No, we’re not on another trip. In fact, we are actually at home this weekend. Home for a yard sale, a “Room of the Week” and playing catch up/get ahead for the next rip.
The question is in regards to the end of the school year. Are we there yet? For Chloe, this has been her “blooming” year. She’s gone from not liking schoolwork to enjoying it. She’s finished a number of subjects already. While some will carry over into the summer, these are ones that she started out behind in and has dome a great job of “catching up”. In addition, she read a whole book this week. This is B-I-G news. Pretty much any book I suggest is turned down. She starts books often, but never gets all the way through. But the book she picked out at Books of Wonder in NYC? She finished in two days. May this be a turning point for her, the child who was bored this weekend while in a room filled with hundreds of children’s entertainers.
On the other hand, this has not been a particularly great year for Camille. Don’t get me wrong. She is self-motivated, reads like crazy, and has taken on lots of new things with enthusiasm. But this year has not been a great one for her. A lot of this has to do with my poor choices of curriculum for her. Unfortunately, I don’t have much to choose from for her. She has been drowning in busywork instead of digging deep and pushing herself. Given my own personality, I have a hard time telling her to just drop things. I want her to push through and finish up the year, as ill-fitting as it might be.
However, next year, next year will be different. I think she’s as hopeful as I am that we can find a new direction for her studies. She’ll concentrate on math (geometry, I think), writing (both essays and creative), and literature. (The three R’s, I suppose.) She will study “modern history”, but through reading and writing. Another subject will be study skills … taking notes, making outlines, studying for tests. And I hope she’ll continue with her Latin and maybe even take a mythology exam … she’s well-versed in mythology.
One thing we introduced this year was current events, and she will certainly continue with that.
In other words, I can’t wait to be done with this year so we can start next year!
congrats to Chloe! That was Ali – I didn’t think the child would ever finish a book in 5th grade! Now she almost always finishes them. (Occasionally she doesn’t, but I’m OK with that.) Good luck finding a new curriculum for Camille! She’s such a bright girl. I’m sure the right program is out there. I hope you are able to find it.