s/o So...if someone came to visit your school...

[elegantlion]

what would they see? The other thread about the principal stating he would drop by to observe school started me thinking. I certainly would not want anyone observing my school day, not that it's bad, but I wouldn't want anyone to think we were the "norm". :tongue_smilie:

 

Ds would be sitting on the table with the cat, that's after I reminded him it was time for school, was he dressed, did he brush his teeth.

 

Distractions would include the dog jumping on the door to be let out, the squirrels running across the front porch, and ds needing a snack every twenty minutes (he's growing:confused:).

 

Academics might be done with a language the observer might not understand. Not just the Latin, but this familiar way of speaking that ds and I have that not many people understand. It's part sign language, part telepathy, and part musical.

 

He might wonder why we're reading a story at Math time, why are you talking about God during English class, and do you always chase the dog around the yard during recess.

 

Lastly I don't think he be impressed that "economics" and "health" was done when we ran to the store for milk and juice during school time.

 

So what would he see at your school?

[stephanie]

Good question, Paula!

 

Ok, so here's what you would see at my house on a "normal" day. At breakfast you will see my kids eating each a different breakfast, followed by a snack before school because of the "tapeworm" that all of my kids seem to have. However, this tapeworm seems most active when it's time to start school and when it's time to go to bed.

At any point during our school day you will see all of my children chasing the Doberman down the street because he has gotten out of the gate.(P.E.)

For Science you may see all of my kids on top of the roof of the garage`watching passing birds or airplanes. (This is what we call observation, of course)

 

Home economics is always fun at our house because the kids bake cookies to sale to our neighbors. But it doesn't stop at cookies...they also like to raid our cabinets and fill the wagon with "stuff" to sale as well. It's a mix of home ec. and business management.

 

Within our school house you would see blankets spread everywhere for the dogs to lay on, a mouse crawling on dd9's desk, or the parakeet sitting on her head while she works. :D While all of this is going on you would quite possibly see a sporadic dance here and there when a song on the radio comes on that they like. (Music, right?)

 

During History you would very likely see a reenactment of the lesson which would include a stabbing or beheading, or an imitation of Hector being dragged behind Achilles' chariot. Of course, dd8 would play Hector and ds11 would be Achilles.

 

So all of this makes for quite an interesting day at our house, but we love every minute of it!

[lionfamily1999]

We'd be taken for holy rollers :lol: Indocrination begins at 9 and goes on till we're done. We've moved from the desk in the kitchen (it's too cold right now) to the cozy couch, so ds is normally sprawled on the floor :p Our order really depends on what was done and how it went the day before. I take the hardest thing and we tackle it after devotions. Follow up with whatever we didn't want to stop the day before (normally either reading or history). From there we just get to whatever we get to.

 

Oh, and all this time Luke is running, hopefully dressed, but not always, yelling and sporadically joining in.

 

After lunch, ds does whatever alone work he has so I can work with younger ds. This means that older ds moves to the table to stare out into the yard with longing while occasionally moving his pencil and Luke jumps on the couch chanting whatever it is I'm trying to teach him.

 

Really, it's become such bedlam lately..... I think any visitor would run for the hills :lol:

[myfunnybunch]

Today the principal would walk in and think Christmas urped all over the dining room table. We're cutting snowflakes (geometry and art), making Christmas cards (writing and drawing), and making hot chocolate cones for friends (absolutely no academic value).

 

And then again, he might be impressed that, with students and teacher sniffly, sneezy, under the weather, there was still a little math, a little writing, a little reading (by the students since teacher lost her voice), and a guest science teacher. Bill Nye the Science Guy never loses his voice!

 

Cat

[Daisy]

You know, it really wouldn't bother me to have my husband's principal come observe us for the day. I don't know her and don't know if she is homeschool-friendly or not. However, the vast majority of teachers/principals I know would welcome the opportunity to see non-traditional schooling in action.

 

I don't live in a highly legislative state though.

