While we may not be mentally ready to start school in a couple weeks, the books are all here and shelves are ready and orientation meetings are underway. Homeschool year #12, here we gooooo! We've got some new things coming up this year and I hope we can keep up with ourselves!!  As I wrote in last year's back to school post, heart-shaping and virtue forming with Christ at the center are the priorities.  For Classical Conversations this year, Ben will be in Challenge III, Joey will be in Challenge I for his first year of high school (!), and Hannah will be in her second-to-last year ..read more

The end of July means that school for us is just around the corner, and while I can't say I'm excited persay, I am eagerly anticipating it and looking forward to a new year of learning with my kids.  Once the last school year ended in May, I was quite wound up with the stress of the school year plus various health issues that hit us all between September and May. I declared that I would have a summer sabbatical. I thought of college professors and pastors who take sabbaticals, and they aren't taking an extended vacation. The purpose is to rest, renew, and grow in their careers at th ..read more

We woke up this Saturday morning to the first snow of the season in the area. Our relatively mild winter thus far has been nice, but the snow today reminded me that the traditionally hardest weeks of homeschooling each year are still looming ahead (often known simply as February). Winter homeschooling is hard. Weather keeps us stuck inside. We're in the thick of the semester and spring break is still several weeks away. Winter germs mess up our plans. But there's a different kind of winter homeschooling. These are the seasons where no matter the date on the calendar or temperature outside, sch ..read more

Remember when I used to write here more? I would do posts from throughout the year and wrap ups and all that. So here you go: school year 2020-2021 was pretty great. School life wasn't disrupted too much. We finished well but we were ready to be done. We've enjoyed every last drop of summer. :-) As I grow in my knowledge and understanding of the classical model, my philosophy of educating continues to mature. Last winter I was able to attend a seminar on assessment, and the my biggest takeaway had nothing to do with grades. The seminar leader asked us to list the kinds of things we hoped our c ..read more

Today we began our 10th year of homeschool.  I honestly can't believe it's been that long because it seems to have gone by so fast.  The days are long but the years are short, indeed.  We are also entering our 8th year of Classical Conversations this fall.  It provides the spine of our homeschool we build our days upon.   Both boys are in CC's Challenge program now, which is all about skill building instead of focusing on content.  Yes, the content matters, but what matters more is learning how to learn so students can teach themselves anything ..read more

Elizabeth Bartholet, a law professor at Harvard, has it out for homeschoolers.  So much so, in fact, that she has planned on having a conference on campus about it in June. She has also been published in Arizona Law Review and the article can be found in its entirety here.  In it, she apparently delineates what she considers risks of homeschooling.  I don't know... I haven't personally read the 80 page document.  I have read the summaries and some rebuttals.  If you care about such things, just Google it.  You'll see a whole slough of them 'cause the people ..read more

On a regular basis I am asked by people how to get started if they want to homeschool.  I thought having my advice all written out here would save me time down the road, so if you hang with me, I'll do my best to break down what you should do if you find yourself considering this option. First of all, you likely know that I am a Christian and most people who ask me about homeschooling are also believers.  That being said, some of my advice here is going to mirror that worldview.  Much of this is still very applicable if you want to pursue secular homeschooling. First and fore ..read more

We got home from our big summer trip to Minnesota on Saturday, and once we were unpacked I started prepping here and there for school.  The best part about doing this so many years now is that there's no guesswork.  Hannah will do what Joey did which is what Ben did.  I'm so thankful that my kids have always taken to my curriculum choices.  I know many families struggle to find the right fit for their kids in some subjects, but it's always been easy for us in that regard. Hannah - 2nd Grade Spelling:  All About Spelling vol 2 Math:  Saxon 3 Grammar:  First ..read more

In keeping with tradition, today I bring you a very belated end-of-school-year wrap up.  This was year #8 and was probably one of the best ones. Classical Conversations wrapped in April but we were still working at home through the first half of May.  I called it quits on formal school at that point because we were all ready to be done.  We have had a pretty busy second half of May and for my own sanity needed to put a bow on school to focus on these other committments.  Ben is done with his 1,000 hours of instruction and Joey will hit it by the end of the month.  Now ..read more

Over two years ago, I wrote about my experiences as a first time Foundations/Essentials director to help others know what to expect and how to plan accordingly.  I thought it was only fitting to follow up with another post about my first year directing Challenge:  what I did to prepare before the school year and how I managed throughout the year.  This year I tutored Challenge A, but I think most of these things will apply to any level.  Summer Planning Meet with potential families, enroll families, send invoices, and collect payments Attend Practicum training Continue ..read more