Christmas letter, 2008

Dear Friends,

Thank you for caring enough to take the trouble to visit our blog!  We wish you a joyous Christmas season, and a wonderful new year!  Before I forget to do so, I want to mention that the professional photos on this page were taken by Diane Conn, at www.connphotography.com . Thanks, Diane!

First snowfall

 2008 was a good year for our family, and it sped by at unbelievable speed!  We've lived in our "new" home for over a year, and love it! It's a rambling ranch style home with more space than we're used to.  We especially enjoy the animals in the neighborhood--wild and domesticated. There are horses, goats, llamas, and our favorites--a horse and his best friend the pot-bellied pig who appear to be inseparable.  We often see a hawk we call "Howard", a fox, some rabbits, and of course deer.  We love our little corner of nature!  

Emily graduated from 8th grade in June, in a class of 13 students.  After spending two years in traditional classroom school, we decided to homeschool again for 9th grade. That's what this blog is all about! One of Emily's highlights of the year was attending "Pacific Quest" at PUC, where she learned a bit of computer programming, and took some advanced mathematics, along with 23 other students from various schools in California.  Our biggest "field trip" was to Ashland, Oregon, to see two Shakespeare plays at the OSF.  (We saw "A Comedy of Errors" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream".)

Handbells at Pier 39  

    8th grade class, 2008

Wayne continues working at the local dental clinic.  He works some unusual hours, and enjoys his congenial colleagues.  He works hard at home, too, caring for our pets, yard, pool, and house.  

Renee has worked at Community Home Care for more than 11 years, and loves her job--a perfect balance between patient care and office work.  She believes she works for the best department in the hospital, and after all this time, it feels like family.  In these uncertain times we are grateful for our blessings, not the least of which is steady employment. With homeschooling this year, half-time employment feels overly busy, and the remainder of time is spent on the school front.

    All three of us have greatly enjoyed staying in touch, or getting back in touch, with friends on "facebook".  It has been especially nice recently with a PUC Prep alumni group starting, and Renee has gotten in touch with friends she grew up with that she hasn't heard from for over 30 years!  If you're thinking about getting a facebook account, our advice is to jump in with both feet and try it--it will only eat up as much time as you choose to give it!  It really doesn't have to be a big time investment.

I'll close with a poem Emily wrote this time last year.  If you are curious about how homeschool is going, feel free to browse the blog.  Thanks for checking in!  We heartily wish you and yours a blessed holiday season!

The True Christmas Spirit

by Emily Mathe, 2007

When frosty eaves are decked with lights

And snow begins to fall,

You know the time has finally come:

The best birthday of all.

The toy shop windows glint and sparkle 

With gifts of every kind,

But holidays are not about

The presents you will find.

Though dear old Santa "ho ho ho's" 

With jollity and mirth,

Christmastime will celebrate

A far more glorious birth.

About two thousand years ago,

A Savior came to Earth

A dark and rotten stable

Became a wondrous place of worth.

So when Christmas rolls around,

Make sure to keep in mind

That Jesus has come down to Earth

To save us; all mankind!

'Tis the Season. . .

. . .for festive lights, generosity of spirit, shopping, and burnout.  Yes, burnout is no longer looming on the homeschool front. . . .it has arrived, brought suitcases, and moved in.  My goal for the immediate present and near future is to reclaim the joy of the season, so we can focus on the great gift the Advent season represents.  Any ideas?  (Actually, I know the answer:  SLOW DOWN.)

Autumn is fully here, and our giant liquid amber tree has lost nearly all of it's brilliant seasonal garb.  As the many leaves fell I discovered that I LOVE raking.  Like washing dishes, it's one of those repetitive chores that is so wonderful to mingle with meditation (and the house or yard looks better when I'm done!).  Wayne hung the white icicle lights on the house, we have a lovely spruce tree, and all the homey touches that we've grown attached to over the years. Our pellet stove provides warmth on chilly mornings, and we enjoy retreating to the family room and kitchen, where it's cozy.

It's also the season for fund-raising and musical programs.  There are three music programs this week, and the first one was last evening.  Last weekend the three of us went on the annual handbell tour to the Bay Area.  There are 13 handbell players, and we transported five of them in our car.  Between Friday at 3 pm and Sunday afternoon we put over 500 miles on our car. It was a lot of fun, and we especially enjoyed Pier 39.  

We toted Hershey around in a bag.

Monday night held the violin recital. Emily played in the group pieces, but didn't have a solo this time (if she had, we probably would have had to peel her off the ceiling and carry her to a soft room in a straight jacket).   Tonight is the hospital's annual Christmas dinner, which we always enjoy.  

Tomorrow evening is the junior academy's Christmas program, and Emily takes part in the choir, band, and handbells.  She is also accompanying the school in a string ensemble as the school children sing songs from "The Messiah."  On Friday is a low-key "piano party" where the piano students can share what they've been learning.

 First semester is virtually over, or will be in a couple weeks, and Emily is ahead in her core subjects.  We're able to slow down during this difficult time, and not lose too much ground.  We had a shift in history class, and are having to compress some chapters into a too-small time slot, so we can define this year's history as "World History".  That will be do-able, as Emily is such an avid reader.  The burnout problem isn't that the classes are too hard or too demanding--it's more a burnout from going to the school four days a week and not having time to dig in and do the classwork.

Pathfinders has been cut from the schedule--it was a difficult decision, but seems the right thing to do.  The composition of the club went from Emily and a 12 year old girl to Emily and about six kids 10 to 11 years old.  The next step will be to decide which music classes at the school are not necessary, and talk to Wendy, the music teacher.  The handbell choir is going to Disneyland, and I think Emily is committed to that for the year, but band and choir are not necessary.

What we're seriously short on is FUN.  Just playing and having fun.  We'll seek that out, and let you know how it goes!

The photo at the top of the page was taken by Diane Conn.  Her website is:  www.ConnPhotography.com  

Progress Report

It's a beautiful autumn morning, and I'm sitting here enjoying a cup of Peet's mocha java decaf in front of the fire.  Today it will warm up to nearly 70 degrees again, but the nights still get pretty cold.

