Any homeschooling newbies coming to the end of their first year?

[Xuzi]

I am! Just 3 more weeks! :D

 

It's been exciting and scary. Intimidating and breezy. Fun and frustrating.

 

We had to change course a couple of times, dropping some things and adding others. I already have some ideas for next year, and am compiling my curriculum for her second grade year, and her little brother's K year!

 

I wouldn't send my DD back to public school now for anything. And she's enjoyed homeschooling too, thankfully!

 

How did you other first-year homeschoolers do? :001_smile:

[mom2scouts]

I'm another first year homeschooler and we'll be finished in about 5 weeks. The year went well and I'm already planning and purchasing for next year. Most of the things we used worked well, but we may change a few things for next year.

[lindsrae]

I was homeschooled for eight years, and this year has been a huge learning experience for me! I thought I knew more than I did...and learned the hard way that I didn't know very much! But it has been a great year, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

*I've learned that I'm not nearly as patient as I thought I was.

*I learned my DD's love language is gifts, so giving her a sticker means more than giving her a verbal compliment.

*I've learned that I liked scripted programs or detailed lessons that tell me exactly what to do, as long as I don't have to plan. (With two younger daughters in the mix, planning went out of the window fast!)

*I learned that home schooling has changed a lot since I was at home (and I even read WTM when my DD was one!)

*I learned I need to incorporate some games and fun stuff throughout the day so learning doesn't become a drag...I am SO not naturally creative, so this is a tough one.

 

I'm excited for next year. I plan to continue math and reading during the summer, so I'm not sure when the "end" of K will be.

[golfcartmama]

Me! Me! We'll be finished in about 5 weeks or so. Our last week will be IOWA testing, so a little more than 4! What a ride this year! We're planning on next year and adding my DD in full-time as she's done with church preschool in 4 weeks!

[Guest mrsajoy]

This was my first year, ds is a K'er. We've been unschooling, because he is so advanced for his age and I wasn't worried at all about him keeping up with his peers. But with my daughter who will be a K'er this next year, she is the typical child, and needs to be taught more than my son did. However, I still want it to be relaxed and fun.

 

I am a HUGE planner, so this past year was hard for me, because I wanted to have written lesson plans. I am learning to let go of some of my planning urges. I'm already starting to get ready for first grade and kindergarten. I am going to have lesson plans of sorts for the upcoming year, but it is going to be very broad, and we will fly by the seat of our pants:) It will be more like goals for each section of school. We are also going to have year round schooling this next year, so that if we miss here and there I won't feel so pressured to 'catch up.' I'm really excited about this coming school year, but also scared and nervous because it will be more structured than this year, but I still want it to be relaxed:)

[waa510]

Me! This past year has been such an amazing experience. I have learned so much about my kid, just by being her teacher. I feel like I'm just now getting more comfortable with exactly how to present material to help her understand, and that knowledge has bled into other areas of our lives. I can't fathom putting her into school, after experiencing this year with her. She has really grown and blossomed into such a fun kid over this past year. I am so glad I found WTM when I did.

[UmMusa]

Me too!! Our first year has gone so much better than I had anticipated. All praise due to God, I expected some type of transition out of public school, but to be honest we've all done just swimmingly. We have a few weeks left, not sure exactly how many b/c I didn't take all the breaks I thought we'd take.

 

I've already bought a few of the same for next year, and I have also ditched one company's books and have found something better for us. Really looking forward to next year and am thankful everyday for the blessings that keep rolling in.

[BigMamaBird]

 

*I've learned that I'm not nearly as patient as I thought I was.

*I learned my DD's love language is gifts, so giving her a sticker means more than giving her a verbal compliment.

*I've learned that I liked scripted programs or detailed lessons that tell me exactly what to do, as long as I don't have to plan. (With two younger daughters in the mix, planning went out of the window fast!)

*I learned that home schooling has changed a lot since I was at home (and I even read WTM when my DD was one!)

*I learned I need to incorporate some games and fun stuff throughout the day so learning doesn't become a drag...I am SO not naturally creative, so this is a tough one.

 

 

I do believe you and I and our children were separated at birth:D

 

I've also learned that despite my doubts, we're going to be just fine.

