Anyone else at a complete loss for next year?

[Runningmom80]

I thought I'd start a pity party for those of us who have not the slightest idea what we are doing next year. ;)

[JenneinCA]

Not only do I not have curriculum picked out for anyone, I am not even sure which subjects I will be teaching and which ones I will outsource. I am totally tired of trying to teach children who don't what to learn what I am teaching.

 

Unschooling and the local high school are options right now. So is the local community college.

 

I don't know what I am doing with my youngest either but I am less worried about that.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Do we get bonus points if we're still scrambling to decide what to use this year????

 

We're doing a reboot and starting over, yet again, on Monday. (Presuming I can get my wits about me... :willy_nilly: )

[Element]

Yes. I have made no decisions regarding next year. Nor do I know when (ahem, *if*) we will finish this year. It has been a monumentally weird year here, due to both external events (moving, tornado) and internal (hello, puberty!)

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Just received evaluation results for ds14. Instead of clarifying the plan for next year, it sent it into chaos.

 

 

I need a glass of wine to go with my whine.

[Runningmom80]

Just received evaluation results for ds14. Instead of clarifying the plan for next year, it sent it into chaos.

 

 

I need a glass of wine to go with my whine.

Ha! We just had achievement testing. I don't even have the scores yet, just his grade ranges, which the psych was able to tell me while DS was on a bathroom break, peeing with the door open.

 

Here's to asynchronosity!

[Runningmom80]

Not only do I not have curriculum picked out for anyone, I am not even sure which subjects I will be teaching and which ones I will outsource. I am totally tired of trying to teach children who don't what to learn what I am teaching.

Unschooling and the local high school are options right now. So is the local community college.

I don't know what I am doing with my youngest either but I am less worried about that.

 

 

I don't know what subjects we are doing either!

 

 

Do we get bonus points if we're still scrambling to decide what to use this year????

 

We're doing a reboot and starting over, yet again, on Monday. (Presuming I can get my wits about me... :willy_nilly: )

  

 

Yes, you definitely get bonus points! I just ended up dropping things along the way, or we finished way sooner than I thought we would.

 

Yes. I have made no decisions regarding next year. Nor do I know when (ahem, *if*) we will finish this year. It has been a monumentally weird year here, due to both external events (moving, tornado) and internal (hello, puberty!)

I like the idea of not finishing the year, maybe we won't get back to work after Easter. Who doesn't love a long summer?

[Perogi]

I feel like I'm spinning.

 

Screw the logic stage LOL

[eternalsummer]

I just don't know where we'll be with a lot of things - we just started homeschooling, and the pace is so erratic, it's hard to say

[Black-eyed Suzan]

I'm always amazed by people who know what they are doing more than a week in advance. ;)

But honestly, lately it seems that nothing we are doing is working any more, and I have no idea what to do instead. 

[a27mom]

I was pondering this after seeing a "box day" thread. I was trying to imagine ordering one box of curriculum and being set for the year :lol: I am not at a complete loss though. We just changed everything up in March. The current stuff we are working with has several levels to go, so I am cautiously optimistic I shouldn't have to change anything until November. Though I have learned to only order one level at time, just in case, so I have a few more orders between now and them.

[JeanM]

Not only do I not have curriculum picked out for anyone, I am not even sure which subjects I will be teaching and which ones I will outsource. I am totally tired of trying to teach children who don't what to learn what I am teaching.

 

Unschooling and the local high school are options right now. So is the local community college.

 

I don't know what I am doing with my youngest either but I am less worried about that.

 

I'm in exactly the same position. Older ds is taking three classes at the public high school this year, and he'd like to do something similar next year. We're waiting though to hear what classes are offered when. If the classes that he wants are spread out throughout the day, I'm not sure what we'll do. He could do some community college, but that's more expensive.

 

I'm so happy that younger ds is signed up to take English online next year, and it's all figured out. I know what math he's doing too, and probably history. I just need to decide on science, Spanish, and some other stuff.

[Runningmom80]

I was pondering this after seeing a "box day" thread. I was trying to imagine ordering one box of curriculum and being set for the year :lol: I am not at a complete loss though. We just changed everything up in March. The current stuff we are working with has several levels to go, so I am cautiously optimistic I shouldn't have to change anything until November. Though I have learned to only order one level at time, just in case, so I have a few more orders between now and them.

 

Oh yes, a "box" would be a dream come true! I did order oak meadow this year, and while I loved it, my ds was in agony.

