End of school reflections
As a homeschool parent, I have to work hard to create a feeling of finality when the school year is over. The truth is, we will continue our studies on a smaller scale throughout the summer. Math skills have a way of flying out the window even over a long weekend, you know? The children have not had an awards assembly and I certainly haven’t been fed by the PTA in a teacher appreciation luncheon, but this doesn’t mean I don’t feel like we’ve accomplished a lot. I have been on the front row as I have watched Timothy learn to read and gain the confidence to write, even if it wasn’t perfect. I have seen Paige suddenly be able to create an analytical essay instead of a summary of a history chapter. I have seen Daniel move from B’s and C’s in math to 100% on his final math test. I love watching them learn.
As I clean up the school room today, here are some of the things that I see and what they represent.
This is Paige’s school shelf. This year Paige tackled a very challenging science book and has received A’s on most of her tests. Her spelling notebook is full of words we caught her misspelling in her essays. She spells much better now than she did 9 months ago. Paige did a great job in history this year, learning to analyze and see patterns in modern history and learning to define several different forms of government. She wrote questions to make a modern history game. She read 38 books & received A’s in math. She learned to paint with oils and watercolors. She can now write an outline of a chapter on her own. She began her study of German and found that she liked it a lot. She contributed beautiful art, essays, and poems to the monthly Sahuarita Saga magazine.
Daniel’s shelf tells a lot about this boy. He’s worked hard in Cub Scouts and fulfilled many requirements for his Faith in God award. He read 67 books and finished his science text 3 months ago. He has worked hard at the pond each month, spending the most time in the cold water. He’s become an A student in math during this last term. He worked hard in history, writing great reports on his own with the computer, full of clip art. He contributed to the Sahuarita Saga each month, too. Some my favorite stories he wrote this year are The Adventures of Benny the Bear and Our Treehouse. His Shakespearean sonnet about a Pinewood Derby race is a classic. He continues to be an excellent speller and loved the poetry unit.
Timothy’s shelf (though I staged a lot of the books) represents a year of learning to read, write, and begin a study of math. We gave him homemade pins for accomplishments like learning his address and phone number, completing 50 pages of phonics, learning to write his full name, and reading his first book. He’s reading at a second grade level and read 26 books this year. He knows his addition facts. It took a lot of courage for this little perfectionist to learn to write. He is very artistic and can see when his writing doesn’t look just right and gets frustrated. He’s overcome that and learned to keep trying. His “micro-art” is charming; everything is drawn in miniature. Writing this, I just want to go and give him a big hug.
My children are the evidence of my days. I really love my life.