Back To School 2026

 

 On Friday, August 14th we had a Back to School party. We looked over our new books. A few of the children couldn't resist and did a lesson. 

In a way it was also a Goodbye Summer party. We made individual pizzas for lunch, which is something that we can't do during the school year. It took a long time, especially because we had to take turns cooking them in our toaster oven, plus individual pizza making leaves a big mess, which would be too much to deal with during school time. For our final hoorah we had tea and croissants with jam and fresh blueberries. This was quite the treat for us!

Today is Saturday, August 22 and we have our first week of school under our belt. I have 4 students. I am teaching 5th grade, 4th grade, 2nd grade, and kindergarten. Some of my children are between grades in some subjects, but these are the grades we are spanned over. I am doing a few things differently than I have done in previous years. 

First thing, I am requiring the children to get dressed, make their beds, and finish breakfast before 8:30a.m.

 Second thing, I am doing a 10 minute children's workout before we start school. The workout is not required only suggested. I heard that students who engage in a physical sport before studying preform better. I am doing the workout myself to lead by example and to reap the benefits for by brain and body. The work out we used for the first day was a DannyGo video, but that didn't provide enough movement or exertion. The rest of the week we did a video by Fit with Frank made for children. The movements are mimicking the motions of summer Olympic sports. Each sport is given 60 seconds with no breaks between. There is running in place, boxing, tennis, shot put, high jumping, row boat, freestyle swimming, and sprint to the finish line. It can be quite hard! You can adjust the difficulty by moving at your own pace and deciding how much oomph you put into each movement. I go pretty hard. My dad was my coach growing up as a homeschooled child and he taught me and my siblings to give everything 110% of our effort. No slacking in my family. My legs are burning, my heart is racing, and sweat is dripping off of me by the end of this workout.

Third thing, I am starting our Bible reading (first subject the day) at 8:45a.m. instead of 9a.m. The 15 minutes headstart really makes a difference for us.

And the fourth and final thing that I am doing differently is recess! Up to this year I have thought stopping shortly into our school day to play would kill our momentum. After taking the children to achievement tests at a small Christian school last April and seeing how the administrators were able to maintain order and have good study habits by including a recess, I have been intrigued by the idea. Could I get the children to work harder for shorter periods by giving them a break? One of the potential problems is me getting distracted and not enforcing the time limit. This is a highly probable risk. To avoid me getting distracted or engaged in tasks and letting recess derail our school I have been taking recess with the children. And let's be honest, I can be a better teacher when I get some playtime, too. At 10:15a.m. I set the timer for 10 minutes and we go outside and jump on the trampoline. It's is also a good time to take a bathroom break and grab some pretzels for a pick me up.

I have written down some easy lunch plans to keep myself from going over time at lunch. We take an hour lunch break. 

Lunches:

Spaghetti 

Something Rice based (Dogfood Hash*, Rice and hard-boiled eggs, rice bowls,..)

Macaroni and cheese

Peanut butter and jelly 

Tomato soup and grilled cheese 

Quesadillas/tacos and beans

I try to include watching the current show of A to Z with Carl Azuz during lunch break. It is a classroom appropriate news broadcast.

In the morning I have been turning on some music to listen to. My favorites lately have been The Big Country soundtrack by Jerome Moross and a Bird playlist that I copied from a library book. The library book was an introduction to classical music with selections from music about or music that imitated birds. The book came with a CD. But the songs on the CD were only tiny excerpts, just fractions of the musical works. I found videos of all the pieces being preformed on YouTube and made a playlist. I have really enjoyed getting familiar with these pieces and having new (new to me) music to lift my spirits.

We are off to a good start. I hope to keep a good attitude and the right priorities and with God's help we will have the best school year yet!

Proverbs 23:12 

Apply thine heart unto instruction, 

and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

*I might need to offer an explanation for something called Dogfood Hash on the menu. A while back I developed a "recipe" for some hash and had the honesty to comment that it looked like dog food. Everyone liked it, though, so I guess it was pretty good dog food.

I browned a pound of ground dark chicken meat in a lump chicken fat that I had saved in the fridge, added a can of drained, and chopped carrots, seasoned with garlic powder, soy sauce, and salt, and mixed in about 3-4 cups of cooked leftover rice and heated it through.

I make variations on this basic premise and still call it Dogfood Hash because I think it's a funny name.