The Hobbit Hole IX - A sudden tree or standing stone

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[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

A sudden tree or standing stone

• First thread: New Zealander builds Hobbit hole
• Second thread: The New Hobbit Hole
• Third thread: The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads! (Congratulations, we filled it up!)
• Fourth Thread: The Hobbit Hole IV - The Road Goes Ever On...
• Fifth Thread: The Hobbit Hole V - Where Many Paths and Errands Meet...
• Sixth Thread: The Hobbit Hole VI - And Whither Then? I Cannot Say...
• Seventh Thread: The Hobbit Hole VII - But not yet weary are our feet...
• Eighth Thread: The Hobbit Hole VIII - Still round the corner we may meet...

New verse:

Upon the hearth the fire is red, Beneath the roof there is a bed; But not yet weary are our feet, Still round the corner we may meet A sudden tree or standing stone That none have seen but we alone. Tree and flower and leaf and grass, Let them pass! Let them pass! Hill and water under sky, Pass them by! Pass them by!

Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate, And though we pass them by today, Tomorrow we may come this way And take the hidden paths that run Towards the Moon or to the Sun. Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe, Let them go! Let them go! Sand and stone and pool and dell, Fare you well! Fare you well!

Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are all alight. Then world behind and home ahead, We’ll wander back to home and bed. Mist and twilight, cloud and shade, Away shall fade! Away shall fade! Fire and lamp, and meat and bread, And then to bed! And then to bed!

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Web page for our moot reports and troop support information!

[ksen]

That's not what I said Kevin.

Then I misread what you posted, sorry about that.

[JenB]

I'm really not clear on this "homeschool academy" thing - how does it work? It sounded at first like the co-ops my family's been involved in, but those were one day a week with classes taught by the moms. Or is it more of a high school program, in which case I'm wondering why it's called homeschooling?

[Corin Stormhands]

I'm really not clear on this "homeschool academy" thing - how does it work?

I guess in a sense it's still sort of a co-op. I think their earliest classes are middle school age (I'm not sure on that since wife teaches upper grades).

Basically parents send kids to take subjects parents aren't comfortable teaching anymore. Some kids take all their classes there. Some just a few.

Parents pay per class. But they pay the school and the school pays the teachers. They meet three days a week.

[JenB]

Right, that sounds more like the co-op... ours had classes for little kids, since the moms were all teaching, and were a good way to get in the weak subjects.

From one point of view, your wife almost certainly has the kids with the weakest writing skills. Because their mothers recognize that, they send the kids to your wife. So she's probably dealing with the worst homeschooled kids, not the best. Just like the teacher who's teaching, say, Algebra probably doesn't have any of the brilliant math students.

I'd applaud the parents for seeing that their kids get this gap fixed if you hadn't said the parents are part of the problem.

[Corin Stormhands]

Well I do think these parents are making the right choices. And (darned lack of editing features) I still don't mean to imply that all of the parents are problematic. They're not.

I just think that, in the problem cases, that perhaps the parents should have sent them off earlier.

For example, with Luke, we've talked about me doing the elementary math. I can do that. But once we get past a certain level ~ definitely pre-Algebra ~ we'll have to get someone else involved.

[JenB]

If you use Saxon math, you can probably get through Algebra, too. Math was never my mom's strong point, but Saxon has a really really good math curriculm, from about 5th grade on (Saxon 54 is the first one we used. By fourth or fifth grade age, most kids can handle the Saxon format).

Anyway, once I got into Algebra, Mom had to start buying the step-by-step "here's how this problem is solved" guides, as well as the text and answer books.

[Corin Stormhands]

Can you remind me of that in about 6 years? ;-)

[JenB]

How old is Luke? And, um, how old is 4th/5th grade... I never can remember that. Most homeschoolers I know had an inability to rattle off a grade level. It's hard when you're doing 4th grade English and 6th grade math and maybe 5th grade history. I'd always just say, "Well, I'm 12" or whatever.

Of course, I'm now about to enter 17th grade, so...

[RosieCotton]

For example, with Luke, we've talked about me doing the elementary math. I can do that. But once we get past a certain level ~ definitely pre-Algebra ~ we'll have to get someone else involved.

Like Jen said, Saxon is good at walking people through things. If you DO homeschool, you may be surprised at how much Luke can do on his own, with the help of a good step-by-step guide.

The other thing that people tend to forget is that there's nothing that says THEY can't learn subjects in order to teach them. The learning function doesn't get switched off when we graduate from high school or college...and even someone with an advanced degree has to do some studying to teach a subject. I don't remember half of my Algebra II, but I did some tutoring of a friend a few years ago and with the help of a Saxon book was able to relearn it in order to explain it to her.

[ksen]

Nobody has ever said that you can't get other people involved in homeschooling your child(ren). If you know you come up short in an area, then bring in a tutor or whatever else you can find to shore up your weak spot(s).

The main point is that as the parent of the child you will have their best interests at heart more than anyone else. You will know your child better than anyone else.

[Corin Stormhands]

Luke is 4. We're going to work on reading this summer.

If he doesn't teach himself first. He's ready.

[Corin Stormhands]

If you DO homeschool, you may be surprised at how much Luke can do on his own, with the help of a good step-by-step guide.

That might work with Luke. It would never have worked with Jr.

And, no, I gave up math class a long time ago and have never looked back.

[JenB]

You want to know a secret?

I was a lazy and unmotivated student when I was, oh, 12. At least, I wanted to be. I decided that I hated school, and all I wanted to do was read novels. I tried doing the lousiest job I could get away with on everything. There were days when I'd get less than half my math lesson right the first time. I decided I couldn't learn anything on my own, without my mother spoonfeeding me.

Fortunately, my parents didn't put up with it. Dad demanded that I do 8 hours a day of schoolwork until I was over the phase - recorded in fifteen minute increments that he would check at the end of the day. Well... I had been used to 3 or 4 hours a day, and the rest of the time to myself. It took me a week to decide to change instead of hating my parents, and a couple weeks more to prove I was serious.

It's a lot easier to motivate a kid when you're the one who's checking the schoolwork. I see parents working so hard wit their public-schooled kids, but because they aren't the teacher, they just can't seem to get through. I think you're doing everything you can with Jr, and one of these days he's gonna thank you.

[g'nad]

Hey, thanks everyone for the birthday wishes yesterday. We had a great day...thegirl and mrnad made me breakfast in "secret"...and mrnad did school so that I could sew for a bit...and dinner was at church. I'm thankful for my family!

Today, it's back to work/school. I have to make theboy's cake for his hunting birthday party tomorrow. We'll be sure to post some pics.

God bless you all. May you see His provision for you this day.

Mrsnad

[Corin Stormhands]

Thanks. We've seen some progress this semester. We keep reminding ourselves that, with all the crap WE have had to go through Jr. and Luke have been there too and they get a lot of the fallout.

Nana's moving in has been very difficult for Jr. Luke is oblivious to the fact that it's permanent, but I know at times he can sense the tension.

[JenB]

Yeah, it's tough on kids when there's adult tension... they pick up on a lot more than you'd think.

I can't imagine having any of our grandparents move in with us. There would be homicide within two days.

[g'nad]

Reading Reflex is a great book on how to teach reading...(my 2cents)

mrsnad

[ItsOurTimeNow]

**I've got Rebel Yell here. On LP no less!**

LP? What's that?

(SO TOTALLY kidding!)

Last night I downloaded the video to Duran Duran's "The Reflex".

Man...the fashion, the dancing, the bubble-gum synth-pop...what a decade!

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Thank you so much for the information, 2J.

[Corin Stormhands]

Thanks.