2011-2012 School Year

Kate started school on Monday, August 8th. She is in 10th grade this year! She has been learning to drive this summer, and has been working on the Joshua Law requirements. I can't believe she will be 16 in February! My little girl is not so little any more. She still attends ACA, and I still tell her (often) that she can always come back home if she wants to. She always tells me, with a smile in her voice, that she really loves it at this small Christian school. They have 2 new students in her grade this year, for a total of 18 in the sophomore class. This is the biggest class yet at ACA!

Here is her class schedule:

American History

Bible

Physical Science

English/World Literature

Geometry

Computers
Seventh period is study hall/band/fine arts/weight training. She has study hall now, but when basketball season begins, she will have weight training during seventh period.

I will start school with Will this Monday, August 15th. He will be in 7th grade and I'm excited about our upcoming school year. I have been very intrigued with the Charlotte Mason methodology and have tried to implement more of her teachings into our homeschool. This summer I have spent a good deal of time perusing the Ambleside Online website, trying to see if I wanted to follow one of their rotation schedules for this year. After looking through the different year levels, I decided to tweak it a bit and combine some from two different years. Ambleside looks very advanced to me, with all of the reading that is expected of the student and I'm not sure how Will will do with this schedule. He is somewhat of a slow learner in some areas, but catches on pretty quickly in others. However, we did most of his reading together last year... so, I'm not sure how he will do if I just hand over all of it to him now.

This is my proposed schedule for him and I may have to tweak it a bit more as we go along:

Bible Reading and Scripture Memorization

Poetry

Penmanship

Music/Instrument Practice

Math - Pre-Algebra

Grammar - maybe LLATL (green book) 

Copywork

Science - Zoology 3 (we didn't finish this last school year)
and then Human Anatomy

Nature Study

Typing

Shakespeare Study

Artist Study

Composer Study

A Child's Geography

History - Story of the World vol 1 & 2

Contenders of the Faith

Trial and Triumph (church history)

Literature readings - Oliver Twist, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,

Swiss Family Robinson, The Adventures of Pinocchio

Science Biographies - Thomas Edison, Isaac Newton,

Alexander Graham Bell, George Washington Carver
Biographies of Christian men and women - Samuel Morris,
Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson, and others that
I haven't decided on yet
I know this sounds like a lot, but all this reading will be spread out over 3 terms in this school year. Plus, not everything is covered every day. For example, science is read 3 days per week with geography being covered on the other 2 days of the week. World history is covered 3 days per week with church history being covered the other 2 days. Nature study, composer study, artist study, Shakespeare study and poetry are all covered only one day per week on a rotating basis for the week. Still, this is alot for Will, compared to what we did last year. But that's the delightful thing about homeschooling ~ challenging your child to reach new heights in his education while seeing his limitations, and knowing when to pull back so as not to be overwhelming and discouraging to him. I just love homeschooling!

Ryan will be moving back to his apartment in Statesboro around the middle of next week to get everything ready to begin his 3rd year of college. Fall semester begins August 22nd. His schedule is as follows:
Computing for Engineers
Electrical Measurements
World Literature
Calculus
Chemistry
This is his second time taking Chemistry. He had it last semester and he made a D in that class :O It is one of the classes for his major so he has to make at least a C. I hope he pays attention, studies hard and makes a better grade this time around!

I am excited about the new school year, just not so much about starting this early. However, I do love seeing my children growing in knowledge. I love looking through the books and thinking about what they will learn and how they will discover new things. But more importantly, I love seeing them grow in their relationship with their heavenly Father. I get excited about new Bible studies, about new lists of Scripture to memorize and ponder, and about them going deeper, becoming more intimate with Jesus. For if they learn everything the academic world has to teach them, yet become stagnant in their relationship with the Lord, then it has all been for naught. He is the most important thing of all. My prayer for each of my children is that they will realize this and that they will give Him the preeminent place in their lives. If they accomplish this, then it will have been a successful school year.