Understanding Our Past Embracing Our Future: July 2010

I'm in heaven:) I was asked to be one of the five judges for the "Miss Utah County Pageant" on August 7, 2010. This pageant is franchised with Miss America, which is a scholarship pageant (NOT Miss USA:). I was the Director of Miss Santaquin Pageant for a few years and after much stress I was able to get the city of Santaquin pageant franchised with Miss America. This allows the winners to go on and compete for the tittle of Miss Utah and then Miss American. Once you are a Director, you are put in the judges circle. I was honored, excited, and shocked to be asked to judge this pageant. Miss Utah County is a prestigious pageant. The girls have to already have a tittle (crown). This pageant t includes all the talented girls from BYU and UVU. The past two Miss Utah Counties went on to win at state for Miss Utah and Compete for Miss America. Lifestyle and fitness in swimwear accounts for 15 percent, evening wear represents 20 percent, talent displays are worth 35 percent, a private interview determines 25 percent and the on-stage question makes up the final 5 percent.

Now, WHAT TO WEAR???

I need a professional outfit for the closed private interviews that morning and then a more formal outfit for the public evening competition. Mom suggested I wear the biggest fluffiest evening gown ever, lol. Can you imagine? That made me giggle. Here are the two outfits below that I picked out.

I know, I didn't smile much, but the other pictures where much worse. Just look at the dress:)

HOMESCHOOL, its official!

And I am SO excited. Honestly, this is the first time I have talked about it publically. I have always been intrigued with the idea. I knew nobody who had done it. It sounded like a crazy idea for someone who doesn’t live out in the boonies on a farm and has a school two blocks away from her house. If you know me well, you know that I struggle with sending my kids away all day long to school. But what mother doesn’t. Even at the end of the year my heart would ache for a minute watching William run into half day kindergarten. I miss them. Life goes by so fast and I miss my babies. Now days our world moves at such a fast pace and it seems like I drop my kids off, Pick them up at 3pm, do home work for an hour which is so stressful because they are tired and have been at school all day long and the last thing they want to do is more school work, make dinner, feed them, get jamies on, send them to bed as quickly as possible because they are tired, just to start the day all over again.

So the previous paragraph may come across as if I am doing homeschool for my own selfish needs because I want my babies home. Yes, maybe a tiny bit because I want to spend more time with my babies. But, I…their Mother want to teach them. I want to watch them learn and get excited about learning and watch their wheels spin. Believe it or not, my kids get along pretty darn well. I know there will be some days where we will all need to go to our own separate rooms to escape each other, but for the most part it’s going to be FUN…because I said so! :)

My sweet Thomas will be starting second grade and he works so good one on one. He gets overwhelmed in a large class room and can catch on quickly if he is one on one. William who is starting first grade is a quick learner. He and Thomas can be taught the same topics like history, science, art, and music together. I realize that the fundamentals are different for their grade levels. Thankfully I only have three kids so I can give them that one on one attention that they will need.

I am sure by now if you are reading this you are thinking (or screaming), “But what about the social?” That is the least of my worries. Mark and I are socially normal and if we are not, please don’t tell me:) Most socially awkward kids have socially awkward parents. We are a pretty social family. I admit I don’t do scheduled play dates nor do I have my kids running around the neighborhood on their bikes looking for other children to play with. If the time is right they have a friend over if not then they play with each other. This has always been the case and I love that about my life. It’s family first then friends. My kids are involved. They play baseball, they go to Primary, and the best part about this is there is a “WHEN” program which stands for “Wasatch Homeschool Educators Network” where I have a support group but also every Wednesday is an organized fieldtrip day for anyone who registered and homeschooled. These are amazing social opportunities. They go to Plays (Theatres), museums, zoo, parks, anything that is educational. I think I will try to hit two a month.

Some other pluses in homeschooling for me are:

1. I know what they will be learning. I like that. Sometimes I had to pry my kids just to figure out what they were being taught. And by the time I figured out it was over. I would have loved to take them to the library and learn more about the subject before they moved on.

