I actually went to bed stinking early last night - lights out before 10, a miracle for me. I still couldn't convince myself to wake up at four o'clock in the morning. But it was more laziness than exhaustion so I'll try again tomorrow.
 

If I was going to write a children's story, what would it be about? I was doing some thinking. One of my new-ish friends (abt 6 mos new) is a very talented artist, so I proposed the idea (via email, since when it comes to writing I am dreadfully shy) of children's books to her. I have always wanted to write children's books, but lack the ability to draw a straight line with a ruler. So we will see what she says.

I sent her three of my better stories - well links to them - as well as a link to my port. At least that way she could browse my writing before she answers. She will probably say no, but wouldn't it be cool if she said yes?

The three stories I sent her were from the "Novel Shorts" page. As I considered, I realized they probably could - with some serious editing - be made into a longer picture book. As good other stories of that type.

So, we will see what happens. She may not be interested. But wouldn't be great if she was? I'm afraid to brainstorm about story ideas until I know whether or not she'd consider it.

On a side note, I was just reading the bio of one of my favorite children's books - the 'Level 1, 2, or 3' type early readers - and she said she writes those in 12-14 hours, and she has over a hundred written. My jaw dropped. I don't know if I want to go that simplistic, but it certainly is interesting to consider.

I have already been pondering whether or not to suggest a book for the "Childhood of Famous Americans" series. I think they left off someone who is notable, although as I think of it, she is not famous, per se. Still, it is an early woman inventor, and I think it would make for an interesting book. We'll see how that goes, as well.

Those early readers are very interesting, as well. Twelve to fourteen hours, hmph. Still a little too simplistic for my taste, I think. Maybe. They would make for nice fillers.
 

I am trying to get things sorted out and juggled through, as usual. I am attempting to figure out where my priorities lie, and how to best organize them. Around August, as we "officially" started the school year, I decided that my #1 priority in things to do was my children's education, since, after all, I am homeschooling them. So I've been playing around with various schedules, trying to nail down what works best for us. After four years of studying and pondering homeschooling, you would think I would have a good idea of my applying my intentions, but no such luck. I stumbled across a new curriculum-type - more of a methodology than a curriculum - the Thomas Jefferson Education, which I really like. I already had most of my intentions laid out, and I knew that I wasn't overly excited about a formalized, set in stone, prepackaged curriculum, so this really sort of laid out for me how to apply my unschooling tendencies. The basic premise is that you unschool - you let the children learn to work and to play - up until about the age of 8. That sounds very slack in our educate-the-18-mos-old culture, but I do strongly feel that for young children, the best education is play and experimentation. This works out very well for me with my children - at least my two oldest - because both were reading before they were four. (My almost-four year old is on his way with CVC words like 'cat' and 'ball'.) This means that they - especially my oldest - is a voracious reader who loves not only fiction but also nonfiction, so despite having no sit-down-and-study curriculum, she knows a great deal about the things she is interested in, such as horses, penguins, and presidents of the United States.

From there, you move into a more formalized schooling, but one that teaches the children to love learning. You also take the work ethic developed in those early years and apply it to their education, although not as heavily as you do in later years. One quote I read that really struck me, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, said, "If you are interested in something, you will focus on it, and if you focus attention on anything, it is likely that you will become interested in it. Many of the things we find interesting are not so by nature, but because we took the trouble of paying attention to them." I think that is really true.

The ultimate goal is to teach them to think and to love learning, which are both what I posted earlier as my primary goals as a homeschooling mom. By the time they are about 12, they reach the "scholar phase", where they apply themselves strenuously to their studies, and because they have that love of learning, they want to.

BUT, and this is the problem, one of the primary things I am struggling with is the simple fact that we as parents teach by examples. So our children will come to love learning when they see us, their parents, learning. The very first step, then, is to focus on YOUR education instead of on theirs. Especially while my children are so young, while they are in that "play" period, I am supposed to be modeling behavior by reading the classics. Not just reading but studying. So I am reading AND taking notes. So far, since the beginning of November, I have worked my way through Pride & Prejudice, The Chosen, and I am now reading Walden. I took notes for P&P, but for The Chosen I actually wrote a paper (very rough, since I am almost eight years out of college, but actually enjoyable.

