Language Arts for Next Year – Mental Chaos!

As I sat watching my oldest child write from dictation this morning during her spelling lesson (using Spell to Write and Read), I shuddered inwardly in horror. There were words run together, very little punctuation (including, in some cases, no periods at the end of sentences), capitalization in strange places, and of course, many spelling errors.

As much as I share success, here is an example of the opposite:

“onse on a ridingLesonIhad a mad horse he ran off the track and Jopt above four fenses.Iheldonto his nec likoney to a jar andprayed. He final ly stopt and pusht his nose in som levs.”

Now, I’ve written before about Child #1. I refer to her as “pencil-phobic.” She hates writing. She’s always had poor handwriting, although it has improved tremendously. She’s not a natural speller and has limited “mental memory” of words she has read. For example, she is flying through the Trixie Beldon book series, so she sees the main character’s best friend’s name all the time:  Honey. One of her spelling words today was honey. She tried to spell it “huny.”  Even when I directed her with the “hon” part and went over the phonogram “ey” again with her, she didn’t want to put “ey” at the end – just an “y.” I specifically pointed out that this word was spelled the same as the name of Trixie’s friend Honey. No dice.

So, then I turned to Homeschooling Year By Year to see how badly I was failing in her language arts curriculum. When poring over the second grade section while the children were eating lunch, I was reminded again that it recommends Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL). So, I dashed to the computer to look up the program. I’d never looked at it seriously before.

I zoomed through some sample assessments, scope and sequence pages, and sample lessons, then returned to the lunch table full of thoughts. I was planning on using Writing With Ease 2, Growing With Grammar 3, and Spell to Write and Read for next year’s language arts. I have WWE 2 workbook, but did not use WWE 1. I have not yet purchased GWG 3. I’ve been using SWR for a couple of years already. Now, I was wondering if I should “combine” grammar, writing, spelling, and literature in one “all-together” program like LLATL or Christian Light Education (CLE) Language Arts.

We headed to homeschool PE where I was able to talk to another “curriculum junkie” mom who didn’t help out matters as she suggested I look at two or three other “all-in-one” type literature-based programs. But, she did help me think through why I would jump a ship I hadn’t even boarded yet. The only dictation or grammar we do is integrated into SWR and I’ve been more focused on the spelling aspects than any other part.

After “school” was over, I was able to do a little more research into LLATL on the Well Trained Mind Boards and found out that most people suggested that “struggling spellers” supplement LLATL with a stand-alone spelling program. I also saw some people indicated that CLE’s spelling wasn’t very rigorous either.

I think I’m panicing because I’m looking for some less teacher-(time-)intensive programs to use next year. I was thinking that instead of using three separate programs, I could “get it all” in one in less time. It sounded great. Upon reflection, I’m not sure I would “get it all” and I would probably spend just as much time as I will using three separate programs.

Since I already have two of the three programs purchased, I am not going to throw more money out to get LLATL. At least, not right now.

While the crisis in my head isn’t over, I’ve come to the decision that my previous decisions stands. Child#1 does need to have the instruction and work in GWG 3 & WWE 2 as well as a rigorous spelling program (like SWR). I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it helps out her language arts progress next year.

P.S. We might be starting GWG & WWE in the summer instead of waiting until the fall. But that’s for another post.

Change to Next Year’s Lesson Plans

Note to self:  When doing next year’s lesson plans, instead of writing all subjects out on a weekly sheet, make the plans for each subject on their own separate pages. I am getting really tired of page flipping because I’m one week behind in religion, three weeks behind in spelling, one week ahead in science, and right on track in the other subjects. I’d rather just grab the plan for that subject and child when it is time to teach.

We’ll see how that goes for a year and then re-evaluate. This “weekly plan” thing didn’t work well for us.

Different Personalities

All my kids are different. Each one has his or her own personality, way of communicating, learning style, favorite activities, and way of interacting with others. This is evident every day.

Take yesterday, for instance. It was a beautiful day, so after we finished our school work, I encouraged everyone to be outside to enjoy the warm weather while it was here. The oldest went out with a book. Number 2 child went looking for some chalk to draw with. Number 3 got out a bike. Number 4 went straight for the dirt.

Later, while #1 & #2 children were playing with a neighbor, #3 came inside and fell asleep on the couch. After waking up from a rare nap a bit crabby, she went to her room where she curled up on the floor quietly. My spouse attempted to find out what was wrong, but the child would not answer. When I came home from the grocery store with #4, I found her temperature was 102.3°F.

It is interesting that this child’s reaction to feeling sick is to go be by herself and not bother anyone. Her immediate older sibling (Child #2) would have been throwing herself around the room, wailing, crying, and trying everything to let people know she didn’t feel well! The dramatics would have continued for as long as she could keep them up in her ill state (usually a remarkably long time).

Each child has their own way of doing things and I love each of them for it. For example, I actually have a chance of getting a “spit bucket” to Child #2 before she throws up because she makes so much noise prior to the event. Child #1 would wake me up after throwing up. Child #3 would throw up, make no other sound, then go back to sleep – meaning I would find the situation several hours later.

