Teri's 30 days of "First Day of School"

[Dark Matters]

Jeez Louise, most kids and teachers don't spend much time on academics on the first day of school. They are busy getting to know their new teachers, any new kids in their classes and getting oriented back into attending school full time. Oh wait, that's public school kids. Sorry, it's the Maxwells. Nevermind.

 

blog.titus2.com/2015/08/05/first-day-of-school-disaster-or-success/

[anjulibai]

None of the things she listed as taking too much time should have taken a lot of time to do.

It just shows how easily overwhelmed she was by homeschooling for so long.

[Koala]

The boys look like they are in a hostage situation in the first pic :?

Also, I hope Steve realizes that the verse Teri quoted, DOES NOT apply to human beings *his daughters*

let her not go:

keep her; for she is thy life.â€

It is very sad to look at those pictures and realize that those 3 girls would never mature past childhood, but would instead go on to live as children in adult bodies. Very sad.

Finally, I don't know why, but I find these lines very concerning:

the Lord showed me the secret to success. I needed to have a first day of school before my real first day of school!!

Then the Lord gave me the idea of having a pre-first day of school.

Terri? You had those ideas. The Lord doesn't care. If he can't be bothered to save starving and or abused children, I seriously doubt he can be bothered to make sure your first day of school goes as smoothly as you'd hoped. :evil-eye:

[Jana814]

Completely agree w/ what you guys have said.

[FundieWatcher]

There is so much going on here...

Teri missed her calling into drama.She managed to turn the first day of homeschooling into an over-the-top spectacle filled with crying, disappointment, fear, and frustration. So much so she needs a day zero to cope.

Sarah's dress. Little House on the Prairie thinks you look old fashion. That was cruel to buy or make or steal from a museum whatever, just cruel.

Did they think honestly think a big breakfast and back to school shopping was a novel idea?

[Eternalbluepearl]

:shock: Nathan's crazy eyes as a kid. :shock:

[anjulibai]

There is so much going on here...

Teri missed her calling into drama.She managed to turn the first day of homeschooling into an over-the-top spectacle filled with crying, disappointment, fear, and frustration. So much so she needs a day zero to cope.

Sarah's dress. Little House on the Prairie thinks you look old fashion. That was cruel to buy or make or steal from a museum whatever, just cruel.

Did they think honestly think a big breakfast and back to school shopping was a novel idea?

Nobody has every done anything the Maxwells do - it is always completely new and unusual and totally better than anyone else.

:D

[dianapavelovna]

Oh, Sarah was such a cutie! It makes me tremendously sad that when she grows up, that little girl will only be free to make burritos and dust ceiling fans.

[Eternalbluepearl]

Oh, Sarah was such a cutie! It makes me tremendously sad that when she grows up, that little girl will only be free to make burritos and dust ceiling fans.

To be fair, she polishes cabinets, takes pictures of her married siblings and their families, and writes sanitized dull -as-dish-water children's books too.

She was so cute!She is beautiful now too.

[Jana814]

Oh, Sarah was such a cutie! It makes me tremendously sad that when she grows up, that little girl will only be free to make burritos and dust ceiling fans.

Agree!!

[formergothardite]

:shock: Nathan's crazy eyes as a kid. :shock:

He really does. :shock: Sarah and Christopher were so cute, but it is sad to look at pictures of Sarah and realize that her parents were never, ever going to let her grow up.

Instead of wailing and acting like the world was ending because she fixed a special breakfast and took pictures, why didn't Terri just change her schedule to have her kids just do less school work on the first day of school?

[rosalitta]

Am I the only one that thinks Mary's last first day of school picture is to remind readers that Mary's done with school and ready for marriage (if Steve will let her go)? The leaning against a fence pose is practically defrauding for a Maxwell.

[DutchGirl]

So, this woman is the author of MOTH, a book (and a lifestyle) about scheduling everything under the sun and more. And it took her more than one first schoolday's to realise things like a big breakfast, gift giving, taking pictures and handing out schoolsupplies take time? :lol: :lol:

I don't schedule half the things I realy should, so I'm always doing things last seccond.

But even without having kids and no experience in homeschooling at all I realise these things take time.

How did they ever even sell one book? :pull-hair:

[nokidsmom]

None of the things she listed as taking too much time should have taken a lot of time to do.

It just shows how easily overwhelmed she was by homeschooling for so long.

Reading how overwhelmed she was makes me really concerned over much (or rather how little) schooling those kids really received.

[RandomTrivia]

Jeez Louise, most kids and teachers don't spend much time on academics on the first day of school. They are busy getting to know their new teachers, any new kids in their classes and getting oriented back into attending school full time. Oh wait, that's public school kids. Sorry, it's the Maxwells. Nevermind.

blog.titus2.com/2015/08/05/first-day-of-school-disaster-or-success/

Even at the Ebil non-public school my son goes to, the first day is at least partly non-academic things, like the all-school welcome assembly. It makes things special, and gets the kids excited about the new year. But, the teachers go back a few days before the kids, to get things ready, and there's a supply drop-off day before school starts so the kids can see the room and put things in their desk, meet the teacher, etc. And honestly, Son's "first day of school" pictures have almost never been taken on the first day. Sometime the first week, if I'm lucky. LOL

I wonder if it ever occurred to her (or God) that a little prep time before school "starts" would be beneficial. She could spend an hour or so putting books on the desks, whatever. And other than the first year for each child, how much discussion could there be about assignment sheets and daily expectations?

