Getting it ALL together.

     It's that time of year.  It is the time of year I dread every school year.  It is winter break.  Yes, there is the excitement of holidays and presents.  There is also a tremendous flip side.  The weather is usually cold and bleak.  Often it is raining, snowing, sleeting or just too cold to play outside. 
     We have indoor activities.  The Nintendo Wii has kept me from losing my mind many cold bleak days. I try to keep them active. 
     I am grateful that my children are playing on basketball teams.  That gives us about 2 hours of PE credit each week.  Combining that and the Wii Sports, we are able to get our PE hours logged each week. 
      I was asked about a common "myth" about virtual school.  Someone had told this person that there is only about three hours of schoolwork each day. 
     Unfortunately, some see this as a perk.  Children learn very quickly when they are younger.  They really are sponges absorbing all that is around them.  It would be an incredible waste to only educate for three hours per day.
     Having said that, if your child is only using three to four hours per day do complete lessons and is staying on track, it may be time for a parent-teacher conference.  Sometimes the solution will be to work ahead in lessons.  Sometimes you will be permitted to count other activities toward attendance.  Either way, it is important to not only log attendance accurately so that the program is not jeopardized for all, but to engage children appropriately. 
     I will be honest with you.  I do not allow a lot of completely idle time.  Even during school breaks, I plan activities to motivate my children to learn more about life, science, math, art and many other subjects.  Life is meant to be a learning experience and in my opinion, watching others experience life on TV is simply not good enough.
     Be careful when considering a virtual education for your own family.  Be especially careful about taking advice about shortcuts.  The lessons your child is learning today will be the building blocks of lessons of the future.  Math is a perfect example of this.  How easy will multiplying fractions be for the child who has a good grasp of their multiplication tables?  How hard will it be for the child who "skimmed" that unit?  The more they learn now, the easier high school and college will be for them.
      I like to keep this in mind for my children.   I can remember my 10th grade English teacher asking me to write a novel.   That same year, my Biology teacher expected me to write a research paper.  Yes, I struggled that year, but later, in college, I was able to complete writing assignments quickly and often helped other students who were struggling to create an essay.  I am reminded that if I make my children really work now, they will feel much more secure and confident later.
      Ahhh.. so I am done with my speech today.  This was not meant to be easy.  There are things we can do to make it more interesting.  There are things we can add to make it more fun, but it is very important to remember our goals.  Your goals may be very different than mine. 
      My goal is to do my best to not eliminate any future choices for my children.  It is an awesome responsibility, but it is worth it.

It Had to Happen

    We seem to have come to the "Wednesday" of the school year.  The new and shiny has worn off.  We have our routines.  We are not doing anything wrong, or different, but the kids seem to be ready for a break.
     Yesterday and today have been filled with a lack of enthusiasm.  The next field trip is not until next Friday.  Both children have multiple due dates coming up with Literature and Composition assignments that are more challenging. 
     At this point, I am considering allowing them to take an entire day off to do something special.  They can make it up during Christmas break if they would like.  I am only hesitant because I am afraid that it will be the same next week.
     The composition assignments are getting more intense.  Several days of step by step instructions on how to write different types of essays.  These are necessary skills.  I know that next year, they will breeze through these same types of assignments, they will be more familiar.  Right now, they need a lot of coaching and help. 
     My oldest was working on a persuasive essay and I saw her with a stack of books .  She was actually hidden behind the stack.  She was working diligently and taking notes, so at first, I did not interrupt her. 
    Something caught my eye.  She had just closed a book about antelopes and was opening one on climate.
    ????
    I asked her.  "What is the topic for your paper?"
     When she answered, I got a little sick, she had already been working on this for 45 minutes.  "It is about climate, pollution and wildlife."
     "What specific point are you trying to make?"  I asked.
     I just wanted to talk about pollution and climate and how it affects wildlife.
     "And...." I was hoping she had more...
     Well, she didn't.  She just wanted to go over all of these facts and describe their importance. 
     I asked her to read the first page of her assignment again.  She needed to read the description of a persuasive essay.
      She read it and still did not understand why her topic was too broad.
      I explained that she needed a very narrow focus.  She could use all of those facts to support her reason, but she needed to have one very specific point.
     I explained to her that a persuasive essay was like giving her side of the argument.   Anyway, I gave her some tips on how to weed through her information and turn it into a persuasive paper.
     Phew... She worked on this one for a while longer before I told her to take a break and work on something different.
     The writing assignments are more challenging.  My younger child is learning to write a proper book review.  It is taking her step by step through the process of what she needs in her paper.
     I can see the methodology.  I can see that when she completes three more lessons, she will simply be able to combine her simple assigned paragraphs into a nice book review.  She does not see that right now.  She is annoyed.
     As I said, because it is teaching each step of writing, drafting, editing and checking for content, I know that next year will be much easier.  The assignments may be more challenging, but they will be more comfortable with checking themselves and their direction.  For now... UGH.. they are not enjoying it.
     Soooo, hump day or not... Tomorrow is Wednesday and I am probably going to make them do something outlandish during their lesson.
    Perhaps I will get them to read their first drafts aloud in a very theatrical fashion.  Maybe we will create a quick puppet show for them to act out their assignments.  Something.  We need something to break this up.

