Homework

I saw this on Instagram and got a little chuckle from it!

It's Official!

We are no longer schooling at home.  This morning I submitted my withdrawal notifications to the kids' homeroom teachers and mailed out my "Notice of Intent to Home School" letter to my local school district.  Surprisingly, I was a bit nervous about sending the withdrawal notices.  I think it's because I really didn't have any problems with the virtual academy.  The teachers were wonderful.  The field trips were exciting and fun for the kids.  We just prefer independent homeschooling.  So, with just under 3 months remaining in the school year, we took the leap and reclaimed our freedom.  Ha, and this was the day the girls were to take diagnostic testing! 

For the remainder of the school year, I will continue to use the K12 materials I am allowed to keep and download some assessments and learning coach guide sheets that are available online.  I need to jump on it tonight because I'm sure once the teachers file the paperwork, access will be denied promptly!

Realizations

We've come to realize we want need more flexibility than what "schooling at home" provides.  Now, I know I can plan our day and meet objectives without doing all the busy work, but good grief having everything planned out for me was one of the reasons I chose to go this route! 

Three different learning styles, three different grades has proven a great challenge for me.  A is struggling with Math, k12 style.  That means I have to teach the lesson differently than what k12's teacher's guide suggests.  Work!  My baby is worth it, of course, but I didn't plan for that.  Language Arts is "boring, just a bunch of reading", but she is learning a lot of different things.  T is doing well overall, but doesn't like to write (much like her sister, A) so getting her to complete a written assignment is like pulling your hair out, strand.by.strand.  We often complete such works orally. (so glad I don't have to submit work samples!) She's a competitive perfectionist which allows her to strive for 100% on everything she does, but also leads to a diva like meltdown if that goal is not achieved.  humph, now I have to send that into a room full of other kids to do a diagnostic test?!  I think not.  E is coasting.  He slacks off, procrastinates and excels all at the same time.  I often have to remind him he is to do his work on the computer, not watch videos or play games (even educational ones).  He is a typical 5th grader and my only child doing well with k12's virtual academy.

I realize that if I put my mind to it, I could have every one's work prepped for the week, assessments printed, materials available for use the night before.  I just didn't want to have to do all that while using a virtual academy.  I thought it would save me some time.  I wanted it to save me some time.  It's not.  There's a lot of busy work, that while I can skip some of it, some of it is essential to mastering the lesson.

I miss my freedom!  I don't like being required to attend teleconferences, outings and various testing locations.  I miss Black History lessons.  We initially moved those lessons to Saturdays so Dad can teach but the kids felt punished because they had to do "Saturday School".  So we incorporated Black/African historical facts into E's k12 U.S. history lessons and the girls listened in. 

All in all, this year was a huge learning experience.  I'm glad my kids were able to attend some of the outings (limited since we are a 1 car family).  I'm glad I am making this decision now to return to independent homeschooling for the next school year.  I have six months to purchase workbooks, print free resources, etc.  I just realized I need to get organized, too.  eek!

Catch Up to Week 5

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.

Back to School: Week 1 Wrap Up

Well, we've completed a full week of school.  It was a first of many for our household.  E started what is (unofficially) known as the "intro to middle school". 




And my sweet girls began their first year as K12 Virtual Academy students.



There was lots of reading new books for my precious first grader (who wants to go back to Kindergarten).  She spent lots of time with books while I worked 1:1 with her older siblings.  As these early months go by, I will have to develop some sort of schedule to do more 1:1 with each of them and provide independent work for the others.

E struggled a bit this week getting in the groove.  His body is certainly in attendance but his brain is vacationing.  Math is already kicking his butt.  Estimation is not his friend.  He is studying American History this year.  This week focused on the early beginnings of U.S. History.

Handwriting Without Tears (!!!) is a part of the 1st and 2nd grade curriculum.  The girls are loving their 10 minute writing drills.  I set the timer on my phone for 10 minutes and they have to complete as many pages as they can.  They've been doing 1-2 pages per day.  I can alreay see improvement in their handwriting.  Both T & A would write with uppercase letters exclusively if I let them.  I'm glad this course is emphasizing writing with lowercase letters.

T had her hands full with writing big numbers up to 500.  It was a lot of busy work but good practice.

As for me, I had a few class connect sessions with the teachers for each grade level.  My goal for next month is to develop the habit of laying out the girls' workbooks the night before.  I definitely need to get some drawer carts for the girls.  Workboxes will help with increasing their independence.  E has his books in crates next to his desk that he can easily reach when necessary.  It worked well for him last year so I won't rock the boat by changing him to workboxes.

All in all it was a great week and I look forward to the busyness that is to come.

A Little Summer Fun

For a couple of weeks we had a quiet visitor on our patio.  He'd just show up, hang out a bit and then slowly go about his business.  The kids were a bit apprehensive but enjoyed looking at him.  E did some research (as only a professor would) and decided he was a pondslider turtle.  It's been a bout two weeks now since we last saw him.  I believe the heat wave we went through has something to do with that. 

Apparently my son is a bit camera shy. Every time I came with camera, he ducked or ran away... boys.  I've also discovered what my daughters' favorite shirts are.

A Cricket in Times Square - Summer Reading Unit

During the school year, E had to choose four novels to read and complete the assigned work associated with the chosen book.  Since we are in the Virtual Academy (VA), the first three choices were chosen by his 4th grade teacher who held class connect sessions for the students to read along together and discuss.  He thoroughly enjoyed the process.  For the last novel, he had to choose on his own and complete the unit independently.  I, along with hubby chose The Cricket in Times Square.  He wasn't happy.  He already had it in his head to choose 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  Hubby didn't mind so we allowed him that freedom and he successfully completed the unit.  However, we had already purchased the other book.  So to avoid the feeling of having wasted my money, I decided he would still read The Cricket in Times Square over the summer.  I searched and found a wonderful unit study here that he can complete as he reads.  It also has an English language arts component to keep his grammar skills sharp too.