 

And we have a fairly structured school day from 8-1pm. Not exclusively traditional, but we are schooling at that time.

 

She would see me bouncing back and forth between Ancient history and American colonial history, between flatworms and bird flight, between gerunds and complete sentences. LOL. She'd struggle to keep up, I think.

[Dawn in OH]

On a normal day, it would probably be disastrous. We seem to get up late (thanks pregnancy!), eat late, and get moving late. This is often followed by a lot of harping and nagging by me saying "Come on guys, we really need to get started", trying to find something to entertain the 2 year old that won't be a distraction to the 2 "students", and hounding my husband to get to bed (he just got home from work), because he's also a distraction.

 

On a good day, the kids are sitting at the dining room table listening attentively as I discuss each subject for roughly 20 minutes, do a few sample problems with them, and then give them 20 minutes to finish the accompanying assignment.

 

One of my husband's co-workers dropped in one morning when we were having a "good day". He was enthralled by our Phonics lesson and said that I talked about things he didn't know. He even raised his hand a few times with a question.

[Rhonda in TX]

On a good day, they'd see us sitting at the table. DD would be working hard to finish as quickly as possible. DS would need constant reminders to focus. We'd be working through our workboxes, one by one. Not too exciting.

 

On a bad day, I'd be trying to get something else done (laundry, etc.) and DS would be constantly disappearing to 1) take a break, 2) find the cat, 3) get a snack. DD would be finished and begging to get on the computer. DS would be whining because she was done and on the computer. Get the picture? :tongue_smilie:

Edited December 11, 2009 by Rhonda in TX
typo

[kmacnchs]

I'm not sure if they'd be impressed that my first is so smart (genetics from her daddy's side) or horrified that we do 1st grade in about 1hr/day :001_smile:

[krisperry]

madness and mayhem :D :lol:

[BridgeTea]

I assume I did the inviting, right? ;)

 

Well, I wish someone did come visit us today. We could've used your help!

 

First you could've shoveled off the porches with us. Then you could help Dd11 measure and cut the insulation strips that went into the chicken coop, followed by hammering up the interior walls with her dad. When everybody was done, you would've joined in lunch (chicken taco soup).

After lunch, we would've welcomed you joining the history review and discussion about Magellan, Enrique the slave, and Pigafetta. I would have let you go over the Words on the Vine worksheet for me, because I see I forgot to do that. You would have witnessed Dd11 dancing in the living room to the Celtic music she put on. And if you're still hanging around this evening, you would've been offered a hot mug of tea with me while the kiddo dipped pretzels in chocolate for all of us!

[hillfarm]

I am generally ensconced in my Command Chair. The one right next to the woodstove, with my shelf of books and my tote of office supplies right at my elbow. He would see me shuffling the small white boards like they were enormous cards (I use them to illustrate practically everything these days). Dd would be lounging on the sofa, possibly in pajamas for at least part of the lessons. She does religious studies, literature, history and science discussions, logic, and character development there usually.

 

When she is working on writing, or math, she moves into the living room and prefers to work at a small table in there. Messy science happens in the kitchen or outside. History practical skills are to be done outside. Art and music vary in location.

 

The house is not pretty. It looks as though active people with only minimal time for chores live here. I am usually not dressed for "public consumption" during school hours. I am usually in my cleaning or my work out clothes. Dd loves to lounge in pajamas during the cooler months.

 

Some days we do all our discussion work in the car on our way to a field trip. Lately we are big on geology and history trips. On those days, the only thing we do that would be recognizeable as school would be the literature reading and math pages for the day. However, those have been some of our most educational days.

 

In her "fun time" after school, dd often does creative writing activities on her own. Sometimes poetry, recently scriptwriting, and currently creating a magazine. Although I don't label this time as part of our academic work, I often keep samples of these projects as part of our portfolio.

