Lesson Plan

I'm going all out this homeschooling year.  Not only have I compiled the list of concepts the kids have to learn by the end of the school year, but I'm also constructing a schedule for when to teach the concepts.

My first year of homeschooling with Simone was tough in that she and I butted heads so much and I almost killed the love of learning in her.  Out of fear of shoving all this information into her, my anxiety passed on to her and learning was not fun.  I also didn't accept that she would not excel in Math.  Because of her lack of enthusiasm for the topic, I unfairly imagined catastrophic futures for her.  But she made it and passed her testing.  As predicted she scored so high in reading comprehension and language arts, but barely passed the mathematics section.

I did not want to squash Simone's love of learning so I took on an unschooling approach, didn't research the standards, and just went through some curriculum at her pace.  But panic again set in when it came close to testing and I realized that this child-led learning had its faults.  Luckily, with some cramming miracles, Simone again passed her test with the same results as last year.  This time however, she was tested in new subjects of social studies and science and she excelled in those too!

This past year was also Max's first year in homeschooling.  His drive to learn math mirrored my love of it, but his aversion to learning to read was foreign to all of us.  I still don't know exactly why he hates reading, but it could have been the content.  Just recently he has been reading new words on his own thanks to his desire to decipher the names of his Grossery Gang (a set of small, rubber figurines that resemble stale, decomposing food).  He also passed his test and predictably excelled in Math and was average in Reading.


As we approach the next year of homeschooling, I am determined to combine the successes and to avoid the failures of both years.  I'm adding structure to the learning, but leaving a lot of room for review of the concepts with which either child needs help.  I have always admired public school teachers who can wrangle 30 kids and teach them reading and math.  But these teachers also have it easy in that they teach the same topics every year.  I now have admiration for all homeschooling moms who have to construct a new lesson plan each year for their kid(s).  I'm finding it quite a challenge, but one that is worth it.