The Middle Years
So now your oldest child is approaching the middle school years, and maybe you have been home educating all along, or perhaps you are considering pulling him or her out of school. And you are a bit worried about those middle school years. I was, and my hat is off to those dedicated teachers bravely teaching classrooms of 12-14 year-olds. Hormones gone crazy, pimples, braces, maybe eye-glasses; it's akin to a horror movie. It's a tough age no matter what, and home educating is no vaccination against the drama that unfolds at this time in a child's life.
Think back to when you were that age: self absorbed, worried about what others thought of you, happy one minute, angry the next, your body doing crazy things, trapped somewhere in a no-man's land between childhood and adulthood. You need to hold that memory in your mind, and meditate on that as you help your child navigate this new territory. Mom, if you can keep your cool and not react in shock, disbelief or uproarious laughter at the things your child is doing or saying, you will be doing well. Living with and guiding teenagers requires nerves of steel, and I confess, I do not always have them. But when I do, when I bite my tongue and grit my teeth, I am usually much more helpful to my child who is way more confused than I am. Kids are going through a rapid growth spurt physically, which is bad enough, but their brains are growing rapidly too. They will do and say crazy stuff, and they usually don't know why, so don't ask them. They would like to know why, as well!
This can be a rough time for all, and even though you just want to send them away to boarding school, or lock them away until it's all over, this is a time when your kids need you. They need you badly, and in ways that pre-teens don't. Teenagers need you to be dependable and steady, open to anything they want to discuss, they need to be unafraid to approach you. And sometimes they need you to say nothing. You will not always be what they need; but there is always tomorrow. Prayer is essential; wisdom for mom and dad, a spirit of obedience and trust for your kids.
But then, you have to add in the academics. I was relaxed when the kids were younger, but I started to up the pressure bit by bit in the middle school years. Middle school is the time to not only prepare them for high school but also a good time to help them discover their talents and passions. I try to let them have some say in what time period in history they would like to study, or discuss an extra class they would like to try. Maybe they would like to try a sport or an art class; it's a great time to try new things and see what works.
I desire my children to have a college-prep high school experience whether or not they plan on attending college, so I do follow a more rigorous plan in middle school. We still cover math, science, history, language arts, Latin and music. Here is what my current middle school student has done and is doing:
Math: In 6th grade she did pre-algebra. I allowed her to take 2 years to complete this. Now, in 8th grade she is doing algebra I. If she finishes in one year, great; but if she needs longer, that's fine too.
Science: In 6th grade she did General Science and it took her about a year and a half. She then started Physical Science, and is almost done with it at the mid point of 8th grade, at which time she can start on Biology. If she needs the entire year to do it, that's fine. The goal for me is to have them ready to take Algebra I and Biology at the start of 9th grade; my current middle school student is ahead; some of my students were behind, but managed to catch up.
History: There are so many history programs out there, it's hard to choose. Biblioplan for families, that I used in the elementary years works fine through 8th grade, but if your child needs something more challenging, I have used the Omnibus series put out by Veritas press. My 8th grader is using one of these books. It is a history/theology/language arts class in one. However, it is too much to do in one year, although they give you a handy schedule to follow to finish in one school year. But if you attempt it, it will take up most of your child's day, and you will be overwhelmed. When I use them, I pick out about half of the required books, and we work with that.
Some years, when we stuck with the Biblioplan, and I wanted a bit more for the language arts, I used a series put out by Royal Fireworks Press, called Ceasar's English. It's heavy on the grammar and Latin roots, with some writing required. If you want more formal writing lessons, Jensen's Writing is a great place to start at this age, and can be used all through high school, if needed.
Latin: My 8th grader has continued with the same Latin program that she used in elementary school, Latina Christiana put out by Memoria Press, but has moved on to the higher levels called First Form, Second Form and so on. She is midway through Second Form.
Music: Again as money dictates, do what you can. Music teachers have told me that piano is the best instrument to start with. My 8th grader has been studying piano for a few years and we found a piano teacher that can teach voice as well, something my child is interested in.
Most of the work is done by my student. She is responsible for figuring out how much work she needs to do to finish the course or book by the date agreed upon. She is responsible for taking her tests and giving them to me to grade (don't worry, almost all curricula out there comes with the tests and the answers). She comes to me for help with writing assignments either given in her history book, or that I have assigned, puzzling math problems, or help in studying for a science test. In 6th grade, I encouraged the kids to do as much on their own as they could, but I still did a fair amount of reading aloud, and many younger kids benefited from that. But by 8th grade, my kids were capable of being on their own. More importantly, they took ownership of their work. They put pressure on themselves to complete things on time, to do their best on tests and assignments, to learn all they can, and to figure things out for themselves.
