Yes, we did finish the school year last year. No, I have not caught up with life enough yet to document it. But I’d better get it in before we start school again in September!!
We had a very bittersweet end of our school year because it marked the end of an era with our sweet little classical Christian homeschooling community. We weren’t sure up until the Spring whether or not we would have Selah “repeat” a year as a 6th grader there just to squeeze one more year in, but by February we realized it was time to move on, simply because of all that’s in store for this upcoming year (which is very exciting, but you’ll have to wait to hear about that!).
So she and I both finished out the year strong and with a number of tears. We are so grateful for this gift God has given us the last 5 years. We are all better because of our time there. I offered to continue my admin work for the school for one more year to help with my transition out, so I’ve been super busy working this summer on the biggest part of my job with the school, which is designing and creating an almost-200 page lesson planner book for all the moms. I finished that up a couple weeks ago and I’m officially done as an admin with them. Bittersweet.
Two of Selah’s biggest highlights of the year were getting to play Glinda in the school’s play The Wizard of Oz, and having a solo at the end of year performance. She was the PERFECT Glinda and it was really fun to watch her shine in that role.
She sang a verse of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” for her solo, and she did a wonderful job. She’s dressed up as Nicolaus Copernicus in her red and yellow outfit. She did a wonderful job doing a presentation from his perspective. We ended the year with a picnic to celebrate the fantastic year.
Our last two official events of the year were our church’s homeschool end-of-year park celebration and the end-of-year recital. Both kids played excellently and it’s always rewarding when their hard work pays off.
As busy as this last school year was, it was another wonderful year of learning. We were back to studying the Middle Ages; we had studied this era five years ago, and it was fun to see all that the kids remembered. Though Elliott was home full time this year, he studied right along with us but also had a lot of time working. We studied Whistler, Constable and Millet, Walt Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edna St. Vincent Millay. We studied Human Anatomy and all kinds of plants and animals from nature. We enjoyed too many stories to count, but revisited several of our favorites such as Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Robin Hood. They memorized tons of poems, tons of Scripture, tons of anatomy, history, and geography songs. Another DELIGHTFUL year of learning in the books!
Academically, Elliott made a huge leap this year by being able to do his very-challenging math curriculum almost totally independently. Each day he would read the lesson and tackle the problems on his own, only coming to us rarely when he needed help. He has become a fluent typer, which makes life far easier! Spiritually, he has grown in being more thoughtful and kind towards Selah and trusting us. Character-wise, he really is stepping into becoming a man more and more each day. He is truly an integral part of improving and maintaining our property. He drives big machines, keeps all of our new trees watered and helps Brian with most every property project, including spraying thousands upon thousands of cacti. At the end of May he took steps to starting his very own business!
Selah’s handwriting and spelling have continued to improve tremendously. Her art and watercolor skills have improved dramatically every single year. As I’ve already mentioned, she did a wonderful job performing as Glinda and singing a solo. It’s been a joy watching her come alive in these areas. As far as her character, she is truly embracing serving our family with joy and going above-and-beyond what is asked or expected of her. She is building the habit of taking care of little things daily versus letting this pile up. Spiritually, God is growing her so much. This year she has had lots of opportunities to learn how to follow the Lord versus her own feelings. She is learning how to commit to prayer when life is hard, versus succumbing to her emotions. It’s a joy to watch her sensitive little soul put more and more trust in the Lord with each passing year.
They have grown so much in their learning, as well as in their love for the Lord. And, as you are about to see, they have GROWN UP!! They are growing up so fast I can hardly stand it!!!
I am so grateful to the Lord that we have the honor and privilege of educating our children at home. I’m so grateful for the sweet homeschooling community He’s given us for the past five years. And I’m thankful for all of the grace He has given us each new morning.
She is definitely a performer! We were so proud of her Glinda and solo.