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Rosy

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Everything posted by Rosy

  1. Yes, I think the project management skills are exactly what she needs...not just to get me off her back, but to prepare her for adulthood. That totally makes sense. I appreciate your perspective!
  2. The origami I don't mind. :) That was my 2nd grader. She and my 3rd grader have been working on a play all afternoon. They wrote a script and are doing the blocking now. DD11 tends to have the big and hard-to-implement ideas. I had her make a schedule for the week and I think I'll try to push her with a few of the ideas to go further than she would have otherwise.
  3. Thank you, everyone. I feel like I'm closer to where I need to be now. I probably need a combination of relaxing when they don't make the choices I would make and helping them set goals and plan how they're going to achieve them. It makes sense to me that they'll be more self-motivated after they've had some victories (i.e. "I worked hard on that thing I wanted to do and it turned out really well!"). <deep breath> You're probably right. :D That is exactly how I want my kids to be! How do you encourage their interests? How did your son's interests in aviation and weaponry develop? I don't allow screens during the "school day", and after that it's pretty much only if their chores are done and the neighbor kids aren't around. We have a lot of activities, too. I know, I know, if I let her decide I have to be ok with her deciding. :)
  4. Thank you all for your responses. :) Mum--I think the problem for us is that when the unstructured time comes, most of the things on their lists are too hard to make happen. Picking up a book is easy. Popping in a documentary is easy. My oldest will make epic lists of all the things she wants to do and learn about, and them not do anything on them. I'm not as worried about my younger girls, but I feel that by 6th grade we should be off of the path of least resistance. I have no intention of completely unschooling. We do 3 days of school per week, and that will continue. I completely see the value in structured, parent-led schooling. But I also want them to become self-directed when they have free time, and I don't think they can learn that if they don't have choices about what they're doing. I get that about the lists. It does seem a little ridiculous for me to direct them to become self-directed! :D On the other hand, if I left alone, they would not figure things out on their own. They would sit in front of the TV all day if I let them. So I provide boundaries to encourage good use of their time. But something seems to be missing, because they are still putting the least possible effort forward. I'm mostly concerned about my 6th grader. If my younger girls want to do origami all day on their days off, fine. But I feel that a 6th grader should have some self-motivation. And she does in pretty much every other area, just not on her unstructured school days.
  5. If you see yourself, at least part of the time, as an unschooler (a John Holt unschooler, not an anything goes type) or education facilitator or coach, what does that look like? I'm about to give up on an experiment we've been doing for the last 9 or so months. I have a friend at co-op who has one of those super interesting, self-directed kids who takes a lot of initiative in his own learning (not so much the bookish stuff, but teaching himself to make/build/do things) and following his interests. I asked her what she did to encourage him and she said that she only did school 3 days a week when he was young and set goals for the days off for him to learn about the things that interested him. We decided to try that and it's not working out the way I had hoped. My girls make lists of things they're interested in and would like to do or learn about, but when it comes time, they choose the easiest thing on the list. They play outside, watch documentaries, read books that are way too easy for them, do crafts, etc. I have no problem with any of these things, but I feel that these should be free time/recreational/weekend activities, not a substitute for school. Does that make sense? I want my kids to be self-directed, but I also believe that they won't get there on their own...and I'm not sure how to help them get there. If you have kids who are interested and excited about learning for its own sake and don't have to be told to research an idea or historical period or a scientific principle or something, what have you done to encourage that?
  6. Congrats--I'm sure she is well-prepared! :grouphug:
  7. DD11 goes to our local middle school for 2 classes a day--band and PE. I enrolled her in PE so I wouldn't have to pick her up after 5th period, but she's really enjoying it (go figure). Our biggest glitch so far is that we have co-op on Fridays. Both of her teachers were agreeable to her making up the work, but last Friday is currently marked unexcused in the gradebook. :glare: I'll need to work that out with the principal. I'm happy to pull her out if he has a problem with our schedule, but I don't think he will.
  8. That's tough. It sounds like maybe large, unstructured groups are really challenging for him. I have an ADD son and there are certain social situations he just can't manage. I would maybe work up to having a group like that again? Maybe just one at a time for a while, and once that works add another one, etc.
