Back to School 2020

 Like the rest of this year, back to school is nothing like we expected. 2020 has shaken us up and tossed us around like the game of Trouble. But - in the midst of it all one thing has remained constant. God has been, is and always will be in control. He knew the chaos and calamity 2020 would bring. He also knew the wonderful blessings 2020 would bring. For every challenge we have faced there has been an unexpected blessing. Don’t get me wrong. It hasn’t been all sunshine and roses. But I can honestly say the blessings are things I don’t want to give up. Things like time with our families, a slower, undistracted way of life, appreciation for the small things, loving our neighbors in real practical ways. 

And now it’s time for back to school. And things don’t look anything like any of us are used to. Things like virtual school, homeschool, in person school are now etched in our vocabulary. Parents are faced with the tough decision of what type of schooling is best for their child(ren).  Even things like extra curricular programs have changed. In all of this one things remains our priority- our kids. What is best for them in this crazy time we are living in. 

As you prepare to send your kids back to school or to teach them yourself at home, know this. You are not alone. God has put you where you are for a reason. He will give you exactly what you need each day to be the best parent/teacher to your children. 

I’m reminded of these verses in James 1, 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

‭So as you start back to school, I pray that you will remember how loved you are, how much God wants to give you wisdom for the hard things, and how you are exactly the parent your children need right now. 

And don’t do this alone. Rely on God and connect with other parents. We were made to be in community. 

Our Curriculum

I wanted to share a little about our curriculum and how it works. 

I chose My Father’s World because I had a friend who I knew had used it and she raves about it. She, like me, wasn’t a teacher (had an education degree) so I knew if she could use it then I could too. 

My Father’s World is an integration of Charlotte Mason, Classical Education, and Biblical instruction all put together to help educate your child in a well-rounded manner. Some of my favorite things about it are:

-We have short, structured lessons that leave plenty of time for us to enjoy life. The lessons are packed with rich info so we can accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. It leaves us most afternoons completely free. We can play outside, play board games, read, be creative or do chores. 😉

-We study history chronologically starting early on, giving even young students a glimpse of how things fit together in the big picture. In 1st grade, students do an overview of the Bible. They learn to read by reading the major stories from the Bible. They practice writing by creating their own Bible journal. My kids still remember the stories they read from that year. In 2nd grade, they cover American History and all 50 states. It gives them a solid foundation for understanding how our country was formed and what it was created for. In following years, they study countries and cultures around the world and then start a progressive study starting with creation and continuing through to modern times. This is broken up over 5 years. My kids have learned so much in the last two years. We’ve studied Creation to the Greek empire, then the Roman Empire to Reformation. This year we are studying early American exploration to 1850. I have even learned a ton. I know I was taught most of this in school but something about teaching it has helped me learn so much more. 

-MFW integrates so many living books into our curriculum. They use living historical fiction and non fiction books to help history come alive for the students. They encourage reading aloud daily and while that’s a bit harder with a newborn or infant in the mix, it is totally worth it. We started using Audible and Hoopla and listening to books in the car. The Bronze Bow is now one of my favorite books and it was recommended last year as part of our curriculum. 

-The Bible studies are not just fluff.  They start early on learning attributes of God, names of God, and memorize scripture with each year. We have memorized passages from Isaiah, Psalms, Proverbs, Romans, 1 Corinthians and more. This year we are studying James verse by verse. And hopefully will memorize it as well. 🤞🏼

-Lesson plans are already made! Y’all. This might have sold me on the curriculum from the start. I know lots of curriculums have this but wow! I love that I don’t have to sit down and figure out how to divide up the history books over 36 weeks. It tells me! It tells me what to cover in Science and Bible and which days we are doing activities. If you think you can’t homeschool because the thought of lesson planning makes you nervous, just take a deep breath. Several curriculums out there give you a plan for each week. 

-Family Learning Cycle - this basically means after your oldest child finishes 2nd grade, you start the family cycle. It works like this. You do Bible, History, Science and a few other subjects together as a family. So I only teach those subjects once. Then for subjects like Math and Language Arts each student does their level appropriate work. It lightens my load having multiple students to teach. Plus we all learn from each other. It’s a win-win!

