This was the year I dreaded. 9th grade – High School. I'm just a normal, regular Mom, I don't have a teaching degree, I didn't even go to college! Teaching the elementary and Jr High subjects was challenging enough, how was I going to get through High School?
I started out like I always do. Set up the schedule of subjects, made sure my daughter had the appropriate books, and then just Jump In! My stepdad told me once (in regards to my home business) “Jump in, learn to swim later!” It worked in business, I could only hope it worked in Homeschooling.
Sure enough it did! I jumped in with both feet. Fortunately we had Biology for science. I've always loved Biology and she does too, so we're good there. Now, math has always been a poor subject for me and we would be starting Algebra. I am deathly afraid of Algebra. In the back of my mind, I began planning how I could get a tutor in that subject.
What happened next surprised me – I began holding Algebra class in the kitchen. We got a whiteboard and hung it in the kitchen. We got the dry erase markers and I started simply reading the book – out loud - as if I knew what I was talking about. When the book gave examples, I wrote them on the whiteboard, and when the book gave sample questions, I wrote them on the whiteboard and then let my daughter work out the problems. I am actually learning Algebra all over again!
One of the other things I wanted to accomplish during these high school years was to teach my daughter how to manage a home, cook, and do all the necessary things toward running a home. Whatever you're going to do with your life, whether it's a stay at home, homeschooling Mom or a career woman, you're going to live in a home, and you're going to have to know how to manage it properly.
Just because I do it, doesn't mean I can teach it. Assigning chores doesn't do it; it just teaches how to do some household tasks. It doesn't teach how to determine when those things need to be done.
So, I found some Cooking Lessons online, some Cleaning Lessons online – both free. They are fairly comprehensive lessons; they advocate cleaning better than I do!
My plan is to tackle 1 lesson every 2 weeks, giving her time to perfect whatever method or home area we are studying, and then give a test. The test will be to follow the lesson, without having it in front of her, and then present her accomplishment to us. With each accomplishment she will receive an award. This award could be anything, but since I am a quilter, her award will be a quilt block for each lesson mastered. At the end, the quilt blocks will be turned into her own quilt. You could also do a charm bracelet or a pretty Certificate of Completion you make on the computer, or anything that fits into your family.
If you're teaching High School this year, I want to encourage you to tackle the subjects that scare you the most. Jump in... the swimming will happen!
Karen Gaas
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