  9. We are also in WA and have also used ALEs. DS was miserable at home and making all of us miserable as well, so he started PS last year in Nov. DD11 joined 5th grade band around that time (zero hour, 3 days a week). He loves school and is much happier there, and now she's going 2 periods a day (for band and PE). I never thought I'd have my kids in school, esp in middle school! I had a terrible middle school experience. But it's working for us. The younger two are still homeschooled (still working out the ALE thing for them). Sometimes it seems like we're pulled in too many directions, but mostly I'm excited for each of them to be thriving in the way that works best for them.
  10. I clicked maybe. We put a lot of time into DD11s karate. We are fortunate to have found a non-profit that offers an extremely high caliber of training for a reasonable amount of money. We make a lot of time sacrifices to support her, and I don't know what the limit is, but I know it's there. IMO, kids who are that good at sports will excel at whatever they put their minds to, and I could see us deciding to put a talented kid on the team at the high school and shoot for college scholarships.
  11. We absolutely need (minimally) a basic math education, which includes algebra and geometry. If we drop the requirement of high school math, I believe math education will suffer at the lower levels. I also believe that higher math will become the province of the geeky even more than it already is, and that the less competitive schools will fail to offer it. In Washington State, you can graduate with 2 years of math. Someone who isn't math inclined can take Basic Math and Consumer Math and avoid Algebra altogether. At the community college level, one can take Formal Logic instead of math to get a diploma. So I believe, at least in this state, the means are already there to avoid algebra if one truly can't or doesn't want to do it. Many people will not use higher math outside of school. Many people will also not use what they've learned in literature, science, history, etc. in the "real world". Does that mean we shy away from it and only require classes that are necessary for career training? If so, why would we even teach the ability to read past an 8th grade level?
  12. Honestly? I put him in school. We're all happier that way. Part of me aches to be able to homeschool him again, but when he's in school I can sustain a positive home atmosphere for the other kids.
  13. I just wanted to add that for many traditionally schooled students, afterschooling is a near impossibility. As a 3rd grader, my son never had less than an hour of homework a night, and often two hours. Bedtime has to come earlier when they need to get up early, and they need time to play and eat. Considering that he has about 5 hours from when he gets home from school until he needs to go to bed, we just haven't been able to work in any schooling other than what is required by his teachers. We are in an excellent school district--my son's school is a 10 on greatschools.org. Their science and history education is abysmal. They spend the entire school year focused on learning the schools necessary to score well on the MSP (our standardized test), so the focus is almost entirely on reading and math. It's not terrible, he had excellent teachers last year and definitely was doing better there than he had been at home, but I would consider my son to be somewhat of an exception--he has some behavior disorders and really needs the order and structure school provides. I think most kids are better off at home. However, if your husband isn't on board, I would proceed carefully. Homeschooling at the expense of family unity and peace would probably not facilitate the goals you are seeking. Many moms in your situation only commit to one year at a time and use that time to show their husbands all the benefits of homeschooling and introduce them to other homeschooling families that are doing well.
  14. Give him a box of Ziplocs and tell him he has 24 hours to pack them however he wants. At the end of that time, take the rest of them, throw them in a box, and call it good.
  15. We have bamboo as well. It's not recommended for kitchens and bathrooms, but the only problem we had with it was when the fridge broke down and leaked on the floor...two days of wet towels made it buckle a bit. You really only noticed it if you walked on it barefoot. I love our bamboo, but it does scratch. It doesn't look scratched unless you look closely, for the most part. DH and I know where the scratches are, so it bugs us a little. But we have 4 crazy kids and a dog, and it really does look pretty good for as much wear and tear as it gets. DH had cork flooring at his last job and didn't like it, I don't remember why though.
  16. :iagree: My rising 6th grader usually works more like 4-5 hours a day (if she stays focused, and that's a big IF), but I would say she accomplishes far more than what the kids her age do in school. This is based on the body of knowledge and skills possessed by our neighbor who is in the same grade. I think she could do in 2 hours what the schools do in a day. But my goal isn't to do what the schools do, my goal is for her to reach her limits and be the best she can be. My rising 2nd and 3rd graders work for 2-3 hours a day and get an adequate education. They are both at or above grade level. I don't know where they'd be if they were in school, I suspect my youngest would do better academically in a more social, structured environment....but they have a broader and deeper set of experiences at home with me than they would at school Personally, "equaling a day of public schooling" isn't one of my goals. I do take into consideration their ability to do grade level work, but if all I wanted was for them to live up to public school standards, I would put them in public school.