[RachelFlores]

Well, we still have about two months since I changed programs in November. I have learned TONS this year and I've been able to see dd grow and learn a lot too. I've worked in ps classrooms and several preschool classrooms in my past and so I *thought* I know how I wanted to teach and how dd would want to learn. I learned that I didn't know myself or my child and well as I though. Teaching one child is SO different than teaching in a classroom. I can't say I've loved every minute, but I have loved teaching my daughter and being part of her joy and wonder and seeing the light of understanding in her eyes. I'm so happy that we've started this journey and am excited to continue.

[Create Your Ritual]

We are about five weeks from finishing our first year. This time last year I was struggling to make the decision, and ended up pulling dd from 3rd grade in early May. This year, she and her younger ds are doing fantastic in school. They are engaged, learning, happy and REALLY happy to be home. We still keep them busy with sports & church stuff .. but they love the farm and being able to chore and taking care of the baby calves. I love not sending them on a 1 hour bus ride each way (to a school that is 15 minutes away) every day. During the winter months when I looked outside at the blizzard as we were snugged up at the table doing our work, I was so glad that they weren't out in it.

 

I've learned a lot. I am changing a few things around. I have found a love for classical education and the progym. that before last year I had never even heard of. The kids move at their own pace, and I don't have to see them held back and waiting for others to catch up. I also don't have to deal with the drama and daily frustrations I had in the past from having to spend an afternoon undoing their ps day.

 

I will say it is definitely A LOT of work for me. I do more research than I care to admit, and spend way too much time on this. I need to work on balance and finding some me time in there so that everyone is happy in this arrangement.

[Julie Smith]

My eldest is doing grade 1 this year.

 

When I read those threads with a topic such as, "Now that you have been homeschooling for years, what would you have done different in the early year". I start to wonder what I will think when I look back.

 

We are compared to most very relaxed and don't do much school stuff. For the past 2 months the only mandatory subjects are : Piano, Reading (Read something), Writing (Copy work for one sentence). We had done math but hit a bit of a wall and backed off. We also do lots of read alouds, and listen to a science curriculm read aloud at lunch.

 

So I do wonder if I will one day wish I had done more. But it seems to be working for us. My eldest is above grade level (As far as I can tell) in Math and Reading. His writing, as in printing skills are okay.

 

One thing is he really matured this year. At the start of the year my youngest went off to the neighbors for piano. My eldest was to nervous to start. He watched little brother going over once a week for 3 weeks. Then he went and watched a lesson. Then he wanted to watch another lesson. I finally said, "Just GO!". (We had eaten dinner with her. She had taken my kids to the park to get to know them...)

 

Then this winter he happily started skiing without me, without a backward glance. And he was nervous about starting gymnastics. I told him I think he would like it and he said, "Okay. I'll sign up then. ".

 

He's growing up. His birthday is next month. :) I have thought about writing him a letter about his year and how much he has grown and learnt and how kind and wonderful he is.

[Rivka]

We'll be finishing up kindergarten on the last day on May. It's been a wonderful year! My daughter has gone from haltingly sounding out beginner books to devouring every novel she can get her hands on, and she's discovered that she has a passion for history. We've taken so many awesome field trips and done so many cool projects. I am excited about first grade!

[mommyto4]

It's hard to believe we are almost done a whole year of home schooling, but it is also hard to remember when the kids were ever in school. I feel like I know my kids so much better, especially how my oldest learns.

 

It has been more chaotic than I thought it would be, but it's been fun! I am looking forward to trying year two with different expectations and plans. I don't think I will home school all the way through for all of them, but I am so enjoying it now!

I feel like becoming a home school mom has made me feel fulfilled and happy where I am.

[kwickimom]

This was my first year...we still have 5 weeks left, but are going all year :001_smile:

 

It went great. I did some changes and am going in a whole new direction next year (HOD) probably, but we had FUN. Dictation was hard, but getting better. I liked picking and choosing and putting things together but I ended up spending WAY too much time planning and researching and not teaching. It was exhausting. I am going planned out for next year so we can focus on fun and learning.

 

My DS5 ended up doing a lot of K stuff because he liked "homeschool" so he learned a lot.

 

We love it, will keep doing it and look forward to continuing.

 

 

We liked WWE, SWO, SOTW, R&S English, Elemental Chem, Math Mammoth and reading a ton

 

We ditched FLL (DD needs more visual) but I will be using for my boys :001_smile:

Edited April 16, 2011 by kwickimom

[Dmmetler]

We're officially "done" with 1st grade, based on number of days, and will complete 12 months of homeschooling in Mid-May! It's been a great year. What's been really neat is that my husband is no longer questioning whether we homeschool next year or not.

