9th Grade Home School Preparations and Planning

My oldest will begin "high school" next year. We've wrapped up the general curriculum for his 8th grade and for the rest of April/May and June he'll be working on a course for presentation skills and public speaking, typing, violin, piano, and continuing to improve body mechanics and critical thinking skills. He'll continue with his math through www.kahnacademy.com and we'll begin learning Vedic Math with both my boys. Starting to plan in the spring before then next year is always the best idea. It gives you the time and presence of mind to evaluate strengths and weaknesses and lay out the whole 4 year journey ahead with an over arching purpose of seeing your child thrive and graduate as a competent, intelligent, happy, whole human being...add to this any of your own personal and family values, along with your child's deep interests. By this time I've already done life coaching and providing success principles to both the boys. As a trained and practicing Success Coach, it really helps to reverse engineer what their goals are and set up a healthy and nourishing learning style and frame work that will foster the child's interests and well being while also providing challenge and obstacles for them to get stronger and build capacity for resilience and understanding. This is where the Vision Quest was so powerful when Ryder was 11. If you haven't done a Vision Quest with your child and they are older, I'd suggest creating a ritual that helps connect them with their higher self, their inner powerhouse both physically and mentally/spiritually. You can align it with your beliefs. Ours happened to be of a heritage of Native and spirituality and we foster a unique allowance of the unique voice in each being as it aligns and interacts in harmony with the web of the universe.

Flipped Upside Down With COVID 19 - Homeschooling Has Become the New Normal For the World

While I personally am feeling a bit overwhelmed and sad that our world is in the current condition, my boys are happy, healthy and thriving. That is what is most important to me.

Knowing that the "world" has to home school now, I imagine it is a significant challenge for many but I believe it can also be a blessing in disguise.

Spring is here and the boys can ride their bikes and we can walk and hike but it's just not the same is it? I made extra effort to get all of us out on Easter Sunday to walk at a beautiful local springs. Smartest decision I made - we all needed to get out and get a fresh perspective. It's too easy to fall into being on the computer and getting fed doom and gloom. UGH! We must remember to lead by example - yes it gets hard for me. There is a part of me that is more inclined to go hide when I am directly attacked...that is something that annoys me about myself. But I would fight to the death for my children, and for the underdog. I worked extremely hard to make myself worth fighting for! (reminder to self ;-) You've got this girl!!)

My boys' dad is quarantined with us. There is part of me that cringes but part of me that is grateful, if not humbled as I navigate and am tested daily on my own values and purpose and mission in life while also focusing on supporting the best in us all.

Certainly this isn't my ideal vision, but we made that decision and know that there was Divine hand in it when Kelly fell ill in February and I was able to get him to the ER where they found he had a stroke and brain bleed. So again, a life or death situation saved by providence.

So I will be grateful for what is and believe it is all for the best while also focusing and aligning my thoughts with the future I intend to create by planting the seeds with each thought, each word...

Now while we go through this, I would definitely not want to be having my boys going back and forth to their dads. But it is a real challenge for my well being and focusing on raising boys with consistency and values.

Ok, so now, looking at what I'm doing with homeschooling I am reassessing. Ryder and I are sitting down to review his goals so that his high school reflects that.

At 14, he has finished the 8th grade curriculum and continues to speed up his typing skills and advance in piano and violin. He's such a good human being.

Connecting with friends from far away with a game of Dungeon and Dragons - what fun!

Dax made his little planes from balsa wood - I am in such awe of his abilities to create!

Morning pages are the first thing we start with - Julia Cameron's 3 Morning Pages and this is what I suggest everyone build in as a habit - it's not only therapeutic, it's so fun to read the pages later. We will read them aloud - with the kiddos permission, and my boys always get a kick out of reading what they wrote a few months and even a year back. Besides it really helps with writing skills.

We are reading Success Principles by Jack Canfield daily. 1 principle a day. Then discussing this and how we want to apply the principle. Both my boys enjoy this but Dax, who is 11, really appreciates this and likes having skills that can help him achieve his dreams.

Getting out in nature daily - we at least get out on our patio that over looks a water shed, with a pair of binoculars and our sketch books it's a great way to learn observation and being still.

We are doing our daily exercise routine and working toward handstands. I'm also starting to teach them Karate from when I trained. Starting with baby steps here. Just to get more movement throughout the day.

Reading good quality books is a top priority. I think it's super easy to fall into everything becoming digital and going to learning online, but I would be cautious on how much digital you invite into your home for this. It is not the only option for education - I promise! 

The most important is to be Present! Find a way to be present and intentional. This is so crucial during this time.

I wrote the PILOT Your Way method and guide to stress free families over a decade ago - when I read it again, I found myself appreciating the simplicity of this and grateful to be reminded of the power of simplicity.

Please grab a copy for you and your family.

If you need connection or support in homeschooling, just let me know. Reach out to me through my FB page or through my work that I do as a coach/speaker/trainer.

I'm here to guide self empowerment, free choice, awareness and taking back the controls (of body, mind, health, etc) from the inside out.

Peace and Blessings.

Stephana

PS I'm offering single coaching sessions at a significant discount from my regular rate. If you need clarity and focus and want intuitive and observant guidance or coaching, I've made daily times available.

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