Entries Tagged 'Homeschooling' ↓

A Prayer for Mothers

by an anonymous hieromonk

O Lord Jesus Christ our God, Who didst come into this world not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give Thy life as a ransom for many, help me, I beseech Thee, in my ministry of caring for the children Thou hast given me. Enable me to be patient in tribulations, to instruct with a meek and gentle spirit, to reprimand with inner tranquility and a sober mind, and to serve in humility of heart with love. May I thus live in Thee alone, by Thee alone, and for Thee alone, showing forth Thy virtues and leading my family upon the path of Thy saving commandments, that we may glorify Thee, together with Thine unoriginate Father and Thine all-holy and life-giving Spirit, both in this world and that which is to come. Amen.

Meatwad is five years old! and it’s time for kindergarten.  Homeschooling is no longer an abstraction, and I’m seriously grateful for this “practice year” before first grade and its compulsory reporting.  (Hey, look!  New York is a state with high regulation!  Is that surprising? … Anyone?  Anyone? … No, it is not surprising.)

We’ll be starting our school year with the Church year, on September first.  Guess what!  We’re going on vacation for two weeks between now and then!  Oh dear!  Time to get organized or face dooooooom!  Here’s what we’re working with (this list might make us look like crazy overachievers, but the elements should actually fit and flow in a lovely, gentle way):

• Curriculum Guides
  • Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum: A Guide to Catholic Home Education, by Laura M. Berquist
  • The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise
• Orthodoxy
  • Children’s Garden of the Theotokos, by Macrina and Christopher Lewis – This curriculum spans a number of subject areas, but will be used primarily as a catechetical resource in our homeschool.
  • Children’s Bible Reader, illustrated by Martha Kapetanakou-Xinopoulou
  • A Visual Catechism of the Orthodox Church, by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos
• Reading
  • Phonics
    • The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading, by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington
    • Bob Books, by Bobby Lynn Maslen
  • Literature
    • Books That Build Character: A Guide to Teaching Your Child Moral Values through Stories, by William Kilpatrick and Gregory and Suzanne M. Wolfe
    • Library Card
• Handwriting
  • Zaner-Bloser Handwriting, Grade K
  • Orthodox Copywork Pages, Level 1 (Zaner-Bloser Basic Manuscript), from Paidea Classics
• Mathematics
  • Math in Focus: The Singapore Approach, Grade K, published by Marshall Cavendish Education (part of Times Publishing Limited) in Singapore, distributed in the U.S. by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Science
  • No Text; Activities Gleaned from Various Sources
    • “Visits to the zoo, natural history museum, or beach and walks around the neighborhood are all occasions for science discussion.  Science at this point could be better described as natural history, or getting to know the world around you.  Raising animals, sprouting beans, helping in a garden are simple, natural ways of becoming familiar with the physical world.”  (Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum, p. 38)
    • “You can supplement beginning reading, writing, and math by doing a science experiment once or twice a week; more formal science study isn’t necessary at this stage.”  (The Well-Trained Mind, p. 40)
• Poetry
  • A Child’s Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Art
  • Artistic Pursuits, Grades K-3 Book One, by Brenda Ellis
• Music
  • Liturgical Music of the Orthodox Church
  • Alfred’s Premier Piano Course, Level 1A, by Dennis Alexander, Gayle Kowalchyk, E. L. Lancaster, Victoria McArthur, and Martha Mier

If I may be allowed to hijack the baby blog for a bit, I have a tangential thought I would like to share.

For those in the know, there is an annual event in Seattle called PAX.  Or perhaps I should have written, each year, in Seattle, the Event known as PAX occurs.  Because it really has transcended a mere exposition, despite what its formal name, Penny Arcade Expo, might imply to the uninitiated.  This year, PAX manifested itself in Boston, for the sake of those geographically inhibited from attending PAX prime, which will recur in Seattle in August as usual.  Despite the opportunity, PAX2 just wasn’t in the cards for us this year.

The keynote address was delivered by one Wil Wheaton, who, I’m told, is from the internets.  I have not had the opportunity to watch/listen/read the whole address, but a portion he quoted in his blog today struck me:

All of the things that make us weird and strange in the real world? Those things that people tease us for loving, those things that we seem to care about more than everyone else at work or school? Those things make us who we are, and when we’re at PAX, we don’t have to hide them or explain them or justify them to anyone; instead, we celebrate and share them.

At the beginning of March we had the opportunity to attend the St. Emmelia Homeschooling Conference at the Antiochian Village in Pennsylvania.  Despite the two youngest being sick with a nasty stomach bug, we had a really great time, learned a lot, gained some confidence as we prepare to step forward into this homeschooling thing for real, and met some really interesting people with whom I hope we can develop some lasting friendships.

But for all of that, one of the most striking reactions for us was that we were among people who understood us.  Nobody looked at us funny because we had three kids.  Nobody prejudged us as kooky because we would rather educate our children ourselves than turn them over to the public school.  And had we stated we were Orthodox, it would not have elicited a cocked head or the raising of a curious eyebrow.  It is a comfort, to know that we are not alone.

While I’m sure this is the same type of experience one has when any group of like-minded individuals comes together, whether they be fencers, or showing horses, or rolling d20s for a skill check,  Mr. Wheaton’s words resonated with my own memory from the conference.  Already, we look forward to the conference next year, to returning home.

[Disclaimer: post title not strictly accurate.  I am a Christian, after all.]

I’m getting ready to jump into GTD again, listening to the audiobook as I change a diaper. Meatwad and Boober are playing unsupervised in Meatwad’s room for the first time; I hope nobody winds up with a cracked head.

I just ordered kindergarten handwriting materials.  On the shipping page, I listed our company as “Saints Basil & Emilia School.”  I’m already planning to order Michael Sull‘s American Cursive Handwriting when the student edition becomes available.  Meatwad loves the Kumon workbooks, and we’re working through The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading.  I told Pater I have visions of school sweatshirts, a website…  (What?  I never get carried away!  Why do you ask?)

Saints Basil the Elder and Emilia, pray for us!