Well, Cris and I have reached an impasse and I want to make an well informed decision, one that is best for Cayten, for me, for our family, and most importantly not a selfish decision! Here is the dilemma:
Cris wants me to home school Cayten for Kindergarten. Only for Kindergarten, but I have NO Desire to do so. I have the stereo-types of home schooled kids in my head, unsociable, awkward, nerdy, etc. I am afraid of getting gruff from family and friends that don't agree. I am lazy and just plain selfish because, HELLO, how nice will it be to have 2 1/2 hours with just Rysa and new baby time.
I will be reading, researching, observing, and evaluating all my options. Most of all, I will be doing a lot of prayer and some sort of fasting whether it be making Cris fast, me not eating any sweets for a certain amount of time, etc. Today as I have been stressing over how to prove to Cris that this isn't for us, I came up with the idea that I could try it out on my own before kindergarten comes. As I was talking to Cayten about doing school at home, I had NO IDEA how terrified he was of actually going to school, having home work, not having friends, people making fun of him, and he just turned 5!
One of my problems with home schooling that I know is there isn't much structure, a lot of "learn as they go", "don't pressure and push", "worksheets and things like that don't work", and more. I am a well structured, very planned person. I work so much better on a schedule, knowing exactly what will be happening, when, where, why, and how. I am also terrified my house would be lost to disaster because I will be focused on teaching and not clean my house but that is just silly because really, I don't clean my house as it is HA!
I lost my husband to his Wii game he got for Christmas and it was a REALLY long day for all of us )as in LOTS of messes, fighting, broken toys, stressed mother, etc. and so the chillins went to bed at SEVEN! (that doesn't mean Cayten isn't awake at 10:45 (this very moment) and is outside shoveling snow with dad,) While I had nearly 3 hours of peace, watching TV shows, and pondering, I couldn't stop thinking.
I came up with a schedule that I hope will help me teach Cayten and Rysa better but also be a better mom. One that doesn't get lost on Facebook, internet, cleaning, phone, and many other distractions that take up my time, and FOCUS on my children and what they need. As I sat on the computer totally ignoring my children today, I realized I wouldn't have had as many fights, messes, and broken toys if I wasn't so distracted with mundane things in my life, and so here goes, my schedule. We are trying this out tomorrow but are headed out of town Friday and the kids will be at Grandma's all next week while Cris and I celebrate our SIXTH anniversary and find out WHAT WE ARE HAVING and so this will be put in place the following week! HERE GOES:
Monday-Friday
8:00 AM Eat breakfast, brush teeth, make beds, clean up and get dressed for the DAY (no pj's all day for kids OR mom)
9:00 AM School- Math (games and various activities and worksheets to teach math)
9:30 AM PLAY/CLEAN
10:00 AM School- Language Arts- Phonograms
10:30 AM Play/Clean
11:00 AM School- Reading/Writing
11:30 AM Lunch/Play Time
12:30 PM School ( not sure about this one yet, not sure if there is enough I want to work on with Cayten right now)
1:00 PM Play/Clean
1:30 Quiet Time
WEDNESDAYS ARE FREE DAYS
The reason I have everything in half hour increments is because I couldn't imagine trying to force Cayten to sit down and learn for 2 hours and I don't think it will take me that long to teach him most concepts. I also have play/clean time. Playing is for the kids and cleaning is for me so I have a half hour to clean up, get organized, whether it be to get ready for the next part of school OR just to clean a certain part of my house. All of this will give me time with my kids, time to clean, and keep me off the DARN computer. I will be blogging about it daily. If I have links to what I will be doing for certain subjects, I will be posting them. Wednesdays will be free days because I usually have A LOT going on those days.
Tomorrow will go like this:
Math: Indoor Hopscotch, Magic Bag
LA: Phonograms And basic Alphabet
Reading/Handwriting: Read stories to the kids, point out simple words, Practice writing the letters for Cayten's name -- Handwriting Printables--
And so, HERE WE GO!
1 comment:
here is my 2 cents...
If your kindergarten is only 2 1/2 hours it would be a good idea to get him used to school now, instead of when they are going full days, every day. If he is there for a short time, he can meet the kids his age and make some friends now, and they will be there the next year, so it won't be so scary.
That is a tough decision though. I know that whatever you feel you should do is the right decision (even when it isn't the one we want to hear/do) :)
good luck!!!
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