A Week of Firsts

This was a week of firsts for our family.

This was my kids’ first week of 9th grade, homeschool style and so as you might expect it was full of hustle and bustle and changing plans… also it was the husband’s first week back to work (which made everyone so very, very happy around here!)

First Week of Dramatic Macbeth Readings and AutoUpkeep Lessons

The first week we did dramatic readings of Macbeth alongside a literature guide from Progeny Press (review coming soon). The dramatic readings were sometimes more dramatic than others. My son really loves to sing (opera style) the parts of all three witches… which leads to much laughter and happiness in the house. The laughter leads to the dog dancing about and barking because everyone is happy, which leads to the cat racing away at top speed. And this all, inevitably, leads to the guinea pig purring because – well we have no clue why, but she does it every time the dog barks. So for us Macbeth is really a loud family activity.

This was the first week of a great new course my son is taking on automotive upkeep that includes light repair instruction as well as maintenance and physics and finance. It looks fantastic and he is loving it so far!

I Listened To The Sensei & Gave My Kids The Responsibility For Learning

It was also the first week my kids took the reins and gave me direction as to how and what they really want to read and learn. Yes, I still have a list of “thou must learn this” topics, but the rest is up to them to decide.

I was sitting at my daughter’s Karate class this week and the incredibly wise Sensei (recently returned from a summer in Japan) was talking quietly with all the children seated around him in a big circle on the mats. He told them that while in Japan at a train station, he saw a young boy and his mother. She was telling the boy, “I told you to do your homework. Why didn’t you? Now sit here and study!” My daughter’s Sensei told the children that this mother was doing the worst thing she could to that child because from that moment forward, he would hate to study. Even as an adult he would not like to study and probably wouldn’t even know why. He would also not take responsibility for learning things because his mother placed herself in that role. She was telling his when and how to study and by doing that, the boy was no longer making the decision himself or taking the responsibility. Without taking that responsibility, he would not assume the risk of failure and also not reap the reward of success: self-esteem. (Yes, this is a fantastic Sensei who has dedicated his life to helping children and their parents grow into happy successful people)

But that long story is just to let you know why I decided to hand the reins over more to my kids in our homeschool. It worked really well so far – my son is absolutely loving his lessons and my daughter is busily preparing for her future.

How was your week? Are you planning the next school year, or did you jump in yet?