Welcome to the 4th Grade!

The first day of 4th grade is almost here! We start Monday to be exact. Today is meet the teacher day at our little homeschool. Of course Westen and I have already met, but I have a lot of new things to show him. The classroom is all set up and waiting. Today we'll take a tour of the class and talk a little about our schedule and some of the things we'll be covering this year in school.


If you just happened upon this blog, this is my teacher's log. I keep a record of what me and my 9 year old son are up to. I also do my best to honestly share our experience. For us homeschooling is temporary. We started in the middle of the year last year and will do all of 4th grade at home. The plan is to go back into public school for 5th grade. For that reason and because it's just kind of our style, we keep our school time pretty structured. It would be hard to integrate back in if we were loose and wild with the schedule. I also stick to the curriculum of the school district we attend. Sometimes we do more than it suggests, but we cover everything!

In my picture are my little motivators for good behavior. My philosophy is that if there is a lot of whining and complaining, we do more and not less. It's amazing how many kids think they can whine their way out of things. That's where my shoe box of worksheets comes in. On the top it says, "You must not have enough to do so let's review!" I find it a very effective motivator to give a little extra task when the behavior isn't up to snuff. Of course Wes knows this about me, so all I usually have to do is hint at the consequence and he gets right back to work.

Lest you think me a cruel teacher/mom, I believe more than anything in positive reinforcement. Wes gets to hear all day how bright and talented he is and he truly is! This year I've designed a "Passport to Half Day Town". As a reward for his good efforts, he'll get a half day off school after he collects 100 stickers.

That's all for now. I'll be back with our schedule, some of the resources I'm using this year and what we'll be doing in the first few weeks of school.

My Philosophy

When I first decided that I would make this leap into homeschooling, I started searching on line. One of my concerns for Wes is that he not feel isolated. I thought it would be good to find a local group of like minded people with whom to connect. All I really want is a couple of families that we could meet at the park on occasion. This should be a simple enough task and there are groups in my area. I'm a little farther away from my local groups being in the SE Valley of Phoenix, but that's not what stopped me. As I was reading the profiles of the different homeschool groups, I just didn't feel like any were a good fit. I'm already leaving public school, I don't want to jump into another organization unless it seems just right.

So what is my philosophy? The truth is, I think it's still forming. I'm not choosing to teach Wes independently because of religeous beliefs. If I had to define myself in that regard I would use words like liberal and free thinker. I don't associate with one religion in particular because I like to maintain a broader view. I love history and science and culture and I think this vast world has much to offer an open mind. My reasons may be a little political since government funding and programs have played a major roll in the way schools operate and address the education of their students. After all, I have an older son who sits around bored while teachers review for the standardized test; time in which he could be learning. I have a younger son who is forced to display his understanding only in the format given by the same test despite the fact that is doesn't speak to his dominant learning style. So yes, I guess politics have played a part in my decision making. But what is my philosophy and how will I teach my son?

Right now I plan to give our learning time some structure. I think that the two of us will work better together that way. I will also be sure to cover the same material as the general third grade curriculum although not only that material and in our own way. I guess I really am a planner because I have developed a loose weekly outline for covering all of the subjects. I don't want to have a rigid structure. If we are in the middle of a science experiment and I get a cool follow up idea, I may abandon the rest of my plan for that day. I want to embrace the flexibility that comes with the territoy.

I think curriculum and daily planning are the most overwhelming decisions you make when starting out. I looked around for independent blogs like what I'm starting here with Indie Teach. I wanted to see what other parents were doing. I found many blogs that shared resources and general ideas, but I guess I was looking more for the daily ins and outs of teaching. It would be even more satisfying to find other parents who share a similar focus. I'm still looking, but for now, "If you can't find it, create it!" That may just be my new philosophy!

What is Indie Teach?

