First weeks of school

School has started....both homeschool and public school. Since we are a family of both, I try to keep a foot in each world. My husband, Don, and my best friend, Deb, are both public school teachers.

We started "school" on August 10, but only worked 1/2 day. Then on August 17, we added back Time4Learning (language arts and math) one day a week. This week we have continued with Language Arts and math but have spent a good deal of time organizing our interactive notebooks for science and social studies. Mostly, Grandma has spent every evening this week organizing her resources in both subjects.

What is an interactive notebook? We used them at Lamar Jr. High for Texas History two years ago, and I fell in love with the concept. I have found several websites that explain in detail what the concept is. Here are a few:

www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/SISDjrichard/notebook.cfm
www.lumberton.k12.tx.us/education/staff/staff.php?sectionid=106
www.interactive-notebooks.wikispaces.com
www.uweb.txstate.edu/teachamhistory/lessons/notebook.pdf
www.mrgreer.net/interactivenotebook.html
www.teacherweb.com/SC/LadysIslandMiddleSchool/Gannon/ap4.stm

The last one is the best with the first website on my list coming in as second best, but check them all out. As you can tell from the websites, there are varying ways to implement this. Choose the way that makes sense to you. Plus we are adding some notebooking techniques to ours. How did I find this information? For interactive notebooks, I simply did a search for "interactive notebooks" and "interactive notebooks and Texas history". Came up with tons of information. For notebooking, I did the same....searched "notebooking". The good thing about both of these concepts is that it allows the student to be creative in their notebooks and learn the information "their way". And if you are teaching Texas history, you need to know that the bookstore up at Washington on the Brazos State Park has awesome books for you to use.

We will also be using a set of graphic organizers that can be used in all subjects but are especially good in science and social studies. These are called Thinking Maps. While this is a trademark name, I received the training while teaching public school. But, again, if you do a search for "Thinking Maps" you will come up with several websites that have the maps posted on them. These graphic organizers are used in a specific way so that the student gets used to organizing the information. Graphic organizers are not printed out and given to the student. The student draws his own graphic organizer as it is needed to fit the subject he/she is using.

This brings up another subject. I was at a homeschool group activity, and one of the mother's ask me what curriculum I was using. I stated that I had a storeroom full of materials that I used when I taught in private and public school and that I was using that. She seemed appalled that I was using "public school curriculum." I don't get it.......whether you are homeschooling because of religious reasons or because your child has special needs or because your child is gifted or because you want a "better" education for your child, why would you totally disregard the tremendous resources that are available to you. Yes, much of the material is available to public schools but they are valid, well-researched, and attractively done. There is a tremendous amount of material available through public libraries, public school systems, state education websites, and national education websites.

Does that mean that I think you should indiscriminately use anything you find? NO!! As homeschoolers, we accepted responsibility for our children's (and grandchildren's) education. So we have to thoughtfully decide on what we are going to use.

Does that mean that I think you should only use contemporary resources? NO!!! Much of the beautiful, classical education (especially in literature) is deemed "too hard" for students today. Sorry, my girls are going to read the "hard" stuff. But it also means that I will be there to guide them and help them with difficult (or archaic) words and meanings.

I am a Christian. I helped start a Christian school in the 90s and was one of their teachers. Much of the Christian curriculum is very good, but just like any curriculum, some is not worth the paper it is printed on. Not every subject is good from one curriculum. You may like language arts from one and math from another. You may find that you want a "secular" book for some subjects.

As a teacher, I found that NO textbook, no matter how good it might have been, has everything that you need for your student. Choose a textbook or curriculum with the knowledge that you will ALWAYS have to supplement.

I am basically "building" my own textbooks. We use some of the lessons off of Time4Learning. They are animated and the girls love them. The subject matter is pretty tough. But I am creating "textbooks" out of a binder with material from other books and textbooks, from primary sources, and from internet resources to try to give my girls the best education that I can give them.

Do I have the answers? NO. I just have a lot of questions and regularly go looking for the answers. If I don't know, I tell the girls I don't know, and we research online and in the library for the answers. I am teaching them not to accept the first answer in the first book or internet resource. I am teaching them that just because it is in print or on the internet doesn't mean that it is true or the best answer or the best way. I am trying to teach them to think.

I pray every day that I am doing what is best for my girls. But I can look myself in the eye in the mirror because I know that I am doing the best that I can do for them. I read, I study, I pray, I learn, I listen to others (both homeschooling parents and public school teachers). I take the best curriculum from various sources that I can find to teach my girls. Will it be enough? I pray so.

Bottom line.....I want to give my girls the best education I can give them....not the watered down version of public schools. I want to teach my girls to be thinking, actively involved adults with morals who reach out to others, rather than judge others. I am trained as a public school and private school educator. I am proud of both. I worked hard at both. And now I am a proud homeschooler.

We each choose our own path. Homeschoolers choose a hard path because we are taking full responsibility for our childrens' education. I will never badmouth anyone who sends their children to public school nor will I ever badmouth a public school teacher. Most people do the best that they can do for their children. Most teachers do their best for their students. As a homeschooler, I have chosen a different path. It does not make others wrong. I believe that my choice is a good one, but so do they.