Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Expectations

Since I am still in my pre-homeschool planning phase, I have been trying to keep some of my expectations in check.  The thing is, this new homeschool gig is going to be a total "paradigm shift" for me (even though I totally hate that term.  It's so trendy Stephen Covey 1990's.  But begrudgingly, I will admit that my paradigm is about to be majorly shifted.)  I can plan and plan and plan right here and now, but the slushie of reality will hit the fan in January.  I keep making these little lists to help myself, mainly just so I have something to look back on in the future to see if we've made any progress whatsoever.  Maybe my expectations will be way off.  Maybe I will be good at some things that surprise me.  Maybe some dreaded issues won't be so bad after all.  Or maybe I will be forced to undergo another dadgum paradigm shift in a year.

Stuff I Am Excited About:
  • Laminating!
  • Lesson planning!
  • Organizing!
  • Finding learning material!
  • Teaching art!
  • Read Aloud Books!
  • Researching curriculum!
  • History!
  • Learning new stuff together!
  • Laminating some more!


Stuff I Am Kinda Neutral About:
  • The actual teaching part


Stuff I Am Dreading:
  • Science experiments
  • Glitter and paint and glue on my floors
  • Piles of laundry and dirty dishes that still need to conquered, in addition to the school stuff
  • Trying to teach with a toddler underfoot.
  • Meeting the needs of a veeeeeeeery social and active little girl.
  • Our first throwdown about Math.  It's coming.  I know it.
  • Writing coercion (she hates to write) 
  • Cabin fever
  • Teaching with PMS (pray for us all, seriously)

Stuff I Suspect Will Be A Struggle For Me:
  • Not worrying about whether we are "on track" with public school
  • Not worrying about whether she will bomb her SATs ten years from now
  • Not worrying about whether I am doing enough and she should be learning Latin and underwater basketweaving
  • Setting my expectations of myself (and my home) too high
  • Staying on task
  • Trying to find a homeschool circle of friends in which to fit my weird little self
  • The late afternoon cranky funk
  • Grocery shopping
  • Asking for help

I need to remember, if all else fails, to go laminate something.
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousNovember 22, 2012 at 5:48 PM

    I am preparing to homeschool as well... starting not in the spring but next school year. We'll see... I've been doing a lot of work in the last two years to improve my parenting and relationship with my kid... and researching curriculum / methods / approaches. I am thinking I might use a Charlotte Mason approach, and somehow incorporate some Montessori, especially for math. Kid has done preschool at a Montessori and is currently in kindergarten there. (It's too far away and too expensive to continue there.)

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  2. CandaceMakesStuffNovember 23, 2012 at 10:45 PM

    I have no experience homeschooling but I do work for a great company, Classical Conversations. You might want to poke around their website and see what they are about and if there is a CC Community near you. Communities meet once a week for tutoring (parent's presence required) and assignments. The students bond and form friendships and get a chance to interact. The parents get support and guidance and there is some external accountability for the kids. May or may not be a fit for you but def worth checking out.

    Whatever you do, I'll be praying for you. My babies are 34 and 25 and I was not able to homeschool them even though I recognized the failings of public school. I have dear friends who teach in the public schools but, well, you know, you've addressed the issues.

    I wish you well and will be lurking out here in the cloud, rooting for you and your precious fam!

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