Prepare for a long rambling post!

I have been spending some time over the past week, amid hurricane preparation, cleaning the school room, reorganizing and utilizing our new cabinets and drawers.  Pictures soon, still charging camera batteries.  It has gotten me thinking about how I teach, and what I believe about teaching and learning.  I subscribe to many theories, though none fully.  I love the idea of Montessori teaching, letting students drive part of curriculum with their interests.  Though I believe the teacher has to have an important agenda as well as adapting to a child's needs and interests.  Otherwise they would simply avoid all the subjects they show no natural inclination for.  I think what I truly believe is in immersion learning.  When learning a new language the easiest way to learn is to go to that country and learn from them by being fully immersed in the culture, language, food and customs of that country.  This is also the best way to hold on to what you have learned.  I apply this idea to our lives.  We are living a homeschooling immersion.  There are constant opportunities to learn, and we have created an environment where learning is a priority, and wherever we are we are constantly asking and answering questions.  In addition my friends and family work with the kids too.  While staying with my cousin and my friend, his new wife,CJ asked my cousin what light is made of.  He explained to him about photons and electrons.  How awesome is that?  CJ keeps explaining to me that light is made of photons.  He knows that things are made of cells and atoms.  He asked if there are photons in our cells, and I said I don't think so because we don't create light.  So he made a hypothesis that glow worms and fireflies must have photons in their cells.  Now I have some research to do.  But this is a common occurrence.  No one dumbs down answers or tells the kids to stop asking questions.  Everyone in their lives tries to answer their questions and shows them how to find answers.  Immersion in learning.  I think CJ is reading so well because we have words, letters and books everywhere.  We read around our world.  We were in the car on the way to the library and passes a billboard.  It says "If you see something, say something."  It has the word something sitting on a bus seat.  As we passed CJ told me that the sign says something three times!  Indeed it did.  We then figured out the rest of the words while driving the rest of the way to the library.  We talk about sounds letters make in the car, as well as counting things we see outside.  We always ask the kids, how many toys is that altogether, or how many eggs do we have left if we use two for this recipe?  They are cranky if we don't keep their minds busy.  We take every opportunity to teach and learn.  Any new parents who have asked me about homeschooling, I have told the same thing, make your home a school, a lab, a library.  Make every place a place to learn.  Make it easy on yourself by setting up an environment conducive to learning and teaching.  Mostly this happens in how you interact with your kids.  It is a mindset and way of life, not just a place to go to do lessons.  We will stop what we are doing outside if we find some new insect or plant, and make observations, and I will tell them what I know about it, or go inside and get a book that can help us gain more information.  Sometimes I even bring out the laptop and google what they want to know.  The important thing is to make sure that their thirst for knowledge is quenched, but also that they learn that sometimes other things must take priority.  If I am in the middle of cleaning the bathroom, or making our dinner, they must hold on to their questions, and they will be answered when my task is complete.  When I am not doing anything important we stop and do it right them.  You need to find a balance between adult driven and child driven.  It should be child centered, not child driven.  Also set up routines and procedures that help learning and teaching go more smoothly.  Figure out what you want to accomplish, then make a plan on how to accomplish it.  Then break it down into small repeatable steps.  Let them learn a step completely before adding another.  I think this is where many people falter.  Children need structure, and support, but they also need independence, so you need to make sure activities are age appropriate and not too frustrating.  Give them a challenge sure, but give them the tools to meet it, and the constant support and encouragement they crave.  In addition, worry less about boosting their self esteem falsely.  Their esteem will grow with accomplishment and that is the way it is meant to be.  They shouldn't feel good about accomplishing nothing.  Nor should we as adults.  Not everyone should make the team.  Children should be encouraged to find out their strengths and relish them.  They should also be encouraged to find their weaknesses and to understand that they may not be great at everything, but the important thing is to try their best at whatever they do.  It is ok if they stink at kickball, maybe they will excel at tennis.  It is ok if they have trouble with multiplication, maybe they excel at writing poetry.  Find their strengths and exploit them, find their weaknesses and make them aware of them.  Give them a reason to work harder and to feel real accomplishment when they improve through hard work.  This long ramble to be continued, since the kiddos are awake and ready to start their day!  Thanks for listening. . .

We have been spending a lot of time deep cleaning the house, and putting new cabinets in the school room.  We have been organizing and getting rid of things in hopes of making the house less cluttered and easier to maintain.  Things are already starting to be easier on me and the kids.  I have piles of lessons and activities ready to grab and go.  Yesterday we started on identifying coins.  The kids easily identify pennies and quarters, still working on nickels and dimes.  We are using actual coins, pictures of coins and play coins.  We are also working on reading an analog clock.  They have totally mastered the digital clock.  Every day we spend time reading aloud, reading alone, dancing together, counting by ones, twos, fives and tens.  We talk about the date and day of the week every day.  We are going to the library once or twice a week, and watching less tv, reading more books.  We have reread every High Five magazine the kids ever got, and working together in the kitchen.  I am making the kids be more responsible for keeping themselves and their rooms clean, as well as loading their dishes in the dishwasher.  Spending a lot of time just working on daily routine, and making sure we all remember to brush our hair, brush our teeth and make our beds.  Each day we are getting more efficient and more able to spend time playing together, reading together and enjoying each other's company.  It makes life much more enjoyable.  Pictures of the garden and new schoolroom to come.