I'm supposed to teach WHAT?

Back when God first told me to home school, I said, "Yeah, okay, God, thank you for the suggestion. I'll research that and get back with you."

It's no coincidence that our memory verse from last week was 1 Timothy 1:15 : "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of who I am the foremost."

Yep. That's me.

I mean who says that to the Creator of the universe?

I'll think about Your suggestion and get back with you...

Good grief. 

Thank you, Lord, for your abundant patience, your slowness to anger and your grace in always forgiving me of my sins.  

But I did go research. I read every book I could get my hands on about home schooling.

I did this, of course, to delay the inevitable. 

Silly me.

God did redeem all of that reluctance and delayed obedience, which of course is disobedience, which He does every time I mess up. 

I learned stuff I still use.

I'll never forget this one book, and I hate that I can't remember which one is was since I read all of them... But this lady was pretty confident in how she was schooling her kids, everything was going along just fine and she felt like she was on top of things. Her kids were a little older, and maybe that's why she felt like things were going along okay.

Until one day a friend of hers mentioned that her child was struggling with learning cursive writing. 

This lady smacked her forehead and said, "Cursive handwriting? Cursive handwriting? I FORGOT TO TEACH CURSIVE HANDWRITING?????"

I think of that story a lot. She got her brain together, taught her kid cursive handwriting and it all turned out fine. Her point was, you're going to make mistakes, and when you do, you fix the mistakes, forgive yourself and move on.

So the other day I was reading all the legal information that our brave and fearless cover school coordinator had compiled for us (aren't you proud I read it all, Jennifer? Every last word!) and there is was in black and white:

"Alabama Code 16-35-5 requires the instruction of reading, spelling, writing, arithmetic, English, geography, science, health, physical education, and U.S. and Alabama history..."

"Alabama history? Alabama history? I FORGOT TO TEACH ALABAMA HISTORY????"

I also smacked my forehead.

Then I had a fit:

"I am putting these kids in public school where a teacher who doesn't forget stuff is responsible for teaching them. I am getting a full time job where I get to wear cute shoes every day, not each lunch over the sink in between school and the one thousand other things I have to do, have real health insurance and talk to other adults. I am going to have extra money to spend and give to people in need and I'll travel with my job and be important again... I may even play Bunco and be in the PTA and lunch with the ladies and..."

It sort of spun out of control.

Then I took a deep breath and texted my home school guru. She promised to text me back with the books she used. She didn't sound flustered at all, about having to teach Alabama history, but then again, she never does. 

I want to be like her when I grow up.

Then I thought, "Well fine, I'll just order a curriculum."

Then I breathed a little more. I talked myself off of the ledge: "No. You have a brain. Just use it. You can figure this out. You don't need a curriculum. And remember what you just learned? You don't have to start this tomorrow. Just breathe and do some calm research and get a plan..."

So that's what I did. I did what I do best: I Googled.

And I needed a place to put the links that I found. So here they are:

http://www.archives.state.al.us/kidspage/kids.html

http://www.archives.state.al.us/kids_emblems/index.html

http://www.sos.state.al.us/kids/history.htm

http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/alabama.html

http://www.kidskonnect.com/subject-index/33-states/165-alabama.html

http://www.carrenjoye.com/books/38-alabama-state-history-curriculum/55-excerpt-of-alabama-state-history-curriculum

(This is an actual curriculum that you can order. That may not be a bad idea, and I like that this option is out there. I also liked this list as sort of a "Scope and Sequence" for what they teach. It gives me an idea of what I need to aim for.)

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/usa-states/alabama/

http://www.history-timelines.org.uk/american-timelines/01-alabama-history-timeline.htm

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108176.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/alabama/

I think these links, coupled with books checked out from the library, will be sufficient to teach from.

I also recall seeing Alabama History textbooks at the thrift store. That would be a cheap and easy source.

I am never going to be on top of things completely. I am never going to be the amazing home school mom with a super clean and organized household who has her kids in lots of activities yet schools them with out forgetting major things like Alabama history. But God called me to this, and I trust Him. He'll hopefully keep showing me ways that I'm deficient and things I'm missing, through the people in my life and through His divine intervention.

I'm really counting on Him to do that.