New Beginnings

Yesterday we received Maggie's homeschool curriculum. It came in 2 huge boxes that weighed 40 pounds. It was a lot to take in all at once.

She is doing the K12 program through Washington Online School. The K12 program is quite expensive, but doing through WOSU makes it free, since it's a public school. Nice, huh?

And now that I've seen how much crap, uh, I mean stuff, comes with the K12, I can understand why it's so pricey.

So we've had 2 days of lessons. We've breezed through 4 math lessons no problem. The language arts is a little trickier, since Maggie isn't super confident in her reading skills yet. The phonics kit helps, but honestly, it's not what I was hoping for when it came to homeschooling.

It's more like school at home. There are worksheets and whiteboards, and sight word cards, and things of that nature. Not that I don't think those things are wonderful when it comes to learning, I just had this image of it being more like Maggie learning what she wants, when she wants, and not such a rigid schedule.

I know these first few days or weeks will be tough with all the adjustments, and I know we will find our groove and decide how much of which lesson we really need to focus on, but until then, I just hope she and I can muddle through and find that enjoyment.

I'm grateful to have her at home with me. I know she needs to be here, and I know I'm doing the right thing when it comes to her education. I just have to keep telling myself that.

Anixous Much?

I'm having doubts. Can I really do this? Can she really do this? Will I be able to stay on top of things and organized enough to actually make a dent in my child's educational needs?

I look around and see women that are so much more organized than I am, so much more patient than I am, so much smarter than I am, and they don't homeschool their kids. What if I'm constantly losing things and running around trying to find things and completely missing the boat on "teaching time"? Will she learn anything from me?

I know all these questions will eventually solve themselves, but sitting here, on this precipice of a life changing endeavor, all I really have are questions. I can only hope that one day she'll surprise me with a bit of knowledge that I never realized she had picked up on. Or that she will take a keen interest in a subject without me prompting her, and she'll learn things I would have never thought to teach.

I know she's smart and capable. Now if only I could keep that same confidence in myself!

Preparing For, Well, I Don't Even Know

We have 2 days until we'll officially have our middlest daughter pulled out of school to be home taught.

I'm terrified.

And excited.

I have no idea what I'm in for.

I hope to put together a bunch of good ideas and post them here on this blog, both for my own reference and yours, and also as a way to see (any) progress we make throughout the next year.

Stay tuned.