Fall Term 2011 Week 1 ...

We resumed our studies this week, after a three week hiatus. After being plagued by doubts regarding my choice of studies for each student this year, I made the switch to Tapestry of Grace for three of them - we will not "officially" be including the younger twin due to his proclivity for sleeping in. TOG will provide our framework, our foundational program, and most of our other resources will be folded in where they fit. I am still a Sonlighter at heart - the schedule grid calls to me each and every time I sit to plan a new year's course of study. But, as my daughter is quickly approaching the high school years, I want more. I want humanities, and worldview, and discussion questions, and arts, and theology ...and I want it in a format that is planned out for me, yet still allows me to plan. Oh so clear, eh?

Basically, I am a researcher at heart. I love the search for resources that will "fit", each child unique in his or her learning style, each a separate challenge to me. But, from a practical perspective, I have to choose between my penchant to plan, and my desire to teach while maintaining a home and feeding my children well. Tapestry allows me both, while accommodating those weeks when all I have room for is "the plan".

So, with all that in mind, we set to work on Monday morning. Emma is still challenging my abilities to live life strung out from sleep punctuated by frequent interruptions. We did not start each day at 8 a.m., as we (I) would prefer. It was more along the lines of 10 before we really got rolling. Our Tapestry readings did not take long, and we even managed to read a few extra chapters in the Hakim History of US series not scheduled in TOG. We also did a group exercise in geography, making sure the younger students were familiar with the eastern seaboard of the United States. Our read-aloud is Johnny Tremain, a book that always challenges my fortitude, simply because I find it verbose.

Everyone managed 5 days' worth of math, science, and language instruction. I find myself militaristic lately with regards to grammar instruction, simply because I cannot stand the lack of proper grammar pervasive in society these days. And I have recently been challenged to hold stead-fast to my views, in light of an experience that had me questioning if I am indeed of the archaic, close-minded, dying breeds the new enlightened, careless and carefree individuals of the world - with their cigarettes in one hand, cell phones in another AS THEY CONTEMPLATE JUST WHICH HAND SHOULD BE CHALLENGED TO DROP ITS RESPECTIVE VICE SO THAT THEY MAY ACTUALLY MAKE THE LEFT-HAND TURN (yes, totally tangential, a rather far-reaching tangent, but still one I had to get out) - would have me believe.

Try reading a review for a product on Amazon, all the while fighting your way through atrocious spelling, no punctuation, and improper use of pronouns. I picture some of these people as unable to tie their own shoes, much less hold down a job, or raise a child. Most of these individuals are the product of the public school system, the very system that oversees me and my education of my children. Yet, I need to report to them, I need to seek approval from them, to hear from them that I am doing an acceptable job educating my clan, whilst they have failed the masses.

I am answering to a system that has allowed centuries worth of endeavors to make this country strong and intellectual to be replaced with modern-day text messaging that makes us appear fools. We make immigrants attend ESL classes only to eschew the proper spoken and written word in those individuals indigenous to this country. We are hypocrites with a failure for foresight. In other words, where are we to be in the future when children cannot speak properly, cannot write clearly, and have no ability to communicate clearly because, "i m gud - wutz up wid u?" is considered not only acceptable ... but preferable!

I will now descend from my soapbox to resume my re-cap of our week. We resumed our Shakespeare studies with Hamlet, our first foray into the genre of Tragedies, although my children did see some of the dark humor interspersed in the sadness. We read from the comic book series, Tales from Shakespeare,which I love because it intersperses actual Shakespearean dialog among its translations. We also read from Tales from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit, completed a notebook page depicting a scene from the play, and did a narration of the plot. My kids love Shakepeare and are very familiar with many of his works. They actually love to study anyone they believe to be a touch off their rocker.

So, there it is, Week 13, Fall Term 2011 in review. I guess I should blow off steam more frequently, and not seek to tackle careless drivers and the deficiency of grammar (I had atheists in there too, but edited myself) in American society all in one post. I will now take myself and my rather unpopular views concerning the disappointing trends in modern-day society and disappear back into the blog-o-sphere.