It's been awhile since I checked in to report on homeschool progress, but it isn't for lack of activity!  

The "Education and Career Planning" class requirements have been fulfilled, and Emily turned her portfolio in to her teacher on Monday (whew!! what a relief!).  Interest assessments suggest that Emily would be a world-class executive secretary, but that is not her career goal. She'd like to include teaching in her future plans, and is also interested in the relatively new field of professional organization.

Geometry and English are both at exactly the halfway mark, with 4 weeks yet to go in the semester.  She's currently writing a research essay on "Bats" (her choice of topic--she thinks they're "cute"). 

We've picked up the pace with history, so she can complete the current book and begin the second volume in January, to meet requirements for "World History".  We've been taking our time and including lots of writing and projects in history.  Now, it will be largely reading and taking tests.  It's kind of a shame, but we'll try to enjoy it along the way. 

Home ec is going well, and she really likes the Lifepac books.  She's in the cooking section right now, and we're enjoying her experiments with new recipes (like ambrosia salad) along with old favorites (macaroni and cheese).  At Pathfinders this week Emily sewed a laundry bag.  

French is coming along well, and I purchased two simple French readers so she can see what stories in French look and sound like.  Excellent though the Rosetta Stone program is, it isn't big on conversational French, so conversing at the beginner level is difficult. Piano and violin are big commitments, and making the time to practice has been a challenge. Youth symphony is a high point each week--the favorite activity. The GROW Bible study will be over this Friday, and although we'll both be sad to see it end, we'll be enormously relieved to be home on Friday mornings, getting schoolwork done.

Emily and I both stay in touch with friends using "Facebook" and "My Space". She's even reconnected with a friend who moved away in 3rd grade, and a couple early childhood friends who moved away several years ago. She also stays in touch with a few friends from "Pacific Quest" by way of "My Space".

The schedule is still crazy, and burnout is looming.  We're in the midst of a mid-term "slump". It's hard for Emily to get out of bed these chilly mornings, and hard to keep the motivation going.  We find ourselves pondering the question of what to do next year for school. . .and we don't have answers.  Busyness is not lacking, and "boredom" isn't a problem.  It's more a lack of "fun".   The church social circle has become--for Emily, anyway--far too small. We're grateful that 2 of her 3 best friends are still in that circle, and getting together with them has saved her from ennui.  

Shabbat Shalom

My sister's prayer journal. . . .

Few things affirm my faith as much as the ancient traditions of the Jewish people. Their feast days and sabbaths emerged as a result of God's intervention, and the celebrations have changed very little through the ages. The feast of Purim celebrates the story of Esther. In a couple hours the most ancient of all traditions begins--the commemoration of the Creator's day of rest. Creator--what a concept!

Emily and I are involved in a Bible study called "Believing God." This week we studied how our personal history testifies to God's guidance in our lives. I say "we studied" but what I really mean is "we were supposed to study." Emily did her homework, but I haven't done my homework in 3 weeks, and am setting an example of procrastination. 

Considering the subject for this week--"memories", it seemed more than coincidence that I would make the discovery I made yesterday. As I rummaged in the attic searching for doll clothes I stumbled across a box of books. Two little black 3-ring binders caught my eye, and caused a thrill of remembrance.  I opened the smaller one. There was my dear sister Susan's name written in her neat handwriting. On the inside cover is pasted a cutout picture of a man in a business suit--obviously over-wrought, being comforted in the arms of Jesus. The picture is fresh, but surrounded by scotch tape yellowed and crisp with age.  This little book holds page after page of Bible verses written by Susan--promises, faith-affirming texts, doctrinal texts--all neatly categorized. It was a book she obviously used and wrote in often.

The larger binder contains multiple reference tabs, attached to typed pages. The few handwritten pages contain names of family members and brief petitions on their behalf. This book was Susan's prayer journal. It was really only the beginning of a prayer journal, with few answers yet. She was learning to pray effective intercessory prayer. She was practicing "believing God."

I wonder. . . .what happens to someone's prayers when they die? Does the Spirit continue to intercede on their behalf for loved ones? Prayer is called a sweet savor and incense ascending to heaven. Does that sweet savor continue when the voice is silenced? Susan loved her family passionately, and prayed for them passionately. She prayed for me. She prayed for our brother Richard ("Ricky"). She prayed for our parents. She prayed for her husband, Tim. She prayed for an aunt. She prayed for cousins. And she didn't JUST pray--she prayed expecting an answer. She BELIEVED.

This week's lesson was about Gilgal--coming full circle.  Not long before she died Susan told me that I led her to Jesus. Finding these notebooks is an example of "gilgal". These little books have begun to do a work in my heart, and have strengthened my faith. Thank you, Susie.

Overcommitted

It's a more than a little crazy right now.  In the past, when we got overwhelmed with schedule clutter, it was evening commitments that needed to be weeded out.  Currently it's daytime commitments that have us scrambling.  Something has to give, because this is CRAZY!  With Emily's good time-management skills, she is getting everything done, but at the expense of serenity.  The classes at greatest risk for being neglected are French and the literature and writing portion of English. 

In a previous blog I outlined a typical day.  If Emily doesn't get up at 6:15 and get RIGHT to it, things don't get done.  She goes to the junior academy from 12:30 to 3:45 four days a week, and we're coveting that time to do schoolwork.  She goes to the school for musical enrichment and PE.  The classes are fun, and beneficial, but they're not currently part of her curriculum.  I only recently learned that she gets her English done in the band director's office during music lessons--meaning, she's often listening to two trumpet students while trying to concentrate!  Good thing she doesn't have ADD!!

We experienced the school setting for two years, and in that time this same feeling of "it's too much" happened intermittently.  When I was in college I remember feeling as if each of my professors thought theirs was the only class that mattered.  I used to wonder if they had any concept of the staggering amount of work that was assigned over all the courses in a typical load.  It's all a lesson in setting priorities and managing time, I suppose.  

Second semester I foresee that one of the extra music classes (band or choir) will get jettisoned from the schedule.  

