Reasonable Homeschooling

This is the first year in a lifetime, it seems, that I’m not buying curriculum, scurrying to create a workable schedule/routine for us to follow, or pre-reading books. That’s because I’m retired from homeschooling after nearly three full decades! That’s a lot of books! While on the one hand, I do want to cull through my shelves, on the other hand it’s hard to do because I have so many fond memories of many of those books. Of course, there are some stinkers on the shelves, but surprisingly few of them. I can’t say which is my all-time favorite, though many of them make me want to read them again.

My tutoring practice remains on sabbatical this term due to hubby’s cancer. He just started a new regime last week, which has been well tolerated by his body. I’m so grateful! We won’t know if it’s truly helpful until after the second dose in a few weeks. Please continue to keep him in prayer.

I’ve heard through the grapevine that this winter will be a harsh one. We’ll have to see what we end up with as we inch closer to the cooler days. I’m surprised that one of my trees has already begun turning color. I’m not seeing very many acorns on the ground yet, but that may change next month. A friend told me that her local squirrels are busily collecting nuts. That brings to mind Aesop’s story of the Ant and the Grasshopper, which has always been a favorite assignment of mine. I use it to teach Unit 3: The Story Sequence Model. Students and I go through the first two paragraphs together … the set up and the problem … but I always leave the third paragraph for them to try on their own. It’s so interesting to see who is mercy-minded and who seeks after justice! Try it for yourself.

Just updating you that I’ve decided that it’s best for me to stay on sabbatical for the 2024-2025 school term. As I walk this cancer road with my husband, I’ll also be working on some new goodies for you when I come back.

Many blessings,

Chris

PS I’ll still continue doing evals, mostly by Zoom, but some in person.

I’ve finally had a chance to update my site to let you know that I’ve decided to take a sabbatical this term due to the health issues in the household. I am still planning to evaluate students in the spring, so don’t worry about that! My other “services” pages have been switched to “draft” mode for the time being.

Jim’s doing OK right now, but I’m a mess emotionally. It’s been a tough couple of years! Please keep us in prayer as we continue to navigate cancer. Blessings to you all!

PS I’m not updating my Reasonable Homeschooling Facebook page anymore due to this either. However, there’s a lot of great info housed over there! You just have to scroll backwards to find it.

Just so you know, I have no idea how to change the perma-link that the 2023-2024 classes page is using. It’s still showing as “…./2020-2021-classes”

Also, the “pod” is shaping up to look great! I can’t wait to start it in September. We will be arriving at the official “cap” soon, so let me know if you are interested.

The younger group, the one that will only do writing on one day of the week, still has plenty of space.

The other big project I’m working on this summer is the creation of my own version of the reference log that the OG kids use. I’ve always liked Wanda Sanseri’s version, but she’s retiring and her curriculum has been in a state of uncertainty for two years now. The kids and I can’t wait any longer for a refence log. I’m really excited about this project because that log can truly become a useful tool for your student.

Hi folks,

I updated a few pages for the 2023-2024 term. On the “Helps” page, there’s a new attendance calendar for you. I also put on a link to the Affidavit and Objectives that Evelyn Phillips created. A new addition for this page is the 30 College Credit Diploma option for high school students who did not earn a diploma in the traditional manner.

On the Tutoring page, I provided information about the two classes I am running this term: both on science topics, one for grades 5-8 and the other for grades 7-12 which will provide a much more extensive “pod” experience for the learners. I will not have a separate Reading with Reason session this term since that will happen during “pod” class time. The other moms and I want to keep that set for three days a week without going over so that the kids have ample time for assignments and experiments that need to happen outside of class time.

If you haven’t been by for a while, my mom did go to be with the Lord, as did my grandmother. Now my husband is sick. This is also my last year as a homeschool mom! I can’t believe it’s been almost 30 years of living this lifestyle. Once my youngest graduates, I may be able to expand my offerings. We’ll see. Until next time, be blessed so that you may be a blessing!