I like taking notes, because I'll write down something that struck me, and then I'll derail as I ponder it. This means, incidentally, that it takes me forever to get through a book. I like writing the paper (I am such a nerd) because it gives me a chance to organize my thoughts systematically. Unlike high school or college, the topic isn't assigned by anyone but myself, so I get to pick out what I want to organize and explain. So anyway, I am putting all of my "scholarly" (that is very tongue in cheek) papers in this folder if you want to read them:

ID: 1499705   (Rated: 13+) Inspire, Not Require  Essays based on classic novels, as part of a Thomas Jefferson Education by Scottiegazelle

I know, I am a sporadic writer, but I am processing now, so I may be back more often.

We left for our long-heralded vacation to DisneyWorld October 30th and returned home November 9th. We had so much fun! While on vacation, we stopped to visit Michael's aunt and uncle. His aunt has recently decided to homeschool. I really wish we lived closer to them, because our kids got along fabulously - they have four that are all within a few months of our kids - and I really enjoyed getting to know them (they are military and spent the first half of my marriage to dh in Japan and the second half dodging his family). Perhaps I will consider dh's desire to move to Florida more fully, when we get around to transferring. <sigh>

ANYWAY, while there, his aunt loaned me a copy of "A Thomas Jefferson Education", which I had heard about but never fully understood. It is essentially a classics-based method of homeschooling, with a huge portion of influence being "inspire, not require". The idea is that we, as teachers (and moms) ought to be leading by example. Yes, I know, that seems like a duh thing - but when you are HSing your kids, it is so easy to avoid any form of studying on your own. In fact, once you leave college, it is so easy to avoid any form of study.

So, since vacation, I have started applying myself to the classics, and per DeMille's suggestions, I am doing so with pen and paper. That means that I am making a ton of notes, that I am stopping and pondering while I am reading - which, despite the fact that I am an English major, is something I have really never done. When in college, I always read over and then pondered afterwards. Of course, you can see the entire picture that way, but you also tend to forget the little things that stood out to you.

I read Pride & Prejudice over vacation - I was already planning to, having read a fantastic novel by Shannon Hale entitled Austenland; I love Shannon Hale and highly recommend her, particularly for teen and pre-teen girls. Anyway, that was my third time through, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, I had an idea how the story was going to end, so I could ponder more "in full" along the way.

Right now, I am reading The Chosen by Chaim Potok. I wish I had read it a few months ago; I held a bookclub meeting last week and I would have selected this for the book to discuss. I would love to discuss it with ANYONE. I posted a few topics over in Goodreads and will respond on the TJEd boards. There is so much in here about parenting, about logic, about education. It is an excellent book.

That is all.
 

Okay, this is totally random, but seriously, that was, I think, the funniest episode of Supernatural yet! I don't know if it was the hysterical cat-scream from the fearless Dean or the "Eye of the Tiger" at the end, but I was rolling through the whole thing. I think I rewound the Tivo or paused it due to insane laughter even more than I did with Hysterical Episode #2, with the rabbit's foot.

If you don't know what I am talking about, well, everyone should watch Supernatural on the CW! Way better than those other loser sitcoms. The actors have awesome chemistry and pull off the most amazing comedy in the middle of dark situations.

/end commerical

Now I have to go to bed so I can get up in 7 hours to teach Seminary, LOL.
 

I just wanted to share the joy of this beautiful day. Today, we listened to two sessions of General Conference, broadcast to the entire church via satellite from Salt Lake City. This is one of the two semi-annual meetins of the church, where we as members (and any nonmembers who listen as well, LOL; I actually did listen to one session prior to joining the church) are counseled by a living prophet and apostles, and other leaders of the church. Today's talks were very inspirational, although I must confess that I listened to them at home courtesy of DirecTV and via the Tivo, which made it a little easier to handle with four little ones. We also took advantage of our physical location; following the first 2-hour session (which can be rough on little ones AND big ones, LOL), we drove up to the nearbye Appalaichan trail and took an hour-long hike. This helped little bodies get rid of some long-stored energy, as well as being enjoyable.

We also started a new tradition tonight that I sort of stumbled into while reading a homeschooling book last night. Each of our oldest three kids (7, 5, and 3) are to help with "after-dinner cleanup"; although they do have chores they are paid for, this is one of those you do "because we're a family". But getting through these can be difficult. We also have some trouble after-dinner; I tend to want to hide in my bedroom, or we sit and watch TV; we don't really spend a lot of time together. So we started a new post-dinner tradition of playing games together. Since there are 6 of us total, we each get one day of the week, and Monday is our Family Home Evening, so we won't play a game that night. Tonight, the first night, was met with great success.

