more updates to life
I published this originally in 2013, and have updated once since. I thought it was time again for an update, in our thirtieth year of the great adventure of homeschooling.
“Three years ago I wrote a chronological timeline of our journey of home education. Here’s the original timeline updated to this year. Hang in there.
In the midst of a sea of belly button shirts and power suits with enormous shoulder pads, I started homeschooling our daughter. It was 1991.
Alice was four. She could read fluently and I remember thinking that at least if I messed up super bad, she would still be okay. Because she could read.
So here is a brief timeline of the highlights of our homeschool years. Just for clarity’s sake, I only say my kids are in a grade so they can give concise answers to people in grocery lineups who ask what grade they are in. There is no inference to what we actually do in any particular grade. We do whatever they are ready for and whatever sounds fun.
1990/91: Let future husband know that I would like to homeschool our children. The one he is inheriting and the future rest of them. Get married.
1991/92: Build a house. Start homeschooling for kindergarten. Enter the Catholic Church.
Have a baby who cried inconsolably for four months.
1992/93: Start homeschooling grade one. Build a another house out in the country. Live with in-laws for five months.
1993/94: Start homeschooling grade two. Have a baby. Baby never cries. Ever.
1994/95: Start homeschooling grade three. Not much else happened this year. Thank God profusely.
1995/96: Start homeschooling grade four and kindergarten. Move into another house.
1996/97: Start homeschooling grade five and grade one. Have a baby.
1997/98: Start homeschooling grade six, grade two and kindergarten.
1998/99: Start homeschooling grade seven, grade three and grade one.
1999/2000: Start homeschooling grade eight, grade four and grade two. Have a baby.
2000/2001: Have a massive family crisis and don’t really homeschool this year. Did some reading. Moved to a Catholic community.
2001/2002: Start homeschooling grade ten, grade six, grade four and grade one. All the children get to skip a grade because of the crisis and the move.
2002/2003: Start homeschooling grade eleven, grade seven, grade five, grade two. Move into permanent home in new community. Have a baby. Write a book.
2003/2004: Start homeschooling grade twelve, grade eight, grade six, grade three and kindergarten. Getting pretty tired.
2004/2005: One down! Start homeschooling grade nine, grade seven, grade four and grade one. New graduate helps a lot with driving and cooking.
2005/2006: Start homeschooling grade ten, grade eight, grade five and grade two. Have a baby.
2006/2007: Start homeschooling grade eleven, grade nine, grade six, grade three. One month into the school year mama gets really sick. Really Sick. Mama goes to hospital and we don’t really homeschool much for the rest of the year.
2007/2008: Start homeschooling grade twelve, grade ten, grade seven, grade three and kindergarten. Mama still recovering. Homeschooling has taken on a minimalistic approach.
2008/2009: Mama finally recovers. Another one down! Start homeschooling grade eleven, grade eight, grade four and grade one.
2009/2010: Mama is feeling like a million bucks. Start homeschooling grade twelve, grade ninish-tenish, grade five and grade two.
2010/2011: Yet another one who knows everything now! Start homeschooling grade ten/elevenish, grade six, grade three and kindergarten. First year in twenty that I have not been nursing a child. Or two. Start blogging.
2011/2012: Start homeschooling grade elevenish, grade seven, grade four and kindergarten. Have not had a baby since the last one, six years ago. Have lived in the same house for ten years. Get a dog. Start wearing nail polish.
2012/2013: Starting, in another week, homeschooling grade eleven-twelvish (some debate going on here), grade eight, grade five and grade one. Anxiously awaiting the outcome of our twenty second year of the Great Adventure.
2013/14: Only three kids at home. Feels weird. Grade nine, six and grade two. Adult children working, going to school, getting engaged.
2014/15: School year starts off smooth. Number four goes off into the world of college. Three at home, besides brides. Preparing for weddings (yes, two), grades ten, seven and three. My mom dies suddenly, days before the first wedding. We pack up school in the middle or April. Five months of summer is still not enough.
2015/16: We start our 25th year of the Great Adventure. Summer is approaching and we all need some rest after an intense year. We will welcome two grand babies in the next couple of months.
It’s a good life, my friends. It’s a rich, beautiful, challenging life, and we grow daily.
I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Time flies, kids, circa 2011.
UPDATED February 2021
2016/2017: Grandbabies arrive and it’s super cool. Another daughter gets married. Three kids at home, Grades 11, 9 and 6.
2017/2018: I have a grade twelve and grade ten and grade seven children at home. They’re fun.
2018/2019: Number five graduates and goes out into the big wide world. Only two at home. Three grandbabies added to our descendants.
2019/2020: Still only two at home. It’s fun and quiet. We go to France and Italy in the Spring.
2020/2021: First year homeschooling only one child. Number six goes off to college on a whim after his graduation. We quietly homeschool through COVID and are life doesn’t really change at all.
