We finished school over a month ago.
Hooray!
I'm feeling rather accomplished with two years of homeschooling under my belt. With the exception of a few tears (mostly from me), the kids did great. I can honestly say I have learned a great deal, and I don't mean information from a textbook. To sum it up in one sentence: Don't over complicate things.
With that being said, this next sentence won't make any sense.
This fall, I'm sending Martin and Helen back to Providence Academy.
WHAT?!
(I know...I know...insert judgment here.)
Here is where I justify this decision. Did you know Brian accepted a new job back in January? He now raises money for one of the most influential conservative political advocacy groups in the country. Translation: He travels around the Midwest Mondays through Fridays. My interpretation? He's racking up frequent fliers miles for a possible future international trip. Pair that with a newborn scheduled to make his or her debut in September, I would say things just got complicated. I'm not afraid to acknowledge my limits.
The kids were tested a few weeks ago, and here are the results and the game plan:
Martin - - Maybe you read about it on this blog? Maybe I told you in person? Martin struggled with reading comprehension in the second and third grades. It was brought to our attention in the second grade, we thought it worked itself out in third grade, only to find out it didn't when we brought him home for fourth grade. My own diagnosis: English was his third language. English is one of the hardest languages to learn and understand. Instead of understanding it, he just memorized everything. Starting from scratch, the last two years we worked hard on comprehension. I would read to him, he would read to me. We would talk endlessly about the stories (
The Boxcar Children series annoys me). We worked on vocabulary and composition. In the end, reading, Latin, and math were his strongest subjects. He tested into the seventh grade. He will skip sixth grade this fall. We both feel very accomplished. But, could my kid grow up any faster???
Helen - - It's true. When you have multiple children, none of them are the same. Helen loves reading and comprehension was her strongest subject. She does well in math, but is a little slower. Not because she isn't capable, but because I don't like math... This phrase drives me nuts. Not liking math because "math is hard" is something taught to us at a young age. It wasn't until college until I realized how great the subject truly is. It's not hard. All you're doing is solving a puzzle. I will not let my kids fall victim to this Math Is Too Difficult nonsense. With that, Helen and I will spend the summer conquering math facts and counting money. You would think she would enjoy the money aspect of math. The girl loves to shop. This fall, she will be one of the youngest in her first grade class.
Peter - - Obviously, Peter wasn't tested for anything. The guy is only a year and a half old. I will say, however, he is my most observant (and busiest) child. I'm sure it's because he is number three in the line up. Basically, he's a survivor. He is always following the kids to their activities and watching them intently. He's working hard on his ballet skips, thanks to his big sister, but baseball and basketball seem to be his heart's desire. Recently, he stood by the fence and watched most of Martin's baseball game. It was impressive because it kept his attention for along time. And I wasn't chasing him all over creation.
Baby 4 - - I cannot believe I will be the mother of four kids! I'm in week 20-something; over half way. I feel like the weeks are flying by. In my eyes, September is just around the corner. {gulp} Brian & I better get serious about names. Any suggestions?
