TGIF, I think.

I looked around my house at 10 am this morning and tried not to panic. I seem to do this every Friday morning.

See, I have decided that Friday’s will be relaxing days here Hilltop Academy. We work hard doing all our academic work and trying to get as much done as possible with A before she goes off to Scottish Rite for her dyslexia remediation, M – W.

Then Thursday is co op day. My kids all are taking a fun class or two, and some academic classes (like science! Whoo hoo that science projects are no longer being done in my kitchen!!) so Thursday is a busy academic day even though it is out of the house.

So I have decided that Friday’s I’ll leave as open as I can for independent study. A does not have SR on Friday so she is with us all day.

Here is the scene. Classical music playing on the radio (okay it’s actually coming from the TV, because we have satellite radio on the TV, but it sounds weird to say music is coming from the TV.)The pumpkin candle is lit, so is smells like fall, and the blinds are all open so the sunshine is splashing into the room.

B is doing his academic work, he has several classes at the co op this year and he needs most ever day to get it done. G is tinkering with his remote control car on his desk in his room. He is studying the many pieces of the now taken-apart car with an intensity that I wish he would reserve for math. E is lying on the living room floor, writing in her journal and adding illustrations from a how-to art book she found.A and T are in their bedroom poring over all the Amazing Animal books that I recently checked out from the Library. The air is occasionally punctuated with one of them yelling something like, “MOM, what is O-C-E-L-O-T?

So why am I panicking you are wondering, right? Well, with the exception of B, this does not look like school! Has anyone done their math? Written anything? Read any facts?

See, I am torn. I think I have a little unschooler in me, fighting tooth and nail with the OCD School-at-home mom who is also in me. I love what I see; I love to see my kids engaged in learning apart from school. I love to see them want to learn things, like what an Ocelot’s habitat is, and how to draw, and what makes a remote control car go, but the OCD mom in me feels like this should happen after all the academic work has been done, and all the lines filled in, and all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed.

So my compromise is this. Friday they must do their math (if we don’t do it at least 4 days a week, it’ll never get done and there is no time on co op day) and at least look at what is required of them as far as co op homework, then they can pursue their own interests. (No TV or video games though, I’m not completely nuts!)

I think it is all the years spent in tidy classrooms with handy scope and sequences to guide my education, that has me panicky on Fridays. But I can’t help feeling a little nervous.

I pray I’m not scarring them for life! I sure do hope these kids will be functioning members of society and good disciples of the Lord one day despite their somewhat quirky education!!!