A change of pace, a new scene

Recently I've made a decision with my family to send my two children back to public school. This was not an easy decision. I've been homeschooling them for two years, of which I had grown very accustomed to doing. Most of the time we had a good routine and I was proud of what I was teaching them. It gave me a great sense of accomplishment and drew me closer to them. Even more importantly to me was that my husband and I stood our ground and kept pushing ahead even when various family members were against my decision to home school.

So, what made me send them back? They did...sort of. It's a combination of reasons, however their repeated requests initiated it all. I believe that in dealing with my own health issues over the last 7-8 months, I was slacking in my enthusiasm and zeal regarding home school. Which of course is an energy that the children can feel. Then after my surgery, I was immobile for a few weeks and totally gotten off routine. School began to be hit or miss, boring and non-challenging and anyone who knows my kids personally will understand that school days like that just wont do!

Humbly and somewhat reluctantly, I gave in to the requests (more like pleas) to go back to school. I was sad at first because I felt like I was failing in some way. As if my children's requests to return to public school was a reflection on me as a mother and teacher. Now I realize that it is more of a need for change of scenery, nothing personal. It was agreed that it will be for a period of one year and then we will go back to our home school refreshed and re-focused. Basically we will alternate schooling. Of course, I had mixed feelings as we walked through the halls of the brick and mortar setting. The children were really excited. Even more exciting to me is that my children in comparison to the other students are fine academically. They were trying to contain their excitement for fear that they were "hurting my feelings."* insert a long "aaaawwwwwww" * But I knew they were happy to be back in population. I'm trying to be positive and enjoy my break. I mean, I think I can find a few things to fill my time. Every teacher deserves a break right?

In the meantime, I will be shutting down my home school blog. Or actually just combining some of what I blog about here i.e. my children, to my main blog site; I'm the mommy I'll blog if I want to . So, I'll end my last home school blog post by saying to my readers, " thank you for following our journey, the support and encouragement I have received has been priceless and made it so much easier to push ahead.

Recognition of a talent

This wonderful masterpiece that you are viewing is the work of my boy. I am so proud of him! As some of you may know, both of my children are enrolled in the After School Program of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. One of the things that I like about the club is that it is not just a place for children to go and play for a few hours. They actually have structured classes that are enriching to the growth of children. One of which is ART class. This class is wonderful for my kids particularly because while trying to keep up with their basic subjects, other subjects such as arts is put on the backside.



A few months ago during art, each student was asked to draw and paint something with acrylic, the best selections were to be entered in the National Fine Arts Exhibit. My son chose to draw his own rendition of Where The Wild Things Are. This was of interest to him because earlier that month we studied Maurice Sendak as one of the great American authors and illustrators.



Well, the art teacher decided that Isaiah's work was so good that his work would be entered. The result? He came in 2ND place, and has an opportunity to go to the next level in the competition. He received a certificate of merit for his achievement in the National Fine Arts Exhibit Program as well as a ribbon. This was a great boost to his self esteem, and it should be. Everyone has their own gifts and talents.



Don't you think he has a wonderful gift?....

Who wants McDonalds?

A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to attend an event in support of the Ronald McDonald House Charity. I was allowed to bring the children and so I thought, "Field trip!"

It was a great experience from beginning to end. We were picked up and dropped off by limo (the kids loved that). We arrived at a McDonald's in Decatur, Ga ate lunch and was educated about how McDonald's Supports the Charity by promoting Give a Hand week, November 10-20 2009. The employees that work the registers and drive thru were expected to kindly ask the patrons to give a hand by donating $1 to the RMHC. The fun part? The kids and I had the privilege of working the counter and drive thru for a good cause...

Indya, working the counter

Isaiah working the drive thru

Needless to say, the kids REALLY enjoyed this experience. When this was done we were then taken to the actual Ronald McDonald House. There we took a tour, It was beautiful. We learned about the children and their families that are residents there. It was sad, but encouraging all at the same time. My children were able to see a side of life that is not as easy going as their own. They were able to learn about the difficulties that other children are going through because of serious illness.

As we went through the tour we were given advice as to how we can donate our time, money and services to help these families in need. Volunteering our time to help others is not a new concept to our family. We volunteer our time regularly in our ministry. However, this gave the children an opportunity to see another aspect of volunteering. I hope it will be one that sticks with them, it builds empathy and character inside of a person to step out of the box and help another.

