We began our Winter semester of lessons today. We had finished up our Fall lessons back on December 15th, 2003, and shifted into what I call "unschooling mode". "Unschooling mode" is when we don't get out our workbooks or formal curriculum, but instead focus on fun, creative, and personal activities. We celebrated the First Day of Winter with a Yule/soltice celebration, decorated, baked, visited with friends for cookie making, candy making, ornament making...we got the tree, learned about Kwanza, Hannakah, Celebrated Christmas and New Years, did crafts, read books...had a great time.
I settled down a few days back, and started to pull together my notes and plans for our new semester. I spent evenings redoing schedules in order to formally "add" my almost five year old. I added, switched, revamped programs, lessons, projects, dates, group plans...I planned library days, book drop offs, unit break downs...added in all or our holidays (whew!), fieldtrips...yesterday, as the clock ticked down, I went over weekly schedules for the next six weeks, balanced lessons out, added personal projects and interests...broke down spelling and writing pages....I worked at it until 1am, and went to bed with a full days sheet of lessons, including finger painting, ready for me this morning.
My almost three year old woke me at 6:45am..."Sun is UP" he shouted as he ran into my dark, very cold bedroom. I got up, knowing what today held...headed downstairs for the usual...boot computer, throw in laundry, find matchbox cars, make cereal and juice...hand out chore charts, write schedule on white board, check email...oh yeah, open blinds...sun is OUT! As I make up my bed, a mantra begins in my head..."This is what I do...This is who I am..." I begin my workout at 8am, the same words lingering in my thoughts..."This is what I do..." As I showered, set up books for the day, cleaned up the kitchen..."This is who I am...this is what I do ...." It lasted until I sat down, books and pencils in hand, ready to teach science....and then, like jittery nerves on an opening night, the thought went away as I began....I just...became it.....it is who I am...it is what I do.....and then...I did it....and all was right.....!
I don't know why I felt that way...it wasn't a dreading sort of though, or a nervous thought...just a mantra...a positive affirmation. It worked...!
Our day was ok...at some point I will post our schedule of classes and you can see what me kids are up against....no one will ever say they are "bored" again...!
Make a mantra...keep it close...use it!