[Luckymama]

Our first year won't be finished until June 7ish (following her older sister's school schedule).

 

The year has been more relaxed, more stressful, more isolating, more engaging, faster, slower...than I had anticipated.

 

Dd deeply misses the interaction with her friends during the school day. She does not miss the time waiting around for the rest of the class to catch up, waiting for those p-i-t-rump boys to stop messing around (same boys always seemed to be in her main classroom), waiting for transitions...

 

She loves (usually) getting all school work done by lunchtime or shortly thereafter. She loves not feeling rushed before getting to ballet at 5pm.

 

I miss my old schedule. Words cannot express how much I miss taking horticulture and landscape design classes.

 

I love spending this time with dd. I wish I had the opportunity to homeschool her siblings for their middle school years, instead of trying to squish in more-appropriate-for-them math and science after school. I know when this period of our lives is over, I will miss it.

[redsnapper]

I think I barely made it through. I like the mom's idea of listing out what I learned this year. It's a good reminder of the good and the hard lessons.

 

I taught my dd 4th grade and my ds 2nd grade and wrangled =P my 3yo this year and we've all survived! =)

 

- I learned that I don't know how to manage my time well LOL!

- I learned to flex and change all my "great" plans

- I've learned it's okay to use different ideas with each child

- I've learned that I love scripted plans, but to be flexible with the kid those programs don't work well with

- I've learned that I cannot "do it all"

- I've learned how to better communicate with my husband to make our marriage, our family and our schooling a success

- I've learned to be more creative in our kids' social lives

- I've learned to cherish alone time

- I've learned it's okay to hide in the bedroom and "have it out" with God when the days aren't going as I hoped

- I've learned that I love home school and regardless of it's challenges to keep on swimming!

 

-Melissa

[GTJo1996]

We have about 5 weeks left of year one. Last year DD7 went to PS Kinder while her best buddy began to HS. Last year I watched as her buddy began to fly while my kiddo seemed to be treading water. After talking to her K teacher, I found out she really WAS treading water, waiting for other kiddos to catch up. In Jul 2010 we made the decision to HS.

 

I am thankful for this year of getting to know my daughter better, of being able to answer her ENDLESS questions, of being able to watch her fly into math. I am thankful for the time she has been able to spend with DS2-1/2. Without school in the way, they eat 3 meals a day together, enjoy fieldtrips together, and play together more frequently.

 

I AM changing a few curriculum items next year mostly because I just found TWTM and discovered this new way of learning. I am most excited about next year being my "sophomore year" as a home educator. Maybe I will be able to relax more and enjoy the ride!

[boscopup]

Our first "year" won't be up until December, I guess, since we started in January. :D And who knows when our "grade" will be up, as we're all over the map, so some things already changed, some things will change this summer, and some things will change next fall.

 

But what I've learned so far...

 

-I don't like curriculum that's designed for "school use"

-I do well with scripted curriculum, as long as it's such that it's easy to go off-script if necessary and easy to speed through if necessary.

-SOTW is so easy to use for first grade, and there's no reason to complicate history at this level... SOTW+AG is awesome. We'll get connections with Biblical history on the next go-around. :)

-Interest-led science with lots of library books works well for my son.

-It's a good idea to alternate reading and writing subjects for a pencil-phobic first grader. He can actually do a fair amount of seatwork without breaks, but he just can't write for very long.

-Having a chair and table at proper height for writing is very important for my son. I have an adjustable chair on order so he can stop sitting on dictionaries soon. ;)

-My son learns more by reading things himself, so handing him books and letting him have at it works very well (I still read SOTW out loud to him, plus we still have a "read-aloud" everyday, but he's also re-reading SOTW himself... multiple times).

-PHP products are awesome. :D

-Explosions are a common part of everyday life. :tongue_smilie:

-You can start the year out with a gross of pencils, and by the end, you'll be hunting down the remaining 1-2 everyday. :glare:

 

This semester has gone way better than I expected. We've had our challenging days, but most days have gone very well. I've made curriculum changes along the way, and I'm finally settling into what seems to work for us. We're both enjoying school. The biggest challenge is the toddler, but he's getting better. I've been able to move more subjects to the morning now that toddler is getting better about going off and playing. If he's too bothersome, he gets some play time in his crib for 15-20 minutes (which he is surprisingly fine with).

