Ism Friendly Curriculum

Ask any homeschooler and they will tell you there are as many flavors of curriculum as there are ice cream at Baskin Robbins - oohh the days of dairy - Anyway, ask those same families what is the "best" curriculum and you will get some pretty passionate responses. Ask a family "livin' with isms" about curriculum and you will get a WHOLE different answer - usually followed up with the phrase "for now."

To explain, I have been to more seminars than I can count on the way to best groom a future Einstein for college that include well-trained minds, copywork, Latin, intricate math skills, circus-like acrobatics when it comes to language arts and science lessons fit for Copernicus. And all these I am sure are wonderful in the rare home without an ism. In our house, however, we have tried and failed, tried again, and have finally landed on a theory that seems to work. Our educational philosophy comes from the classic - What About Bob. We are in the school of "baby steps" or so as to not give the impression we are weak on the emphasis for maturity - how about "doing everything in bite-size chunks."

Being in the dark about our isms initially served to rip every stitch of pride I might have ever had about my own abilities, creativity or sufficiency - all a good thing. Once the light was turned on, I was so grateful for the pruning season and the sheer kindness of the Lord to bring us home completely. It forced me to rely on Him for guidance and creativity. We learned pretty quickly that the sin of comparison is nowhere greater than in the homeschooling community. I wanted so badly at the end of every school year to be able to say just how many poems, soliloquies, symphonies, theorems and diatribes my children had learned. The truth was I was wincing in shame when I had to admit to myself and everyone else that we were still learning addition - for the third year in a row. But slowly, as He so often does, the Lord moved my humiliation into a place of humility, which far better served my girls. I took a deep breath and soaked in the realization that our homeschooling journey was different, slower, and sometimes even sweeter than what I heard about at the conferences. We work best in peace, joy, adaptability and making the most of every opportunity. The curriculums He led us to fit our girl's personalities, learning styles and isms so well. As with all things on this journey, we hold it all with open hands acknowledging His sovereignty over it all.

I say all this to give the disclaimer that these are the curriculums we have found work best for US. They may spell disaster for someone else, but they might be worth at least investigating if you too are livin' with isms.

This is what they consider their "seatwork."

Ellie's 4th grade curriculum
Growing with Grammar - Grade 4
Handwriting Without Tears - Can Do Cursive
Math U See - Beta
Math Skills 3rd grade
Kumon - Multiplication
Rosetta Stone Chinese
I Can Do All Things - art book
She learned State Capitals and the US Presidents

Annie's 2nd grade curriculum
Explode the Code
Growing With Grammar - Grade 2
Math Skills - Grade 2
Math U See - Alpha and Beta
Handwriting Without Tears - Printing Power
Rosetta Stone Chinese
I Can Do All Things - art book
She learned her states and presidents this year - well the first and the last president anyway.

We do Science and History together
We use My Father's World as the backbone and then often diverge from there depending on our speed and interest. We have slowed down and spent months on the American Colonization, Revolutionary War, George Washington and Ben Franklin. Just too many good books and stories to speed through them. MFW supplies the science, literature, etc. We are looking at doing Apologia Science this year - we'll keep ya posted.
And our dessert of the school day is the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. It also serves as our current Bible lesson. As soon as I pick up on where Lewis is going or has gotten the theme, we turn to it in our Bibles and drink it in. There is not a chapter that does not represent scripture or a biblical lesson in some way. I am usually in tears during our read-a-loud-time because Aslan always makes an appearance.
The funny thing to me about hoping for an Einstein is that poor little Einstein was riddle with isms and was thought a failure for most of his young life. It wasn't until he was unleashed in an environment suited for his isms to thrive that he did. I wish I could say that my girls are thriving in their homeschooling environment. I'm not sure I am that brave, but I do feel like we have at least moved away from mere survival mode.

Annie's Take on Academics

Q - What do you do during the day?

A – Um... play and do more interviews.

Q – What about school days? What do you do on those days?

A – I mostly do school and read fun books.

Q – What does your school day look like?

A – Umm... Doing grammar, doing math, doing handwriting and reading.

Q – What do you like best about your school day?

A – I like that I don’t have to wake up so early in the morning. (she is usually up by 7 AM on her own). I can also get done with seatwork when I first wake up. Cause when I get my seat work done, then I can play. I like math. It’s fun and you get to count numbers and learn more things like time and shapes. And even and odd numbers. Oh, and I like reading time when mom does - um... what’s it called – VOICES! I like the different voices. And then at the end of the day I get to go swimming with Dad.

Q – Why do you like the different voices?

A – Because they sound like the people and people’s personalities.

Q – Can you do voices?