 

I think the main reason I wouldn't let a ps administrator visit is because of the fact that we have hard-won autonomy from such oversight in my state and I don't want to do anything that would set a precedent otherwise. I also don't want my work to be "judged' or nit-picked. Our state laws regarding homeschooling do not contain any provision for school administrator approval or inspection. Although we are not required to apply to homeschool, each year we get a letter from the district telling us how to apply for permission for anther year of homeschooling. I am very careful that I make it abundantly clear that I am providing notification(as required by law), not applying for anything. And that provided that my student's achievement test score is above 25%, I do not need to seek their approval, acceptance, assessment, or review in any way.

[muffinmom]

Typically they would see me trying to keep the train moving, so we can relax in the afternoon. They would likely see me getting frustrated with ds in the math department!:tongue_smilie: They would hear me saying way too often, "Luke...come baaaack!"

 

This week they'd see me abandoning my usual subjects and reading aloud the unabridged "A Christmas Carol," along with a lot of reading and cozying up!

[kalanamak]

A visitor would see a little desk with connected chair and a flip up lid from the 60's, with an old wooden teacher's chair from the 50's next to it. In the desk apprentice next to us is 90% of what we need to do to our math, reading, spelling, writing, grammar, and history. If kiddo is doing good work, he tells me the order he'd like. If he's giving any grief, I do the hard subjects first.

 

Then science or music or art upstairs.

 

But, most important would be a visitor to see our outings. The outside world stimulates such questions and ideas, and, to quote the Roches "conversation never stops....throw the ball up, it never drops".

[mammaruss]

and do you always chase the dog around the yard during recess.

 

 

 

My ds does this for recess too!!!

[cara]

Any visitor would run screaming in 10 minutes. The other adults that live in my house can't handle it during the day for longer then 20. I'm constantly asked by my best friend and DH, how I'm not completely insane yet (maybe it's a good thing they haven't noticed I went insane ages ago).

 

That said, they would see us all in our PJs more then likely.

 

They would see the girls (my niece,3, and dd,1) running crazy destroying the playroom or the living room, the TV would probably be on Nick Jr or Playhouse Disney for them. DN may be laying in my bed watching TV and DD playing in her playpen. This really depends on the day and their / my mood.

 

The house would be a wreck, it always is.

 

Depending on the time of day, they would see DS in the window ,stalking his latest obsession, the school buses across the street. Or him on the back of the couch listening to me read. Or us fighting over math for the 1001 time. They would also see him bouncing around and never being still and always distracted and finding ways to torture the girls.

 

They may see us doing crafts. This has been rare lately.

 

Basicaly they would see three loud, hyper, active, children in what looks like chaos.

[MamaSheep]

Our school this year is actually fairly structured--but with a relaxed attitude. Each child has a small desk, a stack of numbered drawers in a rack, and a magnet board. The magnet board has class artwork, fun found objects from outdoors, and reference materials such as handwriting charts, times tables, and grading rubrics on it. Also along the bottom of the magnet board is a strip of velcro with laminated paper tags bearing numbers and phrases such as "Morning Walk", "Library", "Park Day", and so forth stuck to it. There's also a bookshelf in the "school corner" of the kitchen near the dining room table.

 

We begin our school day with a walk outside unless it's unbearably cold, in which case we do some stretches and other indoor exercises. We then gather for "Word Play" time, in which we do a fun activity relating to language arts skills, such as watching and discussing a Schoolhouse Rock grammar video, or each of us reading a poem printed on a paper leaf, which then gets stuck on the "Poet Tree" in the stairwell, or maybe adverb charades in which an action must be carried out in the manner of an adverb written on a slip of paper drawn from a bowl and the rest of us must guess the adverb.