Chris

The last time I logged in here, it was just about a year ago and I was still heavily grieving. I wish I could say that the 2022-2023 term was better for me, but it wasn’t. On top of everything else I had been dealing with, several new problems reared their ugly heads. I am still doing what I do, but the bandwidth of my brain is more limited. Jim was diagnosed with cancer in September (2022) and while he’s very fortunate that his cancer stems from a crazy mutation in his genes, that’s not to say that things have been hunky dory. I will update the calendar/attendance page (Helps tab) for the upcoming term. I’ll also add a couple of other helps, but I will not be updating my offerings page because I only have a very limited number of time slots open this coming term. More later …

Chris

(7/3/2023: Changed my mind and DID update the offerings page.)

It’s been a LONG time since I’ve posted anything at all, either here or on my FB page. I’m solidly OK, but it’s been a tough slog. The last thing I posted was about my mom dying, but I don’t think I posted about my grandmother passing away as well. To say I’ve been a mess is an understatement. Throughout this school term, though, I have been humbled by the graciousness of God in meeting my needs. This care has manifested as everything from cards and packages in the mail to unexpected texts of “How are you doing?” While I am not out of the darkness of my mourning period yet, things are definitely better.

I’ll update the site when I have everything in place for the upcoming term’s classes. As it stands right now, I’m planning to do a writing class for Elementary/Middle Schoolers using Fairy Tales as a basis for source texts and my usual essay class for high schoolers. I am also doing Story Class again for the older kids. Yay! I have plans for two spelling classes, one for beginners learning about inflectional endings and the other for more advanced students who need more in-depth morphological instruction. That leaves me with a few slots for 1:1 students. (You know who you are … at least I think you do!) I hope to have my own version of a reference log available for this term’s students. We’ll see if I can finally get that done.

I also have to decide on books for our monthly discussions. I think I want to concentrate on books about books. I will have a list together for you by early August so that you can start reading. I will not have a calendar in place until mid to late August because I need to finish attending to family needs first. (If you haven’t read it yet, please look into Swedish Death Cleaning. It really will help either you personally or your own parents with putting all of the affairs in order.) I did update the Attendance Record sheet that sits on the Helps page, though. It only took me three tries to update it this year, so that’s progress! Enjoy!

Until next time …

So, as I write this I want to tell you that I am fine. It’s my mom who is suffering with cancer. She was diagnosed at Christmas and her first round of chemo went really well. In fact, she reported that her scans were clear after that regimen. Sadly, after her second treatment, the one set to maintain her health, the cancer came back with a vengeance. As of this writing, she has completed her focused radiation round and is about to embark on the next protocol of chemo. She is very weak and tired. Please keep her in prayer.

I don’t even know where to begin! The first half of 2021 has been a roller coaster of a ride! While I think about what to write here, I want to let you know that I updated the calendar on the Helps page with a check sheet for the 2021-2022 term. I’m nearing a finalization on Reading with Reason and Junior Book selections. I also have a good idea of what the new term will look like. There are changes coming … good changes. Stay tuned!

We really don’t have any choice but to change with it. New things come, old things go. some routines that we have held onto for years simply no longer work for where we find ourselves. It happens and is more common than we like to think. If anything IS a constant, it’s that CHANGE comes. Our ability to flex with those changes and eventually thrive is what makes all the difference in the world.

Whatever has changed in your life recently … even if it’s just more of the same old, same old that you haven’t quite gotten used to, please know that you can do this thing called homeschooling–even in the midst of crazy times!

One thing that helps you weather the storms of life is your ability to discern what HAS to be done vs what is simply good to be done. You can liken this to knowing the difference between wants and needs. Pare your schedule down to the bare bones, the basics. That will help tremendously. Another thing to do is to release guilt. There’s simply no room for that when you are homeschooling during a season of change or crisis.

A good thing to implement in your lives during this time is a period of “productive free time” (PFT) each day. During this block of time (be it an hour or longer — based on age and ability), let the children do their thing. Let them explore something, play something, read something, whatever. When the evening comes, ask everyone what they did during their PFT. As the days go by, you will be amazed at just how much learning happens.

One thing that is certain, season change. A season of change or crisis will pass. When it does, you can be assured that you can pick up the threads of your lives and continue weaving them into the beautiful and unique tapestry that is your family. Until then, may many blessings be showered upon you and yours!