My Initial Research

Note: This is more Pre-Actually-Homeschooling reflections. I just want it all in one place for my own benefit! Bear with me... I don't keep a journal. I need it all written down SOMEWHERE!

This has not been a decision to take lightly. So I had to read up on it. (My husband jokes that I can't do anything without first buying a book off Amazon about it. He's only half joking, because it's kinda true...)

This time, however, I started with the local library. I'm only going to mention the books I found helpful, and leave out the ones that just repeated the same things I felt were better explained elsewhere.

I read "The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child." I found it very informative and helpful. But I didn't buy it. Because I will only have one first year of homeschooling, and I can check it again if I need a refresher. (If you know me well, you were so proud of me when you read that!) This book helped me determine that I cannot pull off unit studies. I can't wrap my head around "unschooling." I need more structure. I need something more traditional--so I can see what they are supposed to know and make sure they are learning it.

I read "100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum" and made lists of curricula to look into further. (I don't know Cathy Duffy from Adam, so I am not buying anything solely on her recommendation. But I liked her detailed reviews, as they helped me rule some things out completely, and gave me ideas of where to delve in deeper.)

I had a hard time getting into "The Well-Trained Mind." I have several friends who homeschool or have homeschooled in the past. This book comes up. I know it's supposed to be great. I started reading it, and got really excited. And then I pictured my active 8-year-old son sitting at a table while I dictated to him for pages on end. And I looked at the recommended time durations for the various subjects. And my blood pressure sky-rocketed. And I set the book down and walked away.

I read up on Sue Patrick's Workbox System. Great ideas for keeping kids on task and moving through material quickly. I am looking for an inexpensive way to implement that--without taking up a lot of space. (I will be starting with 3 kids already "in school," and since I don't know how long I'll be doing this, I am keeping in the back of my mind the possibility of, at some point, teaching 5 at once.)

I researched A LOT online. I found homeschooling websites, stores and blogs and have been packing my brain full of ideas. What's my teaching style? What type of curriculum am I interested in? I have had catalogs trickling in as I have requested more information. Fun reading material that's easy to set down and come back to.

We'd determined a budget, based on what we spend NOW taking them to a charter school. There's the fuel cost, getting them to and from school. The annual donation. Fund raisers. School uniforms. School isn't cheap. But neither is homeschooling! What if I buy a bunch of stuff, and it doesn't work for us? The pressure is on...

I picked up "The Well-Trained Mind," again, and started looking at it a little less rigidly. I can loosely follow the ideas. I think I lean toward an "eclectic" mix of traditional and classical homeschooling. (This said before I have done any official homeschooling at all!!! I am just going on what feels right and comfortable to me.) So, I ordered it on Amazon, so I can make notes as I flesh out my curriculum choices. :)

Another book I've bought is "Discover Your Child's Learning Style." In my experience teaching my first 3 to read, I am keenly aware of the fact that they don't all learn the same way. At the time, I didn't understand why #1 excelled so well under the "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" approach, and 2 would rather have knocked his head into the wall for the 20 minutes it took each day. (Back then, I thought our personalities just clashed, and that I'd never be successful teaching him at home. Now I realize it just wasn't the right style for him. I've taught him all sorts of stuff since then, and neither of us are bloody and bruised. :) )

We copied the quizzes and I gathered the kids together so we could take them. 2 and 3 started first. They were a little overwhelmed at all the pages and the small type size. After a couple of pages, 2 declared that he needed a break. #1 came in around then and started on her own. She flew through it, and even started tallying her scores! All while I switched to reading the questions aloud for 2 and 3--just because I am impatient and wanted to get them done!

2 did pretty well answering questions orally. 3's answers concerned me. (How accurate will the results be when 3 declares himself good at "skateboarding, snowboarding and skiing"--none of which he's ever even attempted???)

I'm hoping to glean something useful from this...