Pencils Up

Well, much to the childrens objections, yesterday began the first day of the academic school year for our family.

**Insert collective sigh**

Yes, it does seem a little premature to start school so soon.  There is still so much summer fun to be had.  But I have learned from experience that it is very difficult to find a sub for a homeschool teacher.  So when we are knee deep into the school year and I have errands to run or appointments that I have to get to, it is next to impossible to find someone that is willing to teach my 4th, 3rd and 1st grader.  And don't forget about the almost 3 year old maniac.  Which means we have to either call that a field trip day OR strike it up to teacher inservice.  So instead of going way into the month of June, we opt to start early, miss a few days here and there, and end.....whenever we want to!  ;) 

I have been working feverishly the past few weeks to get everything prepared and I feel completely panic stricken I'm at a good place.  I struggle at the beginning of every school year with the feeling of how I am the fit everything that I want to get done into the amount of time alotted in the day.  But every year (miraculously) it seems to work itself out.  So, I am trying to remind myself that this year is no diffiferent.  So I work and plan and wait for the miracle.

I always get excited too.  I look forward to learning all the things that I should have learned the first time through school but was too busy or lazy or ADD to do.  I am such a nerd.  I think I get on my kids nerves.  But this year we are going to be covering American History up to 1815 and what kid doesn't love studying Pilgrims and the Revolutionary War and Christopher Columbus and Davy Crockett and the French and Indian War and Lewis and Clark and the Monroe Doctrine?  I'm sorry.  Pardon my nerdiness.

And, like most years, I am changing some things around and trying new curriculum.  A blessing of teaching the kids myself is I can see where they are struggling and adapt the curriculum to their needs the best I can.  So this year I switched a few things around to help them out where they were struggling.  I'm hoping it helps and that their struggles are that their teacher just stinks.  Because if that is the case the Parent/Teacher conference is sure to be grueling.  Plus I do have to answer to the Principal.  Blah!

Last year I had this idea of the school year having a theme.  Really, it was less for the school year and more for our family.  I spend lots of time praying about what God has in store for us for the year ahead as I'm doing my planning.  What He wants us to study, where He wants us to spend our time.  As I talked with the kids last year I noticed that I kept saying to them over and over that everything we were doing was for His Glory and our good.  So that inevitably became our theme.  This year, after some thought  I've settled on the verse John 3:30

He must increase, I must decrease.

In everything.  In our time, energy, words, attitudes.  It has to become less about us and more about Him.  Otherwise we are completely missing it.  Missing the point in what we're doing and why we're doing it.  

So....here we go.  This should be interesting.  I imagine I am going to have lots of um.....fun....stories to share in the weeks ahead.  And some humiliating ones.  Because I screw up.  Alot. 

Alright...pencils up everyone!