[Runningmom80]

I'm still at a loss! I have math figured out, but nothing else.

 

Are you guys making progress?

[Greenmama2]

I'm at a loss. I have to show a plan for DD8's next two years in a couple of weeks for our registration. I've got nothing. Feeling completely uninspired & soooo unsure of what her pace might be.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Sort of. We've revamped our long term plans and placed a couple orders. We are learning to be like water here. Our days of neat and tidy schedules made at the beginning of the year are gone forever. We are learning to make decisions regarding impromptu opportunities, followed by quickly reprioritizing the rest of our lives to make things happen. I think I'm past the panic stage and moving on to the new normal. :coolgleamA:  Such a relief!

 

(I reserve the right to revert back to panic mode at any time! :willy_nilly:  ;)  )

[Runningmom80]

Like water.....I'm going to try that!

[quark]

I love to be  "like water". :laugh: I use that phrase quite a bit in real life. I used to plan ahead so much, then gave it a break, then planned ahead like crazy again last year and now, looking back, staying flexible has brought much more joy and learning here than pre-planning every single step. Things do eventually work out in the long term.

 

Looks like we'll be ditching most plans made just a month ago. Right now it seems like we are now going to have 4 classes at most (minus piano), 2 of which will be flexibly scheduled so that we can adjust if needed. He will work on a semester basis (dictated by any comm. college classes he takes) instead of on a yearly basis. Hopefully, we will flow around any boulders in our way.

[Arcadia]

I love to be  "like water". :laugh: I use that phrase quite a bit in real life.

 

You bring to mind Tai Chi, Sun Tzu Art of War (VI part 31), Taoism (water element, which is powerful). and Buddhism.  My boys will probably think of the Avatar's Waterbender :)

 

I love planning for the thrill of it but I am not emotionally attach to my plans.  I like things fluid rather than cast in stone.

[quark]

You bring to mind Tai Chi, Sun Tzu Art of War (VI part 31), Taoism (water element, which is powerful). and Buddhism.  My boys will probably think of the Avatar's Waterbender :)

 

I love planning for the thrill of it but I am not emotionally attach to my plans.  I like things fluid rather than cast in stone.

 

Yes!! :cheers2:

 

Woodland Mist mentioned it a few posts up and I often describe what we do in the same way, probably inspired by a Taoist quote I read somewhere. I am envious that you are able to detach emotionally, Arcadia, especially given your awesome pdf research skills. :001_wub:

 

It's harder for me but I think I am relaxing a lot more now than I used to. I think of it as waterbending sometimes too. :) DS and I sometimes "play fight" like Avatar. We are a bunch of clowns here. And I know that when I am worried about planning all the time, I feel less and less inclined to enjoy the moment, especially the goofy ones that give us so much joy...the true "homeschool memories" moments iykwim.

[Spring Flower]

This over-planner mom has NO clue what to do with DS who will start K in the fall. Honestly, my plan is most likely to do nothing. He is way beyond anything taught in K-2 at this point and that is with little effort on my part. He just isn't mature enough to sit still and actually to "school" work. Why push it? Just don't tell my MIL that we aren't doing kindergarten. 

 

 

[lewelma]

We are in the middle of the year here, but I am doing a big shake up of my younger's schedule. All the Circe threads and Rose's late night sleeplessness about Hogwarts have shown me that we were heading into box checking.  Not quite sure what the plan is (although I know it will include Hogwarts), but I better come up with one by Monday because school holidays will be over!

 

Ruth in NZ

[TGHEALTHYMOM]

I have Math and Latin so far!

 

I ordered Art of Argument dvd set to go with books I purchased at a Convention :)

 

Finally after grappling with it I also ordered Further Up and Further In for our middle children who have not read the Chronicles of  Narnia.

 

What I am trying to figure out is if we can outsource American History and Science for our older.  

 

I also think I need to join the local Zumba class and see which dc want to take Martial Arts.

 

There is supposed to be a co-op for ages 3- Adult all day long but it is a long drive for us.  If we could take 3 classes in a row there is Nursery and Study Hall, so I need to contact the group in charge.  It is out of state and I am unsure of the exact location.  It depends on what they offer.  I have lamented that I am always tied down to little ones with no help.  

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Yeah, my plans are getting increasingly tossed up in the air and landing in a heap the more relaxed I get!  :lol:  Shannon and I are watching the Astronomy Tech class on Coursera right now, and she will do The Horse Course which starts in a month, and I bought the Compass Classroom Filmmaking class today.  None of that had been in my plans!  Don't even get me started on Hogwarts - but I did buy a really cool-looking book on Harry Potter as literature.  Oh yeah, and I bought a book on teaching Shakespeare, too.  We're planning on doing a lot of Shakespeare.

