Kindergarten through Highschool

Great Expectations....
yes..
I have the greatest of expectations...

My expectations are NOT unrealistic
I do not think it so...
They are rather concrete, honest, and raw, to be utterly frank.

My expectations, are in the greatest sense, my hopes for this year, for beyond..
but for the purpose for this post...
we will, I will focus upon THIS year... this school year.

For many of you, the school year began back in August,
way back in the middle of August...
You are knee deep in the school year... Already heading off to "parent teacher conferences"...

As a home educator, we will be having those meetings later in the year
when we have had MORE time to assess the individual student better,
in more depth...
figure THAT out why don't you..
another post for another day
: - )

In our home, the school year is laid out a bit differently..
We do not take the many school days off that the government schools do...
No... For example, we do NOT take Martin Luther King Jr Day off...
Rather we use it, to Celebrate this man. We watch videos of all his speeches,
we read his speechs aloud, and read about his life.
Really we dedicate the DAY to learning MORE in depth about this great man of history..
Rather than take another day off, to go to the park, JUST because the other kids do...

We do not have all these "institute days" off, because we are not an "institute"...
NOR do my students get a "snow day"
and rarely do we enjoy sick days...
unless you count hospital days and time off for doctors visits
which can be a PLENTY...
For that, we do bring along school...
Packed in Zuca's, ready to be read : )

So suffice it to say... OUR school year has begun..
Today is day 3.
Day 3 of officially teaching 3 grades..
True Last year Buddy was Pre- School..
but THIS year he is an official KINDERGARTNER
Princess is a Middleschooler
and C.S. is a Freshman!
we are homeschooling them all,
and utterly enjoying Baby's many exploits of discovery...
He is a joyful boy, boundless in his ablility to learn,
and the greatest of distractions, he brings so many giggles to us through OUT the long school day.
Really,
EVERYONE ought to have a baby in their classroom...
it makes school REAL.

After taking some time off this summer to PLAN my busy year,
a mother of four
teaching 3 students
what have I learned...
what I already knew..
but forgot in my second week of planning

THIS IS HARD
THIS IS FUN
THIS is a VERY full time JOB!

I go to bed utterly exhausted
I never stop moving all the day long
and if the results were not so excellent
the souls so joyful to be with
I don't think I would even try...

Here is hoping that I endure,
that they continue to enjoy the lessonplans as MUCH as they do thus far
and enjoy me
because THAT is really what keeps a Mama going
as Sally Fields once said
"they like me, they really like me"

and they do
they really do..
and it's mutual
OH is it EVER!