 

After Word Play time everyone is generally in a pretty good frame of mind to begin school work. Both children go to their desks and check their list of numbered tags at the bottom of their magnet boards. Each pulls out the drawer in his or her rack that matches the number on the first tag and gets started. (At the beginning of the year this took a good bit of "prompting", but a visitor now would almost certainly see them do it on autopilot, a circumstance of which I am quite proud, I'm afraid. ;) )

 

Generally the first activity for each is writing in their journals. Dd usually has much to say and many pictures to draw about it, and I have to limit the number of pages she may write in one day. Much of her writing appears in speech bubbles, but some usually lands on the lines as well. There's always something interesting going on in them regardless. Ds usually needs more of a prompt to write anything, bless his Aspie heart, and I always give him the choice of writing to a prompt, writing whatever he wants (at least X sentences, where X is dependent on what I call, to myself, his "autism level" that day), or just copying a quote I have jotted down for him. It won't be much, but that he does any writing at all is a triumph right now.

 

When each child finishes the assignment in a drawer, the tag is moved from the marker board strip to a velcro dot on the drawer, the drwer is placed back in the rack, and the child moves on to the next drawer on the list. If help is needed and I am working with the other child, a "Need Help" tag is stuck to the drawer and the child moves on to the next one until I am available. On top of the drawer rack each child has a small crate full of things like pencils, crayons, scissors, tape, pocket dictionary, and other necessaries. Each child also has a timer and can take breaks as needed. Breaks are limited to 10 minutes each, and 2 drawers must be completed between breaks, but otherwise they can do pretty much whatever they want during breaks as long as they are responsible about coming back when their timer rings. They don't need to ask for a break, just set the timer so I know when they'll be back. Although each does have their little desk as a sort of control station, they can take their work anywhere they'd like to do it.

 

My daughter likes to do most of her work at the dining room table where she can spread out her things and still sit in a chair. We incorporate her love of enthusiastic drawing into most of her subjects so you will often see her wielding crayons and colored pencils, sometimes with construction paper, scissors and tape, and now and then paints, with grand flourishes while chattering a mile a minute about whatever she's drawing, often while standing, as she has difficulty sitting for extended periods.

 

My son often works in his room where it is quiet and dark (and you'd better knock before going in, as he sometimes likes to work in just his undies--it took me a long time to convince him that pants were mandatory in public, and it's an Aspie thing you will never understand so just smile and nod, Mr. Principal). His other favorite workspace is at his desk, but he likes to sit with one leg draped across the edge of his desk so he can prop his chin on his foot, and when working there he generally has his headphones on so he can listen to blaring bagpipe music on his ipod shuffle--which must not be contaminated with music that has any lyrics, btw. When I read aloud to him in any subject he comprehends best if he can also be playing strategy games on the computer while he listens, so those kinds of things tend to happen on the end of the couch in the family room next to the computer (which is just the other side of the dining room table, so I can still keep an eye out for artistic excesses over there).

 

Generally speaking, we tend to work through reading, writing, and math kinds of activities before lunch, and then get into things like science, history, crafts, and other "electives" after lunch. When you get to the end of your drawers you're finished, whether that's before lunch, after supper, or (usually) somewhere in between. I set up the next day's drawers after they're in bed. We do, of course, have moments of griping, grumbling, refusing to do assignments and all that good stuff, but for the most part the kids are being very cheerful and cooperative this year and I'm feeling more together than I have in a long time.

 

It works well for us, and I'm not really uncomfortable with the idea of visitors to our school except for the fact that our work load may seem lighter than they might expect and we do some things in odd ways that work for us but would not really be practical in a "normal" classroom. Since ds has AS and dd has ADHD I try to cut out anything that smells like busywork. It makes us all crazy. And I require much less writing from both of them than they would probably encounter at school. I'm working to up the ante in that department slowly but surely, but they both have some weird hang-ups related to their "disabilities" and I think I know enough technical speak on the subject to be able to intelligently justify my strategies to a visitor.

 

And, in fact, we had relatives visiting back in November. Their visit had been planned for a different week and had to be put off due to a funeral so the week they were here instead we just carried on with normal (for us) life. They had a good time observing our school and participating in some ways (they brought along a spinning wheel and muzzle loading rifle and did demonstrations to go along with our pioneer lessons; we invited neighbor homeschoolers and had a fun time). The feedback I got from them was that they thought it was a good little unconventional school that was clearly working for my kids. And it's working a little better for me this year too, which is just really, really nice. All in all, I think a visitor would not be too shocked by our little school.

