2 weeks down...a lifetime to go!

Today (Friday 21st September) has been two weeks since we officially began home schooling and it has been a whirlwind!

I am still 'finding my feet' but to be honest it has been much better than I initially anticipated. I thought I would be much more stressed and extremely frustrated, but thankfully, I'm good :-)) The boys are slowly but surely getting used to the change and are saying positive things about their experience for the most part, (I do have one child who says as often as he can 'Im bored mum', I would take offence but thankfully it goes over my head as this is his standard chant whenever he is not getting his own way).

Alex (aka) 'Little Fire' - The bored one!!

As for me, truth be told, I have been EXHAUSTED getting into the swing of things!! My alarm goes off at 5.45am and I am usually out of the bed by 6am (I say usually because some days I just look at my phone as though it is a demon from hell, I snooze and go back to sleep for at least an extra half an hour).  On my 'good days' I get up, have some 'me time' talk to God and then prepare for the day ahead.  The boys are usually up between 7.00 and 7.30 and then Eagles start Physical Education at 8.30am with Coach Len (aka Dad).

Our day usually runs for approximately 4 - 5 hours including an hour lunch and two short breaks (my 2 year old does what I call 'freelance learning' nothing too structured at this stage and my 5 year old who we call 'little fire' has many more short breaks than the older two simply because his attention span is like ZERO) so we only do focused study for about 3.5 hours in total which seems to work well for us.  It is still a challenge figuring out the best way to spread my attention between the boys, I'm working on that. 

Every Monday and Friday we do a 30 minute personal development lesson which is usually quite fun, today for example, we did a ball game to illustrate the power of FOCUS.  Wednesday is Money Matters or Financial Education, Len (my husband) does that lesson, he teaches them songs, motto's and all sorts :-)) 

 

The boys reciting financial Wisdom from Daddy Len

'Profits are better than wages, the more I learn is the more I earn'.

'The marketplace pays for value, the better my skill is the better my value'

 

We also do a spelling bee on Friday's which the boys seem to really look forward to.  Within the next two weeks we have planned a visit to the Science and Natural History Museum with the hope of getting some inspiration for our upcoming Science and History projects!!

It's all go in the Allen Household, always is.  I will be updating you on our progress, if you believe in the power of prayer, please mention our names :-))

Speak soon.

Karen. xx

P.S. Since starting Allen Eagles I have been interviewed by a major Christian Magazine for their November edition and another mainstream magazine is also interested in our story which is both exciting and scary!!

21 Reasons we decided to Home School

 

Since my last blog I have been asked by a number of people WHY we have decided to home school.  Consequently I thought it might be helpful if I documented 21 of the reasons (among others) so that even I can be reminded when times get tough :-)

 

I must preface my reasons by stating that I am a HUGE fan of teachers but not a big fan of the education system on the whole.  Some of the most influential people in my life are teachers and I think they do a phenomenal job for which they are by no means rewarded according to their worth.

 

The reasons listed below are personal and are by no means aimed at anyone I know.  Thankfully most of the teachers I know are fantastic!

 

 

 21 Reasons we decided to Home School...

 

 

We believe that our children are unique and as such do not need to necessarily be educated conventionally.

We believe that we are best suited to nurture and groom the unique character of each child.

We believe that it is important for our children to have a spiritual foundation underpinning their education.

 

We believe that we are the best people to identify and develop the many gifts that God has given each child.

 

We believe that the education system in the UK is designed to teach most children to be average and to accept mediocrity as standard.

 


 

 

We believe that the education system (generally speaking) is not flexible enough, nor is it designed to bring out the best in boys (especially black boys).

We believe that there are core subjects such as communication skills, financial education, discipline, respect and people skills that are not a priority on the school curriculum but should be.

We believe that home schooling will enable us to greatly influence our children’s philosophies until they are able to shape their own.

We want our children to experience the true joy of learning and we want them to grow up with a passionate to learn new things.

We want our children to know that education is an equaliser and that once they are educated in any given area ANYTHING is possible.