Anyway, Conference was wonderful. I should confess that when President Monson announced the building of five new temples - and I crossed my fingers and said a prayer when he started - I let out a joyful shout when he named Philadelphia as one of the new ones. At present, we are driving 3.5-4 hours to get to the DC temple, which means finding a sitter for the entire day - and our four kids are tough on sitters. Although Philly is about 2 hours away (north end, she chants, build on the northwest end), that is still half the driving time as DC. I can't wait until the temple is built!

All of the talks were excellent. I took notes throughout, and made a special note of things that really stuck out or that I was inspired to do. Some of those things were:

increase habits of thrift, frugality, and economy
invite our neighbors over for dinner
our spiritual journey is the process of a lifetime
use the time before Sacrament meeting as a time of prayerful meditation - this will be a challenge with four little ones, but this talk will soon be an FHE lesson for our family
the things we hope for lead us to faith; the things we hope in lead us to charity; the three together lead us to good works
simplify my Seminary lessons, distill them to the principle taught (I was also inspired to do this at our Thurs training session)
the building up of Zion should be our greatest objective; I also felt the Spirit testify again that our homes shold be a Zion (a place of peace and refuge)
our morning, evening, and ongoing prayers are interconnected
meaningful morning prayers are an important element in the spiritual creation of our day
it becomes easier to offer sincere prayer as we remember our relationship to our Heavenly Father
periodically offer up a prayer solely of gratitude, asking for nothing

Wow, I can't wait to see what will happen tomorrow! We had our kids through all of the first session and most of the second. I think tomorrow, we will let them take their naps during the first (which is their naptime; they chose to sit and listen/color instead of napping/reading during the first today), and then quietly color and listen during the second. I am also considering taking my oldest, 7, with me to church for the afternoon session, since it would be nice to attend at least one session at the church.

Although all of the talks were uplifting and inspirational, there were a couple I earmarked as ones I need to study in depth; those were Elder Perry's, Elder Oakes', Elder Uchtdorf's, Elder Christofferson's, and Elder Bednar's. I am really looking forward to getting my copy of these to study!

Alright, you may hear more tomorrow, LOL, or I may collapse into bed. One or the other!
 

Just thought I'd drop a few lines here. I can't believe it is October! In less than a month, we will be on our way to Disneyworld for our get-out-of-debt vacation! Okay, we still have the motorhome, but I'm not waiting for that stupid thing to sell...for some reason, they are rather slow-moving at present. <sigh>

So we have been fairly consistant in our homeschooling over the last few weeks. This week, we have added something new to the mix. I was looking at an LDS homeschooling page, and it had a quote from Gordon B. Hinckley that said that we, as families, should memorize a scripture a week. We should choose one at our weekly family night and go from there. Since I have the kids do handwriting practice each day anyway, I found a page that lets you print customized traceables and printed out this week's verse. We discuss it at various points in the day. Actually, our "theme" this month is joy, and our scripture (remember, my kids are 7, 5, and 3; the 18 mos old isn't into memorization, LOL) is 2 Nephi 2:25 --> "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." Since DD7 is in the "my life is miserable" stage, we have discussed how part of God's plan is that we have joy, and be happy. Periodically and at random, I'll ask "Who is having a joyful day?!" We have also decided to work on a hymn each week; this week, it is "The Iron Rod." Anyway, today is Wednesday, so we've been doing that for three days, and the kids enjoy it.

I attended the Relief Society meeting on Saturday. There is a broadcast from Salt Lake, and it is sent to the church buildings (and also available on satellite tv). It was one of those things where I didn't really want to go, because the stake center is a good 45 mts away, and I knew the broadcast wouldn't be over 'til about 9:30, so it was a late night...I am so glad I went. The program beforehand was amazing (it was "Woman at the Well", if any of you have seen it) and inspirational, and I absolutely loved President Uchtdorf's (sp?) talk, which I have listened to three times since Saturday. Very inspirational and uplifting.

Bookselling is blechy and getting on my nerves. I think I made a bad purchase and am having little motivation for getting things entered. Plus I am trying to balance the homeschooling and seminary (which is going great!), and it gives me very little time to actually get books entered. I need to add that more consistantly to my schedule and quit taking naps. <sigh>

Alright, that's the fill in, so off to bed with me! Night, all!
 

