an end to all things...
Last day of school!! Can you hear me whooping it up here on my little island? 'Cause I am!! Later today when school is over, we will go to the mall for a little celebration and get some hot pretzels.
Now, technically, we aren't really "done." I've got girlie #1 who has at least three science modules left (which usually take 2 weeks each), and about 9 lessons in math still to complete. I've got girlie #2 who has about 10 lessons in math to complete, and girlie #3 who also needs to finish up some math and science. Then, technically, there is still some reading for girlie #1. (This girl deserves a small medal for the difficult level and amount of reading she's done and has yet to do this year.) But by my calculations, we've completed 180 days, which is the Pennsylvania-approved number of school days for a year. So as far as legality goes...we are DONE. Phew. I am tired. Brain tired. Body tired. And truthfully, soul tired.
I know I have so much to do before our next academic year begins. As my oldest begins high school this coming year, I will need to keep transcripts and really pour over what credits she will need to graduate and fulfill college entrance requirements. Other than self-discipline to manage my time well in all of this, I just need plain old money. Homeschooling for us has always been done on a shoe-string...and by that, you should picture the oldest, stretched out, most hanging-by-a-thread shoestring you can imagine. I think one or two years I might have spent $400 or so on curriculum... total. Then there were other school-related expenses like ballet lessons for all 3 girls and 1 year of piano lessons for Keaton. But this year...the only things I bought were paper, pencils, and a few paper folders. All my books and curriculum were either given to me or found free online. If I couldn't get it for $0, it wasn't happening. At times I have turned green with envy or even sinfully judged others around me who are able to spend well into the thousands of dollars on homeschooling their children. How I wish I could do that.... But God has never financially enabled us to do so. And yet, I do not think that ultimately, my children have suffered any real loss. Truth be told, there are far more free books and resources to be found online than any child could possibly manage to read and incorporate into their schooling. In fact, yesterday afternoon I discovered this site: http://education-portal.com/ where free online AP exam study courses and freshman level college courses are offered for ....FREE! I read over a few chapters and watched a few of their videos to see the content and quality. And I will definitely be able to use this site for my girls as they encounter their high school years.
No matter what, I know God will continue to provide for us as we seek to educate our daughters. And this goes far beyond financial resources. Stamina for me cannot be bought! Open minds and hearts for the girls to keep taking in new concepts and ideas...mental skill to pull information apart, examine it, dissect it, and put it back together into intelligible written forms...and so many other needs I must lay before the Lord...which far outweigh the financial aspects of homeschooling. And ultimately, my goal is to keep all our study and learning under the authority of God and His Word. I know He will always be faithful to help us in this, because Proverbs 16:3 says "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."
Now, technically, we aren't really "done." I've got girlie #1 who has at least three science modules left (which usually take 2 weeks each), and about 9 lessons in math still to complete. I've got girlie #2 who has about 10 lessons in math to complete, and girlie #3 who also needs to finish up some math and science. Then, technically, there is still some reading for girlie #1. (This girl deserves a small medal for the difficult level and amount of reading she's done and has yet to do this year.) But by my calculations, we've completed 180 days, which is the Pennsylvania-approved number of school days for a year. So as far as legality goes...we are DONE. Phew. I am tired. Brain tired. Body tired. And truthfully, soul tired.
I know I have so much to do before our next academic year begins. As my oldest begins high school this coming year, I will need to keep transcripts and really pour over what credits she will need to graduate and fulfill college entrance requirements. Other than self-discipline to manage my time well in all of this, I just need plain old money. Homeschooling for us has always been done on a shoe-string...and by that, you should picture the oldest, stretched out, most hanging-by-a-thread shoestring you can imagine. I think one or two years I might have spent $400 or so on curriculum... total. Then there were other school-related expenses like ballet lessons for all 3 girls and 1 year of piano lessons for Keaton. But this year...the only things I bought were paper, pencils, and a few paper folders. All my books and curriculum were either given to me or found free online. If I couldn't get it for $0, it wasn't happening. At times I have turned green with envy or even sinfully judged others around me who are able to spend well into the thousands of dollars on homeschooling their children. How I wish I could do that.... But God has never financially enabled us to do so. And yet, I do not think that ultimately, my children have suffered any real loss. Truth be told, there are far more free books and resources to be found online than any child could possibly manage to read and incorporate into their schooling. In fact, yesterday afternoon I discovered this site: http://education-portal.com/ where free online AP exam study courses and freshman level college courses are offered for ....FREE! I read over a few chapters and watched a few of their videos to see the content and quality. And I will definitely be able to use this site for my girls as they encounter their high school years.
No matter what, I know God will continue to provide for us as we seek to educate our daughters. And this goes far beyond financial resources. Stamina for me cannot be bought! Open minds and hearts for the girls to keep taking in new concepts and ideas...mental skill to pull information apart, examine it, dissect it, and put it back together into intelligible written forms...and so many other needs I must lay before the Lord...which far outweigh the financial aspects of homeschooling. And ultimately, my goal is to keep all our study and learning under the authority of God and His Word. I know He will always be faithful to help us in this, because Proverbs 16:3 says "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."
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