A – Yes (with a lovely grin) I can do Alpha’s from Up and Eezma from Emperor’s New Groove. Doing the voices makes me feel happy cause everyone laughs about that.



Q – What do you not like about your school?

A –What I don’t like is grammar.

Q – Is school hard for you?

A- When I don’t know most of the words, yes.

Q – Do you ever wish you went to school?

A – No. Because I can sleep in and I don’t have to worry about someone waking me up. (sleeping in is apparently a big value around here – don’t know where they picked that up :)

Q – Do you miss going to school with friends?

A – Sometimes.

Q – When do you get to see or make friends?

A – At church. Also when my mom sees her friends and they have kids - I meet them. When mom invites people to our house, we play. I meet new people at gymnastics too cause I am going into a higher class in gymnastics.

Q - Is there anything you would change about your school day if you could?

A – Umm... I’m not sure. Oooh! I would change up grammar for recess –(big giggle.)

Q - What’s your favorite book you have read so far?

A – Helen Keller. She’s deaf, and she gets to go to different people and gets to learn not to push over things. She pushed her baby sister on the hardwood floor. She did it like this. (she is reenacting the scene for me) I pictured it like this if I had been the mom. (Big hand motions and darting to save the baby.) I would put her in “manner school” and take care of the baby myself.

Q – God has given you a nurturing heart hasn’t he? Do you like taking care of things and people?

A – Ummhmm...It makes me feel special.

Q – You are pretty special.

Q - Is there anything else you want to say about homeschooling with an ism?

A – Not right now. I’m pretty sure. I’m probably gonna go play dollhouse now. (She’s up the stairs in 3.5 seconds.)

Ellie's View on Education

Q - What are your first memories of school?

A - Loud and a little overwhelming.

Q - At home?

A - No, at the hybrid school we used to go to in Kentucky and here.

Q - What else do you remember?

A - I remember making lots of friends and doing lots of art projects that I love and coming home with lots of goodies. I remember that the boys were VERY loud and the girls were sometimes loud.

Q - Did the noise make it hard to learn?

A - Umhm...too much was going on and I couldn't focus. And usually when I came home, I had a big tantrum.

Q - Was there anything you liked about the hybrid school?

A - You got to make new friends, arts, crafts and games, but you did have to study a lot.

Q - What about school now that you are just at home?

A - I like it better. It's quiet. You can sleep in. You don't have to wake up at 6 and you don't have to wear those collared shirts. And I take it one step at a time. In hybrid school they made me write stuff down and say that I learned it when I really didn't.

Q - You mean that things moved more quickly than you did?

A - Ummhmm. I used to take forever in my math book - like two hours and like 30 minutes for grammar. My favorite part of hybrid school was science. I liked all of the experiments. My favorite was making snow out of just chemicals.

Q - How long does school take you now?

A- 30 minutes to an hour for my seat work and then history and all that stuff till three. My seat work is math, grammar, spelling, handwriting - all that stuff.

Q - Do you have a favorite subject?

A - I think it's still science.


Q - What was school like when we first started doing it at home - before we started therapies and the new diet?

A - It was very challenging. It took me till supper time to do school. It felt like the days were longer and the nights were shorter. My sister got done around lunch time and I felt lonely.

Q - What about after we started therapies and the new diet? Was school different?

A - Yes, we mostly did therapies and a little school.

Q - Do you enjoy school?

A - Not love it, but sometimes I do. It's just something you kind of have to learn to like.

Q - What is your favorite part of our school day?

A - Narnia time.

Q - Do you mean our read-a-loud time? What do love about the Narnia series?

A - It just takes me to one world after another, and I love stories. It reminds me of the Bible. Like in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader where Ramandu had a bird that dropped something in his mouth just like Elijah. I also like the part in the Magician's Nephew where Digory was desperately wanting to heal his mother and he didn't listen to the witch. I had a dream about Aslan asking me if I wanted him to heal me and then we found out that C.S. Lewis had a dream about Aslan too. That's how he came up with Aslan.

Q - How did that dream make you feel?

A - It gave me hope.

Q - Is there anything else you want to tell people about homeschooling with isms?

A - Yes, lots of things. I kind of hold my pencil funny and it makes my hand sore and makes me not want to write paragraphs. I have this grip that is shaped for your hands so it won't get sore. Oh and about my glasses...That my glasses help me see words better - The End - Goodbye.

And Digory could say nothing, for tears choked him and he gave up all hopes of saving his Mother's life; but at the same time he knew that the Lion knew what would have happened, and that there might be things more terrible even than losing someone you love by death. But now Aslan was speaking again, almost in a whisper..."What I give you now will bring joy. It will not, in your world, give endless life, but it will heal. Go."
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew