Back in High School

I am in the process of renovating all of my blogs and websites- streamlining everything if you will. Whew! It is a tremendous amount of work but I am loving the results. Check out our ministry page at: www.journeytoathousandtomorrows.com or Jacie's adoption blog at: www.chinaforasister.blogspot.com.

On the school front, we are crazy busy. The boys are involved in FFA contests. They have practices several times a week, they are officers in their 4-H club and are completing a very large science project for Michigan State University through FFA. I feel as though, I am back in high school. These are all things that I was involved in- to a point. I did not ride horse two mornings a week. I did not home school. In that regard, they are blessed because they have a lot of paperwork that they are completing that we can incorporate into their school. For example, Jared spent three hours today writing a one page story (he has two more pages to complete) for his 4-H State Award paperwork and that is just the first part of a ten page required form. He will have to work hard for this because of his intense struggle with dyslexia. I am not certain that I am up to this...

Yet, I am determined that he will have all of the opportunities for success that others have. He will just have to spend the time and I will spend the next 11 days trying to 'clean it up' for him. That in itself is a full time job. It is difficult to help him figure his way through his schoolwork. His memory is good, but he struggles to spell, write and complete math. I am at a loss sometimes how to compensate for that lack. This is my patience project~

Jacie is still trying to learn to read. I am trying to help her to love to read- not just learn. She is beginning to get the hang of it but it is another slow process. Sometimes I feel perhaps I am not pushing her hard enough. Yet, we are going from Chinese to English at the age of 8 (10 now.) Between the ESL and the multiple surgeries, she has had a busy couple of months. Top that with therapy, swimming, horseback riding and 4-H- she is a busy girl. Check out her blog- www.chinaforasister.blogspot.com

I feel as though I am truly a rebel in the home school world- nothing is normal here.

~Camo Pants

The boys working on their FFA science project. They planted 180 plants and did an early planting feasibility study. They will present it in March at MSU.

Finally...

I am very excited to say that I can now post all that I desire on this blog. Prior to today, I was limited as to how much I could post because I was under contract with another blog. So...now my middle child, is fair game for writing. He will be thrilled.

This middle child, Jared is the heart of all of the homeschooling lessons that I have learned. He is the one who stretched me and molded me into the home school mom that I am today. Let me tell you, I did not morph easily. Jared has struggled with school from day one. He is extremely dyslexic. He has medical issues. He struggles. Yet, he is amazing. He is a black child, adopted into a white family. It has not phased him. He is my people person. He has never meant a person that he did not like.

My goals for him are no different than for my other children. I see college in his future. I see a world that does not need to slow down for him. He is going to make it. I am blessed to walk this journey with him.

~Camo Pants

Dealing with the Distractions

It seems impossible that the summer is coming to a close and one of our last nice days is occurring. I found it difficult to keep the kids focused on their studies today. The wind is actually whistling, the sun is bright in the windows and the Jared...he can't think.

Jared is my ADD child. I use that term lightly because I have never had him tested. Actually, I never had to because it was SO VERY OBVIOUS. That kid struggles everyday with trying to keep his mind on his studies. Then add in a little sister, new concept or fatigue and I have lost him. The good news is that I can call in my external motivators and he figures it out. For example, if he misses more than 4 total in math, he gets no screen time. He does not like the rule but it appears to motivate him to overcome his natural weaknesses.

The youngest continues the journey toward reading. It is actually an interesting thing to teach because she does not say all of her sounds correctly. ESL has its challenges. I find it difficult to know how hard to push her. She is slowly working through the concepts of telling time and counting money. Those are tow very difficult things to master. She gets it some days and has no idea on other days. It amazes me how different children are.

The oldest is fairly self motivated. He is doing very well in school and continues to progress with a decent amount of understanding. I respect it in him and often find myself relying on him to complete his work without my input. That is not always good either. I think that he feels left out sometimes with the other kids needing so much supervision and assistance. The balancing act comes in meeting all of the kids' needs with relative grace and efficiency. I do not always succeed in this realm.

On the whole, the year is going well. We have a lot of curriculum things that are working well and bringing the kids one step closer to fulfilling their educational goals. I like that.

~Camo Pants

Full Force

It is interesting to began this blog again as the summer has wrapped up for us and school is in full force. As much as I love the summer months, they are busy, busy,busy. I covet the slower fall/winter months when we can focus on our education. I know that the kids would shake their heads at that but they actually enjoy learning at home as well.

I am in a dilemma when it comes to Jared's grade. He is what I would call a solid B student- except in math. He is currently in 8th grade (ish) and uses a 5th grade curriculum for math. The hardest part is that he is doing some 9th grade work, some 8th grade work and well, some 5th....

So where do I place him categorically? So far I have maintained him in 8th grade except for extracurricular things- then I list him in 9th like his brother. I figure that if Jared has to do an extra semester at the end of his senior year- so be it.

The kids picked most of their curriculum and I believe that has helped them to own it. I love it when they come running up the stairs with their newest 'nugget' of information. They are really in tune to what they are studying and it makes me think that maybe we are on the right track.

Jacie continues to learn about our culture and is still trying to learn to read. I have never taught a non-English speaking child to read and have found that it has its one set of difficulties. The good news is that she now desires to read- that will speed the process. I know that she would have learn by necessity earlier in the public school situation but really desire for her to love to read. That is why we are just starting to focus in that direction though she has been here just over two years. I want to make lovers of learning- not just someone who can read.

