Self Study Earns More Merits Than Forced Curriculum

To discover Ryder creating his own investigation and exploration like this is soul food for this teacher's heart.

Getting Our Groove Back In Our Little Homeschooling World

It's taken me two months to get our rhythm sorted out but it's finally there. We've hit that sweet spot where things just smoothly work nicely.

Balancing my business and clients I've almost eliminated the "split shift" and that has helped keep us on track. This year we are in a house versus an apartment and we have a dozen boys in the neighborhood. No shortage of outdoor play time with lots of kids their age.

We're hearing beautiful music from Ryder on his violin. Has a fabulous teacher Denise Carter who is Suzuki and does Fiddling. So much fun to hear and see the swift progress from Ryder.

Dax has decided it's guitar for him instead of piano. So it's handy his dad plays and can teach him for now.

I had originally thought Dax could do 2nd grade work but he thrives when we do the ENKI grade one stories and work. I felt at first I wanted to keep the boys closer in their studies but that was clearly ludicrous and not in their best interest (I sound like I'm being hard on myself and in a way I am - it has taken me a while to come in to my own with "home schooling" as I had felt an impending danger that I wouldn't be "allowed" or there would be some "authority" including their dad who would makes remarks about one thing or another - I have always taken everything personally and made it about something wrong with me - THANK GOD FOR NVC AND SUMMER CAMP for the breakthrough! This past few weeks as I was doing inner work as a woman and business owner and healing some more of my own childhood trauma I realized I was harboring energy of self doubt with the boys and home schooling - the great news for me is that is completely eliminated - perhaps that is why the "girl got her groove back")

So now, I have no "judgmental devil" on my shoulder all the time. What a relief that is. And it's like a breath of fresh air to dig out Enki curriculum and go back to the healing, nurturing, delicious substantial stories and work of this grade.

I so wish there was a 4th grade Enki - I know Ryder needs more of that sense that we received from that and I need the support. For now we piece mill his curriculum together well enough though. And of course now that he reads on his own he devours dozens of books a week (sadly not what I would choose and I'm still not certain how the content of some of the "lame" books - Pokemon - ugghh! and other ridiculous stories effect him. I have outlawed a few that are just plain stupid.

OK, so that's my little journal entry and now to address the current issue with the neighborhood kids and the inappropriate words and actions at 7 - oh it's just a different time isn't?