the beginning is the end is the beginning

And here we are, almost exactly one year since we started homeschooling. My how things change in that amount of time! I just re-read the first few posts I wrote and had a good laugh. What felt so new and unknown, now feels old hat. Where I was hesitant and unprepared, I am now filled with confidence and certainty.

WE MADE THE RIGHT DECISION. I love homeschooling.

I know I've been terrible about updating this site... but frankly, I've been really busy and didn't feel like I needed to reflect upon what I was doing as much as I needed to focus on the moment. That said, I would like to share some of what I learned during my first year as teacher and student.

• It takes a few weeks (months even) to get into the flow, but once you do, your day is efficient and streamlined. Everyone knows what they need to do and they get it done. 
• Homeschooling feels very organic and natural. Maybe at first you might feel a little phony (like you're "playing teacher") but after awhile, the role assumes you. In a funny way, I feel like I was born to teach.
• I have never planned more than I have for this coming year...
• I am learning to manage my time very wisely. I'm a busy woman! I teach in the mornings, take the kids to their activities in the afternoons, run a house, cook every meal, work as a photographer, all while traveling at least twice a month. I'm not going to lie, it gets a little crazy - thankfully, I'm one of those people that operates well under pressure. 
• In complete contradiction to that last statement: Stay Flexible. Even though we are busy, there has been an unusual amount of flexibility in our schedule. Part of this is due to our line of work (photography). We've traveled to 15 places this year and have many more to come! It did make for year-round schooling, but for the most part that has been fine. So enjoy the perk of following your own calendar year and not the school districts! 
• Always trust your instincts. Sometimes things work, sometimes they don't. Let go of what isn't working and move on.  
• Keep researching other methods. There are a lot of valuable resources out there. You just have to find them!
• Take extra time when necessary. Everyone learns at different speeds. Don't feel pressured by a learning schedule. Some things will be picked up quickly and others need more time. That is okay.
• Be prepared. Plan out a few weeks in advance. You can always change things on the fly, but it is nice to be able to look ahead and even move forward if things are progressing faster.
• Enjoy going back to school yourself. I have learned SO much -- I cannot even stress how this blows my mind. 
• Plan on answering a lot of questions. Your childrens'. Your friends. Your parents. It seems that homeschooling is rather foreign to most people. Many look at it as though it hasn't changed in the past 30 years, which is a sad misconception. I would say that 9/10 of my friends have straight up told me they could never do it. You will hear a lot of things like, "I don't have the patience." or "My children would never listen to me." or "I need a break from my kids." I've found the opposite to be true. In many ways, teaching your children at home is no different than parenting. It has created an even greater bond and awareness between all of us. I've learned so much about my children and myself and I truly feel blessed to have this opportunity. I can't wait to see where this next year will take us.

Up next... what worked and what didn't.

mobile classroom: the nursery

One of the greatest perks of homeschooling is the flexibility it provides. Learning feels much more intuitive when it's not so scheduled! Whether we do a full school week or take a week off matters very little because we are learning all the time, regardless if we are in the classroom or not.

In the first semester, I was far more concerned with constantly having to catch up any time we'd taken off -- but now I am not so fussed. For instance, the past 6 weeks we went on three vacations plus had family visit us and in that time we did no formal educating. However, we went to zoos and parks, museums and galleries, hikes in the canyons, walks on the beach, we socialized, we tried new foods, we explored the world around us. I can't think of any better way to learn that this.

Life and all we need to know is before us, not just in books.

Today, we spent the first two hours in our backyard. We've been planting veggies and preparing a new garden for the children. At 11am, we drove to the Molto Vegas Farmers Market. This market was started by Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich to provide fresh, seasonal and local (NV and CA) produce and artisanal goods for their three restaurants here in Las Vegas. Thankfully, they also sell to the public!) Unfortunately, their regular location (a warehouse in the industrial district) was closed, but some of the farmers were set up down on The Strip. Such an unlikely place to be buying fresh produce, eh?

The children and I picked out a nice assortment of fruits, vegetables, honey and eggs. When we got home, we decided to make a frittata out of some our bounty:  the fresh eggs, purple and white potatoes, Tuscan garlic and some Cavolo Nero from our garden! They took turns washing the veggies, cracking the eggs, cutting up potatoes, grating parmigiano-reggiano, stirring, cooking, learning. We ate our lunch and had fresh yellow raspberries and miniature apples for dessert. It was perfect!

What better way is there to explain to your children about where food comes from than by showing them in the garden, at the market, in your kitchen and on your table? They were involved and interested in the process -- and they don't even like eggs or potatoes!

Now they are back in the garden helping to level the space and place the bricks for the new beds. Soon they will plant peas and beans and other seeds there. They will watch them grow and we will talk about sun and water, oxygen and photosynthesis. Their fingers will be dirty and active. They might experience loss but hopefully their efforts will prove fruitful and before we know it, they will be picking and munching on produce that they created all by themselves.

There will be no worksheets or tests. Just the simple act of tending and caring for something so very basic and yet so completely fundamental.

a five, six, seven, eight...

Oh my!  I don't have a clue what week we're on.  And what possessed me to start ANOTHER blog is beyond me.  I can't keep up with the other two!  Alas, here I am trying to find the words to explain what we've been up to from an educational standpoint.

Hmmm.... 

Last month, I discovered the writer, educator and homeschooling/unschooling pioneer, John Holt.  I promptly bought several of his books:

Teach Your Own:  The John Holt Book of Homeschooling

How Children Learn (Classics in Child Development)

Learning All the Time

I'm in the process of reading these and already know that I connect with his philosophy.  He has made me think a lot about my own education:  where it succeeded, where it lacked, what I would've changed if I could, how I learned, how I failed, etc.

And although I've been happy with our homeschool curriculum these past few months, I can't help but feel like I want to take this a little further.  I don't want our homeschool to simply be a different version of regular school.  I'd like it to be even more out of the box.  But at the same time, I feel like I need to understand more (ie. finish reading these books) before I formulate a plan of action.

Until I can articulate myself a little better, I urge you to take a moment to read and consider this list of amazing John Holt quotes.

I'll be back after the holiday break to share what I come up with!  Happy New Year and cheers to finding new perspectives.

hope

I saw this video on Pittsy's blog and it blew my mind.  I put in on FB and thought I should share it here as well.



Sir Ken Robinson hits the nail on the head when he says that the current educational system must be changed.

It's interesting to consider how the original model was founded and how much the world has evolved since then. I know that I've had one too many conversations lamenting the public and private school sector. Believe me, it's rarely positive. Homeschooling rates are on the rise for a reason!

But I am hopeful. I feel like the pot is beginning to boil and people are starting to understand and take initiatives to modernize this antiquated system. And nothing excites me more than hearing about (charter) schools that are thinking outside of the box -- incorporating ideas like mixed-age classrooms, nature-based education, using non-traditional methods of teaching, even designing spaces that are better suited for a learning environment. (The majority of public schools here in Las Vegas look like little prisons!)

I can't help but feel that we're on the cusp of something big.

(If you were like me and wanted to hear more from Sir Ken Robinson, then listen to this: CLICK HERE)