Are you ready to launch the school year when the “light” drops?

A new school year is about to begin, so what subjects have you chosen for your kids to use this year? Allow me to share with you some of our plans as we’ve heated up the tires, staged, and I think we are ready to go!

We are undergoing another year of “life-study” this year. Last year, we made a cross-country move in the first half of the school year and it was a nightmare. September – November featured flying across the U.S. to find a home, pack, move, unpack, and all the related stress and financial cost. Of course, the “money-making” job never slowed its difficulties, so it was quite a trying time. Getting schoolwork together was extra hard and this year, as we search to move somewhere permanent, looks to be very similar. The only good part is that moving across town is a piece of cake compared to thousands of miles!

That said, I am very excited about the classes I have lined up for three of the kids this school year. I’ll share some of my plans with you (so feel special) and please let me know if you have questions on why I may have chosen some topics over others if you want to know more. While life may be busy, I feel like this is such a pivotal year for all of the kids and have some books that will give them knowledge and wisdom for a lifetime.

The Classes

Since the Government Training Institute (i.e. school system) likes to add grade labels, I will use the definitions they use to make it easier to relate. I will be primarily responsible for the curriculum for Lexi, part of the curriculum for Big Homie and teach science for Boney Boo. My lovely wife will continue to cover the rest of Boney’s work and the other half of Big Homie’s.

Lexi – 10th Grade

Courses:

Bible (Sept – Dec): Study of Romans – Proverbs – John – Proverbs – James

Math: Cont. Algebra I and Geometry

Science: Anatomy & Physiology

English: The United-Independent Compensatory Code/System/Concept Textbook (Neely Fuller)

World History: When We Ruled (Robin Walker)

Language: Spanish

Physical Education: Weight lifting and martial arts

Art and Life Learning

Big Homie – 7th Grade

Bible (Sept – Dec): Study of Romans – Proverbs – John – Proverbs – James

English: The United-Independent Compensatory Code/System/Concept Textbook (Neely Fuller)

World History: When We Ruled (Robin Walker)

Boney Boo – 5th Grade

Science: Anatomy & Physiology

Did you notice something which is a part of our homeschool core value? Yes, the 5th grader is taking the same science “course” as the 10th grader. The 7th grader is going to do the same work in those courses as the 10th grader. You see, in our school, if you are ready for the work, you do the work, I don’t care what your age or “grade” says.

The reason why I chose Anatomy and Physiology over typical tenth grade biology is because she has been weight training consistently for nine months and taking martial arts for three months. This is the perfect time to make what many consider a boring topic come alive, as she will now be able to understand the “why” behind her physical activities. She can learn why she is usually stronger after resting 2 minutes between a set of presses than she is after resting 60 seconds. She can learn why they warm up and cool down in martial arts class, the effect on heart rate, and how a muscle contraction actually takes place. Science came alive for me in college after I started exercising in a whole new way, as I never had any interest in high school because it just did not seem relevant.

Conversely, Lexi did not learn Algebra last year to a satisfactory level for us. Therefore, she will be continuing that work before moving on to Geometry. Reggie (someone you all may now know), is responsible for tutoring her and the goal is to move her beyond the grade-level standard. So we have no problem staying on a subject if the kids need more work as well.

So that’s a brief overview of our course load and I spent much of the last week getting books and a schedule together. The more structure I can have, the less structure they will need because I will know what I’m getting done and not getting done. In other words, if I get caught too much in the money-maker and other aspects of life, it requires them to be more disciplined and that’s too much to ask at the beginning of the term. After a few months, I can relax a little and they will know a bit more of what to do without so much structure, but we want to launch out the hole strong.

But can I be honest with my TTR crew? This is an extremely stressful time of year, just as it was last year. But last week I was reflecting after reading all of the Facebook posts and hearing parents talk all about how glad they were that school was starting because they are tired of the kids being at home. I thought is was funny that parents shed tears on the first full day of school of Kindergarten, but gleefully want them gone in the following August and September school years for the rest of their lives. It prompted me to write the following thoughts…and that makes all this hard work more of a pleasure-struggle as we look at the end and know our efforts are not in vain.

“So many parents are excited to see their kids head back to school. So if they have the freedom to share their joy, allow me to share mine: I am so excited this “new” school year has begun! Yet another “year” for me to pour into them all that I have or think, during the most productive time of their day, those hours from 7-4. All the money spent on books over the summer that will teach them spiritually, mentally and about their physical body, can now be pulled out and I enjoy making that syllabus. There is no book that I could ever write, there is no music I could ever compose, there is no speech I could ever give, that compares to the spoken/ unspoken volumes of learning they have and continue to receive every day. It is a bit sad to begin each year knowing we are one year closer to sending them out the door. We have packed them more than a lunch for this journey. We have had to prepare them for a trip that makes Lord Of The Rings look tame in this crazy world…and this time of year reminds me I need to do more and do better.
Always Be Teaching.”

Cool Pappa