Boy, meet Books...

This article written recently on the Wall Street Journal online might better have been titled, "How to Be Sure Your Boys Never Read." It is a fascinating, and slightly disturbing, article discussing the modern trend of "doing whatever" to entice learning. In this particular case, using "potty talk," as we call it in my house, to trick boys into reading.

The author, Thomas Spence, further elaborates on the literacy gap that occurs between boys and girls as being the result of, essentially, too much dumbing down of literature. (Not to mention the problem of too many hours glued to the screen playing video games.) It is interesting to note that the author does end with a fascinating tidbit -

I offer a final piece of evidence that is perhaps unanswerable: There is no literacy gap between home-schooled boys and girls.

I LOVE how he says this idea of "no literacy gap" is unanswerable. Dear Mr. Spence, shall I show you the magic of homeschool?

FREE Museum Day!

This is an unbelievable deal! Visit one of your local participating museums on September 25 with a free admission ticket for two guests. 'Ya think it's a good time for a field trip yet? :)

Homeschool Planning

My boys have enjoyed a full summer already. T-ball, beach time with family, popsicles, slip-n-slides, and dancing in the summer rain. Here in the deep South, we took our summer vacation a bit early, as summer down here practically starts the day Old Man Winter heads home for a slumber. Now that it's too hot to enjoy the outdoors, we're going to be getting back to our daily routine.

Last month, as the mercury was rising, I took the opportunity to get some planning done for next year. If you don't know me, you have no idea how excited I've been. I love to plan. I live to plan. The only problem I have with planning is that sometimes my plans don't succeed. Oh well... time to make another plan. Joy!

I'm an elementary teacher by trade. (My chosen career probably has something to do with the fact that I never got over that desire for new books, notebook paper, freshly sharpened pencils and a brand new pack of crayons.) Planning for the coming year seems old hat to someone like me, but I realized this might not be something that's easy for others. Hopefully, I can explain it in a nutshell.

I make my plans based on four 9-week terms. My family takes breaks between the terms: one fall break, one long Christmas break, one spring break, and one slightly longer summer break. I decide how much needs to be covered in each subject during the four 9-week terms and lay out this information in a spreadsheet or monthly planner. Since I don't have a principal breathing down my back anymore making sure I'm accomplishing something, being organized in this way gives me confidence that all is well in our little school world.

One problem with making your plans in advance is there's bound to be a problem. What's that saying? "The best laid plans...." You know what happens. You get sick, the kids get sick, the birth of a new baby, family emergencies, etc, etc, etc,.. There is always something going on to prevent the accomplishment of our plans. This is why four 9-week terms is a great system. You plan to teach 36 weeks out of the year, right? That leaves 16 weeks of vacation time. If you make all your vacation time longer than you'd like, you'll be leaving a cushion in your plan. You're bound to need it and allowing that extra time will help you fulfill your yearly school goals without feeling overly stressed when life gets messy.

There are a number of ways to manage your planning. School teacher's usually have lesson plan books. Homeschool groups often recommend weekly planners. There are some helpful planning documents on Donna Young's website. I'll be posting my personal plans for the year soon. Looking forward to chatting again! *smile*