 

I'm learning to relax, but of course that's an ongoing process! I feel pretty good about where we are and where we're heading. I'm glad that I've NOT done co-ops and other such things this year as we get started. I don't see myself adding them in anytime soon either. I do better when we're not running around away from home every week. The way we've been doing things, we've had more flexibility if things come up and I need to squish a week into a smaller amount of days.

 

Things I still need to work on:

 

-Getting a house cleaning schedule going

-Planning meals better

 

Overall, homeschooling has been great for us, and I look forward to continuing through the years. It's fun, rewarding, and I get to spend such precious time with my children. No, I don't have as much "me time", but as I get used to it, I find myself needing less of it.

[iona]

:hurray: and :cheers2: 1st years

 

we'll finish up our first year in a few weeks too. Next year ds1 will be in 1st and ds2 will tag along for k.

 

we were consistent with phonics, math and copywork but not much else.

next year i hope manage our schedule better and be a little more organized with the other subjects. we need to work on better habits all around (we were supposed to do that this year)

 

i'm excited about next year. well take a short break in may/june and get started again mid june.

[ScoutTN]

We have had a great first year. Just K here. Very relaxed. We did Phonics/reading, math, handwriting/copywork and Bible. And read alouds of course. I am glad that we kept this year light and simple.

 

* I have learned to make special time for DS so he doesn't feel left out when DD does school things.

* I have confirmed that I do much better with scripted curriculum that I can then adapt as needed.

* I have learned that I need to plan more projects in because if I don't plan them, the tyranny of the urgent will take over and they will never happen.

* It is amazing to me how my children are growing up so fast and I am so glad that I get to really see it and to be with them!

 

We are going year round, so our new year will begin officially in July. I am looking forward to adding in history and science and even spelling! Trying to plan some time in June to be alone with my books, notebooks and computer to plan, plan, plan!

 

Congratulations to all the other first years! :party:

[VeteranMom]

We have about a month of work left and I am pleased that I've kept us on schedule. It was a little rocky at first, but we are in a nice routine now. I think I was trying to make it too much like a classroom and they prefer to work one on one when we are going over lessons. I've changed some things this year and am figuring out what works and what doesn't work.

[lindsrae]

I do believe you and I and our children were separated at birth:D

 

I've also learned that despite my doubts, we're going to be just fine.

 

Glad to know I'm not the only one out there! Felt like I made more mistakes than I should have, but it was worth it in the end!

[Guest]

This was our first year, my son did K. Overall, it was a very fun year. I learned a lot about my son's personality, both in school and out. He is very strong-willed - I know he is going to turn into a great man, and I know it's going to be a challenge getting there. :) He loved doing math and learning to read. He really enjoyed learning about geography and different countries, as well as all the hands-on science that we did.

[tuzor]

We are quickly approaching the end of our Kindergarten year. My son has learned to read. Next year we will work on fluency. We school year round so as we finish we will start on the next level. I have learned so many things it's hard to put it all into words. I am so grateful for the opportunity we to home educate our children. And I am grateful for websites such as this that are truly invaluable to me. Next year I am changing it up. I will be iplementing the classical method into our school. I am very excited and nervous. In addition I will be incorporating my middle son into our days.

[desertmum]

I was homeschooled for eight years, and this year has been a huge learning experience for me! I thought I knew more than I did...and learned the hard way that I didn't know very much! But it has been a great year, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

*I've learned that I'm not nearly as patient as I thought I was.

*I learned my DD's love language is gifts, so giving her a sticker means more than giving her a verbal compliment.

*I've learned that I liked scripted programs or detailed lessons that tell me exactly what to do, as long as I don't have to plan. (With two younger daughters in the mix, planning went out of the window fast!)

*I learned that home schooling has changed a lot since I was at home (and I even read WTM when my DD was one!)

*I learned I need to incorporate some games and fun stuff throughout the day so learning doesn't become a drag...I am SO not naturally creative, so this is a tough one.

 

I'm excited for next year. I plan to continue math and reading during the summer, so I'm not sure when the "end" of K will be.

 

 

I couldn't have put it better myself.

 

I also learned that I need some lesson plans made for me and more structure. Otherwise I tend to "go off the tangent"!

[krisandpaula]

We just finished our first full year on Friday! :lol:

 

It has been such a great experience for the entire family. My ds was in 1st and dd in Pre-K/4. When we started, I was looking at the stack of curriculum materials thinking to myself, "How will we ever get through all of this?" But you know what, we did. And it was fun! If I were to sum up our year in one statement, I would say that homeschooling my children has made me into the Mom that I always wanted to be.

