Wait...You Homeschool?

It doesn't happen very often. Occasionally, we will hear, "Wait! You homeschool?" 

Maybe it is because we only have three children. Maybe it is because our oldest is only five. Usually, the astonishment is only instantaneous before comprehension washes over them and the question is shrugged off. 

My husband is a certified public school teacher. He has several certifications including Social Studies and English as a Second Language. He works as a teacher in a school district and we would have school of choice if we chose to enroll our children into school. 

Have we thought about it? Yes. We have. We actually enrolled our eldest in Kindergarten, but disenrolled him before the term started. 

My husband loved school as a child. It was his happy place. He loved being around friends. He loved the activities. He loved his teachers. He became a teacher partly because he loved school. 

I loved learning, but I did not love school. When I was in second grade, my parents pulled me from the public school and began homeschooling me. My parents were questioned about their decision to homeschool more than I have been. This is either due to a change in the times or the people we surround ourselves with. 

My husband and I both have bachelor degrees, graduate work, and teaching experience. My husband works at a school and I am a professional tutor. I work from home. We value education. We want to give what is best for our children. Right now, that is homeschooling. If that changes in the future, so will our approach to our children's education. 

We homeschool for a couple different reasons.

1. Our son barely made the cutoff for school. He was born in the middle of August. The district cutoff was September 1st. He was academically ready for school. He was social-emotionally not ready for school. He asked that he be taught to read. How could I say no?

2. The COVID-19 pandemic and the various unpredictable responses. We want our children's memories of their childhood years to be consistent and pleasant. Wearing a mask might be socially responsible in some circumstances, but it is certainly not academically important. We wanted our children to learn without being constantly reminded to wear a mask. I have heard some of the circle time songs and books about wearing a mask. We have masks that we wear in appropriate settings - I am not anti-mask. But, I do not feel comfortable elevating mask wearing to the same importance as learning letter sounds. 

3. We can control the pace and structure. When we have an off day, school can be reduced to snuggling on the sofa and reading our favorite stories. When we have a great day, we can complete a week's worth of lessons in one day. I can customize learning to our children's individual needs. As a result, my 5-year-old is doing first grade work. My 3-year-old is about to start reading. 

4. We can decide what they learn and when. It is February - Black History Month. And, all over Instagram, I have seen people arguing for and against critical race theory, teaching "real" history, and the trouble with whitewashing history. My husband is a social studies teacher. Our children are Hispanic. We understand the importance of teaching "real" history, but we get to decide when this happens based on their maturity and ability to handle it. And, we can learn about all people every month, instead of confining a group to a specific month. 

5. We get to spend time with them while they are still young. Little kids are hard, but they will never be little like this again. There is nothing we can do to slow time. Putting our children in school may be convenient for our careers or to reassure ourselves that the state will recognize their education, but is it what is right for them? 

We are keeping them home for now. We school for 2-3 hours a day. We school for 5-6 days a week (whether I want to or not). We touch on all subjects - from basic reading and writing to Solfa to Piano to art. We have done unit studies. We have had play-based lessons. 

Will we change our approach to education in the future? Maybe. We have discussed it. For now, though, they are home and thriving. 

Primary sounds for M, A, N, S, E, and T

 Happy Thanksgiving. 

My five-year-old asked me if we were going to record a video today. I said, "Sure!" He was a little tired, but he was so excited to record our video. 

We have done these lessons several times. We will continue to review previous phonics lessons as we continue on our journey to learning how to read. Repetition builds confidence. 

At the bottom of the page, Ms. Akin wrote notes to the teacher. These are brief notes. They include the recommendation to go over these foundational parts slowly.  We are building masterful readers. Our goal is not to have our five year olds reading at a 3rd grade reading level. Our goal is to build a strong phonetic foundation so that our children can learn to read well. 

Phonics helps to decode the patterns of language. Once a child can decode words, the child can begin to work on comprehension and understanding. Follow Ms. Akin's advice: lay the foundation well. 

A quick phonics lesson for the primary sounds of M, A, N, S, E, and T. 

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 Links of Interest: 

Florence Akin's Word Mastery Course:https://play.google.com/books/reader?... 

Flashcards and Letter Tiles: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/P... 

My Blog: https://atouchofbeautylife.blogspot.com/ 

My TpT Storefront: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/S...

Meditation - Should I Be Doing That?

What is meditation? Meditation is a valuable tool.  Should I be doing that? Simple put, yes.

Meditation is a tool for self-care, prayer, and coping.

Whether in pain, anxious, depressed - meditation is a common recommendation.  When faced with an important decision, meditation is recommended.  Meditation is recommended for athletes, students, professionals, and religious.  Meditation is recommended by therapists, nurses, doctors, homoeopathic practitioners, priests, nuns, spiritual directors, and life coaches.  The catch is: meditation may mean different things to different people.

Arguably there are two types of meditation: prayerful and self-care.  There is, of course, some crossover in these.  Praying can contribute to self-care.  Self-care may include praying.  The purpose is different.  Prayerful meditation should be focused on God.  Self-care meditation can have a variety of focuses.

Prayerful meditation can be guided or unguided.  Guided meditation may follow a rule, such as the Ignatian or Carmelite method.  It might be as simple as placing oneself in the presence of God.  It may be more complicated, like analyzing a prayer line by line.  The Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy are also guided meditations.

Unguided meditation involves praying more freely with the intent of "being still" and "knowing that" He is God.  This may be simply sitting in the presence of God's creation.  The moments of awe can be unguided meditation.

Self-care meditation can have many purposes.  It could be to improve a mood, cope with emotions, conquer a problem, and look toward the future.  Meditation can be used for weight loss, pain control in labor, and coping with mental health concerns.  Meditation can be used to learn new things and process things learned.  Meditation can be used to balance work and life.  It can be used to prioritize.

Guided meditation, which can be called self-hypnosis, involves relaxing and holding an image in your mind.  This is often done with the help of another person who guides the meditation, such as a nurse.  This can be done with recordings.  It can also be done alone.  The setting must be relaxing.  The image must be positive.  Breathing must be rhythmic.

Unguided meditation can be used as a coping mechanism used in any situation.  It involves deep breathing and banishing thoughts for a minute or two.  It can be used in the instant.

This is not intended to teach meditation; rather, just to mention it.  I am currently listening to a podcast on happiness meditation.  It is interesting to hear different methods of meditation.  If you are not meditating, it might be what you need to find a meaningful, happy work-life balance.

Respecting a Child's No