Homeschool Adaptation

Monday morning on a busy week.   Time to wake up and get started.   Wake up my sleepy boy and make sure he gets fed.  We watch our episode of Pokemon, a daily occurrence here at Casa G, and then our day starts.

My pre teen son goes off to do his morning grooming and I review our lesson plan for the day.  We have pressed hard over the last few days to make sure that we are ready for tomorrow.  We will be out of the house for most of the day, so he has worked hard to make sure he does not get behind as we take a day off to run errands.    

I am not the catalyst for the push, he is.   I have worked hard to instill in him the importance of hard work and honesty.  Each year of our homeschool journey, I have given over to him more and more of the responsibility in his studies.   This has not always met success.   There have been more than a few bumps in the road.    

My end goal is to have a young man who understands that hard work and focus are needed for success, that his success is dependent on his ability.   I have chosen to use a curriculum because my son seems to crave some structure.  The curriculum is not the end of our education.   He is learning to to cook, a skill that will prove useful his whole life. My husband is teaching him to work in the shop.  

He plays with kids of all ages, both online and in the neighborhood.   My son, who will soon be 12, loves to play his keyboard.   This child who did not like to read is learning to have a love of books.  We just had to find something that interested him  .

No two homeschoolers are alike.   We are like snowflakes.   What works for one family may not work for all.   The joy of this homeschooling journey is that you and your child(ren) get to choose the path that works for your family.  Some kids work better sitting on the floor, some at a desk,  Some learn by reading aloud and some by quiet study.   

One of the very best parts of this journey is that you adapt it to your life.   My son likes to sit on the floor, we are not really desk people I guess.   He likes to read aloud, he is very verbal.  The young man in my house likes to do his learning in the early day.  He would rather have his afternoons free.  Some kids are more receptive after getting some  exercise.  I found this to be true when he was younger but not so much now.  

When you choose this path remember, the road will wander.   Sometimes you will have a bad day or week, but you will find your way back to the path you have chosen.   That sometimes a lesson is a trip to the store with a list of things for dinner. I am thankful daily that I was able to take this path with my son.   I think that we have both learned much for the time we have been on the road.   I know there are more lessons to learn right around the corner.