Homeschooling

A few people have asked me how we are handling the homeschooling and if it has been stressful on me.

In a typical month we school Monday through Thursday, and occasionally on Friday. The majority of schoolwork is completed by lunch or early afternoon each day. At times we have field trips or special projects that may cause us to rearrange our schedule, forcing us to work in the afternoon and/or catching up on a different day. We've always used a computer program for math. But, since my diagnosis, we've been trying some additional online curriculum. This frees up some of my time because the online program does the preparing for me. It's already set up and ready to go when my daughter gets on the computer in the morning. Through the summer we have continued to school but with a much lighter load--approximately two mornings a week. We don't take time off for spring break. Nor do we take too much time off around the holidays. This enables us to keep ahead and take off time when we need it throughout the year.

Once a month we have Girl Scouts, American Girls, geography; and at times, other classes and activities done as a group with other homeschoolers. Our Girl Scout troop is very active and always doing fun activities that are helping the girls develop interests and help their community. The American Girl group is a chance for the girls to share their love of reading and American Girls. The group coordinates crafts and activities alongside the books the girls are reading and we use the books as a springboard for additional history studies. Since starting the group, we've gone from the 1700s to the 1860s. The geography class meets once a month to give the students a chance to give a presentation on what they've learned about a particular country. Each month they are assigned a new country and they can pick what they want to focus on. It can be the clothing, politics, food, a particular animal, etc. They prepare their report and then show up ready to present what they learned--geography and public speaking rolled into one. Also this year, we've done some science and Ohio history with another homeschooling family, sharing talents and supplies.

Stress? Some days can be frustrating. How many times do I have to explain the order of long division? But, really, what would I rather be doing? Last week was filled with math and grammar and US map skills. And, we had geography. We studied Spain and my daughter wrote an opinion piece about bull-fighting. I watched her stand in front of a group of people and confidently deliver her report. When we returned home we made milkshakes and relaxed. Sick or not, I don't want to miss a second of her childhood. We do things together. We create. We learn. If this were my last day, this is what I'd want to be doing.