Mommy Guilt and Homeschool Curriculum Choices

Another homeschool post—

Homeschool had been going pretty well so far. Although we are a bit behind in history, I am very happy with the amount we’ve covered and how we have tied it in with our trip. Last week was just perfect with the Roman sites because we had just wrapped up Rome and moved into the barbarian invasions and settling of the various tribes in England and France. Many of the sites in Arles were used by the Barbarians for other things and even took on other uses in different parts of the Middle Ages. I didn’t expect it to play so well into that part of our studies, but it did. 

Logistically, it was easier for us to take the train into Avingnon than Arles, but I should have done it the other way. Avignon is steeped with Middle Ages history and we did it backwards, starting there, then going to Arles via Pont du Gard. Cooper is so easily confused. Of course, he didn’t even realize we were changing cities until he noticed the hotel looked different, then he got pissed at me, which makes me laugh, which pisses him off (this is a routine of ours). 

I also feel like now we need to take another pass through the antiquity museum here in Antibes, because the boys weren’t too impressed the first time we went. And there are no English guides or signs in Antibes. Now that they’ve been to the bigger museum in Arles, perhaps they know what they are looking at.  I don’t think they appreciated the Greek and Estruscan history of Antibes. 

One thing that has been difficult is that we are limiting our lessons to Europe. Our curriculum does a great job of including world history, like inventions and contributions of the muslim world in the Middle Ages. The first time we covered all of this, I was trying to be inclusive and promote a less western-centric idea of history. Of course Samuel remembers all of that. Even the littles have caught some of that from Samuel and the videos they like to watch. When someone said something about Christopher Columbus discovering America, they were all over that! Cooper called him that stupid guy who infected all of the indians. Samuel is always quick to mention the Arab scholar who created the periodic table. Anyway— they go a little bit overboard.

Ordinarily, I would love to engage them about bias and victors writing history, etc, etc, I don’t have time for that!! Sorry folks, this is Western Civ!! Deal. We’re here and that’s what we’re learning. I’ve been skipping the chapters about other parts of the world because we just don’t have time to cover it all. I totally glossed over the Crusades and the silk road until Samuel called BS on me and I had to go back today and cover those a little bit more for the littles. I think Samuel was about to call the history police on me or something “mom- you can’t have the Middle Ages without the plague and you can’t have the plague without the silk road— geees!” 

A rare moment when they're all doing work! 

I’ve put myself under a lot of pressure— we go to Normandy in mid-May, so we have to get to WWII by then. WWI is huge here, as many know. There’s no way I can gloss over that. France was basically at war from the Hundred Years War through its Revolution— and I can’t even make sense of half of them! Religious Wars? Good luck mom. Then there’s French Indian War- from the European perspective and of course Napoleon- and how was he Emperor anyway? Then BOOM- WWI and WWII. It’ll be here before I know it. 

So adding to things I will always feel guilty about as a mother— glossing over the Crusades!! Sorry.