What does a "great" home school mom look like?

Even on my best day I’m just an “ok” home school mom. Although, I’m not sure what a “GREAT” home school mom looks like…In my mind: she gets up, has her quiet time, exercises, prepares breakfast, throws in a load of laundry, makes the bed, wakes the littles, feeds the littles, tidies breakfast, kisses the baby daddy good bye for the day, prompts the littles to brush their teeth, make beds, get dressed, teach with excellence and all make an A+

yada-yada-yada and then the reality fairy or a scream from fighting littles in the distance wakes me from my slumber….

There was no guesswork when I worked as a public school teacher.  I was fortunate to work for several administrators and most were very gracious with their compliments and praise and/or their correction or suggestions for improvement.  I always knew where I stood.  We had monthly walkthroughs.  Sticky-notes were often left on my door or desk with things my administrator was pleased with or not.  Other than the fact that the walkthroughs were often spontaneous and the fact that six and seven year old students are very unpredictable -I didn’t mind the walkthroughs-for the most part.  I like knowing where I stand.

Now that my classroom has moved from a public setting for all to view and critique or compliment as they may-I often wonder “what does a GREAT home school mom look like?” “Am I doing this right? Are they learning what they need to?”

And then I remember what I was once told by a wise, co-worker, “Good teaching is good teaching”  …Relax…& remember… Give clear instructions. Check for understanding.   Model appropriate behaviors.  Guide as needed.

I was given another gold nugget of advice the summer before I began my first year of teaching at home.

“ROUTINE verses SCHEDULE”

Meaning do the same thing each day in the same order regardless of what time you start verses saying you will do math at 8 phonics at 9 etc.

Some AWESOME advice that has worked well for us.  Both of my boys have always been great sleepers.  Yes, you can say bad things and not like me for just a second. Surely we’ve all been told and KNOW that you should never wake a sleeping baby and even though neither of my boys are babies anymore…..oh gosh, give me just a second to swallow the lump in my throat….

Ok. I’m ok now.

Even though they are no longer babies I have concluded from my own personal research that it is even worse to wake a sleeping, growing boy.  They are usually up by 8ish and we usually start our school work by 9ish….

This week was like, BREAK THROUGH WEEK!!!!!! Thus this post.  One of my children who will remain nameless because that’s the way he likes it- has struggled with reading.  By struggling I mean he has expressed at least 7.9 cajillion times, “I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHY BOOKS HAD TO BE INVENTED?!”  And by struggling I mean s-o-u-nd-i-n-g out e-v-e-r-y- l-e-t-t-er- sometimes more than once to the point one (or both) of us is ready to run for the woods- never to return.  It’s been painful.  And that’s okay.  Because NO PAIN GOES IN VAIN.  Just this past week-books HAVE JOINED THE TEAM.  Meaning they are no longer our enemy.. They are actually “ok” and might just be borderline “cool”.

HALLELUJAH from whom all blessings flow…….

Listen ya’ll.  I taught first grade for over a decade, Kindergarten for 6 months and PreK 4 for one year.  I’ve taught lots of kids.  Many of them learned to read with my guidance. I have celebrated with many littles as they read their first word, first sentence, first library book and some, their first chapter book.  And it was GREAT!! But none so GREAT a CELEBRATION as hearing ONE OF MINE READ ALL BY HIMSELF WITH SUCH CONFIDENCE.. It was magical. Even though it was not his first book- it was his FIRST book read independently with confidence.   Could you hear my heart sing?  Because it did! It sang HALLELUYAH! HALLELUYAH!   Amen.

We’re still celebrating! And we all feel GREAT! And even though we don’t do as many science experiments as the boys want (which is like at least 5 a day) and we don’t go on as many fields trips as the rascals would like -from my perspective we’re doing “ok” on the home front and maybe, just maybe some days -a little better than okay :O)

Here are a few shots of the things we got into this week.

I introduced the kids that come to our home school group to old school “snowflakes”..

And sparkly snowflakes

Oh, and here is a shot of the “Tower of Babel” one of the littles made.  We are waiting for it to dry out so he can paint it.

Everybody together now, “ooooh, ahhhhh”

 

Here’s my favorite ….I should really log or journal through pictures the things this little creates…Meet, the “RED RACER” ……He refurbished many of the parts from a crane he had made a few weeks back…

The rest are pieces or stuff (also know as junk) he gathered from our garden shed ..(and spray-painted red-without permission on my back porch “help me Lord”) ..He assembled it – SOLO. Notice the Play-Doh cans he retrieved from the garbage that were emptied in making the Tower of Babel.

“Mom, you know these can be my rocket packs for the RED RACER?”

“Well ye-ah! Of course they can son!  What was I thinking??”

have a blessed evenin’

:O) k