Behind the Blog: Homeschooling

It sounds so simple, in theory, just a few hours of lessons each day; the opportunity to really customize your children’s learning experience; explore their special areas of interest; and best of all - lots of field trips!

Theory is easy; application... not so much. Here’s the text book version of homeschooling on Jubilee -

The kids wake up and do their silent reading for 30 minutes, without having to be reminded (or bribed) and without “watching the clock”.

Next comes math, which we have indeed customized to meet the needs of our class of three very different learners.

Jake sometimes sits in with Drew for math. He’s all about speed so he’s hard to keep busy! Plus he’s quite good with numbers... something Drew finds quite useful. Drew is also very good with numbers but none the less enjoys it when Jake shouts out the answer to things like 7x9 before he has to come up with it on his own.

Emily has checked out quite a number of different “strategies” for learning her multiplication tables (e.g. skip counting, fact families, various types of grouping). She’s still searching for right strategy!

Lesson three is either grammar, spelling or writing. Jake & Emily do their grammar together, but it’s easy to tell their workbooks apart... Emily prides herself on her neat penmanship! Jake, no, not really. Drew tends to opt for spelling if given the choice; he finds almost anything more interesting than direct objects and simple predicates.

We finish up with a group lesson in social studies, science or geography using Drew’s textbooks and focusing on the places we’re visiting as much as possible. Dad’s the science guy. I handle most the other subjects, calling him in as needed for small group study. (Pat says he’ll be stepping up more once the kids start studying the death penalty in America; that or sail trimming - whichever comes first.)

That’s it... 4 lessons a day. Our motto: If it takes more than 3 hours, you’re wasting your own time.

Okay, so here’s where the theory breaks down -

Sometimes the kids wake up and reach for their Nintendo DS’s instead of their books.

Sometimes in lieu of compositions, we settle for postcard writing because it’s way faster and less painful for everyone.

Sometimes we take days off for no apparent reason.

Once, Pat taught a math lesson that equated to teaching the kids to play blackjack. Not sure how that’s going to help them on a standardized test, but it does have some value as a life-skill.

Sometimes the kids do not actually apply what they are learning in one area... say spelling and grammar... to what they are doing in another such as their writing. I often wonder how many hundred more times I’m going to have to explain what a Proper Noun is and why it deserves to be CAPITALIZED. I can’t even talk about possessives without feeling the urge to poke my eyes out with the kids’ pencils! (Note my use of a plural possessive here.)

Often, we wonder what other boats might overhear if they are close enough to catch the conversations coming from our cabin some mornings...

“Yes, Jake, today is Saturday, and yes we are still doing lessons.”

“Yes, Drew, we’re going to multiply fractions AGAIN today... maybe even tomorrow.”

“Emily, honey, let’s not worry so much about art to go along with your story title... let’s focus on the story.”

“Finish your math, or I’m not making pancakes!”

“Pat, direct objects... look it up if you don’t remember what they are! It’s not like I’m asking you to diagram the whole sentence!”

Is it time for a field trip yet????????