I’m two years away from having an official “teenager,” and I must tell you, I can’t wait for those years. This is an article aimed at the home schooled teen, learning during those so-called high school years, especially for the young adult planning to attend university.
Preoccupied with homeschooling these days, still trying to find a balance in what to do with the boys, how much to push them, and if they aren’t doing “school”, what should they be doing in replace of it.
So far this fall, we’ve tried letterboxing, started back to Community Bible Study classes and AWANA, resumed Wednesday night church youth programs and various other activities. I enjoy busy, but busy doesn’t write pithy blog posts or get the housework done or let me stare out the window as much as I’d like. I’m a big fan of daydreaming…
Vacation. Never did blog about it here like I wanted. We had a nice time. Did a lot of hiking, biking, beach combing, and swimming. For me, one of the highlights of the trip was listening to Peter – unprompted – read aloud. That was a memory to remember. It wasn’t much, just the packaging from a fast-food toy, but it’s something, right?
And that thought brings me to an quandary that may be to blame as to why I’ve been so quiet here. I’m not sure how much I want to share about my kid’s performance with the 3R’s in a public forum. Will they come to resent it? Will they be embarrassed later in life? I’m glad I had the foresight to not use their real names.
Not sure how I’m going to resolve this dilemma. If any of you have thoughts as to yea or nay in regards as to how the home learning is going, I’d like to know. Do you care if I write about homeschooling or not?
As for reading, I’m deep into three books at the moment. The United States of Argula by David Kamp, Homeschooling on a Shoestring by Melissa L. Morgan and Judith Waite Allee and Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Osten. I’m reading Dinotopia aloud to anyone willing to listen. I need to prepare intelligent thoughts about a book for a book tour by the end of the month. Overloaded is the key word here.
Okay, then. I guess I’m back. All is well here. Normal fall back to busyness.
As a mother, and as a lover of fine words and stories, I will never grow weary of watching my children fall in love with reading and books.
This week I witnessed Susan’s relationship with books deepen.
We were at the library, and as chance had it (or maybe it was a God-ordained meeting?), our dear friends came in right behind us. This is the one family in our homeschool fellowship that my children adore, and I believe the feeling is mutual on their part. When we meet, there is much hugging, giggling and shouts of joy. Because we are both homeschooling families, we don’t see much of each other. Busy at home, busy with activities. So a spontaneous, accidental meet-up in the children’s section of the library is a lovely treat.
As I chatted with the mother, I noticed Susan and her friend kneeling on the floor, heads bent towards each other, in between the shelves. They were talking, sharing secrets about something, I was sure of it. I hoped it had to do with books. Usually when we go to the library, I suggest titles to my eleven year old. And she resists, unwilling to try all my old favorites and all the new titles that look appealing to me. Susan would get books about baking or collecting TY Beanie Babies, which is fine, I’m glad she’s interested in collecting and cooking. But what of the fiction? Why wasn’t she falling in love with all those characters I adored as a young girl?
I knew Susan’s friend loved fiction, her mother told me both her daughters read constantly. As I peeked around the bookshelf to watch the girls, I hoped my Susan was considering bringing home fiction this time.
Sure enough, when it came time to leave, Susan had selected several books in the Pony Club series, a Wishbone book and an American Girl title about a blond named Julie. Finally! I thought to myself.
Susan read during the drive home. I think she may have gone straight to her room to read when we got there. Needless to say, she did a lot of reading in a short period of time. Those were easy reads for her, but that’s not the point. For the first time, my girl was captured with an imaginary world found in fiction, so taken in that reading was the activity chosen above all other enticements (computer, a sibling, writing or play).
In two days, Susan had finished all her books and asked to go back to the library for more. We went and she took more books home. Again, Pony Club, American Girl and Wishbone. She read as we walked to the car.
Me again: Finally!
But the story doesn’t stop there.
Last night, the two of us were out for her 4H club meeting. The bookstore open late. Could we go? I’m never one to pass on an opportunity to be surrounded with the written word, and I want to encourage her, so we went.
And this time our visit was remarkably different.
Susan went straight to the juvenile fiction section, found City of Ember and embraced it like an old friend. No Pony Club this time. She said she wanted a “thicker chapter book.” Last night there was no plea for a Klutz book, what she usually wants; she’s crazy for the ones with the fill in the blank pages.
Right now, it’s almost 10:30 and she came out of her bedroom looking overtired. Susan fed the bunnies, ignoring food and Internet, and is now back in her bedroom, door shut. It’s a gray day and we have no plans to take us away from the house. I suspect she will be finished with her new book by nightfall.
It’s going to be a beautiful day.