 

We are taking a two week break and then jumping right back into Kindergarten and 2nd grade!

[Heidi]

I would LOOOOOVE to say we're almost done, but we're not. even. close.

 

Well, she's almost done with her 1st grade math book and she can read, write, and narrate like a pro, so I'm not worried at all. She's way ahead of 1st grade level.

 

However, due to a move in October into a house that needed major renovating, and then another unexpected move in March, we have not done much else but her math book. We're on week 16 with everything else. That's not even half-way :sad:

 

So we'll just keep chugging along through the summer and hopefully finish before 2nd grade starts full swing.

[kpnick in nc]

I've done K this year with my oldest. I wouldn't say we're nearly done though - giving birth to younger DS in December has really thrown me for a loop! I plan to keep going through the summer so that 1st grade isn't total shock.

 

I, too, have learned a great deal about myself, my son and about how we interact. We've both grown a lot! I'm very excited about next year!

[mhaddon]

Fun thread! We are ending our first year I guess soon?? We plan on continuing through the summer so I'm not sure of our end date, lol. We plan on a break close to our two May birthdays and then back on in June :)

 

We decided that SL wasn't for us and I finally ditched it and just have been reading through the books. We ditched HWT and formal handwriting for now, however he loves copywork so we do that. His coloring skills have blossomed, we have had to take breaks from reading but he is doing very well. I have found that anything related to science is good to go. We could do science all day long. I was also disapointed to find out that he isn't a huge craft person :( But overall we have had fun and many times when we are out doing something fun and pass by the school I realize how lucky we are as a family. My two year old knows her alphabet and numbers, my just turned four year old is almost keeping up in math and is asking to start reading. I never would have thought the younger children would be picking up as much as they are!

[Daisy]

Congratulations to each and every one of you!

 

:party:

[Critterfixer]

We are also going through the summer, but if we measure the school year by the math book, we will finish first grade about mid-May to the end of May. It's so hot here in the summer it makes more sense to school hard in the summer and take a few more weeks off in the fall for camping.

What have I learned this year with DS7 twins in first grade?

 

1) I've got to come up with a better way of keeping a schedule. I plan enthusiastically, but real life intrudes. Amazing how that happens.

 

2) Charlotte Mason was right about habit training. We are all happier with the structure of making our beds before breakfast and sitting down together for lunch to practice our table etiquette.

 

3) Narration is a skill that has to be taught, at least with my boys who are very visual in their learning style.

 

4) Morning tea is "brain juice" for math. No kidding. Half a cup of black tea with a half cup of milk turns math scales into math symphony.

 

5) Teaching phonics is not half as fun as pulling teeth. Get it over with in the morning right after math. While the brain juice is still working.:001_smile:

 

6) Even if I don't think they learned anything in the day, they will always surprise me by remembering far, far more than I thought they would.

 

7) Boscopup is right about the pencils.

 

8) You run out of eraser before you run out of pencil.

 

9) While it is not a great idea to compare the relative "behindness" of my boys to the "aheadofness" of other peoples children, it does serve as a real good kick in the pants. It is too easy to be stuck in my own rut of assumptions about what my boys are capable of.

 

10) Letting go of content to focus on skills is liberating, not a sentence of drudgery.

[jer2911mom]

We have about 5 weeks left of Kindergarten. Overall, the year has been good and my dd has made progress in a lot of areas, so I am pleased with that. I kind of feel like we did too much this year, and lost some of the joy, which makes me sad. I felt the need to try different things to see what was a good fit, but it ended up being too much in a few areas. I think if I had known we were going to be homeschooling sooner, I would have had more time to plan and try things out in preschool. But we didn't feel led to do it until last summer, so I felt like I was coming from behind from the get-go. Which leads me to my next thought.. I feel like I have done an insane amount of research this year, but to the detriment of my family. My goal this summer and next year is to find a better balance with that. I've allowed myself some grace this year since I was just trying to figure out my options in all the different subjects, but I can't keep planning so much for the future that I miss out on the present! I think I have a better feel for what needs to happen next year, but my younger dd will be starting preschool, so that will change things, too! I'm really glad we are homeschooling, though. Seeing my girls bond this year has been a true blessing. They wouldn't have had this time together otherwise.

[micheller1]

Count me in this number!! We have about 5 weeks left of school (only 3 lessons of elemental science and 6 lessons of sotw left!!!).

 

I have learned that although I love schedules and structure, my kids love it more.

