theater rat second. She loves to stretch a little further and push her body a little bit harder. Her spare time is spent creating new films and exercising (always exercising). Dean's loves are theater, comedy, music and art. He loves to play his guitar, perform on stage and watch sunsets. He loves color and beauty. Of course, he also loves video games (sigh).

So next year, I hope to embrace who they are and stop trying to turn them into bookworms. I don't think this means a radical change to the way we homeschool but more a change in my attitude. I do think we may streamline a few subjects such as history so we move faster. We tend to move at a snail pace with history because the teacher goes down a million rabbit trails (ahem). I want to, need to, accept who they are. Their high school years are right around the corner and this is their education, their future, their adult lives we are working toward. They are awesome kids with awesome passions and for that I am grateful.

Blessings, Dawn


6 comments:

  1. I think you and I are a lot alike. Although I do have a few kids who love to read like I do, most of them do not, and I constantly catch myself trying to turn them into me. You are so right, though. They have to be themselves. Enjoy your week!

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  2. It's good to see that my kids aren't the only ones who do that stretch in varied places. Although my oldest is having some hip pain recently. I'll be interested to see what your upcoming year shapes up like!

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  3. One of the huge blessings of being with our children all day long as homeschoolers is seeing them for who they really are and the second biggest blessing is the gift of time to allow them to be just that. I have found these teen years the most exciting because I can help my children reach their own goals, rather than mine (although they still have to reach some of mine :) )

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  4. The blessing of homeschooling our children is just for the purpose you share -- embrace them!

    I love the photo of Goldilocks with the statue. I hope that you get the answers you need to help her.

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  5. I think it;s very insightful to realize that when our kids are not academics; I have one of those and I keep pushing him hoping one day to discover that he loves learning but really he just wants a list of assignments to cross off his list so he can go to work or go play on his own doing his own thing. I too have stopped trying to push more, further, and varied topics on him knowing he's going to be the type to work with hands and figure out what he needs along the way.

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  6. It's great of you to recognize their unique interests. That's such a positive of the custom education we can create.

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