Our 9th year homeschooling

This was our 9th year homeschooling!! It’s so hard to believe that it’s been that long.

This was a very different year for us. We had a lot of changes this year. We also had many medical issues that required surgeries, hospital stays and bedrest.

The first change we experienced was that Clark started playing football with our local school and was required to take a class and PE the entire year at the school. He was very excited about this and has loved getting a small glimpse into public school.

He has loved it so much that we’ve made the decision to enroll him full time next year. I’ve had a really a hard time keeping him motivated to get all his homeschool work completed before he has to go to his class at the public school. Oftentimes, he’s doing homeschool work in the evenings. I feel that this is robbing him of a solid homeschool education. He’s not motivated to do his homeschool work well, and he’s thriving in public school. He’s always thrived with independence, and I feel that this is his time to leave the nest and face the world. I know that he’s had a strong foundation. 

I pray that he stays strong and true to his beliefs and doesn’t stray. We’ve already seen evidence of him making wrong choices, but I believe that deep down he does want to please God with his choices. This is my time to let go just a little and pray that he makes wise choices.

I’m hoping that maybe this will be a good change for all of us. I have a peace about it. I feel that he is ready. We started this school year with him skipping to the 9th grade in his homeschool work. However, we decided that since he’s going to public school next year that we will have him start in 9th grade this coming school year and call this year 8th grade. He did earn a few high school credits this year. 

Our next big change was that we were a part of a homeschool co-op full time this year. Our co-op meets once a week on Tuesdays. This was the first year we took main subject classes. 

In the past, we have only taken enrichment classes. 

I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I thought we could do the co-op classes and our My Father’s World curriculum. I soon found out that this wasn’t realistic. The homework from our co-op took up the entire week. In addition to our co-op work, we only had time to do our math and few other things. We loved getting to know all the families. Co-op has became a family to us. 

In the co-op, Clark took Anatomy & Physiology and Grammar classes. He was able to earn his CPR certification in his Anatomy & Physiology class. He did the rest of his subjects at home. Katy, Brody and Callie took Literature, Civics, Anatomy & Physiology, Grammar, World Cultures and a Cooking class. After a few weeks into the 2nd semester, we had to drop Civics and Cooking. We continued them at home. Mila took all the elementary classes which included Geography, Anatomy & Physiology, Music and some other enrichment classes. I taught the middle school Anatomy & Physiology class and I had such a wonderful time!

Medically, this has been a physically exhausting year for our family. Katy started the year with a major surgery that required 2 months of bed rest for recovery. 

During this time, she could not come to co-op. She did her work at home. It is a true blessing that Jason works from home and could keep an eye on her while we were gone on Tuesdays. 

As soon as Katy started getting better, Mila started having pain with walking. It progressed quickly and within weeks she wasn’t walking at all. Right after Christmas we discovered that her spinal cord was tethered and that it needed to be surgically repaired as soon as possible. The first available surgery opening was in February. 

The surgery was a success, but learning to walk again hasn’t come as easily as we had hoped. Medical appointments and recovery have consumed many of our weeks and I am so exhausted, but we continue to press on.

As hard as this year has been, I’m still so grateful that God has given me the chance to homeschool. I don’t feel defeated with Clark going to school next year. Instead, I’m so thankful that I have had 9 years to pour into him. He has a firm foundation and I’m excited to see where God leads him. Now I can focus on my children who really need me to teach them at home.

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In co-op, Mila took all the elementary classes which included Geography, Anatomy & Physiology, PE, Music and a Show Me a Story class. She loved it all! When she was away recovering from surgery, one of her teachers sent her some crafts to work at home. Mila was also able to help tell her class about Ukraine in her Geography class.

Mila loved her Anatomy & Physiology class! They did many of the fun experiments that I did with the middle school students.

Mila took a Music class that she loved! They learned many songs and how to play the recorder and violin! I was even able to play the violin with her teacher during our Christmas co-op brunch.

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Brody, Katy & Callie started out taking all the middle school classes. The classes were Literature, Civics, Anatomy & Physiology, Grammar, World Cultures and Cooking. 

