Still Homeschooling?

I feel like I'm in crisis-mode homeschooling...you know where you're just getting in the basics and getting the kids to and from all the outside activity stuff on time and calling it a success?  Yeah. 

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that I said to my husband I thought I might like to take the kids to the zoo since I had a day off.  Typically he's answer with an "uh-huh" or "sounds good" or "how much is that going to cost?"  But this time there was actual commentary!  He said, "Maybe you should do schoolwork instead.  Seems like everyone's falling behind." 

Falling behind?  Falling behind what?  I reminded him that one of the great things about homeschooling is that there is no "fall behind."  There is no keeping up with the rest of the class or the principal's agenda. 

Apparently this principal has an agenda.

To defend my impromptu field trip I whipped out Michele's progress report that just arrived in the mail along with her PSAT results that came with it.  "Look....Michele's in the 97th percentile for reading and math and I think we did math about three weeks out of the year when she was in, like, 5th grade!  In fact, her entire curriculum was whatever she read out of the library! 

"Well, I think you're taking them to the zoo because you feel guilty about leaving them to go to work.  So, if you want to take them to the zoo because you're all homeschooly and stuff than go ahead, but if you're trying to make yourself feel better about working than do them a favor and keep them on their regular scheduled homeschooling."

This is why he's the principal.  All those years I thought the nodding and the uh-huh-ing were living on the fringe of homeschooling and really leaving it all up to me was by a truer measure, faith, trust and approval of what we were doing and how we were living day-to-day.  Speaking up and pointing out a need for redirection is what a good husband, a good friend, should do. 

So I compromised ;)  On Thursday we covered math in the morning.  Then we went across the street to the park.  After Luke went for a nap we read history together.  We talked about King James and the Jamestowne colony.  Even though my history week should have started on Monday, it started on Thursday.  It continued today.  It'll flow through to next week.  There's a plan in the works and we're working on it together.

I'm glad I didn't abandon school completely on Thursday.  Yes, the zoo is still considered school, esp. since Elaina is so immersed in animals right now and Luke is so interested in them, too.  But it was important to get back on track.  It's necessary for us to not "fall behind".  Meaning, falling behind the outline I made in the beginning of the year.  We're finally leaving Europe behind and coming to America! 

Little by little I am catching up : )