First Week of School

 Isaac's first day of 1st Grade!

 Eve, insisting on wearing a "packpack" like the big kids

 

Claire's first day of preschool!

 

Well, we have completed our first ever week of homeschooling, and I lived to tell the tale.  We started school on Tuesday with Classical Conversations, a homeschool group we've joined here.  The kids LOVE it there, and I feel really grateful for enthusiastic teachers, structure, community, and the "safety net" CC provides.  It may not be a perfect fit for my ideal style of learning (we'll have to wait and see), but it's a flexible program and I'm still in the drivers seat.  So far, we're all happy.  And that's important.

 

So how does it feel, starting school at home? Exciting.  Overwhelming.  Tiring.  Saturation point with kid-interaction. Fun. Lots of adjustments. Chaotic.  I've been enjoying seeing how much they've learned just in one week, and it's been fun to teach them. On the one hand, teaching with a squirrely toddler on your hip (who is screaming "RAISINS!" and trying to eat your preschooler's skip counting activity) is a little nerve-shattering.  On the other hand, having a toddler sit nicely in your lap while you have Bible time and your older children raise their hands nicely and eagerly answer questions is kind of exhilirating.  Claire and Isaac are really doing well, and they seem to be engaged.  They do not fawn at my feet in utter delight after a morning under my expert tutelage.  They are not blown away by my efforts, nor do they gush to their friends about how much they adore school.  I hope that's okay.  I am not a super "fun" teacher (I hope that's okay too), and I'm glad they have CC as an engaging place where they get to do a lot of activities I don't have the energy to plan out. I know it's going to take a little while to get my feet under me, get the hang of this new schedule, and settle into our new routine.  I'm really glad that it's going so smoothly so far. Part of me misses the excitement of sending the kids off to school, but the other part of me is cherishing this opportunity to be with them and to learn as a family.  There are just always tradeoffs in life, aren't there?  I feel like Claire, Isaac, and I are really learning together as a team, and that's a treasure. 

 

But I was pretty glad for the weekend, for sleeping in, having my man home, and relaxing with everyone.  Next week will be great too, but I'll take my weekends whenever I can get them :)