First Day of School

This is one of my favorite days of the year! I LOVE the first day of school. I am officially starting my 15th year of homeschooling. I think there should be some kind of award or something. Allow me to brag for a moment, that will be reward enough. I've wondered if launching the homeschooling year is most comparable to launching a big old ship or getting a heavy train moving.

Things feel more like a really old and large ship. Maybe I just feel like a large and old ship. What ever the case, it takes work. We have a lot of prayers, discussions, thoughts, and trips to the temple before each school year. The school year preparations are much like getting the ropes and sails ready. They need to be in proper working order before the ship even sets sail. I think my "log books" are the physical proof of those thoughts and prayers. The log books are like the 2nd in command. I oversee it all, but these books tell the kids what to do each day.  They keep us on track.

Maybe my books are more comparable to an old compass. Now that we have them, we need to trust the plan and just move forward.  Fifteen years later, and I still doubt.

Kate is very excited to start 1st grade.  After about 2 hours, she said "Im kicking First Grades Butt!"  Pardon the language. That's what happens when older siblings are around. The girl doesn't lack confidence.  First grade, you had better watch out.

Hayden is starting 6th grade. He is pretty excited about math and his technology class.  He isn't as excited about reading or language arts. I guess when sailing the high seas it isn't always blue skies and smooth sailing.

Sariah is starting 9th grade. She will be taking high school classes through BYU. She is pretty excited. Im nervous about her school load, but she has a lot of things to look forward to. In addition to her classes, she will be doing robots, debate and drivers ed.  High school, here we come!

Corrine is starting 12th grade. She has 4 college classes, robots, debate and a job. She wasn't as confident as Kate about the school year. At the end of the day, Corrine declared that college had kicked her butt. I have full faith and confidence in anything Corrine decides to do.  She did need Keiths help with her math homework. Maybe this will be a familiar sight this school year.

Jakob is starting his 2nd semester at the University of Utah. He has a week long class this week and then regular classes start next week. He is feeling pretty good about his schedule and was pretty excited to get back to school.  He isn't as excited about me taking pictures of him.

I love school. I love the peace that routine and doing productive things brings. I love the feeling of what could be and the possibility of new and exciting things to learn. I love watching the kids do hard things and learn new things.

The old ship  has set sail.  Now, we see where the wind takes us.