 

I really love open and go/scripted type curriculums (I.e. elemental science, SOTW+AG)

I have learned that I bite off more than I can chew and that a curriculum need not have a lot of bells and whistles to be a great choice.

My children read more now than they ever have - E.V.E.R. It's the single most exciting development.

Although I have not done any end of year testing or given any grades this year, I have seen my children's skills grow in ways that please them and please me. I have seen their academic success bring them joy and increase self-confidence.

I'm still trying to figure out what makes a great reading "curriculum" or if just reading and journaling about it works.

 

I have no idea how to homeschool 5 kids, cook, clean, taxi everyone to everything and not feel like i'm failing somewhere...

 

Some days I feel like an epic failure but most days I know that I made the right choice for my children and we could never imagine them going back to public/private school.

[BetterthanIdeserve]

We will be wrapping kg in a few weeks! It has been a wonderful experience and I can't wait to start a classical approach beginning with 1st grade. I surprised myself (I'm so glad I did) with my choices this year - FIAR has been such an enjoyable approach to kg. WE did 100EL (mixed feelings about that), HWT and copy work, lots of manipulatives and games for math.

 

-I, too, have learned that I'm not as patient as I thought.

-If I had waited 6 months to start hs my dd (6 in 2 weeks), it would have been an even better year. (Although it could be that she finally got used to school - she's pretty independent/willful at times!)

-I treasure our time together and have a hard time not telling my ps friends that I wish they would reconsider. However, I know my closest friends have given it consideration and made up their minds.

-It took me awhile to figure out that I'd enjoy reading aloud much more if I picked the books. The Mysterious Journey of Edward Tulane has been a favorite.

-Audio CDs are a wonderful thing - my daughter could listen for HOURS a day.

-I am a much better Mama now that my youngest is sleeping through the night!

-I am not a very fun kg teacher. I need to schedule more fun activities, because I find excuses not to do them.

-It was great to see how much my 2yo picked up this year just being around big sis.

-I am so glad I joined a co-op this year, so my daughter could do fun art & music (among other things). Mainly, I'm glad for my sake - I learned a lot from veteran home schoolers.

-I get so much more done if I get up and exercise right away.

-I can spend way too much time looking at curriculum.:tongue_smilie:

Considering TOG and PR (if I can talk my dear hubby into the price of PR - he is sold on TOG) next year. I've spent hours doing research the last couple of weeks and have waffled a bit. I see all the curriculum hopping and am hesitant to lay out a lot of money for PR when I also really like the look of FLL & WWE.

 

I am doing better than I deserve!

wife to a K-Stater, mama to dd (05/05), ds (04/08), ds (03/10)

[kalanamak]

What's been really neat is that my husband is no longer questioning whether we homeschool next year or not.

 

Wonderful news for all, isn't it!

[micheller1]

 

1) I've got to come up with a better way of keeping a schedule. I plan enthusiastically, but real life intrudes. Amazing how that happens. Well you know what they say - Man plans and G-d laughs - that seems to be the story of my laugh!!:grouphug:

 

2) Charlotte Mason was right about habit training. We are all happier with the structure of making our beds before breakfast and sitting down together for lunch to practice our table etiquette. I said this in my post as well. As much as I love structure, the kids love it more!

 

 

4) Morning tea is "brain juice" for math. No kidding. Half a cup of black tea with a half cup of milk turns math scales into math symphony. I am definitely going to try this! Maybe morning tea will be part of our new routine :)

 

 

6) Even if I don't think they learned anything in the day, they will always surprise me by remembering far, far more than I thought they would. :iagree:These are my favorite moments.

 

 

8) You run out of eraser before you run out of pencil. and crayons, glue, pens, markers, sharpeys, wipe off markers...etc. etc.

 

 

 

10) Letting go of content to focus on skills is liberating, not a sentence of drudgery. I couldn't have said it better!

 

:iagree:

[Penny_P]

It's been a year full of ups and downs. My son has really blossomed- he reads better than ever and is interested and excited to learn. My daughter is the polar opposite in terms of putting forth effort to learn, which has been a challenge. I've gotten to know my children so much better!

 

In February I really hit a burn-out period and looked at the local charter/private/public school options. But, either they are a poor fit or too expensive. I feel that after a summer to re-evaluate my own goals and curriculum choices, I will have renewed vigour. I did get a bit of a second wind after spring break.