More Ashland pictures

Beautiful Ashland in the autumn

At Rogue Valley Adventist School

 Taking a run after church

At Lithia Park

Shakespeare Under the Stars

We loved our weekend in Ashland, Oregon at the Shakespeare Festival (fondly referred to as "OSF").  Sunday was a big day with a matinee in the early afternoon, and an evening play at the outdoor Elizabethan Theatre. 

Last Friday we drove to the picturesque little town of Ashland where I was born, and checked into our favorite "La Quinta" inn.  La Quinta is a dog-friendly motel, so we can bring our spoiled dog Hershey along.  We walked around Ashland a bit on Friday evening to soak in the local ambience. 

The next day we attended the tiny church I think my family attended when I was born. We were blessed by the music of a superb handbell choir from the local academy, and then we enjoyed a meal offered at the end of the services. Because Emily is involved in a handbell choir, we were especially interested in Rogue Valley Adventist School's bell choir. They were invited to play at the nation's capitol last year.  The school has two bell choirs, and the one we heard was the "second string" comprised of the younger academy players.  They were most impressive, with not only their ringing, but the percussion they added during a lively song--using their mallets on the table, bells, and even music stands.  Now Emily wants to move to Ashland and attend that school, which has 12 grades and about twice the number of students than the local school.

The afternoon was filled with a walk in Lithia Park, and watching the high school running competition that periodically filtered through the park.  We also drove out to look at the Rogue Valley Adventist School, and surrounding area, before returning to the motel room to relax and play with Hershey. (Lithia Park is beautiful, but Lithia water is NASTY!)

The Sunday matinee was a modern interpretation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream".  Emily and I are familiar with the play, and she was able to whisper some lines to me during the performance. We enjoyed the performance, but I don't think I was quite ready to see fairies played by men in tutus! The play was set in the late 1950's/early 60's. Theseus had an accent reminiscent of "Fonzie" on "Happy Days." Of course all the actors were excellent, but the actor who played the part of "Bottom" was wonderful, and "Puck" was pretty memorable, too.  

We had time for dinner and play time with Hershey before going to the evening performance of

"A Comedy of Errors" at the outdoor theater.  The temperatures in Ashland were dropping into the 30's at night, so we bundled up and took a blanket apiece.  The sky was clear, but it was COLD!  We hadn't studied this play previously, so the story was entirely new.  We were surprised to see that it was set in the old West!  We're learning that Shakespeare was especially fond of the confusion resulting from mistaken identity.  Twins also seem to figure largely in his comedies--at least in this one, and in "Twelfth Night".  The actors were fabulous, the play enchanting, and the whole experience was magical.  At the end, because the outdoor 

season ended with that performance, there was a sort of "epilogue" where about 60 actors came out holding candles.  The actor who had played "Bottom" came and said a few words of farewell for the year, and then they started to hum "Greensleeves" while the audience joined in.  We had nearly forgotten how cold it was, until it was time to make our way back to the car.

In 2005 we saw "Twelfth Night", two years ago we saw "Two Gentlemen of Verona" and "A Winter's Tale", and last year we saw "The Taming of the Shrew". It was sad to see our special weekend draw to a close, but it left us with wonderful memories.  This was our fourth year attending the OSF, and I'm beginning to think that we need to purchase a membership!

Last swim of the season

It's technically autumn in the foothills, but you wouldn't know it by the signs in nature. Nights are getting longer, and a few leaves are turning golden, but our giant liquid amber tree persists in its greenness. Today it was 92 degrees, so we went for a refreshing swim. Emily was the one with nerve to jump off the diving board. . . .she came up gasping from the chill. Wayne immersed himself, and frantically swam to get warm, but I couldn't make myself get in above my waist. The water was 69 degrees.  Last year our final swim happened on October 1st, but I think today was it for 2008. The shorter days keep the pool from warming up, even though the weather is hot.  I'm ready for some cool weather and rain!

This has been a lazy Sunday.  We've only done the essentials to prepare for a new week.  I did my usual menu-planning/grocery shopping/family calendar reconciling for the week. Emily reminded me to fill in her assignment book, and completed her own "to do" list for tomorrow. The junior academy has a minimum day this Wednesday, which means a day free of afternoon music lessons. That will give us a chance to catch up on assignments where my help is needed--home ec, and education and career planning.

Yesterday we attended a small local church where Wayne sang with the community men's chorus. The church is so small that the men's chorus and their few accompanying family members (about 20 people) outnumbered the church members. The church had a pleasant and folksy atmosphere, and we shared a scrumptious potluck meal afterwards. When we returned home, Emily had a couple friends to visit, and they had a chance to catch up, and be silly. They took movies with Emily's flip video camera and did much giggling. 

Last week Emily worked at the registration table for a children's evangelistic effort called "Amazing Adventures". Each evening she went to the church for 30 minutes, to sit at the registration table, greet, and log in the names of children who attended. That activity will become part of her portfolio for "volunteer" work.

TGIF. . .Thank Goodness It's Friday!!!

Another week draws to a close, and the weekend looks like an oasis!

Wayne has gone to play a well-deserved game of golf with a friend, and Emily and I are left here to do our Friday thing.  It's 9:00 am, and in a few minutes we'll leave home to attend our "GROW" Bible Study.  GROW stands for "God reaching out to women", and the study is based on Beth Moore's "Believing God" study.  Emily is the youngest one there.  We'll enjoy tea and scones with other ladies, and participate in a small group discussion.  Today is our day to tidy up after the study. 

When we return home we'll have a bite of lunch, then we'll compress 6 hours of school and housework into 4 hours.  Emily has a geometry test to take, a pillowcase to sew, and two instruments to practice.  If she has any remaining stamina, she'll make dinner.  I think I foresee that dinner will be a joint effort.

This week was filled with emotional ups and downs for me, and I've had an opportunity to reflect on the messy business of human relations.  How often do we think we understand what someone is saying to us, only to discover we are mistaken?  Conversely, how often do we think someone understood us, when instead they have profoundly misinterpreted our motives and actions?  Feeling misunderstood is not a sensation I enjoy (in common with the whole human race), and I like it even less when I'm not allowed to clarify myself.  The whole experience gives me much empathy for people who leave communities in a snit bearing loads of resentment.  I never admire people who do that, but I can see how it happens!   Well, I'm not planning to leave any community in a snit! But I'm trying to figure out how to be a good role model for my daughter and true to myself, without allowing myself to get stomped on.  