Homeschool?

         I still get a little nervous when someone asks me if I am homeschooling my children.   I don't really know how to answer.  It seems a disservice to home school moms and groups to call this homeschooling.  I know a few home school moms who put a lot more work into education than I am currently doing. 

       I do not attend the conferences and peruse varieties of curricula and teaching methods to determine which will be the best fit for my child as well as achieve the goals of actually educating them.  I attempted to do this on my own.  I sat down with stacks of textbooks and began reading the objectives and pouring through sample lessons and worksheets.  I can honestly say that I have no idea how one person could have enough time to evaluate all that is available for one subject in one grade level, never mind building an entire well rounded curriculum.   I was quickly overwhelmed.  I guessed it would take me months of preparation to find acceptable curriculum and create lesson plans for one school year. 

       I also do not have the same reasons for doing this as many of the families I met while searching for home school information.  My children were not bullied or in danger.  I was not uncomfortable with the topics that were being taught.  I was uncomfortable with the amount of materials that were not taught, due to time constraints, budget, or merely political reasons.

      Now, I may say that I did not feel my children were bullied or in danger, but let me say that I also did not feel that the local public schools were as focused on success as I would like.  It seems an awful lot of resources and time are focused on the problems in school.  With every published report of the condition of our schools, testing, student statistics or salary requirements, there are teams of people creating tests surveys and compiling data for these reports.  Unfortunately, as much as I rely on these reports to compare and contrast information, it seems these are resources that need to be used to better prepare our children for their futures.  In this way, I did not feel that I could entrust my children to the local school.

       With this virtual school method, I am able help my children to accelerate if they wish to.  I am able to add other materials to supplement if I chose to take the time to do so.  We are free to explore many more opportunities while they are also achieving their school requirements.  

      I really do not have to do much to find accomplishment with this method.  I am certainly grateful for such a strong curriculum and guidelines that are easy to follow.  I am grateful that the planning I do is so easy in comparison to creating actual lesson plans.  

     I am not comfortable with the term, "Home school mom".  It does not offend me, but it does not fit.  What we are doing does deserve its own name, free from other associations, because it is different.  It is unique.  I love this and hope we are able to continue to evolve as my childrens' educational needs evolve.  

      

   

An AMAZING Side Effect

      As we have more and more experiences with the virtual school, I am finding myself feeling a little bit like I have found a treasure.    

     I could not be more surprised myself. I had initially dismissed this as an option.  Like many others, I had pre-conceived notions of children who were educated at home.  Like many, I felt this could become to overwhelming for us and I was afraid that I would have to search for a new school during the school year.  I wondered if there would be some sort of psychological repercussions from having dual roles with my children.  I wondered if my children would suffer from loneliness.  I have been pleasantly surprised.

      I am a parent, therefore I feel that my children are extraordinary and special.  They are amazing.  I know we all feel that way about our children, that is why I am writing today.  This program has given my children the gift of feel special and extraordinary every day.  No, I do not give them rewards or prizes for completing their work.  Perhaps I should have stickers or small prizes, but I do not.  My children are getting something better every single day.  They are feeling confident and accomplished.  They are able to check on their own progress each day. They are able to take charge, get ahead and then use their progress as leverage with me.  I guess in a way, I do give rewards, but I feel these rewards fall into the "Natural Consequences" version of parenting. 

     This started a few weeks ago.  We were already quite busy, but there was one extra thing the girls wanted to do.  I informed them that we simply did not have the time.  Both girls immediately worked together on a "plan".  They both worked ahead in their assignments.  Both girls worked for longer periods of time for four days in a row before they ambushed me.   "Mom, we are both ahead in our work, we have earned medals, we have completed our hours for the week, could we please go to the _________?"

      I looked at their progress pages.  I looked on their study pages.  I reviewed their written assignments carefully to ensure they did not skip anything or miss any key points.  Incredibly, they had done it all.  They had done this in a way that would make anything other than a positive response from me seem absurd. 

