The "Not Yets"

It's easy to become discouraged in the world of motherhood.  It's further compounded when your children's educational needs are being met solely through your efforts.  You can't blame anyone else when your hypothetical 11-year-old doesn't remember where to put the information when addressing an envelope, or when said child squabbles with her brother and whines all the way home from a 4-hour trip to Macinac Island.  While I might scold my children when they haven't learned something yet, in my heart I am embarrassed at my own lack of prowess as a mother and teacher, wondering where I've gone wrong.

But do I ever take credit when they do brilliant stuff? Because they do.

Nope.

Why? Because they are doing the work, not me: they're competing with friends in an online language course;  these not-morning-people are setting their alarms and starting earlier than any previous year; they have completed writing assignments that are charming and fun to read, with absolutely no whining; they are getting 89% of their work done with little input from me at all, including morning devotions; they're getting more chores done than ever, greatly freeing me up to get projects done for my shows; they also, of their own volition, chose to go running/biking with me this morning, one of them keeping up with me for a almost whole mile at an 8 min. pace before turning around. Further, there is very little nagging to get these things done in a day, compared to previous years.  This is all their doing, not mine.  You can only bring a horse to water, but you can't make him drink, so they say.

I can't and don't take credit for their hard work, so why do I pile on the guilt for their shortcomings?
If I were on the outside looking in, I might suggest to myself that I have enough shortcomings of my own without taking on theirs, too :-)

They are growing up and are learning from consequences.  They are adding subjects which interest them.  They are trying new things, even hard things, out of curiosity or for the sheer challenge.  They--like me--are in the process of becoming. Why not focus on successes and blessings-along-the-way instead of getting discouraged by the "not yets?"  After all, "not yet" means we have a ton of potential!

We Don't Need No Education

"I want for them the freedom to develop at whatever pace is etched into their DNA, not the pace dictated by an institution looking to meet the benchmarks that will in part determine its funding. I want them to be free to love learning for its own sake, the way that all children love learning for its own sake when it is not forced on them or attached to reward. I want them to remain free of social pressures to look, act, or think any way but that which feels most natural to them."
--Ben Hewitt, Outside Magazine, September 2014

Full article:
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3866029126956886830#editor/target=post;postID=8859129218500282867

Fall 2014 Curriculum

Devotions:

 Devotion books and/or YouVersion for youth

Scripture Typer

History

             10 Christians Everyone Should Know

This day in history

Read good interesting history books/series: Wicked Histories, etc.

English:

Read tons

Spelling City

Journalism: Snapfish yearbook, blogspot entries

Writing Fridays: science and history excerpts

French: Duolingo

Geography:

Jetpunk world maps quizzes

Quizlet flashcards/teaching

Host a geography bee?

Math:

                Life of Fred

                Bills/checkbook/budget, as needed

                Small business management

Science

                The New Answers Book 1

                Night sky studies—Calvin observatory?

Environmental studies?

                Cooking from recipes

                Horticulture: pruning, garden design, propagation methods, installation

                Electricity: lamp wiring and design

                Experiment books

                Social science books like Quiet, Driven, etc.

Art

                Art Prize

                Canvasses

                Host a class?

Jeopardy!

                Nightly for 13 year olds, Fridays for 11 year olds J