As the first official day of school begins it is easy to feel overwhelmed with learning outcomes, curriculum options, and government standards. It can be stressful looking at the mountain of books and assignments that you need to get your children through by June in order to have successfully completed this years grade. I just want to encourage you to take a few moments and cover your school year in prayer. Pray that God will direct your interactions with your children and that he will be the teacher in your home. I have found that when overwhelmed if I take those few moments to pray I am comforted by the holy spirit's whisper telling me he is in control, and all of a sudden I can see that what looks like chaos around me is actually the process of God working in my life and my family's life to fashion us into what he desires us to be. I also encourage you to take the time to pray with your children about this up coming year and give them an opportunity to tell you what their hopes for this year are.
When it comes to homeschooling you have a unique opportunity to educate your children in a holistic way, you can care for their whole being, not just their academic progress. As your children's teacher it is my role to ensure that your children are covering the government's learning outcomes, but I hope that I will also be able to help you design your school year so that it not only meets the government's standards, but that it more importantly fits your child. I want to partner with you so that your children are able to discover and develop their passions as well as learn in a style that suits you best. The key way for us to do this is communication and creativity, if you feel that your family is meeting learning outcomes in ways outside the traditional classroom model please be sure to discuss these with me, take pictures, send videos or tape recordings, or make a scrapbook all of these are ways that we can accommodate your children.
Jessica Holder, one of Anchor's primary teachers, enlightened me to the writings of a homeschooling mom named Sally Clarkson, her approach to homeschooling has really encouraged me to think differently about planning my day with my children and I want to include a portion of her article that I hope will help you to set up your homeschooling year:
"wherever I go throughout the U.S., I have observed that many moms are living as though their children are still chained to the constraints and methods of the public school.The only way I have been able to get beyond this over the years is to make very specific plans for my children with their whole lives in mind. As I begin my year, I list several categories of goals for my children to be sure that in my weekly schedule I include experiences that will nurture them in all areas of their lives. I will share some of those life-nurturing plans with you.
Spiritual
1. What are the specific character areas on which I am going to concentrate with each individual child? (selfishness, laziness, lack of initiative, using words for harm, etc.)
2. What passages should we memorize?
3. What books or devotional helps are we going to include in our family times?
3. What books or devotional helps are we going to include in our family times?
Ministry
1. To what ministry projects are we going to commit in the next 3-4 months?
(conferences, the homeless, missionaries, outreach in the neighborhood, etc.)
2. How are we going to give our money as a family in the next few months?
3. In what specific ways are we going to minister our staff and friends?
(Dinners or teas to host, cookies to bake, letters to write, retreats and overnights to plan)
Arts
1. What concerts or performances do we want to attend?
2. To what musicians or artists are we going to listen?
3. What theatre performances are going to be in town?
Activities
1. What lessons will each child take? (swimming, art, music, tennis, Irish dance, etc.)
2. What organizations should we join? (museum, zoo, Scottish society, etc.)
3. What trips will we take? (weekend trips, vacation, ministry, visiting family)
4. What interesting field trips should we take?
Traditions
1. What birthdays are coming up?
2. When should Clay and I schedule individual dinners, breakfasts, and tea times with the kids?
3. How can I surprise the kids with some fun to add interest in our home schooling day?
(hot chocolate with a morning fire, a hike and picnic, candlelight dinner on the porch, an interesting movie while all are piled into my king-sized bed) The planning list could go on and on. I usually try to keep the plans as simple and as realistic as possible. I try not to crowd too many activities together.
However, I find that if I do not plan for the extracurricular things, our lives become overwhelmed with the mundane tasks of home schooling. Variety definitely has added spice to our lives. It gives me a break from the rigors of our daily schedule. But most of all, by planning a whole life curriculum for my children, I have seen them come alive. They love to learn; they love life; they have been enriched by their many experiences, and in spite of all of my academic goals, they are becoming wholehearted children."
(Sally Clarkson, Planning on Purpose, to read the full article click on the Planning on Purpose text)