Think back to when you were that age: self absorbed, worried about what others thought of you, happy one minute, angry the next, your body doing crazy things, trapped somewhere in a no-man's land between childhood and adulthood. You need to hold that memory in your mind, and meditate on that as you help your child navigate this new territory. Mom, if you can keep your cool and not react in shock, disbelief or uproarious laughter at the things your child is doing or saying, you will be doing well. Living with and guiding teenagers requires nerves of steel, and I confess, I do not always have them. But when I do, when I bite my tongue and grit my teeth, I am usually much more helpful to my child who is way more confused than I am. Kids are going through a rapid growth spurt physically, which is bad enough, but their brains are growing rapidly too. They will do and say crazy stuff, and they usually don't know why, so don't ask them. They would like to know why, as well!
This can be a rough time for all, and even though you just want to send them away to boarding school, or lock them away until it's all over, this is a time when your kids need you. They need you badly, and in ways that pre-teens don't. Teenagers need you to be dependable and steady, open to anything they want to discuss, they need to be unafraid to approach you. And sometimes they need you to say nothing. You will not always be what they need; but there is always tomorrow. Prayer is essential; wisdom for mom and dad, a spirit of obedience and trust for your kids.
But then, you have to add in the academics. I was relaxed when the kids were younger, but I started to up the pressure bit by bit in the middle school years. Middle school is the time to not only prepare them for high school but also a good time to help them discover their talents and passions. I try to let them have some say in what time period in history they would like to study, or discuss an extra class they would like to try. Maybe they would like to try a sport or an art class; it's a great time to try new things and see what works.
I desire my children to have a college-prep high school experience whether or not they plan on attending college, so I do follow a more rigorous plan in middle school. We still cover math, science, history, language arts, Latin and music. Here is what my current middle school student has done and is doing:
Math: In 6th grade she did pre-algebra. I allowed her to take 2 years to complete this. Now, in 8th grade she is doing algebra I. If she finishes in one year, great; but if she needs longer, that's fine too.
Science: In 6th grade she did General Science and it took her about a year and a half. She then started Physical Science, and is almost done with it at the mid point of 8th grade, at which time she can start on Biology. If she needs the entire year to do it, that's fine. The goal for me is to have them ready to take Algebra I and Biology at the start of 9th grade; my current middle school student is ahead; some of my students were behind, but managed to catch up.
History: There are so many history programs out there, it's hard to choose. Biblioplan for families, that I used in the elementary years works fine through 8th grade, but if your child needs something more challenging, I have used the Omnibus series put out by Veritas press. My 8th grader is using one of these books. It is a history/theology/language arts class in one. However, it is too much to do in one year, although they give you a handy schedule to follow to finish in one school year. But if you attempt it, it will take up most of your child's day, and you will be overwhelmed. When I use them, I pick out about half of the required books, and we work with that.
Some years, when we stuck with the Biblioplan, and I wanted a bit more for the language arts, I used a series put out by Royal Fireworks Press, called Ceasar's English. It's heavy on the grammar and Latin roots, with some writing required. If you want more formal writing lessons, Jensen's Writing is a great place to start at this age, and can be used all through high school, if needed.
Latin: My 8th grader has continued with the same Latin program that she used in elementary school, Latina Christiana put out by Memoria Press, but has moved on to the higher levels called First Form, Second Form and so on. She is midway through Second Form.
Music: Again as money dictates, do what you can. Music teachers have told me that piano is the best instrument to start with. My 8th grader has been studying piano for a few years and we found a piano teacher that can teach voice as well, something my child is interested in.
Most of the work is done by my student. She is responsible for figuring out how much work she needs to do to finish the course or book by the date agreed upon. She is responsible for taking her tests and giving them to me to grade (don't worry, almost all curricula out there comes with the tests and the answers). She comes to me for help with writing assignments either given in her history book, or that I have assigned, puzzling math problems, or help in studying for a science test. In 6th grade, I encouraged the kids to do as much on their own as they could, but I still did a fair amount of reading aloud, and many younger kids benefited from that. But by 8th grade, my kids were capable of being on their own. More importantly, they took ownership of their work. They put pressure on themselves to complete things on time, to do their best on tests and assignments, to learn all they can, and to figure things out for themselves.
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