Life in a Small Town: School Daze

I'm kind of longing for the days in which my children were young enough that homeschooling meant getting out the Play-Dough.

Michael, our 16 year old, basically skipped high school and went straight to community college. As of this semester, he's doing that full-time. If that sounds like bragging, trust me when I say that I'm actually pointing out how lazy I am. Two years ago it was time for him to do high school and I said, "Uhhh... I dunno... How about he take some classes at the community college?". Granted, they had to make an exception to admit him on account of his young age and amazing test scores and now I'm bragging...

But Caroline, our very bright but more normal daughter, is on a different path and that means that I actually have to do something about high school for her. She is 14 and I can't put it off any longer. So after some frantic searching and praying I am happy to have enrolled her in Kolbe Academy. I love their Classical approach and how flexible they are in regards to curricula. This year is the Greek Year and she will be reading Plato, Herodotus, Homer, Sophocles and all those other high-falutin' Greeks.

It's going to be great. I can tell it will be. Really. But it is so. much. work. And we are so. not. used. to. that.

Last year was what I call a "lost year". Baby Walter was born at the beginning of the school year and then spent the first month in the hospital. Then I got sick. Then he got diagnosed with a serious illness. Then it took me a while to recuperate from post-partum depression. Pete kept up with the children's math but that's about all we accomplished.

Sometimes I have to work not to be the superstitious type (what with that being a mortal sin and all) and overcome my fear that if I say something good I might "jinx" it. But I have a good feeling about this upcoming year. It's the first time in four years that I'm not pregnant, have a new baby, faced with someone's catastrophic illness (I will not knock on wood) or under my own personal rain cloud.

I'm going to go now and read Herodotus along with Caroline. Before yesterday I didn't even know how to pronounce Herodotus. (Let's be honest, before yesterday I had not even heard of Herodotus.) It's herAHduhtus.