The Un-School Home School Day

Advice You Didn't Ask For 

Day 149

September 30, 2013

Team Zybko

As a teacher you aren't supposed to have favorite students.
But I do.
These are my two star students.
I wouldn't trade them for the world. 

This was our view during home school day # 28.

Sunny, 84 degrees with the slightest of refreshing breezes.

Today was a star gold star kinda day.

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I haven't been doing this home school thing for very long. We just dove into our 3rd year, started back up a little over a month ago. As the head teacher of Team Zybko Academy (yea that's right, you get to pick the name of your school, boo-yah) I am beginning to find my niche and style in all of this. Learning new do's and don'ts every grading period. If you look closely you can still see big splotches of green behind my ears, I'm pretty sure they will never fade. I certainly don't have all the answers, not a pro but I am an advocate. It may or not be right for your family but for my two hamsters with me throughout the day, it's a perfect fit. 

I'm not a big one on giving advice. It tends to make me nervous. Super nervous. When I do give advice I end up getting someone pregnant. yes, you heard that right. A friend or a perfectly good stranger may ask me what I think about having enough kids to fill up a mini van. They inquire my opinion I tell them my own personal experience. I love it, it's great!  They might ask me how I manage to get everything done.
I don't, I never do I answer quite honestly. Major on the majors, minor on the minors is how I roll. I lean in and whisper, just never eat off my kitchen floor, that's a  definite minor in my book. They refuse to stop there. So you think I should go for it? I could handle another kid right, we are just kinda on the fence about it. I tell them,  I have found the younger you are to add just one more the better, ya know the whole energy thing. As if it's my decision anyway. So that's a yes? Well, I'm sure you could make it work. 

Next time I see these people, it never fails, they are knocked up and happy to see me and share the big news. They tell me while rubbing their belly, and grinning from ear to ear. After talking with you we went for it. TMI and Oh geez I feel a little responsible. So as you can see giving even the slightest "advice" I tend to "in-pregnate" many a women, by mistake. 

Not that there is a huge line of people at my back door asking me about the ins and outs of how to home school or anything. I'm just saying, if there was, I'd be sweating through my Wal-mart sports bra. Thank goodness no one does ask cause none of our school days look the same. I wouldn't exactly know how to answer. After stumbling through a few ums and uhs and a few well you see, they would probably gather I don't really have a plan at all.  Yep, I said it out loud. It would sound more like un-schooling from the outside. Don't go calling SCAIHS on me or anything. I am totally on the up and up with curriculum and paperwork. I just prefer a more loosey goosey approach that would certainly cause my more structured friends to have a panic attack, or pee their pants.

Not that there is a huge line of people at my back door asking me about the ins and outs of how to home school or anything. 

The super fantastic most wonderful positive plus when you choose to home school is, YOU do it like you like it. The way that works for you and your students. Your way. Like Burger King. As long as the value meal is prepared, made to order, served hot and eaten before the mayonnaise gives you salmonella then you are good to go. Who cares if the Whooper doesn't look anything like your neighbors Whopper. Their Whopper has no mustard, extra cheese, exactly one and half pickles and each and every one of the sesame seeds are picked off the top bun with love. A lot of ways to skin a cat. I am in no way suggesting than Burger King meat is cat meat. I don't know exactly what it is but I'm pretty sure it's not cat. Cat tastes like chicken, duh.

So, if I were to give advice about homeschooling it would sound something like this.

Shake it up.

Get out of your cuter than cute home school room and go outside.

Take a field trip. Not a field trip field trip just a do school somewhere other than the normal place field trip.

Pack a backpack of workbooks, pencils and peanut butter sandwiches. (maybe an ice cold Diet Coke for you)

Pick a park and go for it.

Experience the world around you.

Let God make the lesson plan for your students outside of the 3 R's of reading, riting, rithmetic.

Keep your smart phone handy for pop up questions you may not know off the cuff or can't look up with your big ole heavy references books left at home.

This field trip un-school day led us to discussions about leaves, wasp eating caterpillar, the circle of life, clouds, planes that land on water, people who take off work to water ski, study hard so you don't have to work for the man, which falls faster? heavy rocks or light rocks, shadows, Indian tools, pollution, how squirrels are a bit freaky, the story of when I was 8 and the squirrel who wouldn't let go of my leg....and so on and so on!

The best part about this unsolicited home school advice. I am 99.9% sure you won't get pregnant.