Middle School Mountain
Two weeks ago, we started lessons ready or not. The important things were ready. Curriculum had been chosen and ordered. My children were begging to get started. My heart was prayerful.
There are still piles of work from last year that have yet to be put away and some of the bookshelves are a mess, but this year I just couldn’t wait until everything was organized.
Other moms were counting on me.
7th grade history was the most difficult subject for me to choose this year. The mountains of high school cast a creeping shadow over my plans. It felt like I was taking those first faltering steps into homeschooling all over again.
I poked around looking for curriculum to help guide me. I leaned towards TruthQuest, but ended up coming back to TRISMS HistoryMakers due to it’s focus on research.
Here I found a couple friends ready to climb the foothills of middle school with me. We’re helping each other up by splitting up lesson planning.
I’m planning art. Dana is working on science. And Barb is putting together history.
I haven’t met these amazing ladies in person. We are scattered across three time zones, but we are joined by a love for our children, a common educational philosophy, and a devotion to our Savior.
The internet is simply our tool. My email is filling up with wonderful lessons and interesting websites to explore. We chat about our day and our children’s response to the lessons, and I find myself enjoying the accountability.
Projects are so easy for me to drop when we get busy, but now I know other families are taking the time to create hieroglyphics. The pressure to give my children the same opportunity compels me to purchase clay and slip it in my children’s workboxes (more on that later).
We’re already running a bit behind, but the point is, we are actually running. The climb is only made better with friends.
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Thank you for visiting my record of reflections about biblical principles, family life, and home education.
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~Renae Deckard
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I really like the idea of sharing the planning of different subjects and lessons. Especially the accountability. Eager to hear how it works for you. I too, am one who sets things aside when life is busy.
.-= kris´s last blog ..Week 2- Car Schoolers- Questions & Manners =-.
Kris,
So far it’s working great! I’m so excited to not only have help planning, but when we’re done we’ll have almost a whole curriculum developed.
.-= Renae´s last blog ..Middle School Mountain =-.
i’ve never heard of trisms. checking it out now.
.-= melissa stover´s last blog ..Tuesday morning- the day after Monday =-.
Melissa,
If you’re looking for something simple, TRISMS may not be for you. It’s sort of a huge unit study outline. There’s not a lot done for you. But that’s actually one of the reasons I really like it for middle school. We can do research from our own materials, such as the Webster’s 1828.
.-= Renae´s last blog ..Middle School Mountain =-.
I love this, Renae! It is amazing how much friends enrich our lives – whether friends in “real life” or online . . . Anyone who says that people can’t form “real” relationships over the internet has just never been blessed with that experience. The internet expands our lives in so many ways.
April,
Thanks! I never dreamed I would be working with friends across three time zones like this. I’m also finding that the internet opens up opportunities for engaging lessons, too. We’re adding video clips, which I rarely did on my own.
.-= Renae´s last blog ..Middle School Mountain =-.
I find I’m doing much better about taking the time to actually do the planned projects rather than focusing on the “essentials” to get through the lesson.
I’m bad about that. It gets the lessons done faster, but takes out all that makes it engaging for the children and how much do they really learn that way?
It’s also keeping me from last minute planning. Even if my plans are *ahem* a little late.
.-= Dana´s last blog ..On spending money in order to save money =-.
What a wonderful idea! I’ve tried to do a local co-op, and while it did keep me more accountable to doing the projects, etc., I really didn’t like the actual co-op time.
.-= Kristen´s last blog ..Still House Pond by Jan Watson =-.
I suppose I should comment since you mentioned me :) We are enjoying TRISMS with you and Dana and yes, the accountability and discipline is needed in our house as well.
I’m amazed at what we are learning, even in areas we have studied before–God always shows something new, some new way of understanding, some new thread of His grace & providence in history. What we call those “Ah-Ha! Why did I not ever see that before?” moments.
I hope it continues.
Picking homeschool curriculum can be very challenging. Once you start looking you want a little bit of all of it. ;) We do use TruthQuest, along with some things on the side to livin it up–hands on stuff. Glad you have gotten started homeschooling this year. We are working too, though ds helping dh on the farm has thrown my carefully laid out schedule out the door for now anyway. ;)
.-= Betty´s last blog ..Nature Study Tuesday September 21On or Off the Fence… =-.
You seem to be doing a wonderful job, keep it up.
I found your blog from a friend of mine and after reading this I am thinking that it sounds like a great idea! I have longed to do a co-op of some type for many years now but simply can not get people in my area interested in doing it. I like the idea of co-oping with friends I have online. I am not sure how well it would work for me personally as most of my friends have much different age groups then I have. I have 1 high schooler, 1 middle schooler and 2 grade school age. I wanted to thank you for the idea, and concept though. I will have to ponder it some more.
[...] Nursing is so much more than feeding Thursday, November 18th, 2010 | Author: Dana Researching the history of gunpowder brings me on an exotic journey along the Silk Road. I reflect for a moment on the threads beginning to emerge. Geography. Culture. Science. How does this relate to what we’ve studied so far and how does it prepare us for what is yet to come? And how can I write the lesson so that it makes sense to mothers miles away whom I’ve never met, yet are depending on me for their own science lessons? [...]