I'm grateful for the peaceful and refreshing oasis of home and family, with a weekend approaching!    

What about Wayne??

Wayne is a rock of stability!  

He is the one quietly caring for the yard, pool, and garden; the one who puts gas in both cars, pays the bills, calls the plumber.  He's the one there when I call for emergency dinner ingredients, or have to say, "I'm late at work, can you pick up Emily?" or, "could you do the big music lesson commute today?"  He's the one with the map, showing me how to get from A to B. He hauls the trash can up the LONG driveway, and brings it down again; he picks up the mail, does a large share of laundry, cleaning, and dishes.  He cares for pets when everyone else has forgotten them.  He keeps the machinery of our home running smoothly, and picks up whatever slack is left.  His steady consideration is always there when decisions must be made--large or small. 

Wayne doesn't choose curriculum or schedule activities in our homeschool, but he is the wind beneath our wings.  He's principal, custodian, secretary, and board of directors.   

Questions to ask a homeschooler

Ask the same questions you would ask any student whom you care about, such as:

• How's school going?

• What is your favorite class?

• What are you studying about right now?

• Are you involved with any clubs or groups?

And frankly, if you have any question about whether or not the student has adequate opportunities for socialization, just ask "are you lonesome?" or "do you wish you were in school around other kids all day?"  The answers you'll get from a student of any age might surprise you!

Years ago, when we first embarked on our homeschool adventure, I attended classes and conventions.  Socialization was of special interest to me, since Emily had no one near her age in our home.  Here are some nuggets of wisdom embraced by veteran homeschoolers:

• Children are not socialized at school so much as they are socialized at home (hopefully!)

• Homeschooled children are able to relate to people of various ages more comfortably than kids who are surrounded by same-age kids all week

• Homeschooled children don't succumb so readily to "age prejudice" as traditionally schooled children (yes, there's plenty of room for argument here)

• Homeschooling parents DO make efforts to socialize their children with others their age, but their energy goes into what they refer to as "high quality socialization"; this, as opposed to the incidental stuff that happens when kids are unsupervised on the playground, or in the locker room.  Locally, there is a group of teens who get together weekly to learn a sport. They spend weeks on the same sport, then move on to another one.  They spend 2-3 hours together in a cooperative effort.

• Another method of high quality socializing is associating with other students with similar interests, such as clubs like Scouts, 4-H, Pathfinders, or hobby groups like stamp-collecting, music, or reading groups.

• Homeschoolers with large families put an emphasis on socializing within the family.  That's not something we can do with our family of three, but I will say that we three enjoy ourselves immensely when we are together, and our family vacations are great fun.  Try asking Emily, and see what she says.  Homeschooling makes for close families!
  

• Oh, yes!  And, homeschoolers have FRIENDS.  :-)

Other people have argued the merits and superiorities of homeschooled kids' types of socialization more eloquently than I have.  I embrace argument #1--a child learns to relate to other people at HOME.  We know nice kids in school, we know nice homeschooled kids. We've seen "less nice" homeschoolers, and "less nice" kids at school.  There's a closer behavioral correlation with members of a family than drawing generalities about students in (or out of) school.  People are people, however they choose to educate.

So, having said all of the above, I will add that Emily's two years in school taught her much about living around other people, and moving in a "pack" as they do at this age.  It was not a bad experience (for the most part), and was a valuable part of her "growing up" years.  If local circumstances were different (if our community was larger), she would be in a school setting.  As it is, we're making the best of it that we can, and it's turning out to be a really good year.

 

So WHO IS her teacher?

I am!  That doesn't mean I daily lecture Emily from my vast and comprehensive stores of knowledge.  It also doesn't mean I'm an expert in all of her subjects.

It means my first concern is for the quality of her education, and I will leave no stone unturned in making sure she has access to resources to help her learn.  The "no child left behind" law requires that all public school students have access to a "highly qualified teacher" (HQT) in all core subjects.  When Emily took the assessment test, her scores were high and we were given the option of waiving our HQT requirements (we did).  

In the case of geometry, my search led me to the Teaching Textbooks program, which has a built in "tutor".  Every lesson is explained in detail, and every problem is painstakingly reviewed--all on CD's which she watches on her computer.  If this fails to help her comprehend the subject (as evidenced by low test scores), we will search out a math tutor.  The charter school has tutors, and I know a few personally.  So far, she's getting an "A".

In home economics, I am truly the teacher.  She has a textbook in which she works independently, but the practical portion is what I teach on Fridays--sewing, cooking, baking, and home-caring.  We talk much (I don't lecture. . . .how dull would THAT be!?!), and work together. Her recent #1 career choice is "professional organizer", so this course is highly relevant.

English grammar is hard, and I won't pretend I remember (or care about) the rules, but the Bob Jones University Press text is incredibly thorough.  I correct her work, and tell her when it looks like she's mixing up indirect objects and objects of prepositions.  She laughs and says she knows.   Literature is more fun, because we both love to read.  She just finished the study on A Midsummer Night's Dream.  I decided it was time for a more modern English author:  J.R.R. Tolkien.  We're both going to read "The Fellowship of the Ring", and discuss it, adding a Tolkien study when we finish.  We'll explore spiritual applications as well.   Other English authors we'll explore are Dickens, C.S. Lewis, and Jane Austen.  Later, we'll look at American Literature (Steinbeck, Mark Twain, maybe Herman Melville), then poetry by both American and English authors.

As for writing skills. . . .this is something I care deeply about.  I am able to help her for now, but I foresee a day when I'll want to find someone more qualified to help her hone her skills. She has the option of sending her writing to Lisa, our ES (educational specialist) from the charter school. Lisa's area of expertise is English and writing, and she will give feedback and suggestions.  I think this will serve us well this school year.  