Just thought I'd put a random post in here. Random!

Things are going fairly well. We're mostly easing into our homeschooling schedule. Since DD is only 7, she doens't have to be registered with the state (and have accompanying paperwork) until next year, so we are doing a "dry run" of keeping track of everything with the hope of finding a working system. For some reason, I seem to be needing a constant homeschool fix, so I'm immersing myself in a ton of "how to" and "we did" books on the subject. Mind you, I read extensively when I first came to the decision three years ago, and I usually have read at least one book a month on the subject. I'm just finding the subject more fascinating lately than even fiction. <gasp>

Anyway, it's rest time, so I'm off. To rest. Which I need.

In case anyone was wondering, tonight is the season premier of Supernatural! Which is my show. I'm looking forward to it, which means instead of going to bed at 10 like I have been doing lately, I'll start winding down about 10 when the show ends (it runs 9-10 on the CW). Now you know my guilty secret.

(My other 'big' show is having its season finale at the same time; that would be 'Burn Notice'. But Supernatural takes priority; sorry Michael Westin! Gotta see my boys.) (And, oddly, both shows are on my hubby's fav list, as well. Actually, these two - and maybe Monk - are really the only shows I "have" to watch, LOL. Thank goodness for my dual tuner Tivo!)

Wasn't that an informative post?
 

Ha ha, I just noticed, my title is well put for what I am doing. I picked it because I wanted to just sort of let my thoughts wander about homeschooling, but I am really focusing on is thinking about how I want my kids to think.

It is really too easy for me to find myself amusing.

So, it has been awhile since I've hit the blog. This is because I got what I wanted - the chance to teach early morning seminary - and now, foolish me, I have to get up at quarter to six each morning. I am sure this is a normal thing for most human people, but I am NOT a morning person, and I have been a SAHM for the last seven years - and my first child would sleep til 10 once she got past that up-all-night stage. If my kids tried to consistantly get up before seven, I might have to take steps that would get me in SERIOUS trouble with DFACs, or whatever the PA family people are. Okay, I'm kidding, so don't go running off and reporting me (besides which, it is all moot since I am up before the kiddos every day).

Since I've had to get up way-too-stinking-early every M-F the last two weeks (I suggested this week that we have "early morning seminary" at noon, which was greeted with grins by my students), I have been in bed by 10 almost every Sun-Thurs night this week. Since my preferred lifestyle choice is hitting the sack closer to midnight, this is a big shift. And apparently I am much older than I was in college, when I could get by on no sleep. I have been TIRED! We have also started our homeschooling up last week. My priorities, then, have been: homeschooling, prepping Seminary lesson for each day, prepping the once-a-week-evening lesson, trying to maintain a reasonably clean house [my family was here over Labor Day weekend, and I am trying - and mostly succeeding - to keep the house as clean as we got it then], prepping the Sunday School lesson [I am subbing until they find a teacher; they've been looking for about a year], listing and mailing books for online booksales, and then in my occasional free time actually sneak a "fun" book or two to read. You can tell that free time is few and far between because I am on the FOURTH day of reading one book, a sad sad fate for me. Actually, though, part of the problem is that it is the 3rd book in a series on the Savior, so we have the crucifixion looking up, which I know will NOT be an entertaining/relaxing read (which is what I usually read for) so I am not reading as heavily as I might otherwise would, despite the fact that it is a well-written and engaging novel. But I've been moving through some other HS books.

Also on my to-do list is: Become more organized. I, who am well known and laughed at for writing important dates and activities on my hand, have a pocket calendar and have been actually doing stuff with various groups and people. I am trying to get my kids more involved in activities outside the home, so girl scouts is gearing up for the year for DD, and we have a Wednesday church meeting each Wed for my three oldest. We had a start-of-the-year Homeschooling group meeting last week, and I am trying to organize a playgroup at my house next week, plus our HS field trip, which I think I'm taking. I also want to take the kids hiking next week, and we've invited a few friends who may or may not make it. We are only about 4 miles from the Appalaichin trail - I know I spelled that wrong but I am too lazy to spellcheck - and I'd like to head out there while it is still nice out, before it gets all "Northeast-wintery" on me.

