Her first grade teacher

This morning, on her way into school, my daughter asked me what my teachers' names were when I was a kid.  I recounted them as best I could remember, "My first grade teacher was Mrs. So-and-so," etc, etc.  She interrupts me with the cutest smile on her face and says, "My first grade teacher is M. O. M!" 

How cute is that?!? 

Parenting Pledge

I found this on Little Acorn Learning blog and I ABSOLUTELY love it!

"In every home where this pledge is made and kept, children will have a greater opportunity to grow into healthy, intelligent, and useful members of society."  

Artist:  Mary Cassatt (1845-1926)

**This pledge to children was unanimously adopted by 6000 delegates at the Midcentury White House Conference on Children and Youth, held in Washington D.C., December 3-7, 1950.  

• From your earliest infancy we will give you our love, so that you may grow with trust in yourself and in others. 

• We will recognize your worth as a person and we will help you to strengthen your sense of belonging.  

• We will respect your right to be yourself and at the same time help you to understand the rights of others, so that you may experience cooperative living.

• We will help you to develop initiative and imagination, so that you may have the opportunity freely to create.

• We will encourage your curiosity and your pride in workmanship, so that you may have the satisfaction that comes from achievement. 

• We will provide the conditions for wholesome play that will add to your learning, to your social experience, and to your happiness.  

• We will illustrate by precept and example the value of integrity and the importance of moral courage.

• We will encourage you always to seek the truth.

• We will provide you will all opportunities possible to develop your own faith in God. 

• We will open the way for you to enjoy the arts and to use them for deepening your understanding of life.

• We will work to rid ourselves of prejudice and discrimination, so that together we may achieve a truly democratic society.  

• We will work to lift the standard of living and to improve our economic practices, so that you may have the material basis for a full life. 

• We will provide you with rewarding educational opportunities, so that you develop your talents and contribute to a better world.  

• We will protect you against exploitation and undue hazards and help you grow in health and strength.  

• We will work to conserve and improve family life and, as needed, to provide foster care according to your inherent rights.  

• We will intensify our search for new knowledge in order to guide you more effectively as you develop your potentialities.  

• As you grow from child to youth to adult, establishing a family life of your own and accepting larger social responsibilities, we will work with you to improve conditions for all children and youth. 

Aware that these promises to you cannot be fully met in a world at war, we ask you to join us in a firm dedication to the building of a world society based on freedom, justice and mutual respect.  

So you may grow in joy, in faith in God and in man, and in those qualities of vision and the spirit that will sustain us all and give us new hope for the future. 

What I am thinking...

My daughter is currently in Kindergarten, and at the end of this year, will have completed a full Montessori Children's House.  I absolutely LOVE the Montessori method and philosophy, namely the respect for and following the child, and also the use of concrete manipulatives which move toward abstract concepts.  However, I am also drawn to the magic and well-roundedness of the Waldorf method as well.  Their use of fairy tales and imagination, while engaging other aspects of the child (head, heart, hands) really appeals to me as well.  I particularly like that children get a musical base (recorder) and learn to do handwork (knitting, etc). 

At first glance I think the two methods appear to be contradictory.  Maria Montessori was very emphatic that children do not need fantasy, that reality actually frees them from their fantasies and satisfies a deep hunger for knowledge of real things.  Waldorf truly embraces that play is the work of the child, and that by delving into a rich inner life and imagination, you are laying the foundations for other education.  However, I think the two can really bring a richness and a balance.  How this will look for us, I don't know.  I am still pondering what I want our homeschool to look like.

Space is a consideration for us, as our house doesn't really lend itself to a specific school area.  I could repurpose a room if I knew we would be in this location for the entire school year, but since we are military and up for orders next year, it is sort of a crap shoot.  And, although I have read a multitude of books and seen the works of the Montessori Method, I do not in any way, shape, or form feel comfortable doing a strictly Montessori approach.  So, I have been obsessing over researching other curricula.  Thank goodness for Facebook groups and having knowledgeable friends who homeschool!  But my brain has been on overdrive and I am very overwhelmed!  I really want to figure out what I want to start with so I can have the whole spring to look over materials and pick and choose what will work for us.  I need to do my own homework!

I have been looking at using a boxed curriculum to start, especially since this is my first year.  I am leaning toward Moving Beyond the Page due to its literature base and the use of manipulatives.  Need to supplement with a phonics and a math.  For that I am torn between Right Start Math (expensive) and Miquon (not so much).  Phonics-wise, I am looking at Waldorf-y stuff.  My girlfriend is selling her barely used Montessori equipment and has a bunch of language and math-related works, so I am really considering (based on cost) of also supplementing with Montessori as my daughter is already familiar with that.  I could go crazy, but also don't want to break the bank!

We are Catholic, so I will use a religion course from Seton Home Study.  Adding in a bunch of reading, field trips, her other activities (dance and gymnastics), and some social time and I think we will call it an education!  So even with a prepackaged curriculum, I am still using an eclectic approach, and ultimately aim to follow her lead. 

These are my thoughts so far.  I don't want to get crazy and be a total nut job over this, but I really want her to be well-rounded.  My daughter is a very bright, enthusiastic, curious, and perceptive child.  I hope to foster all of these and encourage her continued growth and development without stifling her with my lack of ability, preparation, or patience (I have a background in education, but teaching nursing students - not children)!  This is why I'd like to have an idea so I can start at least reading and preparing minimally for now.

I am excited (and a little scared) about this journey, but ultimately feel a peace in my heart about it.  I truly think this is my next step, and my calling from God, but that doesn't mean it is easy.  I will answer the call, and pray everyday for the grace to be able to fulfill my obligation to both my daughter and Him.  And, for those who are along for the ride, I will check in for inspiration and guidance!

For Posterity

I started this blog as my husband and I have made the decision to homeschool our daughter next year for first grade.  It has always been floating on the periphery of my mind, but after considering our situation and praying for guidance, it is something I feel called to do.  It may be a bit premature to start a blog as we won't be starting actual homeschooling until next fall, but I feel all of this is part of our journey.  So here we are, at the beginning!

I haven't officially announced to the world that this is what we have decided to do, but since I am writing it down, I guess now it is official.  As I continue along this path, I will share our background and all of the curriculum choices we make.  Ohmygoodness, it is all so overwhelming!  This will also be a good outlet for me, so I don't bore my traditional-school friends to death or innendate my homeschool friends.

For now, I have a little that just awoke from his nap, so I guess this is it.  Until next time...