I heard this expression the other day, "studying to pass the test, not studying to learn."  In the best homeschool situation, the goal is to nurture a lifelong learner, not an expert test-taker. I'm grateful Emily is just the way she is--someone with a passion for learning and a natural curiosity.  If tools are available to her, she will use them.  The nice thing is, when I choose to, I get to learn right along with her!

Normal

We've done it!  We've settled into a routine of sorts. How long has school been going?  A bit over a month?  Now we know how long each subject takes, and we're familiar with our commutes. French has been tweaked to a rate of 3 lessons in 2 weeks, and other subjects are being followed at a predictable rate.  There's time to practice both instruments.  Best of all, Emily is happy, busy, and self-motivated.  It's a good school year!

Current interesting assignments: 

• research paper on the man who discovered King Tut's tomb
  
• learning to use the Bosch compact kitchen machine we just bought (making bread)
  
• writing a resume
  
• GROW Bible study
  
• starting to work on Pathfinder Voyager requirements 
  

A Tuesday in the Life. . . .

Each day has its own rhythm, but here is a typical Tuesday--a day with no music lessons in the morning.

• 6:15--wake up, morning devotional reading, and run.  Emily chose this running activity, and I think it's a good one.  She is having some trouble staying motivated, and I have begun to take a morning walk when she runs so we're on the road at the same time.  I'd try running, but am afraid I'd kill myself--this body isn't used to that kind of uphill exertion!
• 6:45--shower and breakfast
  
• 7:30--practice violin for 25 minutes
  
• 8:00--geometry:  watch the instructional CD on the computer, do the problem set, and watch the solution CD if any problems are insurmountable
  
• 9:00--practice piano for 30 minutes
  
• 9:30--French for 30 minutes--this is done on the computer with the Rosetta Stone program; she's trying to complete 2 lessons each week, and it's hard with only 30 minutes a day--those lessons are VERY thorough
  
• 10:00--Education and Career planning assignment; History reading and/or project; Home Ec lesson book; literature reading and/or assignment
  
• 11:30--practice violin for 20 minutes
  
• 11:50--eat lunch
  
• 12:15--drive to the school
  
• 12:30--band class
  
• 1:15--"study hall"--she goes to the band director's office and does her English assignment, and whatever leftover lessons she has time for
  
• 2:12--P.E. at the school; lately they've been playing basketball and football
  
• 3:15--handbell choir
  
• 3:45--return home and finish any unfinished work, or relax!
  
• 4:30--early family dinner
  
• 5:15--drive to Youth Symphony about 35 miles away
  
• 6:00 - 8:00--Youth Symphony
  
• 8:45 return home and get ready for bed; she's been reading the book The Once and Future King by T.H. White to me at bedtime.  Since she learned to read at 4, she has done most of the daily "out loud" reading.  Once in a while, when she's sick, she'll let me read to her, otherwise she does it.

The "at school" schedule happens Mon, Tues, Wed, and Thurs, alternating band or choir.  It's busy, but she likes it that way!  She gets most schoolwork done Monday through Thursday, so Friday only contains both instrument practices, geometry, and home ec practical work.  This week we'll begin a ladies' Bible study which will meet for 10 weeks for 2 hours Friday morning.

So far she's been able to avoid doing schoolwork in the evening, or the weekend. The only class work that takes much time is geometry--she whips easily and and accurately through the rest of the courses.  This "Teaching Textbooks" geometry program is fabulous, and makes math nearly painless.

Last week when there were almost no afternoon school classes, she went to band, and then volunteered at the school, helping two teachers correct papers and some other odd jobs.  I'd like to carve out more time for this in the future.  

Emily keeps herself on task very well, and doesn't need much reminding not to dawdle.  She's remarkable that way, and I feel blessed that she's so self-motivated!

******************

I just read this post, and remembered that some of her friends commented, "with homeschooling you can pretty much do whatever you want, right?"  

Organizing

Oh, how I love to organize!  I even like the word--it makes me think of neat drawers with pens, pencils, erasers, and nice clean stacks of paper, which of course leads to a nice orderly life, with everything tucked into its proper drawer or niche. . . .  Emily has this trait in common with me. In fact, her love of organization exceeds mine.  She thinks she has OCD, but I see evidence in her bedroom that it is not a full-blown case.

To prepare for a brand new homeschool year, I went to my computer to make weekly assignment sheets, with school subjects listed.  Each quarter of the year is color-coded, to track our journey through time at a glance, and each subject is filled in as much as possible.  I lovingly printed each page with corresponding dates, made a cardstock cover, and additional pages for special events and reading lists.  I took this treasure to Staples to have it spiral bound.  The dear young woman who took my order got distracted midway through punching holes, and turned half the pages upside down. . . . .to make a long story short, I had to re-print half the pages, again dating them individually.  This re-printing took a while! I returned to Staples to have it spiral bound (yes, they did it for free, or rather, I only had to pay for it once). The book has justified the effort to get it properly bound, and now serves as our anchor. I fill it in Sunday evenings, or whenever there is time before Monday.

Emily wants her assignments to come in daily--not weekly--packages.  After four weeks of school we've worked it out pretty well. Each evening we look over the week's assignments, and figure out a rational division of work, taking daily schedule challenges like music lessons into account.  She writes her assignments on a notepad for her own reference, and crosses assignments off as she completes them.  Crossing things off a list is almost as much fun as making the list in the first place!  Have you ever written extra little jobs on your to-do list, just to experience the joy of crossing them off and feeling like you've accomplished something?  Do you have urges to medicate me now?  A little Prozac, perhaps?

Making the assignment book was a good thing to do.  Making plans for a week is simple with a ready-made list in front of me, and I have the record of previous work available at my fingertips.  It might be a bit compulsive, but it is saving time in the long run, and will serve as a fabulous record of what Emily did her 9th grade year of school!

Home Economics

First home ec day--making pasta with our signature crock pot marinara sauce.

Random

Have you noticed how the word "random" is used these days?  I kind of like that sort of youthful slang, especially compared to some other terms. . . Anyway, my computer battery is running low, so this post will be poorly edited and random.