But all of that is not why I am here, although it does make one interesting "sorry for not blogging" excuse list, eh? I am, at present, reading yet another Alfie Kohn book. Kohn is all about educational reform, and if you have ANY kids - and, really, if you care anything at all about public education, which is where some of your tax $$ is heading - I suggest you read him. I know you think, yeah yeah, she's a homeschooling mom so I bet it's about homeschooling, but it is not. As I said, he is all for reform within the system, and I don't think I have actually heard (er, read?) him say anything about homeschooling. He talks about how standardized tests and homework inhibit rather than facilitate learning.

One of the essays I am reading (I'm reading "What Does it Mean to Be Well Educated?", which is a collection of essays by Kohn) makes the point that educators should determine their goals and then take a look at whether or not their methods will help them achieve that. I have frequently heard the suggestion in various homeschooling readings that you should write down your "mission statement" or purpose in homeschooling, and I keep thinking, yeah, I should do that. But I haven't yet.

Technically, in Pennsylvania, you do not have to register your child for school or homeschooling until they are 8 years old. My oldest is 7, which means that we won't have to register her until next year. Of course, that is just when we legally come under the gaze of the state. We have been engaged in learning activities for years, with a heavy slant on reading and exploration. (My oldest was reading by the time she was 4; she taught her brother, who could read three-letter words at 3; now they have "ganged up" on their brother and are teaching him letters and sounds. It is amazing how much easier the kids learn from their siblings than their parents, and the pressure is not as extreme. My 3rd thinks that his bro and sister are "playing" with him - because they are. Which, of course, is one of the benefits to HSing.) (I had to go back to the paragraph to get back on course.) So we are doing a "dry run" this year, to get an idea for what sort of thing we need to turn in, what kind of schedule works best, and so forth. I would like to put together our mission statement, then; what it is that I want our kids to achieve as homeschoolers. I may or may not finish today, I am really just brainstorming.

One of the biggest reasons I decided to homeschool was actually after reading "Punished By Rewards" by the aforementioned Alfie Kohn (I actually recommend this one as your "first" read, because it sets the stage for the rest of his arguements in reform.) I don't agree with all of the conclusions he draws, although they would be great in a perfect world where things like money were unnecessary, I suppose. His basic premise is that when people focus more on HOW they are doing than on WHAT they are doing, they do worse. So, from a school perspective, a child who is focusing on getting an A will do more on a "checklist" (real or imagined) to get the A and spend less time exploring. They might stick with the "facts" behind why the Civil War was begun and not take that interesting tangent and wonder why one person would ever think owning another was a good - or even moral - idea. Or how a person who was enslaved would be affected. In short, they stick to the basics and do not give themselves the freedom to wander off and explore, and truly learn.

At the time I was pondering this, I had a 14 or 15 year old sister-in-law and a brother of the same age, both coming home overloaded with homework, hours worth of homework. It was very easy for me to see that they did not have time to explore anything in detail because virtually all of their free time was spent "making the grade." I could also see my friends' elementary school kids, older than mine but not in those teen years, who were coming home with homework and suffering the same fate. And the homework trend has come down to first grade and, often, even kindergarden! So it was very clear to me that a child who risked exploring something that interested them, even if related to the "main" subject, risked failing or at least "not making the honor roll" and being scarred for life.

I also had done some research into the history of education, which astounded me. Public education in America was spotty at best, until the Industrial Revolution. At that point, businesses were taking in factory workers who needed a basic education to survive. Public education was spurred into action so that children could learn just enough to become widgets in these giant factories - literally. In 1916, Ellwood Cubberley wrote that "our schools are, in a sense, factories in which the raw products (children) are to be shaped and fashioned into products to meet the various demands of life." And an article in Fortune Magazine in the 1950s, titled "The Low Productivity of the Edcation Industry" stated that public education should strive "to turn out students with the greatest possible efficiency...[and] minimize the input of man hours and capital. In this respect, the schools are no different from General Motors."

It is easy to see that this is still in favor today. In classrooms across the nation, kids are taught to sit still and be quiet. Questions they have that drift "off subject" cannot be explored because the teacher must follow the daily planner. The purpose of education today seems to be to cram as much information in children's heads as possible, whether they want it or not.

Mind you, I am not chiding teachers here, but the entire system. I was fortunate to have many excellent teachers who could see that I was bored with the class and provided me with alternatives, and who managed to push me ahead of the rest of the class. But the system does not allow this for all students, and I do not want my kids to get caught up in that. I think that most teachers are doing the best they can in the systems they are in, but that as a whole, the public education system is set up like a machine - and darn the seven year old who won't sit still and take it. (Speaking of which, a friend of mine in GA just enrolled her son in kindergarten this year, and was lamenting the fact that they do not have recess. NO RECESS for a five year old. Yet another reason I homeschool my kids. Her son was dealing with it alright, but the son of mutual friend of ours was struggling because he is very active and energetic.)

