Señora Gose's Homeschool Spanish Blog (aka "Seriously, Suzanne")

 ~ 1 ~ Call it what it is: this is NEW and EXCITING! This is different, there are some unknowns happening. Pretending like nothing a little unnerving is happening is of no use to anyone. Let it be known! How to start is here:~ 2 ~ Stagger your start of classes. If classes or co-op begin early, then don't begin the other stuff until later. If co-op or class begins after Labor Day, begin a few subjects earlier.~ 3 ~ Slow motion... Once you begin, you can choose the pace. One lesson every OTHER day for math, literature, or science. ~...

Our high schoolers have amazingly complex lives.Their brains, social lives, and daily needs are changing at break neck speed, it seems. Their thoughts, hopes, and dreams about the future often spur them on, or paralyze them with fear. Their course requirements make their parents' heads spin, because their future simply doesn't mimic the same path of promotion from 20 or 25 years ago. It's a different world, nay, universe!So, beyond the basics, what should we choose for them? Where do we push?I can help - at least with our own standards. For our five homeschoolers, there were two nonnegotiable courses. Every...

Stop for a moment and think through these simple totally innocent questions: How many different curriculum have you tried for math? (THREE!) History (SEVEN!) Science? (TOOOO MANY) and what about foreign language? You can see I had a few jumps over the past 20+ years with our own five children, but one thing never changed: FOREIGN LANGUAGE. I saw what worked when baby number two was 5 years old. It changed EVERYTHING. So, let me help you with the last one. Foreign language lessons don't work when we use the wrong part of our brain to learn. There is the...

Finally, the third "main" educational philosophy (or "buzz word?) is Classical Education. So what does that MEAN?There's a LOT of overlap in a Classical Education with the Charlotte Mason Education as well as the Thomas Jefferson Education, but I'll cover that in a Post-Analysis where you can sort of pick and choose the "best version" of your educational philosophy.In general terms, wisdom is the goal of a classical education - inspire a curiosity of wonder and then add in reasoning and understanding, ultimately leading to wisdom. Here are just five main points that would define your educational philosophy if you're...

As always, I say - GO READ THE BOOK. (If the 6 volumes are too overwhelming... because they sort of ART, I have a few suggestions.) The best Charlotte Mason books are in my opinion... (in this order) Catherine Levison's Charlotte Mason Handbook Karen Andreola's Chartlotte Mason Companion ...followed by anything by Simply Charlotte MasonYou might be a Charlotte Mason homeschooler if your children spend time outdoors most days, you reach for quality books instead of textbooks, you ask your child to “tell it back” after reading, and you value attention and habits as much as academics. Basically, if your homeschool...