We believe that we should be the primary influence in our children’s life especially during their most impressionable years and home schooling will allow us to do this on an even greater scale.

We believe that it is important for our children to understand the importance of service and sacrifice and this should be an integral part of their learning.

 

We believe that many people who are educated at school are in danger of not realising 'who they really are' until years after they have left school (if they ever do) and this should not be the case.

We believe that education should be linked to a child’s purpose and that children should be taught and often reminded that they were created for a purpose and that it is important for them to find out what that purpose is and then go on to fulfil it.

We believe that our children need to be frequently exposed to people and places that will serve to inspire and influence them in a positive way and we feel that the education system should be more flexible and creative in including such experiences in the curriculum.

We want our children to have the best education which will include all the values that are important to us.

We believe that educating a child should be much more vast and well-rounded than simply sitting in a classroom for most of the day for instance, history should be taught through frequent trips to museums as well as real life stories from the older generation and geography should be experienced through travel as well as text books and an atlas.

We want our children to be challenged to always strive for excellence without excuse.

We want our children to know without a doubt that WHATEVER they put their hearts and minds to they can achieve with determination and dedication.

We want our children to understand the importance of things that the education system place little value on for example, the importance of failure, the importance of focusing on you’re strengths, the importance of standing up for what you believe in and the importance of following your dream.

We believe that home schooling is the best decision for our family at this time.


If you have any further questions, feel free to send me a message.

Until next time,

Karen. x


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It's official...I am MAD!

For years people have said it, I even pioneered a campaign based on it (R U MAD Youth Campaign), but now it's confirmed...I am MAD!

MAD is an acronym I use for the term Making A Difference, however with my latest endeavour I think it is befitting to use the word literally!

I am proud to say that I am a married mother of five, four of whom are all under the age of 10.  For many, many years I've had a desire to do something that most people consider to be somewhat psychotic.  The reason why it has taken me this long to take the 'plunge' is because even I have questioned the rationale of doing something which could initially change my character (possibly not in a positive way :-0 ) and ultimately change my life!!

At the beginning of this year 2012 the desire intensified.  I had a number of incidents take place which confirmed strongly the need for me to pursue this path and in July the decision was solidified.

I am officially a HOME SCHOOLING MUM!

Yes, you heard right my husband and I made the brave and somewhat crazy decision to take our boys out of the traditional education system to home school our boys.  It was not an easy decision and it did not occur overnight.  It was a result of much prayer, research, counselling and well-rounded advice from friends and family. Once I had answered all the questions and settled the concerns that had prevented me from making this decision sooner, I stopped wrestling with the inevitable and found peace.

We spent the best part of this year (2012) talking with the boys about our decision and the reasons why we feel this is the best thing for our family at this time, at first they were apprehensive as expected (the thought of not seeing their friends was unbearable at first) but soon they too could see the benefits (after I bribed them all and promised that we would keep in contact with their closest friends from school).

So the journey has begun.  Well it officially begins on Monday 10th September, this week (beginning 3rd Sept) we have been doing what my eldest son calls 'transition week' (3 hours of work daily to get us into the home schooling groove).  Many have questioned my reasoning, others think I am MAD, but most people truly respect the decision we have made to home school and I really appreciate that.  I was asked by a number of people if I would write a blog/journal about my experiences, at first I was hesitant (where would I find the time!!) then I thought it might just be cathartic for me, so here it is! 

'Keeping it REAL with Karen' will be about life in my world and will include my home schooling journey as well as other exciting adventures along the way.  My plan is to blog frequently but at least once a week where I will share with you the ups, the downs, the ins and the outs.  I will give you a glimpse into my thoughts that got me to where I am today and why we decided that home schooling was the best thing for us, as well as introduce you to each of my children and what we call our 'creative curriculum'.

As I write this post the boys have just taken a 15 minute break, the sun is shining, I am sitting on the trampoline and the boys are playing in the garden, today is a good day, so far so good, let's hope that we have started the way we plan to continue......let's hope!!

Karen. x


Please feel free to share what you have read and do leave a comment below. (I need all the encouragement I can get)!!