~Camo Pants

A Woman of Leisure

It is hard to believe that I am lying on a bed, staring out the window at 5 pm. If I were home, I would be bustling around the kitchen attempting to fill hungry bellies or yelling at someone to move whatever piece of random stuff they discarded onto the kitchen table. But I am not.

My youngest and I are living in a rehab hospital right now so someone is cooking and cleaning for me. I have to admit- a girl could get used to this. I am trying to soak in the feeling of being able to walk down, order whatever I want and have someone come and clean up the mess. This does not happen often. I have to say that the food is not exceptional either- thank heavens for the salad bar.

The big question that is probaly going through your head is how are you lying in a hospital and still homeschooling your children? Welllll, the boys are in full control of their school and are responsible for emailing/calling me if they need help. They have been almost completely in charge of their schoolwork for about 2 years now- so everything should be continuing like clockwork.

I have not talked to Jared about his math score for today but he is doing so well right now. He wasn't. At all. He was averaging about a D until I made the penalty for anything less than a B so big that he doesn't dare not try hard. I found that he was bored and giving only half the effort that he should have and thus was missing over half of the problems. Not acceptable in mom's school of hard knocks. Now before you get upset and say, "He doesn't understand the information," I will jump in and tell you that he is running through this particular course for the second time. Yup...it's time he got it himself.

As soon as we are released from here, I am planning to take the kids in the Chicago to see the Mythbusters exhibit which came into the Museum of Science and Industry. I am looking forward to another day spent in the museum district of Chicago. Jacie and I have been going through all of the museums and zoos that the town we are in has to offer. It has been quite fun. Tonight I am checking her out and going downtown to listen to the band in the amphitheater. I think that Jacie will enjoy taking pictures of the building in the city and the many sights that come with being in a different place than normal. I don't think that you can replace that kind of teaching.

I guess I should check in with those boys and make sure that they are not trying to draw blood from eachother.

I am blessed to walk this road.

~Camo Pants

Insert Evil Giggle

The boys have finished their latest papers and we all lived through it. Not that it was without incident...

First, Jared cancelled his whole document, I think I blogged about that last time. Then he copied which is never allowed. Then I took all his books away and made him write it from memory and then drop in his sources. That went a little easier for him. I tell you what- he is so funny. At the end of his paper he wrote: ...thank you mom for the time extension and for the patience to Nottawa Township Library[.] to Loren for not taking the computer from me and I hope that you like it Jared m. K.

I tried to leave everything true to form as he wrote it. My heavens. All I could think was that the end of this 'thank you' it should say, "And I accept this nomination for president of the United States..."

He is so dramatic. Loren on the other hand seems to carry through life pretty low-key. His paper was formatted to the APA style and thoroughly researched and cited. He is so funny.

Having said that, I have thrown a monkey wrench into the works. The next paper is going to switch my overachiever out of his role and place his brother in. Here is what I did (insert evil giggle.) The last paper is a three page paper about themselves. What they feel they are good at, what they want to do with their lives and where God fits into the whole thing. My Jared- thrilled. Loren...? Not so much. He can't believe it. "What can I say mom?" he keeps questioning.

I made it a little tougher because I decided to use a random idea that I read about. In it a public school teacher requires that her students write a six word sentence describing themselves. This intrigued me so I made it the requirement for the first sentence of the boys' papers. You should have heard them sigh...

I do love to incorporate new things into their lives. Things that stretch them just a little. Things that require them to think. What 14 year old boy likes to do that?

I am blessed to have the privilege of being their teacher. It is something that I do not take for granted.

~CP

Salt and Pepper Shakers

It seems that I often start my blogs by saying, "It is so quiet in here and I am enjoying the time by myself."

You probably don't think that I really have kids much less homeschool them...

It is true though, it is quiet here AND I am enjoying my time to myself. The three oldest are at youth group and Jacie is downstairs watching a movie. I marvel at how much I enjoy these couple of minutes to reconnect with myself and sit for a breather. It is so different having the boys (and our exchange student) old enough to attend a 'teen' function. Does that make me sound sentimental...? It should. I am. It seems like just yesterday those boys were little. I called them my salt and pepper shakers...A matched set- now they tower over me.

They have grown into quite the young men.

You know how I blogged last week about the middle son's attempt at a paper? Well, guess what...? Yup, you guessed it. Papers are due TODAY. This paper is supposed to be four pages long with four sources about a historical event. He chose the Civil War and set about to work on it a couple of days before the deadline. Let me insert here that he knew about this for a month...

Anyway, he worked pretty hard at it, got up and left it on the computer without saving and...well, need I say more? He lost everything. I have done that and can feel his pain BUT am not out to teach him that he can quit so I said, "Man, that stinks. I guess you better start over."

He promptly went down and plagerized an entire page of a book. I made him start over again. Today, he must have figured out that extensions were out of the question because he got himself up at 6 am. I cannot explain to you how significant that is. I have described him as my lazy daisy before- he is...

I have not seen a copy of the finished product. We'll see if he hits the deadline. That poor kid. Everything seems to go wrong for him in regard to school. More than anything, I want him to learn to work around his own abilities in order to be successful. I know in my heart he can do it but it is difficult to watch.

My oldest son did compete in the Horse Quiz Bowl that he was preparing for. He had a hard day. I have to tell you that he is incredibly shy and worries what others think of him a lot. Amidst his hard day- he took 2nd place and will be going to state this month. I was proud of him for taking the chance and making a good showing out of a difficult day. He is amazing to watch when he sets his mind to something.

Jacie has finished her surgery and is awaiting her rehab. You can read about her journey @ http://www.chinaforasister.blogspot.com/

I am blessed.

~Camo Pants