A recurring refrain among our children is the start to this next school year. As second generation homeschoolers, it’s a blessing to find our students delighted with the start of school. Among all the things we could be doing poorly, gifting our children with a love of learning hasn’t yet been one of them!
A key change this year — besides our eldest beginning high school! — is a move to the main floor for group study and book storage. This not only leaves the upstairs quieter while I’m working from home, but also gives our elder students a quiet place to work away from narrations happening on the main floor. It’s also much easier to transition between wrapping up the morning studies and preparing lunch.
Unchanged from previous years is the addition of many new books suggested by our primary curriculum, the Alveary. While the cost has gone up to satisfy all the new high school books, we’re also reusing many books from previous years — especially as we welcome our fourth and final student into Grade 1 and beginning a formal study program.
To help manage four different students’ programs — not completely different, mind you: Shakespeare, Sol-fa, picture study, and various history books are often group activities — we have opted into the Alverary’s partnership with Syllabird. Instead of reams of printouts to track each lesson’s planned activity, completion, and grade, we have a Trello-like view available from computers and phones. This gives Charity a broad view into each students’ daily and weekly progress, but also gives our elder two the ability to manage their own schedules on one of two “house phones” (old iPhones we’ve repurposed for the task. Maybe we should name one of these phones, “Dobby.”)
We are starting relative late — even for Canadians — but fully by design. We learned last year that we needed to make time for harvest season: butchering chickens, receiving fruit from Ontario (courtesy of the Mennonite community), and so much wonderful canning! Our schedule is flexible on purpose as we take a holistic view of education that spans far beyond just books.
Homeschooling isn’t magical: it’s not just for us “special folk.” Admittedly, it does cost more than public school (out of pocket). It also means at least one parent has to stay at home. And there are still parent-teacher conferences that leave you wondering how everything will come together by the end of the school year.
But there is one wise learning that is essential: seeking the blessing of the LORD God, and trusting Him to bring it to pass. Our patience as parents is easily sapped; His patience has no limit. Our understanding is easily confused; He is the source of all knowledge. Our strength is limited by time, energy, and space; He created all three by His strength.
Oh that we would heed the Psalmist’s instruction and:
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Psalms 37:5
May God continue to bring His will to pass as we commit our best plans but trust His perfect purposes.
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