The Spanish Armada, The Globe and Elephants, oh my!

Creating the Battle with the Spanish Armada off the English Coast

Making sure the English ships are in proper order

Gavin drawing an elephant in the style of Indian Miniature Painting

Paper models of Shakespeare's Globe Theater, with the Bard himself looking on

I have said before just how much I love CAVA’s curriculum. Well, I will say it again, and probably again, for anyone who hasn’t heard it and just because I am so glad that there is a group in education that decided learning could be fun. My delight in CAVA's curriculum is all encompassing, but my fevered enthusiasm usually lands squarely on the history lessons. CAVA's lessons are so well crafted, telling the historical events in narrative form, with great visuals and authentic photos or artworks when possible, and including all the exciting characters, important dates and events.

I was thrilled last year when the boys and I went through the medieval period, studying ancient Rome and the Vikings and feudal Japan. We learned about the Visigoths and the Shoguns and got a real sense of where Europe came from. We learned that 476 was the year that Rome fell and nothing would be the same again. We learned that 1215 was the signing of the Magna Carta, where the king’s power was limited and that people demanded rights and liberties. This background last year set the stage for this year’s history lessons.

Yep, we moved into the Renaissance. So this year – happy sigh – we spent most of our time learning about Renaissance Italy, where it all began, and the fabulous art and artists who occupied that time period. We then moved on to Renaissance Europe and Asia, including a nice section on the Reformation of the church, complete with Martin Luther and the 95 Theses (who knew that 3rd graders would EAT THAT UP?). Then, of course, we spent time in England, with the Golden Era, or the Elizabethan Period, learning about Elizabeth I and the amazing empire she created and maintained. There was a lesson on Shakespeare and an art project involving recreating the Globe Theater in paper. Just fabulous.

How I love this school's willingness to extend history to youngsters, knowing that they will hang on every word, appreciate what has come before and be able to make connections between the past and the present. There are drawbacks to my boys being in this school, yes -- the isolation, technical glitches, waiting for your teacher to get back to you instead of having her "in the classroom," no school functions per se, and never getting a "sick" day because well, you're at home.

But when I scroll down to the next history lesson, I smile and think, "Okay, now is for learning and for engaging. Hopefully soon the other things will fall into place."

Back to School

This picture was taken on August 30, the first day of CAVA 3rd grade. The boys were up and ready to work (and eat breakfast) at the counter where we do our lessons. They were in a great mood for the first day of school (going out for doughnuts really helps), and we buzzed through our lessons in record time.

Grace was home on our first day of CAVA because Fulton didn't begin until later in the week. It was nice to have her home for our first couple of days, even if she does rile up the boys a bit.

Here is the daughter on her first day of middle school. She was awake early and ready to go. It was a Thursday, which is early day, so she didn't have to worry about packing a lunch. Her bookbag was heavy enough with the binders and school supplies, but she was confident and felt good about starting her year.

I am so much more calm for the start of this school year. I was actually looking forward to the start of school, not because I wanted the kids out of my hair or I was craving a routine (although I do like a good routine), but because for the first time in a long time, I am not stressed about the outcome. I am not worried about my boys. I am confident in my daughter and eager to see her rise to meet new challenges.

Thank you, Lord, for small mercies: for the beauty in first days of school that are free from anxiety and worry. Help me manage my insecurities and anxieties so that there will be many, many days like today.

Good-bye Moiola

On June 17, 2010, Grace spent her last day as a student at Moiola Elementary. She will be a 6th grader in the fall at Fulton Middle School.

This was a bittersweet day because we had assumed all our children would attend Moiola from kindergarten through eighth grade. We imagined a happy, caring environment in which I could volunteer and be a big part of campus life. We liked the idea of all our children at the same campus for a longer time. We imagined everyone knowing our family and delighting in watching our kids grow in this safe, small, tight-knit neighborhood school. Trust me when I say that lots of people know our family, but I've had to mourn the educational dream I envisioned. I've had to realize that sometimes other situations are better for your children or for yourself.

