The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat

or better titled - "The Excitement of Beginning, The Anxiety of Failing : A New School Year Approaches"

I've worked through the process of Managers of Their Homes for so many years (and really never carried through) that I don't need to do it anymore. Although it was a seemingly overwhelming amount of work, it always comforted me to know that if we HAD to keep to a schedule, we could.

I've read A Mother's Rule of Life and base our school days on the "pegs" of daily family life.

I've chosen my curriculum, bought my planners and decided what extras we'll do for the year for the year.

Now, I'm doing my usual emotional aerobics going between being really excited and completely freaking out. I'm getting ALOT of encouragement and ideas from Starry Sky Ranch's post

multum non multa ... encourage us to drink deeply at the springs of our culture

While truly ‘good books’ are an excellent and necessary preparation for the Great Books, they are most profitably read independently or within the family circle, not as part of formal schooling.

In other words, it is ok to let the children read independently. It is not sending them off to "do nothing". It is allowing and encouraging quiet, often intense, intellectual work.

Occasional narrations will sharpen the summarization skills if used discriminately. We need not micromanage this process.

The implication seems to be the more effort and expense that is put forth the better the outcome. This is not necessarily so. In fact imbalance can negatively impact the disposition of the teacher, the home environment, and the ability of the student to focus intently. Moderation in all things is the best policy. Better to err on the side of personal demeanor and careful attention to the learning environment than on an abudance of materials and instruction.

Heck, you may as well head on over there and check out her whole blog...grab a cup of coffee, it's good stuff.