I'm not really expecting a following with this blog, but if you are here, you are welcome! I'm starting this new blog and I'm calling it Indie Teach because that is what I am about to do. Before I elaborate, I feel I should explain the sheep profile picture. The business I'm in is the world of fiber. I dye, spin, felt, weave, crochet and more. Wind Rose Fiber Studio is my creative home and I love my little sheep. Having said that, Indie Teach is not about fiber or sheep. This is a personal record that I have decided to keep. It's a journal in which I will share my experience teaching my son at home.

I have two sons actually, one is 11 and the other 8. I have been involved with their education from the start just like many good parents. I volunteer, chaperone, teach the parent led art program, manage the homework, participate in the parties and donate money and supplies. I'm sure this is sounding very familiar. It's also true that some years have been easier than others. There are the years when you make a wonderful connection to your teacher and feel that they really like and care about your child and then the years where that connection is not as present. Those years always feel longer and like more work. It's amazing how critical that student teacher relationship is and yet it's something that we have little to no control over. Always, we do our best to make the most of each year with the goal being a happily learning and progressing child.

With both of my sons there have been good years and more challenging ones, but it is my eight-year-old that I have decided to teach at home beginning after this holiday break. I promised myself that I would get personal with this blog because I know that I'm not alone, so my name is Jennifer. My friends call me Jenn and my son is Westen or Wes. The reason I have decided to teach Wes independently is because I really believe that it is the best way for him to learn while maintaining a love and curiosity for knowledge as well as his self esteem.

You see my older son has been more able to adapt to this testing/standards of learning world which education has become. He has very strong "listen and learn" skills which make him an ideal student for the way kids are taught today. Wes, however, learns more interactively. He is a child who has always absorbed information through all five of his senses. He learns by seeing, touching, smelling, tasting and listening; in that order. He is very creative and would rather spend his free time drawing than doing just about anything else. He processes information more internally and is very intuitive. Like many creative minds, he draws more motivation from the process than the end result.

Well now Wes has hit the third grade. More than ever the focus is on production and on testing. Every worksheet looks like a sample model of the standardized tests that the kids will be taking. Here they are called AIMS or Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards. Listen and do. Read and fill in the blanks. This is how the 8 and 9 year olds are expected to spend their academic time. If you ask them what their favorite subject is, most of them respond with recess or PE or lunch. For kids like my Wes who learn more through seeing and experiencing, the joy is taken out of the learning process. Now it's just work.

I know this is a long introduction, so I'm going to try not to go on too much more. The fact is, for years now, I have been trying to make schools and specifically my son's classrooms something they are not. I have been pleading with teachers to embrace all of the learning styles and teach to the individual needs of every student. I believe that all of the kids would benefit from this shift in focus, not just my own. There have been some years, including this one, when I have felt pretty defeated.

I think because I have so desparately wanted schools to change for the better, I have thought of homeschooling as a last resort. I don't feel that way now. Now I think it is the best choice for Wes. At home he is the inquisitive and enthusiastic child he has always been, but as school he is starting to shut down. He daydreams and openly says that he doesn't like school. Every morning I feel sick to my stomach wondering what kind of day he will have. Attempts at communicating with his teacher have fallen flat. It's time.

I've gone through and I'm still going through an intense mental preparation. The more I prepare, the better I feel about teaching Wes at home. Once I embraced the concept, the ideas starting flowing. I'm actually getting very excited about it now. I'm looking forward to giving him what I have always wanted for him. We are going to learn and we are going to have fun doing it. Wes and I are both very creative and love many of the same things. Of course as mother and son we share a deep connection and bond, but as a visual and kinesthetic learner myself, I understand his needs on a very personal level.

So this is the beginning. This is my teacher's log. I'll be writing at least a couple times a week. For me writing is part of the way I process, but I decided to keep this blog as a way to share the experience. You'll get to read about what we are learning and how. If you teach at home or have ever thought about it, I hope this blog will feel like a support. I imagine that there are times when homeschooling can feel kind of lonely, but I know I'm not alone. You know, as long as this post is, in truth it's a very condensed version of my thoughts and feelings. Over time I'll be sharing more and more.