Thoughts on Homeschooling

It's been a little over a month now since we began this adventure and I feel like it's going pretty well.  Both Mckenzie and I are happy with how it's been going.  We have no problem filling our days which I didn't really expect.  I thought we'd have more 'down time' but we really don't.  I guess most of the down time we do have is filled with him biking.  In fact it feels like we don't have enough time.  But then again I have no point of reference.  Are we doing enough?  Are we on the right track?  Are we moving too fast?  How do we fit it all in?  Those are questions I'm hoping to figure out.

 

I think we're on track but the pace is probably the biggest question I have.  I keep reminding myself that one of the things I was drawn to was the fact that you can be flexible, choosing to focus on what you want and in which order, etc..  So maybe I don't need to worry so much about whether or not we spend all day working on Language Arts, or on Science, etc... If we need extra time to focus on an area then we have the luxury of doing that rather than glazing over a subject for the sake of time.

 

My teaching days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday while he goes to the centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  We were typically 'learning' from 10 am - 2 pm with a good lunch break.  But now that the sports program has begun it's right in the middle of our Monday and Wednesday making me feel even more like we're not spending enough time learning.  On the up side though is that I'm very happy that he's taking in the many benefits of an organised sports program. 

 

Throw in the fact that I'm getting into the thickest part of planning the main fundraiser at my daughter's school right now and time seems to be the biggest concern.  I'd love to be able to do more 'outtings' with him, more experiments but time just isn't allowing that - right now.  My hope is that once the sports program concludes and I'm done planning this fundraiser that we'll be able to take more of those things in. 

 

And I think I might just need to keep reminding myself that it's only our very first month and I've heard many times people say that the first year is really about finding your groove and what works and what doesn't.  Regardless, I must say that I'm very happily surprised with how much I'm loving it and how easily we are transitioning in.  I wasn't sure that I would be able to be the 'teacher' Mckenzie would need and I guess it might be too early to tell but my gut is telling me that this was exactly the right move for us.