New Mercies

This was our schedule style for the current school year.  I love my little schedule.  Isn't it pretty, all color-coded and organized?  In all sincerity I had spent hours organizing our time according to what I gathered and researched for our learning this year.  I made a master plan and from that laid out our weeks.  Every six weeks we take a week off and I use a smidge of that week to fill out the schedules for the coming six weeks.   Our schedule each week has a bit of everything – the vital time in God’s Word and singing Hymns to start our day; we explore poetry, literature, history, science, math, foreign languages, reading aloud, reading independently, oral narration, written narration, improving writing skills, language arts, art, music, composers, copywork, dictation and geography.  Most weeks we go out in nature and paint one morning (not shown in this week below).  We don’t follow the times exactly, they are a plan, not a rule, but it is a guide to help me know what is realistic in a day with 20-30 minute lessons. 

	M – Oct 7	T – Oct 8	W – Oct 9	Th – Oct 10 = HOME	F  - Oct 11
7-8	Breakfast, etc [Piano]	Breakfast, etc  [Piano]	Breakfast, etc [Piano]	Breakfast, etc,[Piano]	Mom to LA Boys to St. Claire’s Math Worksheet A Time to Build History of US (32) Written Narration Abe Lincoln’s World p208-216 Note 3 points of each topic Copywork Gettysburg Address Recite to Miss Rachel German Words
8:00	Hymn, Bible, Scripture	Hymn, Bible, Scripture	Hymn, Bible, Scripture	Hymn, Bible, Scripture
8:20	Math LOF Ch 5 History of US (29)  Written Narration Latin	Math Khan (2)	Math Khan (2) History of US (31) Written Narration Latin	It Just Couldn’t Hppn
8:40		Latin		Math: Khan (2)
9:00		Science for Co-Op 5.1, 5.2, 5.3		Latin
9:20	Streams of Civ 189-93		Copywork/R&S (34-5)	Dictation/R&S (36-7)
9:40	Paddle to the Sea Lessons 5.1 & 5.2	Dictation/Spelling (8)	Streams of Civ 193-6	Paddle to Sea 5:5 & 5.6
10:00		German Song & Languag	Plutarch (8) (snack)	Shakespeare
10:20	Pick up Paulie 10:20a	Read Aloud Hellen Keller	History of US (30)	European & Local Geography /Timeline: Centennial, T.A.Edison
10:40			Poetry/School in the Woods	Picture Study/Artist Great Artists p. 38 Still Life in Melted Crayon
11:00	Go Skating From 11-12:10	Paddle to the Sea Lesson 5.3 & 5.4	German History: H.E. Marshall
11:20
11:40		Composer Study (Mozart)	Pick Up Paulie	HERC Class
12:00		Lunch (Composer)	Lunch (Composer) Piano/Read to Paulie Quiet Room Time
12:20	12:30 Art	Leave @ 12:30 pm Science
12:40
1:00
1:30			Family Contribution
1:45
2:00	PIano		Read: Hellen Keller
2:30			Family Contribution
3:00	Grocery
3:30
4:00
5-6
7-8	A. Judson	Catechism/ T&T	A  Judson

If you followed my post about Lighting a Fire you are tracking with me in my struggle to grow into the next good thing God has for our home education.  But, it really amounts to more than that.  Doesn't it always?  Things are never just about what they are on the surface.  Yes, I need to change from becoming an anxious task-master when I feel the internal, self-created pressure cooker, to being more loving and peaceful despite our keeping to "the schedule."  That's a given.  And, it goes without saying that we have good, even great, days of learning and wonderful family relationships over here. 

The bigger picture is this:  I need to grow into trusting God more and relying on myself less.  What happens when I don't have a tool for controlling our days?  Whenever I let go of the illusion of control, we actually have better days -- way better days.  But, something in my soul resists this change.  I want certainty.  I want some inner-confirmation that what I choose will result in long-term goodness for my sons.  And that anxiety and the sheer overwhelm of trying to keep too many plates in the air can make me a frazzled, frustrated mom who does not act the way I wish I would.  Haven't we all been there?