[lewelma]

Yesterday, I started Astronomy Tech with younger, and Brains a la Rose with older. Wow are these great classes!!

Next up is trying to figure out if older should start pre-calc or intermediate counting in August. I should probably contact the IMO team leader and get his advice. Too bad I'm a bit chicken to do it.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Yesterday, I started Astronomy Tech with younger, and Brains a la Rose with older. Wow are these great classes!!

 

Next up is trying to figure out if older should start pre-calc or intermediate number theory in August. I should probably contact the IMO team leader and get his advice. Too bad I'm a bit chicken to do it.

 

I'm so impressed with both of these courses too!

[quark]

[...] and I bought the Compass Classroom Filmmaking class today.  None of that had been in my plans!  [...] We're planning on doing a lot of Shakespeare.

 

Oh, please let us know how the film making class goes. I've been eyeing it awhile now. And for Shakespeare, if I may suggest, Shakespeare in Bits (apps), Shakespeare on Toast (book) and Bryson's The World as Stage (book/ audiobook) were  very well received here.  :thumbup1:

[SeaConquest]

This over-planner mom has NO clue what to do with DS who will start K in the fall. Honestly, my plan is most likely to do nothing. He is way beyond anything taught in K-2 at this point and that is with little effort on my part. He just isn't mature enough to sit still and actually to "school" work. Why push it? Just don't tell my MIL that we aren't doing kindergarten. 

 

I am in the same boat. As my 9 month old has become more mobile, and my 5 year old more interested in Minecraft than in sitting down to focus on school, I've been slashing things from the schedule right and left, realizing that I've been overly ambitious about next year.

 

The 5 year old is only going to be homeschooling with me 3 days per week. The rest of the time, he's going to be taking classes like art, gardening, Legos, and World Beat on site at his Charter School. And I've resolved to be totally fine with it. He's already doing second grade work. He deserves some fluff in his K year. I need time to focus on the baby. I know women on this board manage to masterfully educate 10 kids at a time, while keeping a clean house, and scratch cooking dinner, but I am just so not that person! :) 

[AK_Mom4]

This is me every year. I have math worked out (or at least narrowed down to two different pre-calc books) and DD wants to continue with both piano and saxophone next year.

 

But everything else....No Idea.

[Tanikit]

I have never really had any idea - mostly I just keep going and keep re-evaluating as we get there. Then again since we work January - December next year is still a very long way away. 

 

My plans for the next 6 months are very vague - continue spelling (she has covered a lot of spelling so far this year though without a specific curriculum), continue read-to-me books (which I only pick as we finish the last one since out bookshelves are still pretty full), continue read alouds, slot in more independent reading time in our schedule somehow, continue writing - will need to look at this a few more times over the next 6 months as I think it will need to change rapidly now, continue Singapore Math (she starts 2b next week) and LOF (doing Farming right now), finish BFSU1, continue with SOTW2 - the idea is to finish it, but we will see, finish the Logic Puzzles we are doing (Logic Safari) and then find something a bit more challenging for her, finish the Geography read aloud we are doing and then look for something else, continue gymnastics (she is due to start competitive level next year so will have to see what that brings).

 

Interestingly when we visited someone with younger children yesterday who wanted to homeschool hers (they are also advanced) my DD was very enthusiastic about what she has been doing in school recently and I was very surprised since she complains a lot about anything when at home - it was interesting to hear her tell my friend what she really liked.

 

As for DD3 she has started taking off with reading and I will continue to work on both phonics and read-to-me books daily. She is doing MEP Reception at the moment but at a slower pace. Somehow I need to figure out how to get them off the TV and tablets all day and outside to play more. I think the next 6 months for DD3 will be more about teaching social skills than anything else. She will also continue gymnastics.

 

 

[CrunchyGirl]

We are in the middle of the year here, but I am doing a big shake up of my younger's schedule. All the Circe threads and Rose's late night sleeplessness about Hogwarts have shown me that we were heading into box checking.  Not quite sure what the plan is (although I know it will include Hogwarts), but I better come up with one by Monday because school holidays will be over!

 

Ruth in NZ

 

Well I thought I had plans but then again I'd been avoiding the Circe thread. <sigh>

[Runningmom80]

The circe thread actually helped me.  Literature & book lists I can do.  Everything else, no idea!

