School

The new school year has brought a new adventure to our family. We're doing a homeschooling/public schooling blend. Nate and I put a lot of thought and prayer into it and decided that we wanted more than anything to take the guesswork out of school this year. I didn't feel like I could handle the stress of remote public schooling for all the kids again. And homeschooling allows us to keep things as consistent for our family as possible. We won't have to worry about the runaround of the schools shutting down and then reopening, which honestly may or may not happen multiple times over the course of the year.

Addison, oboe in tow, is our only public schooler this year. He's in his first year of junior high. He gets up early, masks up, and goes to school twice a week, and learns remotely the other three days. I like it, because that means he gets to do the homeschool thing with us, at least somewhat, on those days. We get him sometimes for science and history, depending on his workload from school. He's teaching a coding class to his siblings once a week as part of their school. He's juggling seven classes, which I think is great for him, and for the most part he likes them. Utah studies, college and career awareness, and creative writing are his faves so far. The junior high seems well-prepared and equipped for all the challenges that remote learning has presented, and we've been impressed with his teachers so far.

Heading to the bus stop on his first day.

And our homeschool crew. There's a pretty steep learning curve (at least for me) that comes with starting homeschool. But there have been amazing moments along the way. Emmie is a handful, and we're all learning how to juggle her back and forth and take turns helping her learn, too. The kids are a huge help with her. I love being able to watch these guys learn. They love to do it! In the past, I would get them ready, send them to school, and then see them again after a long day when they were ready to have a snack and zone out. But now I have them during their best hours and get to follow along with them, on their learning journey. Thanks to Bryn, I'm even dusting the cobwebs off the pre-algebra corner of my brain! We're doing lots of reading and writing, sending postcards all over the world, and exploring geology together, and it's honestly a thrill.

Sixth grade for this beauty! Where does the time go!?

Third grade for Leah.

Asa really wanted his first day picture to be on the swing, but I made him take a more traditional one too. Cute little first grader!

And our two-year-old explorer, Emmie.

Nate has been so helpful and involved as we've gotten things up and running. He's in charge of building a history/social studies curriculum for us, and he's rocking it. He also gave us all blessings before school started, built desks for us, and is helping me organize the financial end of things, which sometimes feels like a part-time job, honestly! Since he's still working from home, he'll pop in from time to time to say hello and offer a helping hand.