Books, Books, and more Books!

Books, books, and more books.  I am buried in curriculum at the moment.  Now I am a lifelong book lover.  A true curriculum addict. But after 12 years of accumulating masses of materials it can be a lot to wade through. I have always chosen to use real, living books whenever possible in my homeschooling.  This year we are studying American History (again) and it’s time to pull out the old favorites… Caddie Woodlawn, The Courage of Sarah Noble, Little House on the Prairie, The Witch of Blackbird Pond.  Ok… you get the point.  So in honor of spending these last weeks of summer with lesson planner in hand, I’m putting up a link to a Unit Study Planning Form that I’ve created to keep learning fun and engaging.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Unit-Study-Planning-Page-787081

Happy Planning!

Angie

Packing, Planning, and Classroom Preparation!

Can you believe the summer is ending and a new school year is almost here?  My husband, Chris, and I have been anxiously moving through the summer because we knew that it was going to be a time of transition of unknown proportions.  This past school year we were both teaching at a public charter school in North Palm Beach, Florida.  We enjoyed our time there, but we knew that it was only temporary because we love teaching abroad.

So, in June, my husband and I packed up all of our belonging and moved them across the country to Kansas.  Now, that was a long drive!  I know, I know, you are probably wondering who in their right mind would move from Palm Beach to Kansas.  For us, we were trusting that the doors would open up where ever we went.  So thus, we packed everything and moved it into my father’s school building in Kansas.

Since arriving in Kansas we have been working to gut and remodel the 100 year old home that we bought.  It has been a fun, well messy, well really exhausting amount of work.  Yet, who can buy a 3 bedroom 2-story home for 12,ooo dollars anywhere else in the USA??!!

So, we have had a summer full of remodeling and job applications.  Now, while we have had some bites in Kansas, we have also had a burden rekindled. 

Since I was in high school I have had the desire to work in Africa.  I love African culture, the people, and even the food.  When I am in Africa or even just think of Africa I feel a deep longing and connectivity with the continent and people.

This burden has never really lessened, so when the opportunity to work in Malawi, Africa arrived, my husband and I quickly leapt at the opportunity. This school year, I will be serving as a Kindergarten or First grade teacher at ABC academy in Lilongwe, Malawi. 

Now, comes the fun and busy time of preparation.  The coming weeks will be filled with packing, sorting, paperwork, and lesson planning but I hope that you will join me on this journey and in the experience of teaching abroad.  My mother will also be offering her expertise, so look out for the varying signatures!

As I go, I will leave you a few pictures of my classroom last year.  Hopefully it will give you and me both the sense of motivation we need to get to planning this summer!

Lots of Love and Lesson planning!

Miriam

Welcome to our blog!!

Welcome to Schooling by Heart... the story of our journeys to change the lives around us by touching the hearts entrusted to us.  We are a mother and daughter, both educators, but working a world apart. 

Angie (the mom) has eight children and has been home educating for twelve years. She lives with her family in the heartland of Kansas, where her children can still play kick-the-can down Main Street in the evening and gather fresh eggs each morning. She has worked as an educational consultant, served as a director of a large homeschool cooperative, and was also a mentor and elementary coordinator for the group.  She has written homeschooling and summer youth camp curricula, as well as directing and teaching at youth camps and retreats. She also teaches conversational English to children in Saudi Arabia via Skype each week. Her passion is to reach the hearts of her children and those in her rural community by making learning fun and meaningful.

Miriam (the daughter) is part of a teaching couple that is moving to Malawi, Africa!  She has been teaching for eight years, and is a certified teacher in the state of Florida.  Miriam has a Masters degree in Education, but originally majored in Cross-Cultural studies because of her heart for internationals.  She has had the opportunity to travel and/or teach in Kenya, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, New Zealand, Bahrain, China, North Korea, Japan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, England, Northern Ireland, Canada, the U.S.A., and Mexico.  She has also served as a teacher trainer in Seoul, South Korea.  This year she will be teaching lower elementary school at ABC Academy in Lilongwe, Malawi.  Her hope is to help others expand their view of internationals and use creative teaching methods in order to reach every style of learner.

While our journeys may be different, our enthusiasm for teaching with fresh ideas and creativity has led us to join forces and share not only our stories, but also our custom teaching materials with other educators.  We hope to bring encouragement, resources, and hopefully a smile or two as you join us through this blog.

Angie and Miriam