We really just can't serve two masters.  We can't be in charge of the day and give the day over to God simultaneously.  I sense His inner urging and I must make the choice to go with him.  Schedules aren't bad.  A plan can be a wonderful tool.  The problem is one of supremacy.  What is at the center, the plan or Jesus?

Sometimes I look at what we could cut out of our day -- when the day is careening ahead and we haven't nearly kept up with the "list" of what I thought should fit in.  I realize I could cut almost everything and my son would still survive -- even thrive.  I made this plan after all.  I picked Plutarch and Shakespeare and Longfellow and Khan Academy and each History and Literature selection.  When I look at each subject, any of them could be set aside.  None of this is the "stuff of life" though it is all wonderful and beautiful in its own way.  The key isn't the WHAT it is the HOW.  If I keep the needful things at the center of my life and heart, I will facilitate the atmosphere which is conducive to a life-long love of learning and so much more. 

 So, this morning, I tweaked the "schedule."  Notice the lack of times on the side.  These are now lists of what we can hope to study during a given day.  There are times for when I'll be with my son for learning -- so we can anticipate that and be available together.  Also, any outside commitments are on the weekly plan so that we both know of those.  Much more grace and flexibility in this than the other one - still color coded, though (hey, a girl can only give up so much at a time!).  At a deeper level it is a step over that threshold: letting go and trusting God. He made children with a natural love for knowledge. 

M – Oct 7	T – Oct 8	W – Oct 9	Th – Oct 10 = HOME	F  - Oct 11
Breakfast, etc [Piano] Hymn, Bible, Scripture	Breakfast, etc  [Piano] Hymn, Bible, Scripture	Breakfast, etc [Piano] Hymn, Bible, Scripture	Breakfast, etc,[Piano] Hymn, Bible, Scripture	Mom to LA Boys to St. Claire’s Math Worksheet A Time to Build History of US (32) Written Narration Abe Lincoln’s World p208-216 Note 3 points of each topic Copywork Gettysburg Address Recite to Miss Rachel German Words
·    Math LOF Ch 5/play ·    History of US (29)  ·    Written Narration ·    Latin ·    Paddle to the Sea ·    Lessons 5.1 & 5.2	·    Math Khan (2) ·    Latin ·    Science for Co-Op     5.1, 5.2, 5.3 ·    German ·    Paddle to the Sea Lesson 5.3 & 5.4	·    Math Khan (2) ·    History of US (30,31) ·    Written Narration ·    Latin ·    Copywork	·    It Just Couldn’t Hppn ·    Math: Khan (2) ·    Latin ·    Paddle to Sea      5:5 & 5.6 ·    Eur & Local Geo ·    Timeline: Centennial, T.A.Edison
10:00 Mom Streams of Civ 189-93	10:30 Mom ·    Dictation ·    Spelling (8) ·    Read Aloud Hellen Keller ·    Composer Study (Mozart)	9:30 Mom ·    R&S (34-5) ·    Streams of Civ p193-6 ·    Plutarch (8) (snack) ·    Poetry ·    School in the Woods ·    German History	10:00 Mom ·    Dictation ·    R&S (36-7) ·    Shakespeare
Pick up Paulie 10:20a			10:45 Picture Study/Artist Great Artists p. 38 Still Life in Melted Crayon
Go Skating From 11-12:10
		Pick Up Paulie	12-2:30 HERC Class
12:30 Art	Leave @ 12:30 pm Science
2:00 Piano Lesson
A. Judson	Catechism/ T&T	A  Judson

As Charlotte Mason says:
"The theory has been,––put a child in the right environment and so subtle is its influence, so permanent its effects that he is to all intents and purposes educated thereby. Schools may add Latin and sums and whatever else their curriculum contains, but the actual education is, as it were, performed upon a child by means of colour schemes, harmonious sounds, beautiful forms, gracious persons. He grows up aesthetically educated into sweet reasonableness and harmony with his surroundings."
{emphasis mine}

Where is God challenging you to grow in your parenting and educating life these days?  I'd love to hear.