  17. I like it more as my kids grow in independence and ability. The more they get interested in things and are excited and motivated to learn, the more fun it is. I love setting my own schedule and goals for my kids and seeing those goals met. I love taking days and weeks off when we want. I think I'm realizing it more now that I have one in PS. It chafes at me to have to be home every day at 3:30, do homework that someone else has assigned *every single night*, and it's kind of a bummer that he's a member of a community that I can't be part of. I help in his class every other week, but I do have my own kids to teach. :) On the other hand, he was a terror to homeschool. When I had him at home, teaching was a much more frustrating experience. So I know it's not easy in all situations.
  18. In addition to a pasta substitute, you can make a yummy fritatta (sp?) with it.
  19. Add me to the group that wonders what the "it all" is. Unlimited wealth? Few families have that even with both partners working. Unlimited career potential? Motherhood is hardly the only factor that limits career growth. Happiness/satisfaction in life? I pity anyone for whom a career is the deciding factor in this. People who live near supportive family members have career advantages. People whose kids do not have developmental/behavioral/health challenges have career advantages. People who have a full-time spouse at home have career advantages. People who didn't have to go into debt for their educations have career advantages. People who are naturally talented/intelligent/attractive have career advantages. People who were raised in families that value education and hard work have career advantages. As I write this post, I am looking at an envelope from a charitable organization with the caption, "Worms or dehydration," illustrating the reality that clean drinking water is not available for billions of people in this world. I value my options as a woman, but I just don't have it in me to get too worked up over someone who had to give up a career for another good career because it was incompatible with family life. And this is the problem I have with academia. People who are that out of touch with reality have no right to educate students about career options. Do societal changes need to be made so that most or all careers are compatible with family life? I don't know. There are problems with forcing all employers to give certain benefits--some simply don't have the ability to give paid time off, benefits to part-time workers, etc.
  20. Ha! So true. I'm just glad it's reasonably nice today--I had heard rain. I feel like every year it's fairly miserable from mid-June to early July...just to keep us in our place. ;) Lucinda--you've lived here 50 years and you carry an umbrella??? :)
  21. Looks like you're close enough to see the King Tut exhibit at Pacific Science Center in Seattle. I've planned a bazillion field trips...I'll post some later when I'm not in a hurry.
  22. I used to take a lot of group exercise classes. My favorite instructor had adult children and shoulder problems that made her unable to do many of the exercises we were doing. She also was easy to follow, great at pushing us to go a step further than we would have otherwise, she made the class interesting, and she focused on health (proper positioning and lifting techniques, etc). Personally, I prefer instructors that aren't 23 and blonde with a perfect body and no stretch marks. I say go for it.
  23. This so accurately describes my situation in the Seattle area that I thought you must live here until I saw a later post! Like Karen, we have an excellent consignment store that has a terrific selection. It really is an amazing place--think of a strip-mall store with tall shelves that contain pretty much all of the well-known curricula as well as MANY obscure titles, and a huge used children's lit section. I try to go there before I shop online because their prices are good and I do like to see what I'm buying before I buy it. And like Karen, we also had a smaller shop that sold mostly new curric that closed recently--the owner blamed Amazon as well, though the one time I shopped there I vowed I would never go back because the owner followed me around the entire time I was there spouting opinions about YEC and the evil public school partnerships, and her curric was all Christian publishers--VF, AIG, The Light and the Glory, etc...she disapproved of WTM and had no problem saying so. I can't imagine why she didn't stay in business.
  24. Yes, I have one. He doesn't do the things you described, but he does drive us all crazy. We put him in public school after his bullying of his sister got to be too much, just for her safety. It has been made life better for all of us. Not sure if that is an option for you, but if he gets a diagnosis, you may be able to get him special services for part of the day. It could really help you all. Just throwing that out there.
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