Questions for You

If you have a  blog, have you gotten those "tag" type of posts where you are complimented or awarded by a homemade award and then asked to pass along a questionnaire and to "tag" others.  Well.  This isn't one of those.  LOL

But I would enjoy reading your answers!  Here are the questions. 


Answer the questions before reading my answers!

Here are MY questions for YOU:

1. What prompted you to begin homeschooling?
2. What homeschool books have encouraged you on your journey?
3. Do you have a favorite read aloud book?
4. If you could only have three homeschooling books/curriculum, which would you choose?
5. Where can we find your favorite homeschooling blogs?
6. What do you to do to demonstrate continual learning to your kids?
7. What’s your favorite way to unwind after a crazy day?
8. Is there a quote you find inspiring?
9. What did you do to prepare for homeschooling?
10. Where do you find your best support for homeschooling?
11. Where do you encounter the most difficulty in homeschooling?
12. How do you challenge yourself to be a better teacher?
13. What is your schedule like?
14. What has been your best accomplishment as a homeschooling parent?
15. What item has made the most significant impact to your homeschooling?
16. What is the most important thing that you want your children to come away with as a homeschooling graduate?

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Here are my answers:

1. What prompted you to begin homeschooling?  It started with an innocent comment from a friend about how I talk to the kids and how I was already a homeschooling mom.  I began to realize that she was correct.  I started thinking about homeschooling when my daughter was in kindergarten.  I volunteered in her classroom one afternoon a week; it was the afternoon they went to the school library and heard stories read by the librarian.  For THREE straight weeks in December, she read Jesus stories.  I was angry and confused and upset as hell.  No Santas, no snow, no reindeer, no Hanukkah, no dredels, no solstice.  Jesus.  In a public school.  My daughter was confused and convinced that I was not telling her the truth.  It was awful and just enough to push me over the line.  That started it.  Today, the reasons why we homeschool today have nothing to do with those early reasons!
2. What homeschool books have encouraged you on your journey?  Does it make me sound like a doofus if I don't read many homeschooling books anymore?  I used to read every single one I could get my hands on to and I always ended up feeling totally inadequate...
   I loved "Teenage Liberation Handbook" best in the early days of reading (eleven years ago) and The Over-Scheduled Child.  Nothing lately, though.
3. Do you have a favorite read aloud book?  The kids and I enjoy reading adventure series books aloud.  It had been awhile, but we enjoyed reading "The Lost Hero" by Rick Riordan.  We loved his other ones as well.  And the kids and I also read "39 Clues" and enjoyed it tremendously.  We also love reading poetry aloud.  "Mandy" by Julie Edwards (Andrews).
4. If you could only have three homeschooling books/curriculum, which would you choose?  We tried several different curriculum, but didn't like any of them.  I like textbooks.
5. Where can we find your favorite homeschooling blogs?  I put my faves along the left side of my blog.
6. What do you to do to demonstrate continual learning to your kids?  Reading is a big one. I am almost never without a book or three within reach. I answer questions with, “Let’s look that up.” to the point that my kids usually just ask to look things up now. I also try to display a willing attitude to try something new. We’re forever going some place or doing something new, and I always try to remind them to take something away from the experience and we usually reinforce that at home with the next day’s lessons – even if it’s only a question or two.  I am a continual learner myself and, although they tease me about it, they see it and emulate it.
   We research major purchases together, check out news stories and background stories, science stuff...just everything, really!
7. What’s your favorite way to unwind after a crazy day?  Hot tea, reading, Facebook, movies
8. Is there a quote you find inspiring?  I have many favorite quotes, many of which I have made in to clip art and included in various places on this blog.  LOL  I have been loving Rumi quotes lately.  But the one that really started me on the path to my real life is "Question Everything" and my absolute favorite quote, by Carl Sagan:
   
   
9. What did you do to prepare for homeschooling?  It was years ago now, but I spent six months reading and researching everything I could get my hands on.  At that time there was far less online than there is now.  I talked to everyone who I respected.  I read dozens of books.  But it still came down to one thing:  trusting the process.
10. Where do you find your best support for homeschooling?  From my husband, from my best friends, and online on some great Facebook groups.
11. Where do you encounter the most difficulty in homeschooling?  I think I have discussed this again and again on this blog.  The things that I find the most difficult are knowing what to do with my daughter and doing what is best for my son.   And electronic time wasters.  Living down here in Australia has brought new difficulties, namely finding enough friends and people who the kids can hang with OFTEN.
12. How do you challenge yourself to be a better teacher?  At this point I am generally working on passing the torch on to my daughter.  Challenging her to be a better teacher to herself...
13. What is your schedule like?  We have been unschooling most of the time here in Australia.  But, we still have a couple of days a week where the kids have lessons before getting onto any electronics.  We have never been schedulers.  
14. What has been your best accomplishment as a homeschooling parent?  I have tremendously enjoyed leading reading groups in our co op.  Leading other teen groups for the homeschool group, too, has been so enriching to me personally.  Having Elizabeth reach for the stars with her reading and writing and performing.  Having John get enthusiastic about science.
15. What item has made the most significant impact to your homeschooling?  The computer, hands down. OH, and our traveling!  
16. What is the most important thing that you want your children to come away with as a homeschooling graduate?  The obvious things.  That the world is enormous and worthy of exploration.  That they are kick ass individuals with a great deal to offer.  That they are capable of learning anything.  And that learning never ends.

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In Retrospect
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My Second Grade Teacher and Homeschooling
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