[Black-eyed Suzan]

I'm procrastinating for a month - we're going on a "field trip" overseas next week and I'm focused on preparing for that.

 

Delaying always makes things easier, right?  :willy_nilly:

[Gil]

Do we get a prize if we are at a loss about what to do this year? The boys are finishing up their work as planned (a little ahead of plan actually) but they've also started dabbling more and more into 'next years' materials, which means I can kiss my plans to 'ease' into anything good bye.

 

:crying: :crying:

[boscopup]

I know women on this board manage to masterfully educate 10 kids at a time, while keeping a clean house, and scratch cooking dinner, but I am just so not that person! :)

Women with ten kids usually have teenagers to help with childcare, cooking, and cleaning. ;)

[Gratia271]

Do we get a prize if we are at a loss about what to do this year? The boys are finishing up their work as planned (a little ahead of plan actually) but they've also started dabbling more and more into 'next years' materials, which means I can kiss my plans to 'ease' into anything good bye.

 

:crying: :crying:

 

Been there!   Easing into things just doesn't seem to happen; they devour "plans" that seem to take forever to develop in no time at all it seems.  Hang in there! 

 

[Runningmom80]

Are most of you continuing on through the summer? I had planned to do math, but if we take the summer off, it buys me some time :)

[strawberries]

I know we're sticking with SOTW for history. Other than that, ugh!  I'm not even sure what level math I need to be looking at. The kids are bored with their current math books because they've learned so much more from Khan Academy.  I'm at a loss for science as well.  Anyway, we will take a summer break for the month of June and maybe just do a fun unit study or two in July. Hopefully that will give me the mental refreshment I need to delve into planning with enthusiasm.

[Gratia271]

Are most of you continuing on through the summer? I had planned to do math, but if we take the summer off, it buys me some timex :)

 

We continue through summer, basically schooling year round.  I have some  medical issues that come and go randomly, so we break periodically throughout the year.  Other than that, I think having summer to plan is ideal.

[CrunchyGirl]

We are moving and the new neighborhood appears to have lots of kids which is fantastic. Playing outside must be the priority so my goals this summer are:

--Do a "quick" run through SM5 so we can start JA this fall. He's mastered most of the concepts but this is my attempt to ensure we haven't missed anything important.

--Continue with Latin. He really enjoys it and it's one of the few things in life that really challenges him. I suspect we'll get most of the way through LL1.

--Work on writing. I think we are going to run through CAP's W&R Fables this summer. I did score IEW on sale so I have that on deck for this fall. I just think W&R is going to be far more interesting than WWE2.

--Read, read, read. Have a morning read-aloud and an evening read-aloud. He also has an hour of dedicated "rest time" for reading in the afternoon and an hour at bedtime.

 

I figure we'll reevaluate late this summer how we proceed this fall. I feel like plans are useless. He moves faster than I can plan.

 

[acablue]

:seeya: I'll join the pity party. 

 

One of my kids has lurched ahead over the last couple months, one is being tested for (fairly obvious) dyslexia next week, and the other plans to play Éponine on Broadway when she grows up and wishes I would stop wasting her time with all this school nonsense. It's safe to say that I have no idea what we'll be doing next year. 

 

We've continued with math over the last couple summers, but I think we'll take a break this year and just do some fun math here and there. Maybe we'll give LOF another try?

[eternalsummer]

I find myself slowly adding plans; we've got math and writing and reading more or less covered, so that is a relief.

 

Science for a first grader and history for a 4th grader are the areas we still lack.  I'm tempted to just outsource history for my daughter (the 4th grader) but haven't found anything quite right; she finds SOTW too simplistic so Athena's is out for that.    I might just let her go interest led for a year, then start 5th with a more systematic study.

 

I have absolutely no clue how to teach science to a 1st grader, or what that should even look like; maybe we'll go interest led there, too.

[Runningmom80]

Science is my downfall too, we just did science "notebooking" this year because I couldn't figure it out. I think I'm going to get bfsu and do the work. I had it and sold it 2 years ago, because I had no time to put together experiments with toddler twins running around.

 

 

I'd love a nice secular science program!

 

 

ETA: I really don't know what to do after minimus. I really dont want to pay for secondus, and Cambridge Latin seems like the next logical step, but the samples scared me. Lol

 

ETA 2: we are sticking with SOTW too, I offered DS to just do history books from the library instead of ying SOTW 2, and he looked like someone took away his puppy.