We've had three weeks of school, and they've gone well.  But I can already tell that I'm going to feel reluctant to record anything less than positive on this blog, so I'll start by trying to be brutally honest.  Our first week of school--when Emily was "doing school", and no one else was, she was really into it.  Then, when the junior academy had "back to school night" and it was time for friends and acquaintances to begin their new school year, Emily had some wistful feelings, and started to say she wished she was back in school.  I'm not going to strong arm her into anything that makes her unhappy, so we talked about it, and I asked if she wanted to return to the classroom.  She said, "no, let's wait a while."  It was abundantly clear that my daughter is a big fan of "fresh beginnings".  She loves the idea of a new start, with new everything.  Now, here she was with week-old school books, and kids at school were having a fresh start.  She had to laugh when I put it that way.  But to be honest, she felt left out and displaced.  

Also, unexpectedly (to me) was the fact that although our schedule is full, and predictable, she likened it to playing several computer games concurrently. . . .instead of playing one game, and playing it fully, she felt like she was playing several games half-heartedly.   So, that sense of "belonging" isn't happening yet.   With my motherly protective instinct alerted, I was on the phone looking for clubs that would fit into our schedule.  4-H never returned my phone call, and Pathfinders occurred to me.  We're still considering it, and pondering the necessity of adding still more commitments to our already over-committed schedule.

That particular crisis is over, although we're still considering Pathfinders.  It's been a couple weeks since the junior academy started, and Emily tells me she's getting into the swing of things, and doesn't feel so displaced.  The youth symphony is her favorite activity, but she also likes going to the school in the afternoon for choir, band, P.E., and handbells.  She has reflected that if she went back to school, she still wouldn't necessarily feel as if she "belonged".  That's the down-side of such a small community--there aren't many choices as far as friendships go.  She has several good friends, but the cohesive group of friends she went to school with for the last two years has dissolved into different locations.  

We had our first meeting with the charter school's teacher who will be Emily's mentor this year.  Emily took an online placement test, which serves as a baseline, to be sure we don't spend the year watching TV, eating bonbons, and "unlearning".  She'll take the test again in the spring.  It probably took all of 30 minutes, and Emily scored high enough that I hope she left room for some improvement.  We were assured that our academic program is very rigorous--Emily is taking as many units for credit as she is allowed to take, and we'll just consider the rest of the classes good learning experiences.  I had some questions about whether or not grades were assigned. . . .they are; so, Emily will have a bona fide transcript with letter grades on it.  Now, I need to pay attention to test scores, and grading criteria.

A week or so ago, when I was searching for a place to "belong", I contacted an old homeschool friend with a daughter close to Emily's age.  They were having a homeschool get-together that day, and we were invited.  The group meets quarterly, and the purpose is to promote reading.  The kids get together and play games, enjoy a snack, then share the books they've been reading by giving an oral report or description.  It was a hot day, and the kids got all sweaty playing together outdoors.  It filled me with nostalgia, because like most homeschool gatherings, it  was family groups, not groups of same-age kids.  Kids four years old were playing games with 16 year olds. . . .and yes, that does work, when the older kids have learned to be gentle and inclusive.  We hope we'll be able to participate in the quarterly get-togethers with this group.  It was fun to listen again to tiny people describing their favorite books.

The next post will be about how we've learned to organize schoolwork for the days vs. the weeks (Emily and I are incompatible--I want to give weekly work, she wants daily.)

Education and Career Planning

How could I have omitted this subject from the last post?  Yes, this is a fun course.  Emily doesn't have a firm career plan yet, so this course is a nice way to explore possibilities.  She has a workbook with exercises in it, and online activities.  Her interest inventory showed potential in these areas:  conductor, playwright, librarian.  She was asked to write an essay envisioning her life in ten years.  She expects family to play an important role, and that will figure in her career choices.  At this point in time she thinks she'll major in music, but is open to new ideas.  She also loves the idea of being a professional organizer.

Subject Reviews

After quizzing Emily a bit about her responses to curriculum, here is a summary.  She says she doesn't dislike any subject, but it was a relief to put Health away for now.

French--her favorite, even though she doesn't think she's doing well.  It's the Rosetta Stone program, which is considered an "immersion" method.  She spends more than the prescribed 30 minutes a day on this one.  It's not conversational French, unless saying "the man is on the roof" is relevant to a conversation.  She doesn't yet want to practice her vocabulary on a fluent French speaker, but she's coming along!

Literature--Emily loves this one.  We have started with a Shakespeare play that she's very familiar with:  A Midsummer Night's Dream.  She likes to read it aloud, and is enjoying the analytical activities.  

Home Ec--this one is fun, too.  The current Lifepac unit is on "Christian Character and Appearance".  It's pretty simple to read and answer the questions.  In addition to this, we've reserved every Friday for cooking and sewing.  Last Friday was our first home ec day, and Emily prepared a lovely pasta dinner with salad and garlic bread.  We never got to the sewing portion of the day, but were incredibly busy nonetheless.  She will create a new recipe collection for herself.  We started a recipe notebook when she was in 4th or 5th grade, which we still use regularly, but she likes a fresh beginning, so will now keep a card file.  I don't really enjoy cooking or sewing, so this course will offer me a refresher!  It's fun to do it with a partner.

Writing and Grammar (Bob Jones University Press)--She surprised me by saying that she likes this one, even though it's hard. She took her first test yesterday and got an "A".  Language and writing are her natural gifts, so I shouldn't be surprised, and I am glad she enjoys a challenge.

Geometry (Teaching Textbooks)--After a week, the program is still in the introductory phase, but she says it's fun.  The lectures are about logic, inductive and deductive reasoning, and postulates.  It reminds me of the Chronicles of Narnia, when the professor scratches his head and says, "Logic!  No one understands logic!  What DO they teach children in school these days!" (Okay, that was a paraphrase, but you get the idea.)  So far the CDs which elaborate on the solutions to the problem set have not been needed, but we're glad to have them available, and will probably use them later.