[Mad Jenny Flint]

Ben would be in his room, downstairs (basement level) or in the sunroom doing independent work, or if we were working together, in the sunroom. Adrienne would be in the sunroom for together work or downstairs or in the front room for independent work. I work with Ben from 6-7ish, and Ade from 7ish until lunch. Between work, they do PE (or we all do), eat breakfast they make themselves, and take care of chores. Then we all have lunch at noon. The afternoons they usually both have independent work and we work together on science, and later on (after teatime) Ben and I work on Spanish.

 

Sorry for the incoherence of this- it's 4am here.

[Pippen]

They would see school primarily happening in a super messy kitchen, with retreats to the living room for reading and any DVD's that might be happening that day.

 

They would see a day that is generally planned and structured, but that is flexible enough to adjust to the needs of the day.

 

The would see breaks in between 5th grade classes to practice flute, sometimes many times per day. They probably wouldn't see her get up early to go to play with the top junior high band, or go after school to the high school for lessons with the hs director who is letting her soar.

 

They would see a student who absolutely hated school last year now eagar to learn. One who was assigned 5 novels in school last year read 15 this semester alone. One who the teacher insisted needed to stay with the class instruction in math, now work through the same math program independently and at a faster pace.

 

Today they would see (or hear) a very non-schoolish day: flute Christmas carols, cookie making, holiday crafts, cleaning and whatnot because I'll be laid up with surgery next week so if it's gonna happen it has to be now. Maybe they could stay and help clean the bathroom. :lol:

[elegantlion]

My ds does this for recess too!!!

[ATTACH]1826[/ATTACH]

 

This is great!

[elegantlion]

I love all of these replies. I love homeschooling, such diversity. The biggest preconceived idea I had about homeschooling was that schooling looked similar in every household. It took about a year to get rid of that notion, now our homeschool looks like an extension of our family.

[Peela]

Wehave a government moderator come once a year. After the first year, I stopped preparing for it and she just turns up, and the kids continue their work and I sit at the table and talk about what they have done, and show her a bit of work. She asks them a few questions. Easy peasy. She is not stressed that we haven't covered some things officially (like technology), and she loves how we combine subjects like History and English.

I have nothing to hide at all and this year I even forgot she was coming, and it all went well. Didnt even have time to tidy the schoolroom.

[lionfamily1999]

The house is not pretty. It looks as though active people with only minimal time for chores live here. I am usually not dressed for "public consumption" during school hours. I am usually in my cleaning or my work out clothes. Dd loves to lounge in pajamas during the cooler months.

 

The messy house drives me nuts... whenever anyone shows up. I had to start getting dressed :glare:, because it's apparently the season to drop by unannounced.

Typically they would see me trying to keep the train moving, so we can relax in the afternoon. They would likely see me getting frustrated with ds in the math department!:tongue_smilie: They would hear me saying way too often, "Luke...come baaaack!"

 

This week they'd see me abandoning my usual subjects and reading aloud the unabridged "A Christmas Carol," along with a lot of reading and cozying up!

That's our motto! Oh, and we just finished 'A Christmas Carol' and ds absolutely loved it :grouphug:

I love all of these replies. I love homeschooling, such diversity. The biggest preconceived idea I had about homeschooling was that schooling looked similar in every household. It took about a year to get rid of that notion, now our homeschool looks like an extension of our family.

Beautiful quote.

(meaning, I will be quoting YOU, because that was a beautiful sentiment)

[hsbaby]

Stephanie......it is so funny you mention tapeworm!! I am always saying that to my kids. Theirs is apparently of the same "selective" nature as that of your kids:lol: It never fails....we sit down to do school and they are starving and they go to bed starving. Yet, many meals go by with an "i'm not hungry"....grrrr......