Hard to believe a whole week has gone by. I’ve been busy perusing the home school curriculum websites and the Well Trained Mind forum. I’ve changed and tweaked my curriculum every day. On top of that, Rick calls me every day and brings up that Connor says today he’s on board with the home schooling. Since I’m about to start spending money on stuff, we better all be through with the debates. We’re all in now!
I drove down to Yoga One last night to take a yoga class that my sister Christine was teaching. We were talking about how all these years we’ve done yoga together and talked about yoga, but I’ve never taken a class from her before. She’s different as a teacher than one on one. And she’s good at it. Very similar to listening to her sing, she’s different when she’s performing. That was a tough 1.5 hours. I kept dripping sweat on myself and we spent way too much time in down dog (of course, I think anything beyond a few breaths is too long, especially when you keep going back). But I did really well and I can certainly feel it today.
After yoga we showered and then went to Lulu’s for dinner. I had the Lulu burger and frites. It was very yummy with the green fried tomatoes and jalapeno spread. Over dinner we caught up on all kinds of stuff. It’s been months since she and I got together. She’s started studying aikido and just got back from a yoga bootcamp in Helena, MT. I explained the classical education method I had found in Well Trained Mind (WTM) while considering ideas for home schooling Connor. I talked about the grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages and how the best part is the repetition so you learn something each time and it builds and you don’t have to learn everything all at once. But I’m starting with an 8th grader and I don’t know what all he’s even studied before (not to talk about what he’s actually learned).
I mentioned that it would be really nice to know what’s going to happen over the next 5 years so I could plan this all out. I was updating my development plan at work yesterday and realized last year I had mentioned I would like an opportunity at an international assignment down the road. Well, that won’t work anytime soon! And it isn’t just what may affect my immediate environment. There is another household involved. Rick moved his mother up here so I don’t see him moving anytime soon. It’s just all the uncertainty.
I told myself (most others aren’t hearing it yet) that this would be as much a growing experience for me as for Connor. I know that my faith walk will have to get deeper and more regular for this to work. I told the spiritual head of the household that I am going to have daily prayer needs so he better get ready. Part of that growth is stepping out in faith with what I’m feeling led to do, what looks right to me, knowing that it won’t be perfect and life may get in the way. I don’t know what’s coming, but He does and I can trust Him.
Christine helped reinforce that last night. I am devising a plan to fill the entire 5 years of home schooling. But if somewhere in there things change and he goes back to public school, he’ll manage just fine. If I do this right, he’ll learn how to keep on learning and that is a good gift!
