These last couple of years have been odd school years. The pandemic of 2020 threw a wrench in everybody's plans. Even homeschoolers couldn't do the things they normally would, library visits, field trips, and such. Then we roll into 2021 and life still hasn't returned to "normal". Partly, because of the pandemic and more likely because I really enjoy the "not going" and just staying home. The pandemic turned me into a hermit!
This school year my daughter is in her second year in high school! We arrived way too fast for my liking. She's a beautiful, sweet girl who truly loves Jesus. I think back over the years and I tend to focus on all the things I think I messed up because she was the first student I ever homeschooled. She was my learning curve. Leaning on Jesus and trusting her path to Him I've come to realize my "feelings" don't line up with the picture presented. My oldest loves to read, she is organized, knows how to prioritize, and is an independent learner. She isn't sure what she wants to do for a "career" yet, but her plan is to start off in business until she finds her way. Although her road has been a bit of a zigzag getting here, I'm pleased with where she's headed.
My youngest is smack dab in the middle of middle school. He turned 13 this school year and I'm so thankful that neither of my teens experienced any of the teenage angst I went through. He is a serious young man, a thinker who likes to crack a joke every now and again (he's getting better at it!) I thought my experience with his older sister would serve him well when he arrived at the same grade levels but I quickly found out that they have different learning styles. Planning and scheduling aren't natural for him. So, we are focusing on using a planner and being more independent this year and so far, it's been going really well. He joined Civil Air Patrol over the summer and has decided after high school he will join the Air Force. We'll see, a lot can change in those 5 years.
The biggest change for me is that I stopped using my yearly planner. It was getting redundant copying everything out of my oldest's planner and then writing everything twice in mine and my son's for his work. I generally grade all my son's work in the morning and write his assignments for the day in his binder. (Oh, that will make a good freebie!) Then I grade my daughter's "writing" work that needs a teacher score. She grades her math and everything else that has an "actual" answer she can compare to. She follows a schedule and then "logs" her work into her planner. So instead of all that writing, I went to a digital grade book. It helps with tracking weighted grades, transcripts, reading lists, and attendance. There was a learning curve but I love it! You can find the free one that I use here at Five J's.
7th grade
 |
- Journey through the Bible, Bk. 1, Benz, Pentateuch and Historical books
- Boyhood and Beyond, Schultz
- From Boy to Man, Queen
- What is God’s Design for My Body? Horner
- From Adam to Us, Notgrass
- A Single Shard, Park (12th Century Korea)
- Don Quixote, Baldwin (17th Century Spanish Literary Character)
- English PACEs, ACE Ministries
- Jump In!, Middle School Composition, Watson
- Math Foundations, Miller
- Chemistry, Sabbath Mood Homeschool, Williams
- Bible Study Course-Old Testament, Dallas High Schools
- Know Why You Believe, Little
- Early Modern World History
- TruthQuest
- Story of Liberty, Coffin
- Sweet Land of Liberty, Coffin
- Story of the Renaissance & Reformation, Miller
- Easy Grammar Ultimate Series
- Composition I, Christian Light Education
- Introduction to Literature, Christian Light Education
- Algebra IB, Christian Light Eductation
- Chemistry, Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum
- Chemistry 101 DVD
- MicroChem Kit for labs
- High School Geography & Cultures
- World Geography, Endeavor Learning Lab
- Introduction to Logic: Informal Fallacies, MasterBooks
- Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers
- Money Matters for Teens, Burkett
- Spanish I, Endeavor Learning Lab
