We have completed our fifth week of schooling at home with K12. Juggling the three kids has definitely been a struggle, but I am proud of the progress we've made so far.
September seems to have gone by quickly. We had a short week after Labor Day. We only had three days to get some work done before we went to one of the many Back to School Picnics held in our area. It was a successful week. During that week, the girls had their AIMSweb assessments with their teachers. I am very proud and happy to say they both did exceptionally well and are on track for their respective grade levels. In fact, Miss T reads at a upper 3rd to 4th grade level. *insert fist pumps and swelling chest* T & A both need to work on their handwriting. They had to write 2-4 sentences about themselves as a writing portfolio to send to their teachers. This gave the teachers an idea of where the students may need help with either handwriting, spelling, structure, etc. They also had an opportunity to speak with their teacher on the telephone while completing the assessment. This was a wonderful introduction to the up coming picnic where they personally met their teachers. They were so excited. E was a bit disappointed since his teachers were not there but he had fun none.the.less.
In the weeks to follow we have worked hard to find our groove. The girls are learning how to work independently and share "Teacher Mommy" with their brother. He, meanwhile, is learning to discipline himself to focus on his work while I am busy with his sisters. I am learning how to give each of them 1:1 attention throughout the day. It is not easy. However, it is beneficial to everyone because with this 1:1 time, I have learned that Miss T does not know all her basic addition facts. Some she knows by heart, others it takes a little longer for her figure out how to count/work it out. I will probably shuffle her Math program around to better suit her needs. For example, on her scheduled plan she should be learning about money. Well, she can't very well count money if she can't remember the basic addition. This week, I plan to put the K12 math on pause and give her some supplemental addition work to help her memorize facts. Miss A (my 1st grader) is now starting with her addition facts so hopefully I can give them group work to make it all a little easier.
October brings the next round of Parent/Teacher conferences. I will discuss, T's math struggles with her teacher. A will probably have her handwriting assessed. E's conference will be a review of his test scores (Scantron and Study Island Benchmarks), plus his Fall writing portfolio.