[Dru]

So Teri only takes credit for bad ideas then? Good ones have to come from god or Steve?

:shock: Nathan's crazy eyes as a kid. :shock:

I know! I swear he's looking through time directly at my soul in that first picture. Yikes!

[LurkerOverThePond]

Back in my day (at a public school in an evil "socialist" country) the first day of school was definitely not a "real" school day but a day to meet the teacher and friends after summer again, receive books, etc. The only assignment might have been to write down our goals and hopes for the coming school year, but definitely nothing academic was done. So yeah, Teri, you did not invent the wheel again...

Maybe it's just me but Chris looks sad in those old photos. Maybe he was the sensitive kid who saw his mom struggling with home schooling. Or maybe the photos were taken soon after pulling the boys out of their beloved baseball team. By the way, speaking of Chris... I was browsing through his photography website again (obviously I have no life...) and found something incredibly interesting. Take a look here: christophermaxwell.com/weddings/galleries.htm

For Joseph and Elissa's gallery it says "Wedding photos coming soon!" Is Stevus trying to rewrite history once again? :think: Earlier there were a whole lot of their photos there but now they are gone.

What was so questionable that it had to be changed or destroyed??

[slickcat79]

Even at the Ebil non-public school my son goes to, the first day is at least partly non-academic things, like the all-school welcome assembly. It makes things special, and gets the kids excited about the new year. But, the teachers go back a few days before the kids, to get things ready, and there's a supply drop-off day before school starts so the kids can see the room and put things in their desk, meet the teacher, etc. And honestly, Son's "first day of school" pictures have almost never been taken on the first day. Sometime the first week, if I'm lucky. LOL

I wonder if it ever occurred to her (or God) that a little prep time before school "starts" would be beneficial. She could spend an hour or so putting books on the desks, whatever. And other than the first year for each child, how much discussion could there be about assignment sheets and daily expectations?

I'm not sure why Teri would make such a big deal over these "first day of school" pics anyway. They didn't look like anything special. The kids were wearing normal kid clothes, and were just standing in normal places around the house.

I know it's the Maxwells, so varying from the schedule might as well be starring in a gay porno. But isn't one of the supposed benefits of homeschooling that you can flex your tasks as needed? They can literally do anything on any day that they need to. Why is this so complicated?

[Grimalkin]

I was feeling anxious reading about her first day of school fails. It is as if there is no going with the flow. Certainly there would be bad days while homeschooling. I think you would have to know when I s not working, put the books away and do something fun. Seems like she cannot deL with that.

I laughed at the grandparents day post and doing puzzles with grandpa. My mom has dimentia and I make the kids do puzzles with my mom during holidays so I can get the cooking done while she is visiting. Let's keep Grandpa Steve busy with puzzles so he stays out of the way!

[salex]

How in the world are we supposed to take advice on scheduling or homeschooling from someone who was so baffled by both?

Tears? Frustration? OMG, what kinds of punishment did Steve have for not getting things done "correctly"?

[Antimony]

This woman has never heard of syllabus day, evidently.

[16strong]

What I notice most is that the first three kids (before the reversals) were dressed very on-trend. There was thought put into their outfits and their appearance. As the pictures go on, there seemed to be less effort put into the childrens' appearance. Sarah was dressed in a pair of flats and a cute early-90's-style dress, Anna and Mary wore socks with sandals and unflattering frumpers. They seemed to be less individualistic, somehow.

[FundieWatcher]

I honestly think having her kids in public school would have been too much as well.

You have to get your kids out of bed, face washed/teeth brushed, in uniform/appropriate clothes, and out to the bus stop on time. There are forms to fill out and sign. You have to make sure the kids do their homework/reading. There are teachers to stay in communication with. Items to buy for projects, projects to assist with. I don't know that with the untreated depression and anxiety she could handle PS.

Oh, and if you are like my kid, you have to make sure you pack them breakfast/lunch. Thanks to a government grant, there is no charge at his school for food due to the area's poverty rate. But he refuses to eat it. Go figure.

[HoneyBunny]

This post gives us more insight into life at the Maxwell house than anything we've seen since the Moodys. And it scares the shit out of me.

Poor Teri. Really, poor Teri. She was so clearly in way over her head. Figuring out that she could start school prep before the actual first day of school is like finally realizing it's easier to get the toothpaste out of the tube if you take the cap off first.

WTF was Steve thinking telling this woman she needed to have MORE kids to populate his cult? Maybe he really is one of God's Chosen Ones, because there is nothing he did to prevent a Yates tragedy from occurring in his own family. He just was very, very lucky.

[salex]

This post gives us more insight into life at the Maxwell house than anything we've seen since the Moodys. And it scares the shit out of me.

Poor Teri. Really, poor Teri. She was so clearly in way over her head. Figuring out that she could start school prep before the actual first day of school is like finally realizing it's easier to get the toothpaste out of the tube if you take the cap off first.

WTF was Steve thinking telling this woman she needed to have MORE kids to populate his cult? Maybe he really is one of God's Chosen Ones, because there is nothing he did to prevent a Yates tragedy from occurring in his own family. He just was very, very lucky.

He came home... how old were the kids when he quit his day job and was home to crack the whip full time?