Musings from the Threshold

Monthly Archives: August 2005

School days…

The last few weeks have been taken up in a flurry of figuring out how to fit everything into my days. I recently gained a new “hat” – that of Office Manager of our Lowe’s Installation business. I had a couple of months to adjust to that before we started school on August 1st. I think I’m beginning to figure out how those two things, plus my ordinary responsibilities as a wife, mother of six, and homemaker can fit together. The only thing that has suffered is my on-line role as officer in The Noble Knights, but that just shows my priorities are straight, in my opinion.

So school is well underway. We’re not quite as far along as I would like, but considering I have four that I am actively teaching (two Kindergartners, one third grader, one fourth grader), plus a preschooler and toddler which get some measure of “teaching” most days, I think I’m doing pretty well. Certainly *much* better than last year at this time!

In Missouri, homeschoolers have to keep a daily log of hours of instruction. We are required to get in 1,000 hours of instruction per year, 600 of which need to be in the core areas of Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science. We are not required to turn in these logs; they are kept as our proof of instruction. The only reason they would ever be shown is if someone calls us in as “truant” and we are investigated. Heretofore, logging has been the bane of my existence as the lead teacher in a family who educates at home. Last year I discovered a software program I was sure would be my logging salvation. However, I found it in the middle of the year and did not implement it effectively.

This year, I am happy to report that less than a month into school, I am caught up on my logging! This is a veritable miracle, as I have been a terrible procrastinator on this in the past. And it’s so easy when I do a bit at a time.

And now, naptime is over and I must go.