The wrap-up of the wrap-ups, 2009-2010

This post, almost a week after our summer has begun, is the epitome of how our end of the year has gone.      Sally said it all in her comment about being DONE (with the capital “d”) as defined by her.   The only problem is, other schedules dictated how my year ended.   With plan A, I would have had another week to think about how to celebrate.  Plan B was that I tested when I wanted to have school, and I had school when I thought to test.    And I think that’s the problem: given my lack of spontaneity, it’s taken me a while to realize that school is over.     Even in terms of my posting, there were other things I wanted to say and do, but time got away from me, and now I can’t help feeling like I missed a great opportunity.   I should have done one more homeschool wrap-up.   Then again, I’m one of those people who will forget to put something on a list, so I’ll do it and then write it down so that I can cross it off.    Talk about an obsession with closure.

I was reflecting upon the year, especially the first semester when everything seemed to just click, and it occurred to me that this was too good of a year to not do anything to celebrate in some way.   So, Friday night after the older two’s team practices, I used the Starbucks gift card that the tester’s parents gave me, and I bought everyone Frappucinos.

We had a good, if not great, year, even though I experienced my usual end-of-semester burnout, and I didn’t get to list the last bit of icing on the cake—a hodge-podge of happenings—so I’ll list them here.    By the way, how do you capture your school year each year?    When I was more of an avid scrapbooker, I always reserved a page (or 2 or 3) in my scrapbooks to serve as a recap of our year.   

 I know other parents who get their pictures neatly posted into Squidoo; personally, I’m working on getting more logged onto my blog, and more pictures taken in-the-moment (you’ve probably noticed), such that I can remember it all and use it well.

The youngest, after requesting to learn more about the human body, began Apologia’s Anatomy and Physiology.   Personally, I think it is far more difficult than some of the other elementary level texts, but I also realize that between General Science and Biology she’ll see the human body at least two other times.    We’re not on the hook for “nailing” it just yet.   Here’s a picture of her edible cell—Jello with Twizzlers, Starbursts, Skittles, jelly beans, Jawbreakers, Fruit Roll-ups.    Jeannie Fulbright needs her behind whipped for that one (smile).

 After thoroughly enjoying A Cricket in Times Square (although the youngest hated that the cricket chose to leave just as things were going so well), we began The Wheel on the School.     It’s a slower book, but poses a profound question to a teacher (in this case, a parent) about what can happen when a child is curious.    This post, from a public school teacher, addresses the nature of the book better than I could.   We found this while surfing to find out what is a wineball.

This wasn’t my year to focus in on my son, so I don’t have as much to write about his finish, except that it was stellar.   His turn in coming in 2010-2011, when I think the oldest will have gotten into her routine with high school.    He was happy to finish his year of poetry with this bit of eloquence, which looks simple enough, but he had to meet a number of assignment requirements in terms of rhythm, rhyme, etc.

Inside of the cold season,

The rain, the snow and the hail

Falls to the ground.

Now in the blooming season,

Plants start, not to fall to

The ground,

But to come to the surface,

And come around.

The oldest did complete both her projects-on time, in spite of an internet outage for 24 hours.   I see in her one who gets tons of energy at the last minute.   It is disturbing, and it’s not me, but I know a number of people who function in this way and are wildly successful.    I was most skeptical about one of the projects, designing the ideal high school according to Socrates, as reflected in the ideas of Plato’s Republic.     Not only was this a more difficult work to read and comprehend, but I didn’t know how she’d put the work in with such time constraints to show, through words, that she “got it.”   At the end of the day, it wasn’t her best work, but she understood the ideas expressed, and moreover, the idea behind every teen/ high school movie she’s ever seen—why the popular kids are constantly recognized and become increasingly popular, why the others fade into high school oblivion, and why there are segments and cliques—recognized cliques with boundaries– in the first place.   I thought to post her work here, mistakes and all.   Hmmm…..we’ll see.

When I look at the kids relaxing, when I notice myself sleeping a bit later with no guilt, it’s hard to embrace that the year is over.    Seems like we ran full steam for so long until this abrupt stop is taking a minute to get a hold of.    Now comes my favorite part: planning (and purchasing) for the year to come.   Hope you’re enjoying this season as well.