"A New Thing"

"Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert."
Isaiah 43:19

First of all, we have had BIG doin's at our house in recent weeks, so if you don't normally check my "regular" blog, you can click on over and see our newest addition to our family. We are SOOO excited! We have a new son! We are very prayerful that he will be joining us in the next 2-3 weeks. Please pray with us that we could travel SOON!

My mind has been all a-jumble the past few weeks with the adoption and preparing to travel, but school hasn't completely been on the back burner. However, I haven't posted on my homeschool blog in WAY too long, and I hope to get back to it regularly once we get back from Ethiopia. I've got so much to post, but so little time it seems.

God is truly doing a "new thing" in our family. I love the verse above, as it speaks of a God who brings new things to pass, creates life, makes things "spring forth" and makes rivers and roadways into new territories. That's what I'm trusting Him for this year! This is a year of "new things" for us, for sure!

One of the newest things recently is that this is the first year I've "farmed out" any classes for any of my children. My daughter, who is beginning her 10th grade year, began taking some courses at a local homeschool "resource center." It's not exactly a co-op (since I don't have to teach or volunteer) but she is being taught by some other highly qualified teachers/homeschool moms in a few subjects. I originally signed both of my older kids up for a few classes each for this year because when we began this adoption I wasn't sure if we would be adopting a baby, toddler, one baby, two babies, a baby and a toddler, etc. SO much was unknown! But, I knew I would need help, especially for the high school courses. We went last spring and registered for Biology, Writing, Rapid Math/SAT Math prep, World History/Literature, and Study Skills. I chose those classes for her because they either involved curriculum that she/we already wanted to use.

• Biology is Apologia. I understand that there are many schools of thought on this, but it is important to us that science be taught from a Christian perspective. This will be our first year to use Apologia, as I've always chosen BJU for its "meatiness." (We are finishing up BJU's Physical Science 9 DVD course and were headed toward using their Biology as well... I still may with my younger two when it is time.) However, this class is being team-taught by two sharp teachers, so I'm confident that it will be a good fit for her.
  
• The World History/ Literature course is a combination of BJU 's World History text (which she liked and already wanted to use, remember she's my textbook girl!) as well as an excellent booklist which already had several books on my list for her (from Veritas' Omnibus I-III books.)
  
• Her writing class is a combination of writing assignments and online grammar activities, to be completed and emailed weekly.
  
• Rapid Math is a combination of math tips/tricks and weekly SAT Math practice (especially in the word problems/logic area.) When I figure out what curriculum the teacher is using, I'll post it. It looks great!
  
• Study Skills will probably be one of her most challenging and beneficial classes, in my opinion. I'll take more time in another post to explain what they're doing, but all I can say is I wish I would've had that class in high school! Wow!

SO, that's the first "new thing." Other teachers teaching and assigning. Syllabi coming into the house that I didn't prepare. Projects due that I didn't assign. The control freak in me is getting restless! She started her classes this week and I have to admit, it was strange. She would say, "I've got Biology homework," and inwardly I would think, "What Biology homework?" because I wasn't the one who assigned it! But, it will be good. The classes only meet one day per week, God directed us to do this, and most of all Bethany herself is loving it.

She will still be completing Geometry and Chinese at home.

• Geometry will continue to be with Teaching Textbooks (through Algebra 2, at which point I will evaluate whether we will continue with that curriculum.)
  
• Chinese is a combination of Pimsleur Mandarin, Rosetta Stone Mandarin, Shaum's Outline of Chinese Grammar, and we have also begun a relationship with a wonderful woman who works at a Chinese restaurant in our town who is from the province in China where Bethany loves to go, who is willing to meet with her on a regular basis and work on her pronunciation. One thing I think is great is that Bethany prepares Bible verses to say to her for her to help with her pronunciation. It truly helps Bethany, and God's Word is spoken. Love it. If someone would've told me when she was in kindergarten that her high school foreign language was going to be Chinese, I would've said they were crazy! But, this is another "new thing" that God has done in our family over the years. He is so good!

SO, outside classes are one of the "new things" going on around here. It may feel strange now, but in a few weeks I will welcome the fact that someone else is teaching her one day a week because the other major "new thing" that is going on around here is that I'll be a 4th grade ESL teacher for our newest son. More on that in my next post...