 

I learned I like workbook programs and scripted material. For me forget about making lesson plans- they fell apart mid-way into my the school-year.:glare:

[skueppers]

I don't really feel like we're approaching the end of the school year yet -- we still have two months to go before my son's preschool lets out for the summer, and we've mostly been following his school schedule. I'm planning to continue light school in the summer.

 

I think doing school together has been good for my relationship with my daughter, and she's learned a lot. She's made a lot of progress in reading, and while she hasn't quite reached the stage of reading for fun, she can read books like Magic Tree House, Dick King-Smith's "The Invisible Dog," etc. independently. My gut feeling is that she's working to get to a level of reading ease that makes it fun for her to read books she's truly interested in, and she hasn't quite gotten to that stage yet.

 

She's solid on addition and subtraction within 10, and is working on addition and subtraction within 20; I'm sure that will also be solid by the end of the school year.

 

She reads and writes German at a level appropriate for a first-grader in Germany. (Reading and writing isn't taught before first grade in Germany.)

 

The kids lobbied to stay home together next year instead of having our son going to another year of preschool, and after a lot of thought, we agreed. So next year I'll have a preschooler and a first grader. I hope he won't be too bored, and that my daughter won't have too much trouble concentrating with him around -- she is easily distracted. I also hope that as the year progresses, he'll be less crazy and more interested in joining in on read-alouds, etc.

[friendlyjas]

This was our first year homeschooling. I was working with two and had planned out a 2 year Kindergarten program for them. Over the course of the year, I realized the schedule was holding my older one back and frustrating the younger one. So, we went with what I termed "Classical Unschooling." All the resources were the same, but I allowed them to each work at their pace when they wanted to. Since we adopted this model, we won't really be "done" at any specific time, they'll just keep working on their studies at their own pace. My 3 year old will be sticking to roughly a 2 year Kindergarten at his current pace. My 4 year old will be moving into her 1st grade curriculum very soon.

[heritagelearningacademy]

We are! :) I have an 11 year old finishing up 5th grade work. A 7 year old finishing up 1st grade work and a 4 year old preschooler who has been going to a local church preschool. My desire to homeschool has grown so much that we will be beginning her with preschool next year at home! :)

 

We have just about 12 days left of school for the year. And, we will begin our new year July 1. However, we will continue with math and reading daily and some extra fun activities once or twice a week. :)

 

Bringing home a child who was in public school since Kindergarten could have been a challenge, but he loves being homeschooled! And, my middle does too!

[lindsrae]

 

I have no idea how to homeschool 5 kids, cook, clean, taxi everyone to everything and not feel like i'm failing somewhere...

 

Some days I feel like an epic failure but most days I know that I made the right choice for my children and we could never imagine them going back to public/private school.

 

I have no idea how to home school ONE child with just two other littles, plus cook, clean, etc...so, way to go, momma! I decided I need to stitch a little sampler:

 

If I am feeding my family, home schooling my children, providing clean clothes, and sleeping, DON"T expect my house to be clean!

[LolaT]

We'll have completed our first year at the end of May. I started DD in Kinder last year as soon as she was done with Preschool. We started 1st grade on January and I just realized we're about half way through! I can't believe how fast it's gone and how much progress she's made. She finished the OPGTR book today in fact.

 

I plan to start 2nd grade in the fall after a small break provided she's ready of course. And I have a 3.5 yo in preschool now that is interested in starting reading. I'm a little nervous about doing two kids especially when the 1 yo stops napping in the morning. But I'm hoping to figure it out.

[sarahv]

So many great posts!!

 

We are finishing up 1st grade and K with my boys. I count 1st grade as the first *real* year of homeschooling for me, as K ends up being pretty relaxed. 1st grade is where the "rubber meets the road" for me.:tongue_smilie:

 

I learned so many of the same things as others! Like having to re-buy all school supplies mid-year.

 

I particularly learned so much about myself. I like workbooks. I like to just turn the page and find out what's next, instead of making beautifully detailed and thought out plans, only to find myself NOT following them.

 

I learned that I needed a chore list for myself in order to keep sanity in my housekeeping. (Thank you motivatedmoms.com!)

 

I learned that I would need a play yard for my 15 mo. old twins if I was going to get anything done!

 

I learned to drop everything to get school done. Period.

 

I learned to wait to check my email until school work was done. Yup. Believe it or not...:D

 

I found out that watching my children grow and grasp what life means and be there with them has been the most special thing in the world. I'm so thankful for the gift of homeschooling.