So, instead of Moiola, the boys will continue with me at CAVA for third grade and then move to a traditional brick and mortar school in the years to come. And instead of Moiola, Grace is going to go to the middle school where hopefully she will have more academically appropriate classes and more opportunities for growth. She leaves behind so many wonderful friends (half her group is going to Fulton and half are staying) and the memories of many happy days. Moiola was a good place for Grace to grow and form lasting friendships and be in the classrooms of some pretty wonderful teachers.

Good-bye Moiola. Thanks for everything. You've set us on a new path, and for that, we are grateful.

Grace on her first day of Kindergarten. She's in her calm but confident pose.

Grace, standing on the front porch, which is our standard "first day of school" spot for pictures. She's wearing her favorite pink and brown Roxy surf outfit, complete with skirt -- yes, you read that right -- a skirt.

My beautiful 11-year-old, with her yearbook and her glasses and her straight teeth and her new hairdo, ready to attend her last day of school.
Grace standing in front of Moiola's school sign. We are walking to the car after summer blast, after having friends sign her yearbook and after saying good-bye to some favorite teachers.

Lesson by Lesson/Day by Day

Gavin poses with his Crusader Helmet.

Sean holds up his helmet that he fit onto his stuffed animal. It's good to have crusading stuffies in your room, I think.

When people find out that I am homeschooling my boys, I usually get one of two responses: open-mouthed gaping or deep intakes of breath followed by, "Oh wow. I could never do that." I always smile when I hear that because I know, for a fact, that most people could do what I am doing and probably would do it better than I am. My boys are in second grade, so we've not quite breached differential calculus or frog dissection; therefore, I'm able to handle the teaching so far. And while the boys and I do get on each other's nerves and I do overreact on a regular basis to their squirming and loss of focus (still working on that), we've had some great lessons and have learned some amazing things. I include myself in the learning because what I think makes the difference for me and what makes our schooling successful so far is that I am truly excited to see what the boys are going to learn (and I'm going to teach) tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that, etc. I have chosen to not peruse every aspect of the curriculum and prepare myself for a week's worth of lessons. Instead, I am choosing to take each day as it comes and learn along with them. The result is a more relaxed learning environment and a great deal of surprise and joy when we get to each lesson.

This particular method might sound a little lame coming from the teacher (or Learning Coach as CAVA calls us) who is supposed to be prepared to teach, and I have to admit that sometimes this system works better than others (for instance, when I realized I should have planted bean seeds a week prior to the lesson on soil types), but I've found that it has for the most part worked out really well. I can see and prepare as far ahead as I want, but I choose to go unit by unit, day by day. The boys and I tackle a unit at a time in each subject, so I have an idea of what we'll be learning each week or two, but leaving all the details up to the individual day means that I'm learning some new things (or remembering) along with them and I love it.

Because this is second grade, we're mostly dealing with the basics in all subjects, so my teaching is not overly taxing. I do push them farther in some subjects, especially writing and literature, because these are my favorites and they WILL BE THEIRS TOO (okay, just kidding -- sort of). What's been so fun is that in other subjects like History we know we're going to tackle Medieval Europe and the Crusades, but we won't know exactly which aspects until we get to each individual lesson. It's been so exciting. And when we come across something that interests the boys, we can research that new topic together right then, such as "What did Joan of Arc's battle banner really look like?" or after yesterday's lesson on abbreviations: "Why does ee cummings not use capitals?" How much more fun would public education be if every child could stop in the middle of his/her school day and research something that caught his/her attention?

My hope is that the boys will continue to be excited about lessons. Mind you, they are not excited about all their lessons, and I do have to encourage them during those that seem monotonous. However, I am gratified when they get excited about something and can start making other connections or just groove in the moment, like when they were identifying types of rocks or creating a character web about Pandora or constructing their Crusader helmets (see above). I want them to love learning about all kinds of things and go that extra mile to research something that piques their interest or fascinates them. It can't be all about Pokemon (Please, God, please let it not be all about Pokemon), so making sure that the boys are having fun and are learning something new every day has brought both contentment and joy.

I mean it when I say that anyone could do this. It's all a matter of doing things one step at a time. Lesson by lesson. Day by day.