Will They Go to "Regular" High School?

Before I talk about the one homeschool question that drives me nuts (well, there are many, but this week I have ONE), I have exciting news: Collage Friday is BACK!

Sharing about our homeschool week (or an aspect of our week) on Fridays has been a way for me to personally document the growth in my children - and often myself. 

It is a time when many bloggers come together, link up their collage posts, and support each other. 

It is a way to sit back, reflect on the week, and realize that we DID accomplish a lot, even when it might seem otherwise. Sometimes it's hard to get this post completed on a Thursday evening, but it's always worth it.

This week, I will randomly choose one blogger who links their collage post to receive a $25 Amazon gift card.  You have until next Thursday to link up, so get those collages made (I use PicMonkey) put them in a post, then come back here and follow the link up widget at the bottom of this post. 

I want to dedicate this week's Collage Friday post to my almost high-schooler, since this week marked her first day of school.

Homeschooling High School

We're not quite to high school - just one more year.

I've started to get that question. It's a question that is asked quite innocently, and I am sure people don't mean anything by it - they're just curious. 

I ran into someone this week in the grocery store and we got to talking about our children. She was asking about Anna and I tried to share (in a nutshell) about Classical Conversations and the Challenge program.

Then she dropped the question:

"Will she go to 'regular' high school?"

I came home and logged my frustrations on Facebook:

 

Ok, so I didn't give my friend a snarky answer, but I did have one formulated in my brain. 

Instead, I graciously shared with her about the many resources available to me as a homeschool mom. I told her that homeschool kids are getting into college (gasp!) and thriving quite well beyond graduation. I also told her  we have invested in our children's education in a huge way by homeschooling them, so why would we stop now?? The best is yet to come!

Friends, we need to toot our homeschool horns. Share what you are doing in your homeschools, and speak positively about homeschooling. Our families are the best evidence of homeschooling, and I believe we can do this through high school graduation. 

 First Day of Challenge B

Tuesday marked the first day of Challenge B (roughly the equivalent of 8th grade) for Anna. What a HUGE blessing the Challenge program  has been. 

Last year the first day was marked with nerves, a few tears, and a lot of trepidation.

This year, it was the complete opposite!  

I'm so proud of her. We are anticipating great things for this year.

Scheduling and Organizing in Challenge B

If we learned anything last year in Challenge A it was how to manage our time. I appreciate how CC teaches a child to organize, schedule, and THINK.

Each week Anna fills out a planning sheet. She schedules in four days of work (one day is our community day), six subjects each day. Having the ability to sit down and map out your work week is invaluable. We can coordinate our family calendar with her school calendar. 

She learned last year that following this schedule closely is so valuable - she rarely procrastinates. I wish I had known how to do this before going to college.

*Anna keeps her schedule in a page protector and uses an Expo Click marker (these are wonderful if you don't know about them!) to check her boxes.  

The first book of the semester is The Phantom Toll Booth. She told me her class is evenly split on liking and disliking the book?  What about you?  Have you read it and did you like it, or were there just too many puns for you?

Anna has made cute washi tape notecard rings for her Latin and Logic flashcards. This makes studying terms more fun.

She also covered her notebooks with cardstock and then added a piece of dry erase paper on the front. She can write herself notes of things to remember for the next week on the dry erase paper.  SMART!

A Blogging Retreat 

Being a homeschool mom who writes a blog and authors curriculum is challenging. I try to give my family the attention they deserve and also pursue my passion and ministry at the same time. 

I am so blessed that God has put me in a place to do both. He's also blessed me with a support system. 

Last weekend I spent three days with my online support system - nine other bloggers who know EXACTLY what challenges I face on a day to day basis.  We NEED this support from each other because sometimes the blogging world isn't kind. 

We shared blogging strategies, homeschooling ideas, and struggles we face. We laughed, cried, and probably drank a little too much wine.... I had such a great time.

Follow these bloggers for inspiration and ideas. I was blown away by the level of talent and commitment that surrounded me all weekend. 

• Jen - Forever, For Always, No Matter What
• Jimmie - Jimmie's Collage & Notebooking Fairy
• Colleen - Raising Lifelong Learners
• Dianna - The Kennedy Adventures
• Cindy - Our Westward Journey
• Sara - Happy Brown House
• Heidi - Starts at Eight
• Megan - Education Possible
• Pam - Ed Snapshots

Please join me by linking your photo collages! 

If you'd like to link, you can do so in a couple of ways:

• Enter your link below. Be sure to link to your post with photo collages and link back to this post (or include the Collage Friday button on your blog).
• Share your photo collage(s) on Instagram, FB, G+, or Twitter - use the hashtag #collagefriday so I can find you!

An InLinkz Link-up