The Adventure Begins...

So, it all begins with an idea...and mine was a crazy one.  I had the thought that perhaps I could bring my son, Lucas, home from school and become the teacher in his world.

I knew it wouldn't be easy, as nothing with Lucas ever is.  I knew it would not be boring, or like any of the scenarios in any other homeschooler's houses.  And I was right, it is none of the above!

Lucas has hated school since Kindergarten, and I've always felt a sense of helplessness when seeing him struggle with teachers he felt didn't understand him, endless days of needing to sit still when he wanted to be running around, and ridiculous amounts of "busy work" that all teachers throw at kids.  Ostensibly, the idea is that if you throw enough of this work at the kids, some of it will stick, hopefully the stuff that they will be tested on by the state, since these test scores determine everything from school funding to area house prices.

Over the last three years, I've seen the light go out of his eyes as far as school and learning are concerned, and the endless homework meant that he had very little time or interest in learning anything for its own sake.  The times I did see a spark were when he was on summer vacation, and he would spend his days and weeks learning about whichever insect he happened to catch that day.

After months of regular tears and begging me to homeschool him, I decided that I would give it a go.  I would see it as a grand experiment, and take it one day at a time, rather than think of where we might be 10 years from now educationally and emotionally.  And so, we said good-bye to the public school system this past June, and here I am, questioning my decision daily, trying not to be too hard on him, or myself in these early days. I know everything is trial and error right now, and it will probably always be this way to some extent, but I still feel positive and justified in my decision to try and help him rediscover the joy of learning....

I won't lie and say that the first two weeks have been a breeze.  Frustrations on both sides, and unrealistic expectations on my part have made me take a step back several times, to think about what I really want to achieve, what I want him to achieve, and how we will get there with the most fun and least tears.

We have had some great high points, though; a visit to Insectropolis, a bug museum in Toms River, NJ, where we got to touch several creepy crawlies, and even purchased a lovely framed assortment of bugs as a souvenir, and my favourite so far, a homeschool art class at the Montclair Art Museum.

At the MAM, the theme for the class was Katsina dolls (also spelled Kachina in the past), as can be found in native art in the Southwestern areas of the United States.  These dolls are given to their children, and are representations of the costumes used by adult members of the tribes during Katsina dances and rituals, which are generally prayers for things such as a bountiful harvest, rain or healing of a sick member.  We got to see several examples of authentic Katsina dolls, and then had a chance to make our own.

Here are a couple of actual Katsinas

And here are ours

 

The one on the bottom is Lucas' and mine is obviously the one on the top...

At some point during the project, I decided that my Katsina doll would be representative of my personal prayer as a homeschooling mom.  It goes as follows:

Please give me:
Ears, to really hear what's being said
A sunny disposition on the rainiest day
Wise eyes, that see the best in him
A smile on my face, and an open heart
Arms to hug, and hold my belly in laughter
Wings to help this endeavour take flight...

Let's hope it works!!