Children Behaving In Public

We had all four kids along when we picked out a replacement stove (range top/oven) recently at a large store. Our current oven has “issues” that involve kicking off randomly usually at temperatures over 350° F. It is hard to consistently cook or bake things when the oven won’t stay at temperature and beeps error codes at you even when turned off. As it is “old enough” (12-13 yrs old) to warrant replacement and we’d already tried replacing some parts, we decided to just buy a new one.

After doing some research on the internet, we headed out to touch some models in a store with our own hands. My spouse was wooed by some of the flashy things on a few of the high price models. I knew our budget and just wanted something that isn’t too fancy that will consistently work. While we were opening doors, checking buttons, and seeing if the knobs on each model are removable, the kids were nearby . . . not getting into too much trouble.

We both had to chase down wandering kids a couple of times and repeatedly tell them to “not touch” things (which was very hypocritical since we were touching things constantly). In the end, the salesperson we dealt with complimented the children on their wonderful behavior and offered us a $10 gift certificate to a nearby CANDY store so they could pick something out as a reward.

I have to balance this positive story with one from just over a year ago. I had all four kids with me and I was just trying to find some sandals for the two older kids. It had been a long morning for me and I was waiting to check out at a mall department store shoe counter. All of a sudden, a woman behind me exploded with an “Well, I NEVER!”

I turned around and she told me that my oldest had just stuck her tongue out at the woman for “no reason.” She then went on to lecture me about raising children and informed me that she had several children of her own (now grown) and NONE of THEM would ever have done such a thing. After some questioning of both the woman and my daughter, I assured the woman that I would see to it that my daughter receive a suitable punishment but did not indicate to her what it would be or when I would be administering it. She looked at me closely and then said she believed me.

Some days you feel like a nut. Some days you don’t. (I’ve definitely had both.)

Motivation Issues

So things have been tough around here lately. We’ve had a couple of trips, some out-of-town visitors, and wacky weather changes which have contributed to some sick kids periodically. With all this, we’ve still managed to keep to our homeschool schedule fairly well. The problem is that the school-aged kids are not motivated to do their work in terms of both academic and home-related chores.

Each morning, we fight the same battle over and over again. Yes, you have to do your chores. What are they? The same as they were yesterday and the day before. There are pictures, charts, bulleted lists, and Mom can always read the summary for your specific jobs if you really want to hear her voice go up a notch.

It doesn’t seem to matter if they are up really early (6 a.m. new time) or late (9 a.m. new time). They don’t get them done. The punishments, which mostly involve removal of privileges, don’t seem to make a difference. Then, the battle continues when it is “school time.” There is whining, defiance, avoidance, and repeated “Don’t know” answers when engaged.

My kids have never attending a public school a day in their life. I am REALLY tempted to set up a day for them to go for a day to see what it is like and how great they have it at home. (The problem is making sure they are placed in the grade level that they are at and not the one their age would indicate. If my seven-year-old was put in the first grade classroom locally, she would come home saying it was a cake-walk except for all the writing she would have to do.)

My homeschool-mom friends are all reporting the same lack-of-motivation in their kids, although their children seem to just dawdle through their work as their preferred method of protest.

This too shall pass. Or so I’m told.

You Can Learn A Lot When You Teach Your Own Kids

Some people are apprehensive of homeschooling their own kids because they say they don’t know enough. I usually respond by telling them about the study (Home Education Across the United States by Dr. Brian Ray, 1997) that shows no difference between kids’ testing results whether they are taught by college graduate parents or parents without a high school diploma. Or, I point out the multitude of great curriculum options – many of which lay out everything for you. But perhaps I should instead expound on how much the parents themselves can learn from homeschooling their children. I’ve learned quite a bit myself.

Some of you will be amazed at how little I knew before. I’ve learned more about:

- Animals: Did you know a panda isn’t a type of bear? I didn’t.

- History: I can name many of the seven wonders of the ancient world now. Names of people, places, and civilizations have images and stories to go with them, not just dates on a time line or dots on a map.

- Astronomy : I didn’t know Neptune had rings. Now, I can even identify several stars by name and I’m more aware of Venus’s bright light in the beautiful night sky.

- Math: Because I wanted to be able to check my oldest when doing oral math drills, I had to learn a lot more of my addition and subtraction facts by heart instead of working them out in my head.

- Spelling: I finally learned a good set of rules to use when trying to decide if I should drop or keep a silent final ‘e’ when adding a suffix. One of these days, I’ll even learn to use proper grammar.

- My Own Faith: I have learned several Bible verses and prayers by heart and can now name the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Most importantly, I’ve realized that knowing something with your head doesn’t translate to knowing it with your heart. Jesus was right that we should all be like little children when it comes to knowing, loving, and serving Him.

My children amaze me each week not only with their incredible memories (they don’t remember to brush their teeth, but they remember the words of a poem from three years ago), but also their capacity to love (whether an animal, a friend, or God).

God has taught me that it doesn’t matter what I already know, it matters how much I’m willing to learn.