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Little Moments that Change the World

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I’m finding more and more that flexibility is the key to truly creating an environment that is conducive to educating my children. I truly don’t know how public school teachers are able to teach large groups and stay on task. My little ones have so many questions and we end up deviating from my lesson plans just about every day. I have ended up delving deeper into topics I had no idea my children would be so interested in.

Lately, my kids have been super interested in the religions around the world. Each religion started in one region, and spread across the globe. Hinduism is the topic of conversation right now, and we are learning about the many different gods and their purposes in the lives of the Hindu people. It’s fascinating to watch my kids devour information on people around the world and begin to understand the reasons why we are different and yet so much the same.

About three weeks ago we were covering the reality of poverty around the world. My children have never faced a night of going hungry, and I wanted them to understand just how wonderful a blessing it is to have an abundance of food. I didn’t think the video I chose would have the intense impact on my children that it ended up having. Seeing the conditions many people live in, both within the United States and around the world, had my children in tears. I had not intended to put them into a state of total despair, but that’s where we ended up.

My daughter looked at me as soon as the video was over, and with tears streaming down her face she declared that we must somehow make a difference in these children’s lives. We have decided, as a family, to put aside more money each month to donate to those in need. One way my kids have helped make this possible is by slowing down on the amount of food that is wasted in our home. Their commitment to change has had an enormous impact on our budget. I was amazed at their commitment and ability to make such a huge dent in our weekly finances.

Again, this was one of our many tangents in education. We spent hours researching what poverty looks like and how we can help make the lives of those who struggle just a little less difficult. I’m so incredibly thankful to have the time and opportunity to work with my sweet children as they learn about the world around them. Who could have possibly known that a lesson on cultures could take us down the path that would lead my children to a place of empathy and love? I want them to believe that one person can make a difference, and it is a priceless experience to watch them pursue their plan to make the world a better place. Such a sweet moment as a mother and as a teacher.

Another Year Of Homeschooling

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Choosing curriculum, each year, proves to be more than a little overwhelming. My first year I made the mistake of walking into a giant homeschooling expo in the Phoenix conference center…by myself. My first mistake, I should have had some backup. By about the third isle of brightly colored books and every conceivable workbook, I was ready to curl up in the fetal position and cry.

My second mistake was going to the expo needing to purchase materials. After wandering around that conference center for five hours, I went ahead and made my decisions. I purchased everything and had it shipped to my home. What I should have done was pay a little extra, and gone to a bookstore for homeschoolers to have the privilege of choosing my materials with the option of returning anything I was less than pleased with.

The expo was filled with books and binders from floor to ceiling, and every single sales person claimed their materials were the best on the market. I could not get a single sales rep to give me one downside to their program. I’m a big fan of companies who are willing to admit to the pitfalls of their products. I tend to be more trusting if there is an acknowledgement of possible buyer’s remorse.

I am only in my fourth year of homeschooling my kids, so I have not had to make these decisions for very long. The first two years I struggled to cut away from public education and opted for an online version of the brick and mortar schooling my children were used to. The second year of online public schooling was torture and we opted out of that insanity. I have kids in every phase of the schooling experience. We have had to find a high school, middle school, and elementary school options for the kids.

 

We are utilizing BJU Press for the following courses for both 6th and 3rd grade.

Heritage Studies

Science

Reading

English

Spelling

Evan-Moor has some wonderful writing and editing course work. We are using their materials for both 6th and 3rd grade for the following courses.

Vocabulary

Writing

Language Fundamentals

Paragraph Editing

I was sad when I heard the public schools were starting to do away with handwriting curriculum. I have two boys, and they both need to practice their handwriting, or they will only be eligible for work positions that require prescription writing. We have done Writing Without Tears for two years. I’ve only cried twice.

Saxon Math is the program of choice in our home for both my 3rd and 6th grader. It has a strong building block methodology. The new material is taught and then tested over and over. I still believe that repetition is the master key to most learning. And Saxon has that down.

We have been reading Story of the World, by Susan Wise Bauer, for the last two years and will continue again this year. She lays out the history of earth from the beginning through modern day. It is a chronological layout of the big and important wars and times of great peace that shaped the world we now live in. I have a feeling the kids are going to want to go back and reread all four books once we get through round one. It is a favorite in our home.

If I could go back and give myself some advice four short years ago, it would be to go to Mardel Book Store, or one of a number of other homeschooling supply stores to make my purchases. Those stores are happy to tell customers what others have said about each program carried by the supplier. They will tell you the good, bad and ugly of each education style. They will also accept returns on items you are not thrilled with—just keep your receipt.

 

 

Hands-On Activities

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I absolutely love all hands-on teaching methods, and this is one of my favorites from the last two weeks. My 5th grader is learning about some of the most important advancements made in the world of transportation. I am blown away by all the educational materials available to my children. We can jump online or head over to the library and find an insane amount of supplemental materials for each topic. I had no idea the Wright brothers ran a bicycle shop full-time and made planes in the winter when the shop was slow. This is just one of the fun facts we learned while researching some of the amazing inventions and inventors from America’s past.

My son was particularly interested in Henry Ford and his amazing Model T. We talked all about the advancements made in production, and why this car made such a huge impact on the world of motor vehicles. The Model T was the first affordable car for the general population, and it was the beginning of a total shift in how we would mass produce the enormous number of items used by today’s consumer. There is clearly a down side to the mass market mentality, but we tried to focus on the upside of this new production method.

In order to show my kids just how much of an impact an assembly line can have on production, I challenged each of my three kids to produce as many candy cars as they could in just one minute. Each of the kids did their best to run around the kitchen and grab all the items they needed to create one car at a time. The outcome was one sloppy car from only one child. The other two were not able to create one single finished product in 60 seconds. Then each child chose their jobs, and we created an assembly line to produce the tiny candy cars. The kids were able to pump out three completed cars and one half finished product in just 60 seconds. It was a real learning moment for each of them. The amount of time and energy needed to complete this challenge diminished significantly when they implemented the “assembly line” mentality. I’m sure they could have pounded out a few more if we would have had access to a moving assembly line, but that was not to be… I hope they never forget Henry Ford and his moving assembly line.

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Thank You Teachers

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Dear Teachers,

As this school year comes to a close, I am reminded of all that you do.  I have to take this moment to say thank you for choosing to nurture and educate the children of our great country.  I can’t begin to imagine what this world would be like if there was no public school option, or if there were no adults willing to accept the challenge of public education.

I have been homeschooling two of my three children the last two years, and I know how hard it is to motivate two children.  You motivate entire classrooms of children every single day.  You teach them about the world, the universe, math, reading, writing, and you do this all within a small community called a classroom.  I don’t know how you do it.  Each child’s personality is so different.  Their educational levels vary so greatly.  Yet, you find a way.

When these kiddos look back on their school experience, they will remember the great moments you inspired.  They will remember the kind words on a frustrating day.  They will recall the funny joke that made the entire class erupt with laughter.  They will remember you.

As a parent, I thank you.  As a teacher, I thank you.  As an American, I thank you.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all you hard work, love, and concern.  You truly are teaching a nation.

 

With complete respect,

Amber Harris