Single Parent Homeschooling -- Day 1

Tally Count:

• 1 healthy mom.
• 1 healthy son.
• One son on the mend.
• One son so drippy he can't keep his eyes open.

This was S yesterday. He crawled up on J's bed and simply fell asleep. You all know that only happens when they're feeling sick. I've heard stories about Chip putting himself to bed when he was a kid, but that delightful trick didn't get passed on to his sons.

This changes up our week a bit.

On our agenda today:

• Rutherford B. Hayes
• Math
• Art and Sports Classes for the boys
• Reading and Writing activities
• Give the boys haircuts
• Wipe noses
• Flexibility

On his agenda today:

• Rub shoulders with Edgar Winter on the plane to San Diego. (Note to self: Google Edgar Winter)
• Spend time with his mother and brother who are taking the day to drive to San Diego to see him.
• Hot tub.
  

Canceling today:

• Dinner with friends whose husbands are with Chip at the conference.
• Any other outside contact.

Coping Technique:

• Two hours of classes for the bigs + one nap for a sick baby boy = Mom's quiet time.
  

Looking forward to:

• Comments! (Did I mention that it's Blog Comment Week and I have sick kids?)
  

Thoughts on The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life.
This has been an interesting read so far. It's spiritual, but not overtly Christian, so if you define yourself as the latter and decide to pick it up yourself just be prepared for some very broad strokes and definitions.

Here's an interesting thought. The author mentioned two different camps of educators: the scholars who insist" that the subject is primary and must never be compromised for the sake of the student's lives," and the student-centered educators who insist "that the lives of students must always come first even if it means that the subject gets short-changed." In the first place, homeschoolers often proport that public schools are exclusively made up of the scholars. Not true. Secondly, if these two camps are so hotly divided then it is obvious that curriculum design and implementation is just as laborious in the classroom setting as it is in the home setting.

This is the thrust of our greatest struggle is it not? We want to take our kids "out"and do a better job with the subject, but we also want to teach to the heart and mold their character. If we focus on the subject too much, we lose the love of learning that we're seeking. If we focus on the core needs of the student we eventually feel like we need to play catch-up with the curriculum. There's no easy way to bridge the two because both are important. It's nice to know the paid teachers deal with this too.

The pulse of homeschooling in general, however, is to teach to the heart of the child. Since the majority of homeschoolers were educated in a classroom the techniques of our pulse don't come easily...at least they don't for me. I may not be gifted enough or unselfish enough to always utilize those teachable moments so I fall back on instruction strategy and schedules. This seems to favor the subject over the student. So, I'm working on this balance just like everyone else. And I'm hoping that we'll see some great results in the lives of our kids...someday.