{photos by Karen Weaver}
Yes, our Day in the Life series is back this year! This series gives us a chance to get a peek into a typical home day of one of our SLOCA families. We all do things a little differently at home, but we’re all on a classical learning journey, and we’re all involved in the education of our children. It’s encouraging to see the ups and downs of others’ experiences, and relate to those in our community – we are so grateful to the families who participate and share one of their home days with us!
Here’s our first Day in the Life for the year, from the Weaver family. Karen Weaver and her husband Tim are in their 6th year at SLO Classical Academy, and they have two children, one on each track! Read on to hear about a home day with each child:
Monday Morning
6:30
“Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head…” Just kidding. I did wake up, and remembered that it was Monday. I had 30 minutes to read and pray before the day got going.
7:00
Rolled out of bed, fed the dog, and started coffee. Roused Alexia, our Track A first grader. Pulled her lunch out of the frig, got breakfast going for her…
We have two children at SLOCA. A son on Track B, in seventh grade. Our daughter is in first grade on Track A. This wasn’t our first choice, but at the time it was the best we could do. As a result, both my husband and I think this situation is the best for our family.
7:45
My husband leaves with Alexia, and I get ready to face the day. I have already read the grid, but for our family, it really works well to write the grid on the large whiteboard near our kitchen table, with due dates. As I write, I reflect that there are a number of things due tomorrow that Ben will want help with. He should have started two of these things last week, but chose not to. I make a mental note to breathe deeply… all day.
Ben shuffles out of his room. (I’m dressed, the bed is made, the kitchen is somewhat tidy.) “Do I have a big day today?” He mumbles. Do I answer truthfully, or sugarcoat it? “The list is big, but you’ve had worse.” He sits at the table to eat eggs and a bagel. We go over the grid together, and the narrative. Then he looks at the whiteboard. “All that stuff is due tomorrow? What?! Let’s read first. Outside.”
9:20 We are outside on a concrete slab. I am sitting in a chair, Ben is on his skateboard, then with a soccer ball. I really don’t get how he can hear me. We pass the next hour reading Don Quixote and Michelangelo. Ben thinks DQ is a nut. I can’t help but think of Jack Black in Nacho Libre. It’s all I can do to not read using a Mexican accent.
Ben wants to know what’s next. I tell him that he is in the driver’s seat. He needs to decide what to do next. (I’m trying not be a helicopter parent.) I am here to help. He wanders into his room. His backpack is on a chair by the table in our dining/home school area. I sigh.
10:45
I decide to let the chips fall. He needs to be responsible. Still no Ben.
11:00-12:00
He works on the Socratic Ticket and Discussion Question for Literature and then History. Yes, it took a lo-o-o-o-o-ong time. Ben had lunch, I left for the grocery store and to pick-up Alexia.
4:00-9:00
No effort was made on the projects that are due tomorrow. Necessary information was missing. One e-mail is sent by Ben to a teacher asking her to send the needed information for Latin. That information doesn’t come in time, so I send an e-mail to let the teachers know that the necessary assignments will not be turned in tomorrow due to…Life Lessons.
Ben is exhausted. He did make a go at Math with my husband. We made the decision to have Tim be the math teacher this year, which means that math starts after dinner. We’ve got some kinks to work out on this part of our routine.
Before we came to SLOCA, Ben's zeal for discovery was gone. He was burned out as a person. Things he was passionate about, like building things such as tree houses and tables for the backyard, God, and sports had nearly become extinct in his life. However, since his first few weeks at SLOCA, six years ago, there are remnants of homemade skateboard ramps in the back yard, random Nerf bullets and air soft pellets too. He is concerned about people. He wants to improve his soccer skills. This is a season, full of life lessons. Even though we have some rough days, it's a good exercise for me to look at the past with thankfulness.
Tomorrow is a new day.
And it was. The day was a breath of fresh air. Alexia came bouncing out of her room (no kidding) at 7:00 asking what she had to do for school and when could we get started?! After Ben leaves, I get coffee, and we both eat and get dressed. We started at 8:45 and finished by noon. Enjoyed Michelangelo, talked about fresco painting and about sculpting. Finished our home day with her favorite academic subject, math.
All in all, I am glad that our children are on two tracks. It’s tricky wrapping my head around the goings on in Track A and Track B. Some extra-curricular activities with peers are missed, but the one-on-one time is valuable for our family.
Thanks, Karen, for sharing about your home days. It's great to get the two-track perspective, and to hear both the joys and struggles that go along with homeschooling – it's encouraging to know we all experience both!
As always, comments below are welcomed. And parents, if you are interested in sharing about one of your home days on the blog, please email Down Home and we will set up a time to make it happen.