About a month into the 2nd semester we had to drop the Civics and Cooking class. However, we continued to work on them at home. 

Brody, Katy & Callie gave presentations in their Civics class. Each student read a book and presented to the class what they learned. 

Brody read about the Wright brothers. He did a presentation about the different parts of the first engine-powered flyer. Callie read a book called A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt. She did a presentation about Osteomyelitis which was a disease mentioned in the book. This is a disease that Katy had just recovered from which was caused by her pressure sore. Katy presented on different facts about donkeys. She read Brighty of the Grand Canyon. Brighty was a donkey. Katy found out at the end of the school year that she and our family were gifted a trip to the Grand Canyon by a charity called Magic Moments. This was so exciting for her and us!

I taught the middle school Anatomy & Physiology class. Our entire school year was filled with science experiments and reviews of what they read at home. They were able to complete their entire Notebooking Journals. We had so much fun!!

Katy missed the first two months of co-op because she was on bed rest. She was able to do some of the experiments and journaling in bed.

In their Cooking class they learned so much. They loved sampling their finished projects.

In their World Cultures class, they learned about a different country every week.

They also took a Grammar class and a Literature class. In the Grammar class, they used Rod & Staff curriculum. In the Literature class, they used Five in a Row curriculum. They read through five books this year. The books were Thomas Edison, Homer Price, the Saturdays, Sarah Plain & Tall and Amos Fortune.

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Clark took two classes at co-op, Anatomy & Physiology and Grammar. In his Anatomy & Physiology class they used Masterbooks curriculum. In the Grammar class they used Rod & Staff curriculum. Both of these classes were high school level.

In the Anatomy & Physiology class, Clark received his CPR certification.

Everyday around lunchtime, I had to bring him to the public school. At public school, he took a Science & Technology elective class and PE. We tried to get most of his homeschool work finished before he had to go to his classes.

After I picked him up in the afternoons, he often had more homeschool work to complete. Bringing him to school each day was a huge sacrifice and it messed up our homeschool days.

Clark used My Father’s World Ancient History & Literature package for most of his additional homeschool subjects. This year he learned about Greek mythology and he read classics like The Golden Fleece, the Iliad & the Odyssey and the Epic of Gilgamesh. He also read through a good portion of the Old Testament.

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At home, the four oldest kids used Teaching Textbooks for math. As I have said in the past, we LOVE Teaching Textbooks!

We were using Math 7, Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1 this year.

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All of Mila’s co-op classes required no homework. For the rest of the week, we used Christian Light Education 2nd grade curriculum. The workbook style was just what Mila needed. She has come such a long way this year!

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We were not able to continue with private Spanish lessons because of our medical issues and Clark’s football schedule, so we started using Rosetta Stone. This has been a great fit for our family. Right now we screen share it onto our TV and do it all together. The great thing about Rosetta Stone is that it is one price for life and you can change to any language. I thought this was a great deal.

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Brody, Katy, Callie & Mila were all taking piano lessons through our first semester, but after the first of the year, only Callie continued. We are going to try to get Katy back into it this coming school year. Our teacher is so wonderful, but there’s no point taking lessons if you don’t practice.

During the 2nd semester, Mila started learning to play the violin at co-op in a group setting. She didn’t practice like she should, but if she continues to show an interest I’ll teach her.

Our music minister graciously offered to teach Clark in guitar, but he’s not showing an interest.

I wanted so bad for my kids to be musical, but it looks like only Callie is interested. 

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Here are some pictures of a few of the field trips and extra activities we did this year.

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Next year will look different for us. Clark will be in public school and we’ve decided only to do afternoon classes at co-op. As much as I love co-op, my kids and I need a consistent routine every morning on school days. I also miss the flexibility of choosing curriculum that fits my kids and also taking off when we need to without the homework piling up.

I mess up nearly everyday, but I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to be at home teaching my kids. They see my good and bad sides, and I see theirs. Some days, I wonder if maturity will ever show up in my kids. I know that it takes time and with the Lords help I continue pressing on.