History (Streams of Civilization: Ancient Times)--Emily likes this one, too.  She especially enjoys segments on ancient Egypt and Greece. We haven't gotten to the Egypt portion, but she has devoured two supplementary books, "The Golden Goblet" and "Mara, Daughter of the Nile".  Last evening we watched a Discovery channel DVD on "Egypt's Lost Queen".  It was fascinating, but viewing so many mummies (up close and personal!) disturbed my sleep a bit.  Emily said it disturbed hers, too.  Hatshepsut was depicted as a villain in "Mara, Daughter of the Nile", so we were glad to hear what is truly known about her.  She experienced much loss in her life, and the conclusion was drawn that it was probably her stepson (also nephew, since she married her half brother Tutmoses II) who had her image eradicated wherever possible.  The researchers believed he did this not out of hatred, but to ensure the patrilineal monarchy.  In other words, he tried to minimize her impact on history, and make her into a non-entity to ensure that his son (and not her daughter) was regarded as the rightful ruler . The researchers also determined that her cause of death was probably a tooth abscess, and that she experienced osteoporosis, and had a malignant tumor in her hip.   She had a prosperous rule, and built many structures.  She is a fascinating historical figure!

Religion--Yes, she enjoys this one, too.  She's a great reader, and we sometimes wish the old-fashioned class "elocution" was available.  I guess it has morphed into a component of drama. For now we are simply reading Patriarchs and Prophets aloud together over the weekend.  I have some precious memories of Sabbath afternoons spent at my sister Susan's home, reading The Great Controversy.  We seemed to have a room full of people, although I don't remember who was there.  We each had our own book, and each person read a paragraph, taking it in turns around a circle.  We would discuss as we went.  Susan died shortly after we began the Desire of Ages.  Our reading last week was regarding the rebellion in heaven.  It's odd--it sounded so political, as in fact, it was!  It seems like evil should be easily recognizable, but too often it's insidious.  

Freshman orientation and the first week

Today marks the end of the first week of school!  Between my job and getting Emily established at her various "enrichment" classes, I'm run fairly ragged!  I look forward to something resembling a boring routine!

Our first day of school was busy.  We now refer to it as "freshman orientation".  Because I had the whole day off from work, I decided we needed to touch upon each subject--something that won't occur on any future school day.  Emily was really excited to begin, and willing to do a lot of work.  By the end of the long day she felt like she had done a week's worth of school work, and I felt guilty!  We have now experienced each of the subjects, and have a better idea how to pace them.  We've put "health" on hold until second semester, when she will have completed her "education and career planning" class.   That has balanced the curriculum for now. 

The first piano lesson took place on Monday, and we had a joyful reunion with Gail, who formerly not only taught Emily piano, but also taught our homeschool choir for a year, when Emily was in 6th grade.  Oh, we've missed piano!

Last evening was the tryout for the "Youth Symphony".  Emily was horribly nervous!  We had a 45 minute drive to get to the practice location.  She played a couple scales for the director, Mr. King, and then a classical piece "Fiocco's Allegro", a light-hearted piece that shows off her quick fingers.  She didn't have time to demonstrate her sight-reading ability, but did play a couple more impromptu scales at Mr. King's request.  He placed her in 1st chair, and she beamed at Wayne and me when she was seated for the rehearsal.  It's a very small orchestra, and I hope more kids join.  They had five violins, three trumpets, a french horn, flute, some percussion, and that's about it.  The parents held an orientation meeting while the kids practiced, then we had time to observe the rehearsal.  They sound GOOD!  This commitment will have us driving a lot.  The symphony practices (for now) from 6 pm to 8:30 pm each Tuesday evening.

Today was the first day of school for the local junior academy.  I delivered Emily there in time for choir, then waited until choir finished to make sure she had a place to go for her "study hall".  After that was PE with the 9th and 10th graders (the school board said "yes" to our request that she be allowed to participate).  Finally, it was time for "handbell" tryouts, so she got to audition again.  There are three empty handbell spots, and eight students who want to fill them.  The other handbell spots are filled by students who played with the group last year.  We haven't heard the answer yet.  It makes me a little weary to think of driving her to school at noon four days a week, then picking her up at 3:45.  I don't know why that should bother me--we just finished two years of 8:15 drop off, 3:05 or 3:30 pick up.  Maybe it's because I want full homeschool charge of the schedule.  Still, when I reflect on my 20 hours/week work commitment, and think of how Emily would use unsupervised time at home (on the computer), I'm glad to have her participating in classes with other kids her age.  I think it will create a better balance for her.

The next post will address Emily's response to her various classes and subjects.  I may enlist her help with this blog, so her point of view is really well-represented!

The Taming of the Schedule

Our school begins in a week. That seems early, but first semester will be over by Christmas break, and we'll finish mid-May. I work 20 hours a week as a home health nurse, and Wayne works intermittently as a dentist, at the local clinic. We are blessed with much time at home, so you wouldn't think our schedule would be so difficult, would you? I'm the main teacher, though, so I need to be home when it's time for the book part of schoolwork.

Emily loves music, and likes to be involved in musical activities. Some families are involved in sports, but for us, it's music. I'm the musical equivalent of a stereotypical "soccer mom". This year, besides violin, we'll have piano, choir, band, handbells, and youth symphony. The hours she'll spend at the local junior academy for musical enrichment will occupy half the school day Monday through Thursday! So, all the academic work needs to happen in the mornings. We also need to schedule violin and piano lessons in the morning. Of course, we don't NEED to do all this, it's a choice. When Emily started traditional school in 7th grade, she was like a starving person at a smorgasbord -she wanted to try EVERYTHING. She was in violin, symphony, youth group, basketball, jazz band. She had somewhere to go three nights a week. On Monday when she went to school, she didn't come home until 9 pm! By 8th grade she figured out that all that wasn't necessary, and she relinquished symphony, youth group, and only went to jazz band sporadically. So, this year, she only plans to be out one evening a week at the youth symphony. Actually, now that I think about it, It sounds downright relaxing!

Families who homeschool more than one child seem to be about equally busy--they either have all the kids do the same music and activities, or they find friends to help with carpooling. We haven't worked out the carpooling thing; we are often available to provide transportation for Emily's friends, though.

