The School Year

Planning for this school year has been the most intensive I think I have ever done. Just saying that is kind of comical because my goal was to "keep it simple" so that I could drive Moriah and Alyssa all over the planet this last year that they are unable to drive themselves. Next year, they will both be driving and that will reward me with a lot less time on the road! (Can't wait!)

Moriah is back home homeschooling this 11th grade year. I have not even completely figured out her curriculum, but we have concluded that she could finish in less than two years if she wants to work hard.

Alyssa is still "in town" on Fridays at Classical Conversations. She is technically in 10th grade, but is interested in finishing earlier and counting her senior year as a year spent in Italy at Bible College. She would then return home and start  her college career. 

I intended on keeping James and Ben in Abeka Academy for the second year and had even ordered the complete curriculum when a really cool opportunity presented itself that I didn't want to pass up. They are now enrolled in a class that meets in a ladies home once a week (much like CC) and she will assign the work for those subjects. They then will return a second day of the week just for Science. This has the same classical education approach I am moving towards but at a more realistic level for my boys. They will do the literature and history but not the Latin, logic and debate that comes with CC. They and Alyssa are both also enrolled in some supplement classes at a co-op on Wednesdays. 

The school year is almost ready to start

I already wrote about how I wanted to rip Tori, Julia and Selah out of school this fall but JD talked some sense into me. They will remain in school this, hopefully, last year and we go to open house and meet the teachers on Thursday. Their first day is then next Tuesday.

Elijah and Bella remain at Classical Conversations close to our home - I hope that Tori, Julia and Selah will join us next year. We actually attended our first week today and I tutored my first class. All seemed to run pretty smoothly for day one and I am excited to see the class excel this year.  What really sold me on becoming a tutor (other than covering some of the expense of my children being enrolled) is my friend that told me that she really didn't understood the program and how to teach it to her own children until she became a tutor. I have completed the needed training and tutoring will force me to learn all the memory work and stay on track with my kids at home because you can't go and teach what you don't know!

The more I learn about Classical education, the more logical it seems to me. It is completely different than traditional learning and I used to think that it was a bit unrealistic. I now believe that kids are capable of learning in this manner and am anxious to see how my younger batch of kids do under this education model.

In summery, I have kids in five totally different school settings. It was a lot of teacher meetings, book lists, supply fees and binder organizational sessions. I think it's going to take a lot for me to keep up with the class I am teaching and all the work my kids will need help with; but I'm learning a lot these days - definitely more than I ever learned in my education classes in college!

My local CC crew heading out this morning