31 Days of Seeking Joy in the EveryDay: Teaching

We've homeschooled more than 10 years and I still adore it.  

We all love Fridays during the fall and spring semesters 

because Friday is homeschool co-op day. 

I'm co-teaching a writing class for 3rd - 5th graders 

based on the Institute for Excellence in Writing program.  

What I love about this program is that it's adaptable to both reluctant and more sophisticated writers.

We have a class full of bright, enthusiastic kids - a pure pleasure to teach!

I'm also teaching a class for high school students that's all about playing a game called Cashflow.  

Cashflow was developed as a teaching tool by Robert Kiyosaki (the Rich Dad, Poor Dad author).  

My sister introduced the game to our family, and it was her idea to teach it as a co-op class, 

which was a brilliant idea!  Cashflow is somewhat similar to Monopoly, 

but more like real life, and it's an excellent teaching tool.  

It takes a bit for things to start making sense when the game is new to you, 

but this was the week when it all started to click for my class, and that's an incredibly exhilarating feeling.

Even better, not only are my new students getting it,  

the veteran kids who've taken the class before are teaching their peers what they know!  

It's unbelievably gratifying ... teaching is the most joy inducing thing ever!

“There are random moments - tossing a salad, coming up the driveway to the house, ironing the seams flat on a quilt square, standing at the kitchen window and looking out at the delphiniums, hearing a burst of laughter from one of my children's rooms - when I feel a wavelike rush of joy. This is my true religion: arbitrary moments of nearly painful happiness for a life I feel privileged to lead.” 
― Elizabeth Berg, The Art of Mending