Our school is blog-worthy!

When Annie and I first started homeschooling, it was just the two of us. It was January 4th, 2008, the day all of her classmates were returning to seventh grade, after the holiday break. It was cold that morning and we made a pot of Lady Grey Tea. We took out charcoals and paper and she began a series of tree drawings. After years of being told how unartistic she was, those beautiful charcoal bare-branched trees are cherished and framed.

When Bryan wanted to join us the next fall, homeschooling became something that took more thought. How do I meet both their "educational needs?" I began to doubt that teachers could even come close to meeting the needs of twenty-plus, sometimes thirty-plus students.

My children's interests overlap a good deal. Both are musical, both are very involved in community theater (Talk about a rich social life!) and both like to see Broadway shows, comedians, performers, etc. But Bryan hates math, doesn't want to read novels, loves to film and categorize, while Ann is not particularly affected one way or the other by math, adores reading and writing, would rather analyze than list, and a host of other differences.

Traveling as a family, watching wonderful films and reading great books aloud have been rich sources of pleasure, learning and nostalgia. We are really happy, at the very least, not to be dealing in mounds of busy work, the realms of tardy slips, hall passes, bubble sheets and daydreaming our way out of a classroom.

Now, we have a new student. Our friend, Jack, is joining us this semester. We are excited to have him with us. Now that we have expanded to a two-family homeschool (as much as our state allows) I can see that a blog could be a valuable tool for us all. Parents and grandparents can get a view in to what we are doing. And the kids and I can keep track of our accomplishments and plans. It will be helpful, on a not-so-productive day to look back and say, "How 'bout that? We've done a lot!"

So, welcome to our blog. I hope to introduce myself and each student in the coming weeks. We are happy to be together!