 

Also grew alot tougher skin about making my kids do things right. "Nope, erase it. It wasn't right..." "Because you were so sloppy, you have to do another handwriting page. Do it right this time." Phew! Their handwriting looks beautiful now... :tongue_smilie: (wiping sweat from my brow...)

 

So many more things learned!! It's been a really great, frustrating, sort of "birthing" feeling kind of year. Love it.

[Mallorie]

We're coming to the end of our first year, I feel like the 'old lady' of this thread.. LOL My kids are in 7th, 4th and 1st. Mostly, I feel like a dismal failure in terms of schooling.

 

I am trying to cut myself some slack. It was really hard getting the ball rolling in terms of figuring out what my kids already know, gaps from school, curriculum and styles that work. It was a tough year for us. I scrapped more books and plans than I care to share. Right now, I'm just so dang happy that we FINALLY found math curriculums that work! We found a couple other things here and there, but it's been a struggle. SO much to learn, this late in the game.

 

But. I remember the anxiety that my kids had, the pressure while they were in school, how they use to have such short fuses with each other when they came home from school. How I used to worry and wonder how I'd help them cope with whatever issue they came home from school with. How I used to miss them while they were gone all day and feel like I handed my kids over to someone else to raise and teach and nurture.

 

So, i'm not going to consider myself a success because we accomplished anything worth a dang in a book. Rather, that I have known the anxiety of school, and have seen it melt away in my kids, myself. They have come a long way in their relationships with each other, and they have blossomed in their character. Their faith in God has grown. We have more time to talk, spend together, goof around. My 13 year old is unabashed in his love of legos, whereas his schooled counterparts are largely about dating and image.

 

I am optimistic for next year, because I have found a curriculum that I think will work beautifully combining them all. So i'm good with just hanging in there until I can get that, and it's time to start.

 

I'm so, so, SO proud of all of you on this thread. The joy that you all have with accomplishing the first year is fantastic, and I'm rejoicing to see all of the positive reports. I just want to throw my experience out there for others who might be struggling too, with encouragement to look at the big picture. Hang in there!! :)

[mamatohaleybug]

We are going to be finishing up our first year in June. It has been FABULOUS!

 

I really wrestled with whether or not to pull my daughter from public school but I am so glad that I did. It has been the best thing for both of us. It's certainly been challenging but much less challenging than dealing with all of her anxiety about public school.

 

I think the biggest challenge for us was deschooling/deprogramming. That really didn't happen until recently and I'm still battling some of those old beliefs and traditions that pop into my head.

 

We are doing 2nd grade here and our curriculum has been a lot of trial and error but I think we're settling in to some things that really work well.

 

Overall, I'm thrilled that we are homeschooling and can't even imagine returning to public schooling. :D

[sarahv]

We're coming to the end of our first year, I feel like the 'old lady' of this thread.. LOL My kids are in 7th, 4th and 1st. Mostly, I feel like a dismal failure in terms of schooling.

 

I am trying to cut myself some slack. It was really hard getting the ball rolling in terms of figuring out what my kids already know, gaps from school, curriculum and styles that work. It was a tough year for us. I scrapped more books and plans than I care to share. Right now, I'm just so dang happy that we FINALLY found math curriculums that work! We found a couple other things here and there, but it's been a struggle. SO much to learn, this late in the game.

 

But. I remember the anxiety that my kids had, the pressure while they were in school, how they use to have such short fuses with each other when they came home from school. How I used to worry and wonder how I'd help them cope with whatever issue they came home from school with. How I used to miss them while they were gone all day and feel like I handed my kids over to someone else to raise and teach and nurture.

 

So, i'm not going to consider myself a success because we accomplished anything worth a dang in a book. Rather, that I have known the anxiety of school, and have seen it melt away in my kids, myself. They have come a long way in their relationships with each other, and they have blossomed in their character. Their faith in God has grown. We have more time to talk, spend together, goof around. My 13 year old is unabashed in his love of legos, whereas his schooled counterparts are largely about dating and image.

 

I am optimistic for next year, because I have found a curriculum that I think will work beautifully combining them all. So i'm good with just hanging in there until I can get that, and it's time to start.

 

I'm so, so, SO proud of all of you on this thread. The joy that you all have with accomplishing the first year is fantastic, and I'm rejoicing to see all of the positive reports. I just want to throw my experience out there for others who might be struggling too, with encouragement to look at the big picture. Hang in there!! :)

 

This is awesome. Congratulations!!