Okay, I've spent the last year working The Boy through Calvert School's fourth grade, and it has gone pretty well, all things considered. Their literature is good, their social studies is awesome, and I adored the structure of a lesson plan book. But I was thinking about the year overall, and came to the conclusion that this year was, in a word, unremarkable.
Now, some would consider this year to be a success, but I'm starting to wonder. Is "unremarkable" really a good goal for the next school year? On the other hand, am I really ready to move from the "learning the material at home" homeschool genre to "dynamic education for a gifted child" genre? I know this sounds like a no brainer, but it's not.
My mom thinks that I would be crazy to upset the apple cart and switch out of Calvert. I mean, it was a success, right? Well, yes, sort of... He was bored by the science, but who isn't? The spelling list, phonics, and grammar were too easy, but that's bound to happen. The writing curriculum wasn't robust enough. The reading list wasn't long enough. The science and social studies sufficiently introduced him to issues that he should be aware of. The social studies was actually much better than I've found myself. The math was not rigorous enough, but I can switch it out for Saxon next year without too much trouble.
But why bother with Calvert at all? Why not build my own? I mean after all, I did just that for third grade, and everyone was happy. Why not go for real excellence?
Well, real excellence requires a ton more work on my part. I would have to teach him the Michael Clay Thompson grammar/vocabulary/writing, rather than tossing it to him from across the room. I would have to develop unit plans and deadlines for the science and social studies, rather than simply living up to the expectations from Calvert. (Sadly, I need a whip behind me to keep moving through science and social studies. I get lazy.) I have already resigned myself to spending an hour a day with him poring over the Saxon Math.
If he were an only child, this wouldn't even be a question -- I'd jump ship from Calvert in a heartbeat. But he's not. The Girl requires three to four hours of tutoring per day as well.
What to do?! Well, The Girl is an early morning bird. The Boy is most decidedly not. I could teach The Girl in the morning and The Boy in the afternoon. But that would keep me in full battle mode for 8 hours a day. And when would we do anything fun like play group or music lessons? We could school for four days a week, but then I'd start worrying about "finishing" a grade. Am I really ready to let go of "grade level" notions yet? I just don't know -- that requires a lot of bravery.
I know what you're thinking. Why can't they do some of their curriculum independently? I mean, they're 10 years old, for god's sake. Or why can't I teach some of the curriculum to them together? The Girl needs a tutor. Period. The Boy is a auditory learner, and the material that I want to use is of the sort that requires a "shared learning experience". We read, play with words, brainstorm outlines, that sort of thing. He can take an outline and write a paragraph from it, but that won't keep him for more than 20 minutes a day.
What to do? What to do?!
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