The start of school this year has been challenging for almost everyone I know. Parents, children, teachers, and others who work within school systems have been thrown quite the curveball. Is school starting on-time or is the start date pushed back? Do we do virtual learning, in-person, or some varied hybrid of the two? Do we homeschool? What does virtual learning even look like? How will my job let me teach my kids and work? Will my children and I be safe? What is the answer here? Where is my crystal ball so I can look into the future and see which option will provide the best outcome for everyone?!
I've had many people ask about our school choice for this year so I decided to create a written answer for anyone who is curious. We decided to pull Hudson from a nearby public classical charter school and keep him in the elementary classroom at Montessori Country Day School (MCDS) where Eleanor attends also attends a toddler program. The decision to pull Hudson was one I battled with for several weeks. When the charter school's start date got pushed back and the district moved to a virtual-start, I just knew that I couldn't mentally keep up with the changes and the volatility that would come with public school. Luckily, we are in a position to have the option to keep Hudson at a small private school and decided to take advantage of that. Also, Eleanor would still be attending her toddler program three mornings a week and it did not sit right with me that I would be dropping off Ellie to a school we all adored and whisking Hudson away into the unknown. Both kids were THRILLED to be back at school this week - hopped out of the car and barely looked back to say "bye". They love MCDS and the Montessori method makes perfect sense with their outgoing, take-charge personalities. It was also Hudson's first day of Kindergarten, a day I feel like he was looking forward to since he was born. He always has his eyes on the future, ready to take on new challenges. Eleanor was very happy to be back "with my friends" and to "play outside". As always, she will do anything and go anywhere Hudson leads.
While I was deciding what to do with Hudson for school this year, I was also heavily researching homeschooling options and came across a plethora of wonderful resources. Several homeschool methods and rhythms grabbed a hold of my heart; I have decided to integrate them into our family's culture and lifestyle. This blend of part-time formal Montessori schooling and Charlotte Mason homeschool activities is what I am lovingly calling the Rhoads Hybrid Homeschool. Child-paced, interest-led learning is the cornerstone of my childhood education and lifestyle philosophy, and both the Montessori and Charlotte Mason methods allow children ample space and time to blossom in their unique ways. They also tie-in well with our family's Wild + Free philosophy. The Charlotte Mason methods I have currently brought into our home are morning time with read-aloud, narration activities, and nature notebooks.
Morning (evening) Time: 'Morning time' is a widely used homeschool activity used to signal the start of the day that provides rich family togetherness and literature exposure (specifically to living books). We do our 'morning time' ritual in the evening to signal the winding-down of our day and because the children attend their Montessori program in the morning. We pile into our upstairs reading nook as a family, and Hudson and I (sometimes Matt) both read aloud during this time. My goal is to start reading chapter books soon, and I have my eyes set on the Box Car Children series. After one of us reads, Hudson does a verbal narration of the story that was just read. Narration is as simple as asking Hudson to tell me about the story that was just read, and he tells me in his own words. This practice will help him summarize, tell stories in order, and provide a foundation for written narration in the future. This website has a great description of narration.
Nature Notebooks: Both Charlotte Mason and Maria Montessori valued children playing and learning outdoors and using the natural world as a teacher. We try to spend as much time outside as possible and take purposeful trips to expose the children to a wide variety of environments. I ordered a nature notebook from the Good and the Beautiful to augment Hudson's outdoor adventuring, but really any notebook could be a "nature notebook". Many nature notebook activities involve drawing pictures and writing stories about what the child heard, saw, felt, and smelled while outside.
There you have it, my thought processes and decisions behind what our school year looks like for now. Everyone's year and decisions look different, and that is more than ok. My hope is that everyone has been able to find or create a situation that works best for their family. If you are interested in following along with our adventures this year, don't forget to follow me on Instagram @RaisingRhoads.
I am. I can. I ought. I will. - Charlotte Mason
Yours, because we are His,
Jenna
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