Our plan is to have "school" in the morning, and I'll be available for classes, as well as limo service. At noon I'll take Emily to school for her musical enrichment classes, and she'll take schoolwork to do during downtime between classes. After I drop her off, I'll go to work for 4 hours. I'm blessed with a flexible job, and spend 12 hours a week doing paperwork in the office. Then, I'll pick her up and we'll both go home. It should work! When my work hours get out of control, Wayne will be available for limo service, too.

We're waiting for answers to these questions: When will piano and violin lessons be? Is there room for Emily in the handbell choir? Will the school allow her to participate in PE during her 4 hours onsite? When these questions get answered, we'll feel like we have a handle on the schedule!

Choosing Curriculum

Before we could decide on what textbooks to use, we had to sift through a lot of information. I studied the California education code, high school programs, and boarding academy honors programs. I also studied admission requirements for homeschoolers at any college I could think of. In California, homeschooling is not recognized in the education code. To homeschool within the law, families must take one of the following routes: enroll their children in an independent study program, or a charter school, or create their own private school. Over the years we have used each system. We decided that for the high school years a charter school would be the safest, and would confer the most benefits. We also had to spend some time deciding how important we believe the "university A-G courses" are to Emily's future. (We decided they are not.)

English language arts
geometry
health
home economics
education and career planning
PE
violin
French

In addition to the above courses, Emily will take piano lessons, and be involved in a concert band, choir, handbell choir, and youth symphony. She'll also study religion, but won't receive credit because she is enrolled in a public school. We researched the colleges Emily is likely to attend, and they want to see religion on the transcript. To accommodate this requirement, we plan to keep a detailed portfolio of all subjects she's studied, volunteer work, musical experiences, and work experience.

For English, we decided Bob Jones University Press has a good program with their "Writing and Grammar". It's rigorous and thorough, and the book is a "worktext", which we like. We will use separate study guides for literature, and are kicking off the school year with our favorite Shakespeare comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. In October we have a trip to Ashland planned, so we can see the live production of this play at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

We're excited about the geometry text, because it looks so user-friendly. It's from a publisher called "Teaching Textbooks" and it's designed for the homeschooler doing independent study. . .a good thing, since I never aspired to be a math teacher (and would certainly never qualify!). It has numerous instructive CD's, and support for every aspect built into the program. Prior to this we have relied on Saxon math, and the "DIVE into math" CD's. In 7th grade, Emily's teachers suggested she accelerate the pace, and finish algebra 1/2 during the summer, and do algebra 1 in 8th grade. She did so, with two other classmates, and they used the DIVE together. (BTW, we read that California will require all 8th graders to take algebra 1 by the year 2010. What happened to the good old days when algebra was a freshman course? Did we all turn out too stupid?)

For health we are using Lifepac's "High School Health" booklets. We are also using Lifepac for home economics. It looks thorough, and I look forward to a refresher course! We're also using a sewing book called "Stitches and Pins" which starts with the most basic sewing. I think everyone should have a few of these skills under their belt!

French will be covered by the Rosetta Stone program.

For world history we're using "Streams of Civilization" volume 1. It's a highly readable text, with enrichment activities that look fun. We'll also include supplemental reading for each era, and history DVD's from Netflix when they're relevant to our studies. The first supplemental historical novels are "The Golden Goblet" and "Mara, Daughter of the Nile". It's funny--I hated history in school, and now I love it!

Making the Decision

Wow.  I can hardly believe it.  It started as a suggestion at a violin lesson--we chewed on it, prayed over it, considered the possibility, then thought some more.  For about the fortieth time Mr. Moes said, "you could homeschool."  He has been telling us for two years that Emily would have more time to practice her violin if she homeschooled.  

Homeschooling is familiar territory for us.  We did it for Emily's kindergarten through 6th grade school years.  School--the traditional classroom kind--cropped up and surprised us as the right thing to do for 7th grade.  Now, once again, just when we thought the final transition was made, and we were locked in for two more years at the local junior academy, we find ourselves in the homeschool world once again.  And excited about it!!

It's hard to pin down the decision to a single factor.  Emily's two years in school were GOOD.  She had excellent teachers.  Besides traditional academic subjects, she learned non-academic things she wouldn't have learned at home.  And some of them were good ;-)  She had the opportunity to work on projects cooperatively in groups, the chance to mentor peers, exposure to different teachers, and the chance to experience a highly structured environment with strict deadlines and concrete parameters.  Emily really enjoyed receiving recognition for her achievements (by someone besides mom and dad--yawn!).  She learned to type with correct fingering!  She went from a super-fast hunt-and-peck typist to clocking in at 110 wpm.  Mrs. Johnson, her keyboarding instructor, still doesn't believe Emily came to school not knowing how to type.  Emily's finished work in math turned out much neater for school work than it had for homeschool, and she learned that she is profoundly motivated by grades.  Wow, she's turned into a super-organized person!  That would have surprised me two years ago; not a big profound surprise, but an eyebrow-lifting one.

Some of our decision to homeschool was based on our warm memories, and the desire to be in charge of scheduling.  It is so fun to plan schedules and curriculum!  I love scanning resources, reading reviews, evaluating samples, and figuring out what will work best.  When Emily went to the classroom two years ago I had severe withdrawal pain as homeschool catalogs arrived, and there was nothing to buy!  It was hard, too, to be fairly uninvolved in the educational process for two years.  She is such an independent student that her parents had almost no part to play!  I guess that is what we were paying tuition for. . . but I love learning along with her.  I hated history in school, and now I love it.  I'm still waiting for that to happen with math!

It was hard to tell Emily's good friend Heather that she wouldn't be at school with her in the fall.  I think it was harder still to tell Lance, her homeroom teacher.  He has become a cherished mentor.  I've always been good at doing what people expect, and it's hard to swim against the current.  It's funny, though, because at this point we're not wondering if we've made the right decision--we believe we have.

The next entry will be about curriculum choices.  We won't address the "s" word in this entry--that's bound to crop up in the future.  "Socialization" (with a capital S) is one of the favorite criticisms of homeschooling, and we're homeschooling an only child!  Loneliness, and solitude, and boredom, oh, my!!