Day One

The day began at 4:00 am (as most of my days do). I was at work by 5:00 am. By 9:00 am, I was on my way home, transitioning to "homeschool mom".

The girls and I began our day at 9:30. As most first days, there was nothing challenging to learn and no tests of will. Those trials will come later in the year. Today was a day of enthusiasm and good intentions. The 15 year old, (who doesn't remember homeschooling. She was only in 1st grade when I stopped), kept trying to figure out what was required, what was the schedule. She was more than slightly disappointed at the laid back feel to the day. I didn't give her a list of homework to be completed by Friday 5:00 pm. Instead, we sat at discussed ideas for how Aristotle could have tested his hypothesis that all material for the growth of a plant comes from the earth. Then we read a chapter of "Le Petit Prince" alternating paragraphs, so she could practice her French pronunciation and translations. Math was a review of Algebraic concepts taught last year.

The 17 year old loved every minute of it. I haven't seen her so enthusiastic about learning in years. The 15 year old and I well.... it might take us a while. I don't feel a sense of accomplishment yet. I know that this is a better way. My daughters will actually remember what we discussed today. They caught the enjoyment of spinning creative ideas around a given problem (how to determine where the matter for growth comes from in a plant.) They had an opportunity to practice learning how to think for themselves. It was good.

But, I miss my check boxes.