Monday, August 22, 2011

Gratitude and Home School Plans

School planning notebook

A week from today we'll be starting Year 15 of home education. I placed a final order with ABeka for T's literature book's teacher's guide and B's math drills/quizzes/tests and key. So now all my plans are lining up nicely. I have organizing to do and detailed plans to draw up, but the main ideas are set.

At Class Day with Heritage Christian School I'll be teaching Intermediate Writing for grades 10-12 and Medieval History for grades 4-6. On August 29th, I'll be starting to teach the MLA Research Essay at Brave Writer, then I'll be starting a Literary Analysis: Anne of Green Gables discussion in early November.

Tomorrow E starts her second year of college, this year at a nearby community college as her financial aid was messed up by both our homeschool group and the college she attended last year. She could only find two classes that were transferable and still open, so she's taking sociology and world history while continuing to work at the Bible camp nearby.

We always start the day with Family Prayers and Scripture readings from The Book of Common Prayer 2011. We also do some Bible memory and perhaps some church and/or art history together as a family as well.

T starts his junior year of high school, and our plans are these:

Algebra II--Saxon with our tutor, Johanna Vignol
Chemistry with Lab--Apologia at our co-op Class Days (double-period class)
American Lit--ABeka, combined with Brave Writer classes for The Hobbit and Merchant of Venice, plus my Intermediate Writing course that I usually teach at Class Day but am teaching him at home.
American History--ABeka
Computer Programming--not sure yet what we'll use
PE--at Class Days (one semester volleyball, one semester basketball)

J starts his freshman year of high school:

Algebra I--Saxon with our tutor, Johanna Vignol
Intro to Literature--Bob Jones, combined with Brave Writer classes for The Hobbit and Merchant of Venice, and Julie's Help for High School for writing.
Geography--"Mapping the World by Heart" at Class Days (double-period class)
Health--ABeka, 1 semester
Physical Science--ABeka
PE--at Class Days (one semester volleyball; one semester basketball)

Then my plan for B who is entering 6th grade--middle school:

Math--ABeka Mathematics 6
Science--ABeka
Reading--Bob Jones 6 Reader & Spectrum Reading
Spelling--Spectrum
Grammar--Daily Grams 6
Writing--Brave Writer's The Writer's Jungle
World History--Sonlight 6/SOTW
Literature--Sonlight 6
German--German in 10 Minutes a Day
PE--at Class Days
Chess--at Class Days

So those are our school plans for the 2011-2012 school year, God-willing. And this is our first year ever without an elementary student; yes, they're growing up. Joy and sadness mix, stirred by dust settling on Dr, Seuss books no longer read, picture books no longer perused--all outgrown by tall ones, two towering over me.

And thus I continue on the journey to One Thousand Gifts at the Gratitude Community at A Holy Experience, thanking God this day:

621. for lazy summer days, resting and reading

622. for boys working hard in hot afternoons

623. for strains of piano notes and guitar music wafting through the house

624. for clothes washed clean, lavender-scented

625. for coolness birthed from August sunsets, and extra blankets needed at night

626. for family photos graced with gleaming smiles and happy faces

627. for Sabbath peace of Sunday afternoons

628. for playing Set and gin rummy with youngest on Sunday evenings

629. for spaghetti sauce bubbling on stove

630. for new story idea rising (and prologue published) as old story prepares to set, only 5-6 chapters remaining

So this last week of summer stretches out, filling rapidly with middle son's algebra "boot camp" classes, E's college classes, and trips to my parents' beach house: first time to clean, and second to play.

Preparing for this new year with thanks,


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