-Synergy Groups - MFW has a unique feature where they create a guide for you to meet with other families doing the same year you are and do some of the weekly activities together. We have been a part of a Synergy Group for the last two years and I have to say it’s been some of the best parts of our weeks. It gives the kids a chance to socialize (although my kids are already social), to learn from other authority figures and to do the fun messy things I don’t always want to do at home. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Let’s be honest. Sometimes those fun experiments get pushed to the side because they are too messy or time consuming. Ha ha ha! It also has given the kids a sense of community. They know other kids are studying the same lessons we are. 

I think that’s all for now. I realize if you made it to the end you finished a short novel. 😉 if you have more questions, feel free to comment with them and I’ll answer them. 

Homeschool - our story (part 2)

After I posted this weekend, I started thinking about all the reasons why we homeschool. And honestly, I didn’t have all these reasons when we started. Some I have acquired along the way. 😉 

1. Having direct input in what my kids are learning - knowing what they are learning and what ideas they are being introduced to is important to us. We get to teach from a Biblical perspective history, science, music, art and so much more. 
2. Flexibility - we can work school around our schedule not the other way around. We can take a day and go see the cousins or grandparents. Or take a field trip to the zoo (before quarantine).  We have been starting in July the last three years and then taking most of December off to enjoy the holidays. 
3. Time - we usually spend 2-4 hours a day on school lessons. Contrast this with an 8 hour school day and you can see that you can get a lot done in a short amount of time. Two of the three girls do gymnastics, one at a competitive level and the other does ballet. Before quarantine Avery had practice 9 hours a week. Because we homeschool, we are typically done around lunch time give or take. She still has the afternoon to play and be a kid. 
4. God called us. This sounds like the Sunday school answer but it is true. I believe God was leading us toward this journey before we even had kids. He placed people in our lives who were homeschooling or had been homeschooled. It planted the seed and that seed grew into where we are now. 

I know in the current climate of our country, a lot of you may be considering homeschooling for other reasons and that is totally fine. Those reasons are valid. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Are you looking to provide stability for your kids in a crazy environment? Homeschooling might be the answer. Is your child struggling with anxiety or fear? This might be the nudge you need. 

Hear my heart. I’m not against public school. I’m a product of it and I’m so very thankful for the teachers and coaches I had who poured into me to help me become who I am today. But I do recognize that our world is very different than when I was in school 30 years ago. 

Homeschooling works for us and our family. It might work for you and it might be just for a season. That’s the beauty of it. It doesn’t have to be forever. But you might find you love it. And your kids are thriving and growing by leaps and bounds. Who knows?! 

Homeschooling - our story

Our homeschool journey started about 6+ years ago when we were deciding where to put Avery for kindergarten. We lived in a good school district but the school we were zoned for was a very low income school. I say this not to say all low income schools are bad. I know so many that are exceptional.  But I did happen to have a friend who was teaching at this school and I had many conversations with her. I asked her if she had kids would she send her kids to her school.  She said no. This combined with a tugging I had in my heart to keep Avery home for kindergarten sealed the deal for us. We prayed about it and decided we would try it for kinder and take it year by year after that. 

A little background on me, I have a degree in Accounting and not education. I felt very incompetent going into this journey. I knew a handful of friends who also homeschooled so I immediately contacted them and started picking their brain. The two big curriculums I knew about from my friends were My Father's World and Classical Conversations. I researched both and felt like My Father's World would be the best fit for our family - especially with a newborn on board. Kate was born 6 weeks before we started Kindergarten with Avery. So I ordered the Kinder set from MFW and we jumped right in. 

Has this been an easy or smooth journey? No. Have you ever tried to teach a strong willed 5 year old to hold their pencil correctly? Have you ever had to entertain a 3 year old while nursing a newborn and teaching phonics to a 5 year old? We have had our ups and downs. But it has so been worth it. And you know what? I now have a 5th grader, 3rd grader and brand new Kindergartener. 

I started this blog to offer my insight on homeschooling and how it works for our family. And hopefully how it can work for yours. I want this to be a place you can come for encouragement and resources. Because let's face it, this world is short on encouragement right now.  And there are so many resources that you can get easily overwhelmed. I hope this can offer hope and direction in this new journey you may be on. Stay tuned! I have lots more to share.