So, some of the goals I have for homeschooling:

1. I want my children to enjoy learning, and to become lifelong learners. I want them to seek out knowledge and to have the desire to stretch their minds, rather than to do the bare minimums. I want them to be interested in the world around them.

2. I want them to have the ability to NOT be a factory widget in a huge conglomerate, but be one of those rare people with the ability to seek out employment that they will enjoy and thrive in. I want them to have an entrepreneurial (yes I know, spelled wrong again) spirit, so that they will be able to succeed finanically. If they feel they would be better employed in an existing business, that is fine, but I want them to make that choice because they want it, not because they fear failure.

(That, by the way, came from some interesting points made in "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas Stanley. Most of those "millionaires" are entrepreneurs rather than employees. Mind you, I don't think that money is the be-all, end-all, but if you are going to spend the majority of your life working somewhere, why not do it in a field or business you love, and can have control over? I know this isn't for everyone, but I want my kids to have the option. I really think that public education, with its "beat everyone into the same mold" style, destroys the uniqueness, inquisitiveness, and vision needed to become a business owner. Perhaps that is why so many successful buisness folks did not do so well in public school.)

3. I want them to be close to their family, especially their siblings. Public school does a great job of teaching 8 year olds that we are only friends with other 8 year olds. Not only does this affect the socialization of a child by keeping them from meeting folks of all ages and learning from and befriending them, it also impacts sibling relationships. And having a bunch of 16 year olds agreeing (ie validating) that parents are evil doesn't do too well for parent-teen relationships, either. Since we believe that the family is an eternal unit, I naturally want to strengthen those relationships on earth.

4. I also do think that it is a parents responsibility to educate your child. Just like you can't turn your child over to Sunday School and youth teachers and expect them to do all of the religious teaching, I don't think it is right to turn my child over to the state and give them control of all the secular teaching. I know many people - my mom included - scoff at parents who want to brainwash their kids, but frankly, isn't that what our public schools do? The difference is that the brainwashing there is government approved. If there is any "brainwashing" to be done, I'd rather it be me than the government - but remember that my primary reason is to teach my kids to explore and think for themselves, which IMO public education does NOT do.

5. The fifth is safety reasons, shootings, bullyings, etc. This is a very miniscule reason for me, for a variety of reasons. First, although growing more common, shootings are rare and far between, when you look at how many public schools we have. Second, although I suffered tremendously at the hands of bullies and teasing, and do NOT want that for my kids, I do not plan to isolate them completely. They will be bullied, they will be teased. My daughter came home upset the other day that the girl next door called her crazy; they are at church on Sundays with other kids; they will be teased. I cannot protect them from everything; I admit that. I cannot even try. However, what I can do is do my best to strengthen them so that when they ARE teased, they have a strong foundation to fall back on (and also, are willing to talk to me about it).

I think that is pretty much my reasons for homeschooling, from most to least important. The first two were really the catharsis; for those of you who would rant at me for being a Christian and putting the parenting third, my reason is because if I sent my kids to public school, I would certainly be involved in their education and do think it is possible to monitor that even at public schools.

Thus ends my brainstorming. I'm going to let my brain rest, and then in the next few days I'll consolodate them into a "mission statement" or "purpose" or something.

On a side note: Calvin & Hobbes (the comics) are a great reason to homeschool, LOL. Although I'm not sure I'd want to teach him all day, I think that is one imaginitive, intelligent kid (yes, yes, I know he's fictitious, from the mind of an adult) who would benefit from homeschooling. I'm trying to decide whether or not to hang a few of those comics around our "classroom" (and I use the term loosely, LOL).

Thanks for bearing with me and my musings!
 

Just wanted to say - I should trust my instincts. Re: "staunch family". Although her parents were sure that she would not want to increase the time spent in class, they were mistaken. She apparently is very excited about the "new" option. Which, incidentally, we chose to persue - two classes instead of one. I have been on cloud 9 for 99.87% of the day. The other .13%, I keep wondering what in the world I was thinking, volunteering to invest more time. But mostly, I am excited, thrilled, and flying like a kite.

I should spend less time worrying and more time cleaning.