At the end of the day, we were tired yet happy. Although it was a field trip, I had to find a way to get some writing in. So, I had the children to put their feelings about the experience onto paper. They were not thrilled about that, but I was. I was planning on sharing what they wrote in their notebooks on the blog, but as a testimony to the disorganization in our house...I cant find the notebook.

I know,

BAD HOME SHOOL MOM

Inside the mind of a beautiful boy

I just had to share this.

The other day my son and I were doing math work. The program we use is Saxon and I love it because it works progressively with a lot of repetition. Which is good for him because of his LD in math and his issues with ADHD. However this particular day, he was really having a hard time. I guess I was getting frustrated too because I felt like the work was not hard, but very simple math facts that he should know on a *snap*. So, I asked him "honey why are you not able to answer these facts? I know you know the answers. I heard you say them before".

His reply?

"NUMBERS IN MY HEAD ARE LIKE TRYING TO CATCH A TAXI THAT DOESN'T SLOW DOWN."

My mouth shut and my heart opened after that touching and sincere comment. Out of the mouths of babes...

starting over, starting slow

Wow it's been a while since my last posting. Many things have happened. One thing is that we have had a complete technological meltdown in our home. We have three computers that all crashed and burned within a week or two of each other. For those of you who live and breathe by your computers you know what that means...madness, mayhem & withdrawl! I never even thought it was possible, but we are making it. Thank goodness for the internet capabilities of my phone, without it I fear I would be completely disconnected. Gasp!

All of our homeschooling files are destroyed and I will basically have to start my collection of resourceful sites from scratch. We are starting over, and for added measure we are having less than filling school days due to my surgery and recovery. More on that later ... yeah I know, too much.

Not alone in the struggle

I was at the library recently and was looking for something educational for the kids to watch on video. I saw one that immediately grabbed my attention, because it spoke to my heart on a personal level. It was a video from the Stuttering Foundation of America. Stuttering: for kids, by kids. I got the video because ever since I was a young child I have struggled with stuttering, some times worse than others. Over the years, into adulthood I have found my own ways of coping with it and minimizing it. However, it still poses a challenge for me.

Imagine my feelings when I realized that my son would also be dealing with this issue. It became noticeable when he was around 7 that he was a stutterer. Over the years he has been teased because of it and I can tell that it makes him feel somewhat inadequate, different from the rest. My heart goes out to him. I know the struggle.

Somehow, I came across something on the Internet this week that said this was International Stuttering Awareness Day. HA! I was so surprised to see this. I never knew there was an organization out there dedicated to supporting, educating, treating and preventing STUTTERING. http://www.stutteringhelp.org/ holds a wealth of information for parents, teachers, children and professionals. If you, your child or someone else you know is dealing with this issue please send them to the site. It's worth a try.

Click this link here to watch the video that I watched with my son. I'm glad we watched it, so he could see that he was not alone.

Something is starting to click

Today during math, my daughter began to really complain about a lesson that she claims she had completed on a previous day. Now mind you it was on her daily planner as a new assignment, and although she did not have any record of completed work in her notebook, she was holding fast to her claim. So, since it was just a review of everything she has done in the last week I did not bother with trying to prove my point. Frankly, I was not in the mood for the parent-child argument. The child can be quite the drama queen especially when she believes herself to be right.

In view of that fact I moved her on to the next step on the agenda which was an assessment. During this time both she and my son are doing math. She gets to a point where she has trouble with a problem, and I say to her very matter-of-factly "maybe you should have done the review." Well that caused a slight rise in her, that yet again I decided to not give audience to. The interesting aspect of this scenario is that I did not have to say anything, because the big brother stepped in. As she is ranting he says to her "you really shouldn't complain about doing reviews. Even though you have done the work before, it's just good practice. I don't really like to go over my math facts everyday, but I listen to mom and do it anyway. And when I am doing my work I get more answers correct because I've been practicing. It's just better for you Indya...Listen to me I'm just trying to help you out." (insert raised eyebrow from mom watching silently on the side)

That was a moment of pride for me. It showed me that even though the children sometimes give me a hard time, they are hearing me. It may be a insignificant point to some but it was a big step forward to me. It showed maturity and growth with my son and perhaps that a sturdy foundation is being laid for good study habits...I hope. :)