Sunday, March 2, 2014

If I had it to do over again....



Just yesterday Princess & I were going over the SAT words at the back of the Baron's SAT prep book.  She takes her first SAT exam in two weeks.  WOW....two weeks!  Why do I feel like the whole school experience hinges upon this one culminating event?  In a sense it does, but in reality I know it really doesn't.  So as I am watching her separate the vocabulary cards into piles of words she knows and words she doesn't know, I panic.  I began to reflect on the fact that I haven't done all the preparation that I'd wanted to do.  If I could start over how would I do it?

I had kids in my early 20s.  I was still coming to grip with who I was as an adult, newly married woman, and mother.  I was growing in my relationship with Christ and there was a lot going on.  I wasn't totally comfortable in my role as a stay at home mom.  For as long as I could remember my life as a wife and mother wasn't going to begin until age 30.  Until then, I was supposed to be building a career.  God had other plans.

If I had the insight back then that I have now, I would have enjoyed that season of my life a lot more.  In my mind I would have:

Preschool Years
  • spent time with other moms with preschool children so our children could play & learn together
  • had lots of learning toys at home
  • turned the TV off
  • went to library reading times every week and participated in all the free library activities for preschoolers
  • spent lots of time doing outside activities (farms, playgrounds, childrens' museums etc.)
  • I would've probably still participated in a 3x/week half-day preschool for the structure

Elementary Years
  • homeschooled using ABEKA language arts, math, & bible
  • Lots of reading and written/verbal narration
  • field trips every week
  • co-op for enrichment
  • nature study & fun experiments
  • music classes
  • foreign language (Spanish) & Latin (maybe CC Foundations / Essentials)
  • Soccer, Track, or Volleyball clubs 

Middle School
  • formal grammar study to include diagramming using Abeka or Rod&Staff (I see a direct correlation with preparation for SAT)
  • Literature study (using Socratic method & Unit studies) 
  • Composition Skills (narrations, outlining, essays)
  • Math
  • Formal science study (emphasis on research skills, lab work, and the scientific method)
  • field trips relevant to course work
  • co op for enrichment
  • music classes
  • foreign language (Spanish) & Latin (maybe CC Challenge A & B)
  • Soccer, Track, or Volleyball clubs
High School

formal 4 year course of study (Language Arts, Math, Science, Foreign Language, History)
Public Speaking/Communication, Economics/Financial Courses
take advantage of online courses, academic co-ops, dual enrollment
Lots of community service & community based programs (Art Museums, STEM courses, etc.)
Special Interests
Physical Education & Health

Graduation & College Prep!

Hindsight is 20/20.  We do the best we can with the information we have at the time.  I am grateful for doing a lot of things right but secretly I wish I had started from the very beginning. 
Since I'm near the end of my journey perhaps I'll work with my kids in educating my grandkids :)








3 comments:

  1. Hopped over on the blog hop. Lovely post. I've homeschooled for a few decades and I've learned pretty much the same things as you :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Found you from the Homeschool High School blog hop. My kids are just approaching junior high age, but I'm already starting to get nervous about high school, so I'm trying to see what others have been doing. I followed you on Pinterest. I've found some great ideas, there.

    Lynne
    Sandbox to Socrates

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's Jackie stopping by from the March Let's Homeschool High School Blog Hop. I have to say many of my 'wish I'd done" look very similar to yours. Despite not doing things I wish I had done, everything is progressing smoothly, though I know things could have been better.

    Best wishes on the SAT test. I know much has changed on it. I am in the process of writing a new article about all the changes.

    Joyfully,
    Jackie
    Let's Homeschool High School Admin

    http://letshomeschoolhighschool.com/2014/03/05/homeschool-high-school-march-blog-hop/

    ReplyDelete

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