[raptor_dad]

We are pretty unschooly here. In K, we just focused on Reading. In 1st, math was the focus. Next, year writing will be our single focus and everything else will be interest driven. I have no idea yet what we'll do for writing. That's ok since I never have any idea what we'll be doing in the other subjects either ;)

 

Now for younger DS who is starting K next year... We still haven't decided if we are homeschooling him or sending him to public school. We have school choice and DS is wait-listed at all of his lottery choices. We are drifting towards homeschooling by default. Depending on the options available this could all change in July. If we had a public school assignment, the homeschool or public decision would be hard enough. As it is, its just amazingly frustrating. If we end up HSing younger, I would like it to be an active affirmative choice not just something with drift into for a lack of options.

 

PS. DS7 is 2e and we started off briefly in public school for him before it became painfully, glaringly obvious HSing was the best choice. It has been a wonderful success. I had hoped with my more neurotypical younger that we could also explore all the options, but lady luck has conspired against us.

[Runningmom80]

We are pretty unschooly here. In K, we just focused on Reading. In 1st, math was the focus. Next, year writing will be our single focus and everything else will be interest driven. I have no idea yet what we'll do for writing. That's ok since I never have any idea what we'll be doing in the other subjects either ;)

 

Now for younger DS who is starting K next year... We still haven't decided if we are homeschooling him or sending him to public school. We have school choice and DS is wait-listed at all of his lottery choices. We are drifting towards homeschooling by default. Depending on the options available this could all change in July. If we had a public school assignment, the homeschool or public decision would be hard enough. As it is, its just amazingly frustrating. If we end up HSing younger, I would like it to be an active affirmative choice not just something with drift into for a lack of options.

 

PS. DS7 is 2e and we started off briefly in public school for him before it became painfully, glaringly obvious HSing was the best choice. It has been a wonderful success. I had hoped with my more neurotypical younger that we could also explore all the options, but lady luck has conspired against us.

 

We may be in the same boat with my soon to be 4 year olds.  The plan so far is to send them to PS after Montessori school.  They are bright, and probably moderately gifted, so I think they would do well.  They are already talking about "when we do school at home like brother."  I keep talking about "big kids school" hoping they get the hint. :laugh:  That being said, I'm slowly coming to the realization that I'm going to want to give them the same opportunities DS7 had, and that may not be possible at the local PS.

 

 

With DS, it was pretty much decided for us.  Every educator who worked with him agreed that he wouldn't make it in PS.  It's kind of easier when it's glaringly obvious they need to be at home, huh?

[Kfamily]

Yeah, my plans are getting increasingly tossed up in the air and landing in a heap the more relaxed I get!  :lol:  Shannon and I are watching the Astronomy Tech class on Coursera right now, and she will do The Horse Course which starts in a month, and I bought the Compass Classroom Filmmaking class today.  None of that had been in my plans!  Don't even get me started on Hogwarts - but I did buy a really cool-looking book on Harry Potter as literature.  Oh yeah, and I bought a book on teaching Shakespeare, too.  We're planning on doing a lot of Shakespeare.

 

Astronomy Tech class on Coursera....Would you tell me more about this please? I think my younger daughter might really enjoy this.

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

You can click on this link and then watch the introductory video:

 

https://www.coursera.org/course/astrotech

 

It's really not a class about astronomy itself, so much, but a course about how we know what we know about astronomy - how we've learned what we have, what kinds of tools and technology have made discoveries possible.  I like that it is more about the process of astronomical science, not just the facts/information we have discovered.  As such, it's helpful for young ones who have an interest in astronomy but don't really know what it is, what astronomers actually do.  It's also a nice intro to the topic without requiring the knowledge of math and physics that a "real" astronomy class would.

 

We/ve only watched the first week so far, but it's been very approachable and understandable.

[Kfamily]

Thank you!

 

[Embassy]

I've been doing some planning for awhile, but I still have SO MUCH to do!  Our school year starts in early July (year round) so I need to get everything settled.  Adapting and making up a plan from different resources tends to work best for my kids so just getting the books I need is only the first step.

[Runningmom80]

I'm slowly regaining my footing, and being honest about the fact that what I would like for school to look like, and what my child needs, are pretty far apart. (For the things that I can actually figure out what the need is.)

 

I had a long talk with him this morning, and I feel a lot calmer about everything. There is also a thread on the gen Ed. board about listing goals for the following year instead of curricula. Turning things on their head like that is helping me focus.