      And so began a new trend.  They have both not only figured out how to get ahead, but they have both learned that staying ahead gives them a little bit of power when something special comes along.  That little gem of knowledge will last them a lot longer than any sticker I could give them.

      Sometimes I sit back and marvel at this Tom Sawyer approach to education.  Somehow, without bribes, scolding, threats or any other overt means, this program has quickly created two very self motivated, very confident little girls. 

     Friday is the last day of the first quarter.  I still have a little bit of anxiety about this milestone.  What if I missed something? What if we did something wrong?  It's a small anxiety.  I feel pretty confident that we did everything that we were supposed to do.  I cannot wait to see how this reflects on their report cards.

Tomorrows lesson will be.....

    One of the benefits of flexibility and not having to constantly move at an "average" schedule, is that the children can move ahead to the next lesson once they are finished.  They do not have to wait for the allotted time to expire.  Another benefit is that when I notice that yes, they were able to complete the lesson and even the assessment, but do not completely seem to understand, I can stop, take a break and plan a way to help them to truly understand the material.

     We are going to have one of those moments tomorrow.  I have reviewed the lessons and searched the internet for an alternate way of teaching the subject.  This took me about ten minutes. No joke.  I found a youtube video that will work nicely.  I have my large whiteboard out and ready to demonstrate.

     Mixed numbers are a bit funky to say the least.  What is a mixed number?  You don't remember the terminology?  Okay..  3 1/4 would be a mixed number.  So?  Big deal.  Okay, on your mark, get set, divide 3 1/4 by 5/12.   Now multiply your answer by 2/3.  Um... What?  Yes.  So, my child completed the lesson and even took the assessment and mastered it, but I really do not think she will be retaining it long enough to do the semester assessment, so I am going to do an extra lesson tomorrow. 

    What is the big deal?  She understands all of the other concepts well enough to explain them to anyone.  She scores 100% on her assessments, so missing that question on the semester test will still probably give her a mastery score.  Um... I know she has the ability to understand it.  I know that she just needs an extra way of looking at the problem and a little reinforcement.  I know that she will retain it and understand it if I put a little time into it. (I have scheduled approximately 45 minutes for this.)

     My goal for doing the virtual school was not simply to have the children get acceptable grades in an accredited program, it was to have them receive the best education possible.  The math curriculum provided is perfectly fine.  It is not lacking.  All lessons are covered well.  After all, she was able to complete the problems herself and master the assessment.  What makes me think I should do this? 

    I have watched her.  Math is very fluid for her.  She does not stumble at all.  She follows concepts well and understands them.  She does not just follow the steps, she actually is able to incorporate them in a practical way in her mind.  She UNDERSTANDS math in a way that most people would envy.  Her work on this lesson was disjointed.  She memorized the steps and went on.  I believe she will be more comfortable when she sees this again if she understands it rather than memorizing it. 

    Maybe I go to far.  I don't know.  I really do not this will even take 30 minutes and in my opinion, it is time well spent.  Then she can go back to racing through her lessons.

     Besides, maybe she will lose interest in science and math and decide to open a catering business.  Her recipe may call for 3/4 cup of sugar.  She may decided to mix 27 batches at once... Then she may realize that her oven will only hold 9 batches.  She may need to know how to complete 27 X 3/4 and then divide that by 3.  ?  Or it may get even more complicated.   Either way, knowing and understanding math can give her more abilities in other areas.  If she does decide to be a caterer, I would be willing to bet she has less waste and more profit, because she will know how much to purchase, the cost per item and how much to charge to make a X% of profit. 

     That is what I tell myself when I add more work to my day.

Mom's Input?

