Friday, August 6, 2010

Curriculum Part II: Mom's Curriculum

To say that I'm learning more than my kids at our homeschool is such an understatement. Daily I learn new facts and information, from Science to geography! When we watch our Math U See videos together, there are so many "ah ha!" moments for me. Math was never a strong point for me, even though I did my best there are many things I didn't understand. It is also quite an understatement to say that I now know my multiplication facts far, far better than I ever did in school!
I don't want to lose sight of the fact that my "ah ha" moment is not the same as my child's because my learning style is not the same. With that in mind for Teacher Training I'll be reading through Cynthia Ulrich Tobias' The Way They Learn and You can't make me, but I can be persuaded. I have had these on my reading list for ages, and have read some pages. I want to go back and really take note of the wisdom offered. I also find that different things stand out to me when I read a book numerous times. I'm always perusing the public library shelves for books written for public school teachers that can be adjusted to meet my needs. Even some of the books for early childhood have excellent ideas that can be adapted for my older students, or used for baby!
In the parenting category I want to read Dr. James Dobson's Bringing Up Boys. I will also be reading Susie Shellenberger's Raising a Spiritually Strong Daughter.
I will be reading Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, a book about the disciplines of the Christian walk like fasting and praying among many more. I read this more than a year ago and have thought about it so often. I want to read Character Matters by Mark Rutland again. It was in this book that I read that procrastination is a sin. Ouch! I need some many reminders of the character traits of Christ!
For Writer's Training I'll be working through One Year to a Writing Life by Susan M. Tiberghien and The Christian Imagination edited by Leland Ryken. There's been rumor of a writer's critique group starting in my town and there is a Christian Writer's group that meets about an hour from here so I'll make room in my calendar for meeting with fellow writers. I'll also be checking out a book of poetry every time we visit the public library. I'd love to add a classic novel or ten to this list to read and about which to write literary analysis. Because I'm strange and I love literary analysis; I love peeling back the layers of depth of a story and thinking about the writer and what he or she meant...
Above all these reading plans I will fellowship with my Savior, relishing the words He wrote to me in His beautiful love letters. I've been slowly reading through the Bible again this time in the Amplified version, stopping to study and research other translations or commentaries when the words tug at my heart. I will be going back to Psalms 119 to inspire my heart to love His law more perfectly. I'll be continuing to work through two Bible studies that I've been working on for months.
I don't make a specific plan for any of my reading, other than to open the Word of God daily, even if I just soak in one verse! There are days that I don't get to read a single word, other than the Word :), or days when I'll take a moment to have lunch with a favorite book, because my kids eat so quickly and are off for a bit of play time before finishing their school work or chores. Sometimes I have a book open in front of me to glance at while they work at our school table. I'll bring a book into the kitchen for company while I wait for a pot to boil, have a stack of books by my bed and sometimes a book in my purse. Books have long been like dear friends to me. I read voraciously, too quickly sometimes but re-reading a book is like savoring a good conversation or a delicious meal!

2 comments:

Mommy Reg said...

I love that you posted what you are doing for you. That is an awesome idea. I haven't even thought about what I want to read this year. hmmm You've got me thinking now. :)
It's amazing how much we learn as we teach our littles.
Another book to add to your list is a quick read called Learning Curve by Valerie Watne. I have a link to her site at my blog (weblinkeducation.com). It's great for talking about learning styles. I plan on doing a book review soon.

MissMOE said...

A wonderful list of books. This is such an inspiring post. I need to sit down and come up with a plan for me. I think our kiddos need to see mom having moments of learning as much as they need to have mom teaching them.