Darin and I started homeschooling our kids seven years ago. After homeschooling for about a year, I came across Charlotte Mason and Teaching the Trivium. I love both of the approaches these two methods take. There are many out there who claim to be CM/TTT in their teaching style. I haven't necessarily been able to claim that I am one to exclusively follow these methods as I wanted because life was so busy which made it difficult to be able to really sit down and think hard about how I wanted to fully implement these methods into our school. I have followed these methods as much as I can without being deeply intimate with them.
For example, we have always done copywork, dictation and a bit of narration. We went more quickly with math than TTT recommends, but slower than is normally recommended - if that makes any sense! Ben and I studied a bit of Greek when he was in second grade. We have labored hard to keep their character and Bible studies under the "most important" category. We try to read aloud almost two hours per day, and finally, introduced our oldest to the study of Logic when he was 10 (now 11) using Building Thinking Skills.
With that said, there are so MANY areas that I have really wanted to improve upon. Nature walks for one. This has a tendency to perplex me. I have a hard time viewing a Dallas suburb as a gateway to nature. I realize I have to get over this one, as well as invest in a couple of good nature guides. ;-)
Delayed math. Like I said, with Ben, we went more slowly, then with Lydia, we didn't do much until she hit the last part of second grade. Now we are using Horizons Math with them both. Jack is in first grade and I thought, "Finally, will get a chance to do this delayed math thing!" I was teaching him without a curriculum. He learned how to count by 10's, 5's, and 2's, we have been having conversations here and there about money, and we have been working on his addition math facts. But he sees Ben and Lydia with their own math worksheets and wants that too! So this weekend I broke down and bought him the first grade Horizons Math workbook. He has already gone through it and done all of the money counting exercises.
But what I wanted to write about was how for so long I didn't feel as if I would ever truly be able to incorporate all these wonderful CM/TTT ideas into our school, and had almost given up doing more than we already were doing, when I came across Karen Andreola's "Pocket Full of Pinecones" last January. It was marked 75% of at Mardel, and I wasn't about to walk past a book marked 75% off. I bought it, started reading it, and felt my brain starting to take a turn! After finishing reading it, I moved on to "Handbook of Nature Study" I stalled out here with Nature Studies because it was summer and way too hot to be tramping around outside. Now it is finally fall, and we have taken a few short walks to observe the world around us. It was nice! I have joined a CMyahoogroup and a TTT yahoogroup. Both of these groups are reading material that supports each method and I can finally feel the breakthrough coming that I've always wanted.
DISCLAIMER: The following statement is going to sound SO LAME. I mean, this is probably something you probably already knew, and I probably already knew, but to experience it that way I have has been eye-opening!
Okay. So what I have discovered is that I cannot read CM books and TTT just ONCE and be ready to jump in with both feet. I have to continually educate myself in these methods to truly be successful in teaching the way these two methods recommend. I've accepted the fact that for the rest of my homeschooling career, I will have to constantly be reading something about CM and TTT methods, or I will eventually "lose it." Reminds me of being a Christian! Without reading my Bible I will eventually lose my "salt and light" and be worthless. And to think, that it took me seven years of homeschooling to figure this one out. Oyve! ;-) I'm so excited, thinking about the fact that Henry is only six-months-old! Fresh material!!!! LoL
No comments:
Post a Comment