2. Freedom to study subjects that are interesting to us. We love the out doors! I would love to incorporate more of the nature side of things. Thomas LOVES the outer space. Let’s take some extra time and learn about outer space for a few weeks and then go the space museum. William LOVES War and soldiers. I could talk about war forever. Maybe we can go back East on a family vaca, visit Uncle Nate and Aunt Lindsay and see some battle grounds and learn about the Revolutionary and Civil war. Lydia LOVES horses and dogs. How fun would that be to teach my pre schooler more about her favorite animals and then go to the petting zoo OR go to Grandma and Grandpa Bowman’s and have Grandpa teach her about horses. I loved the fact that this past winter my Father in Law taught my kids how to tell time on my face clock in my kitchen with little stickers and markings on them. I have left them up and that has been such a great help. Grandparents know so much and I am sure they wouldn’t mind giving some advice or lessons on their favorite topics in a casual setting. We need to take advantage of them and their intelligent minds.

3. Freedom. This is why I am so excited. It gives us so much freedom to explore libraries, museums, outdoors, etc. and learn and explore our world together. We can plan our family vacations on our own time. Travel more and learn as we go. I don’t care for the long drawn out summers. I would like to teach and take homeschool all year round with our educational fieldtrips and family vacations scheduled throughout it.

4. If my child wants to take guitar or piano, they can do it after their studies. I am going to do homeschool from 9am-1pm. Four hours a day is what is needed to teach at home. They can do extra activities in the afternoon while other children are in school instead of last year…cramming in homework after school, and then trying to do the extra activities and dinner before bed time. When do you ever see or get to sit down with your child unless it is before bed time (which in our house is usually a stressful time)?

5. Breadth of study. We can explore topics in depth or until we are sick of them, rather than just glossing over them.

6. Morality/character lessons. Ever feel like you have to cram in lectures/talks about right and wrong only when things come up or when problems arise? If we are together more I think I will have more opportunity to talk about these subjects and teach my kids some life lessons. Also, to tell you the truth my eldest child changed when he hit first grade. The words he learned, the way he talked to us parents and siblings, the topics he heard but did not understand or was even mature enough to understand truly bothered and concerned me. Having a friend on the playground seriously became more important than learning. Tears and tears over and over again because of friends, not school work. I know you can’t shelter your children forever. I know that. But if I can keep and install that sweet innocence for just a little longer I am going to try my hardest. They shouldn’t have to grow up so fast just because society tells them too or simply because they will get left behind if not. I shouldn’t have to conform my children’s’ social life and teach my kids about topics that they are too young to understand just to keep them from learning it first on the play ground.

To think that parents taught their children all the way up till two hundred years ago makes me think that as a Mother I can do this. Public teaching is fairly new if you think about how long we humans have been on this earth. In the past parents were responsible to teach their kids everything before public schools. There is something wholesome about it. Something that intrigues me and wants to give more to my children. I don’t want to look back when it’s too late and wish I had tried it. Our children grow up so fast. I want to give them the best and fullest education. They are MY children. I want to try to teach them everything I possibly can before handing them over to strangers all day along. Please don’t let me offend anyone who teachers. My mother is/ was a teacher. I respect teachers who are very well educated. It takes a lot of patience to do what they do.

I am looking at this as an ADVENTURE! Some days I stop and think, “Are you losing your mind? Are you crazy? Can you handle this”? I am one who is ALL or NOTHING! I will not fail and if I do I have no problem admitting it and putting them back in the public schools, but not without trying 100%.

My kids are excited and ask once a week when we are going to start. We will start when all the pre planned summer stuff is over. We re-carpeted a few weeks ago and when we moved in our furniture we changed the office into the family room and the large family room downstairs into the class room. We have dry erase boards up, desks, American flag, globe, my desk is teacher ready, books and so forth. It’s exciting! I am waiting for the boys curriculum to arrive. After much research I have decided to go with the Calvert Academy back east in Maryland.

Calvert Academy: http://homeschool.calvertschool.org/why-calvert/homeschool-curriculum

It is very detailed and organized. It comes with lesson plans and then I can adjust them as needed.

Please don’t think I have lost my mind, I already think that. Having positive support from family and friends is what is going to make this adventure successful. Who knows what the future holds for us…..