      Believe it or not, I have found another perk.  Not only do we have parent teacher conferences, but there is a lovely little addition after the parent teacher conference....
     The parent teacher conference in itself is interesting.  I was on the phone and in a virtual classroom at the same time.  I can see the power point that the teacher has prepared with all of my child's information.  We go over each subject together. I can ask questions, my daughter is there participating also and can ask questions.
    We talk about goals and other items also.  It is essentially a very detailed progress report with expectations explained also.   Then, later, the teacher emails me a copy of all of the information.   With my older child, I received a message from her teacher asking if I can think of anything that should be added as a goal...
     YES!   Please!  Yes, my children are doing well.  Yes, they are excelling, but thank you so much for asking.  My older child has recently quit using her agenda.  She has been "winging it" by looking at the lessons next in line and doing what she wants to do.  
     This has not been a major problem. She is still on track.  She is not falling behind, or skipping anything.  So what is my problem?  It seems to be working right?  NO NO NO NO... It has been more chaotic this way.  It has created confusion for me.  It has added to the time I am working.  I think it has also added to her time.  Instead of looking at the list we created together at the beginning of the week and systematically eliminating it.  I now am having to ask her what has been completed.  This may seem petty, but before, we were creating our lists, she would simply check off lessons as they were completed, and once each day, I would go through them. I could check her work, make sure she did it thoroughly and enter attendance or answer the parent questions.
    Now, I am having to have her sit with me as I do this.  I have to ask for each individual subject what was done.  I then review what was needed, check it and then enter attendance.  This is NOT better.   Our previous method meant I could do this while she finished her chores or watched TV.. Only occasionally did I need to ask her questions.  Now, she is more frustrated and so am I.  This has only been going on for a week and a half.  
    Now I can see why some parents may be frustrated with virtual school. Flexibility can be stressful too.   I love the flexibility.  I love our previous method of scheduling. It was not too rigid.  It was a simple check off list for each day.
    To be perfectly honest, it is not so much stress that I would find myself in a corner crying, but I definitely think they old way was working much better for both of us.  She is irritated that I do not just "know" what she has completed.  Yes, I could take her stack of papers, and the internet progress and figure it out.  It is not the end of the world.  However, I do think that our previous method was more enjoyable and I want it back..
    Soooo... I asked her teacher if she could add organization and goal setting to her list of expectations for this quarter.  I briefly explained what was going on and that we were by no means falling apart, but that was my request for a goal. 
     Her teacher answered me promptly.... "YES"...
      Have I said I love this?  My daughters new method was necessarily bad.   I believe there are many virtual school families who are following that particular method.  I do not know how many of them are also attempting to work outside of the home, but since I am, I need things as simple and organized as possible.   Our time together as a family is so valuable to me.  I can do either method.  I will do whatever it takes to ensure that my children are well educated.  If I have the choice to spend more time going over the work, or more time talking with her, watching a movie with her, taking a walk with her... I would rather the last three choices...
   Phew!! There!  I said it.  It's all about choices.  I love our choices.  I love my children and I am ever grateful that we found this option.

    

Drum Roll Please.......

     Finally!  It seems like we waited an eternity for report cards!  Okay, a bit of an exaggeration! I guess we are already so used to getting instant results after the kids finish an assignment or assessment.... The first quarter was over October 14 and the teachers began compiling grades on October 17.  Today is October 26 and the report cards are in!

     Both children received straight A's in their subjects as well as an S in PE.  (I think an S is as good as it gets for PE.)   Both girls also had more than the minimum required hours of attendance.  Both girls also had a parent attend the parent teacher conferences as required.

    This means that both are on the Honor Roll and will also be recognized for Academic Excellence!  YIPPPEEEE!!  We did it!  That means we did not overlook anything.  (That was my greatest fear; somehow I thought we had overlooked something and the girls would be penalized for my bizarre organization issues.)

     There will be special recognition to students who made the Honor Roll and Academic Excellence in the class meetings on Monday!  I cannot wait! My children have always done well, but each time, I feel just as proud as the first.

     Straight A report cards at our house means that the girls will get to chose a restaurant to take the family out to dinner. It would be nice to sit back and relax now, wouldn't it?  Since we are already hard at work on the next nine weeks' lessons, this is no time to kick back.  This reinforces that we must continue to complete things necessary first and then we can do the extra events or projects that we have done, and still plan to do.

   With extracurricular sports, 4H and the holidays, we have new challenges and distractions, but now we have these report cards to remind us of the importance of staying focused on the scheduled lessons.

    HOORAY!  I love this! 

Work

     The last two weeks, we have learned a LOT.  We have had so much going on in addition to school that we have found a few weak links in our chain. 

      First, I vaguely remembered a learning coach certification thingie being mentioned in the handbook.  I even printed the pages.  It is a list of objectives for the learning coaches to complete in order to receive a certificate each quarter. I remember there being a request for a copy of our daily lesson plan, and a review of certain tutorials.  I don't really remember much other than than. I honestly cannot remember if this is mandatory or not, so I will be reading that tonight.  The end of the quarter is next week, so I will need to complete it this weekend.

     Second, there is a formula for grades.  The children do not simply earn the scores they receive on their tests, or they would all have A's and B's since it is a Mastery based program.  These formulas are slightly different for each of my children as they are working at different grade levels.  Basically, for each subject, they are expected to complete a certain percentage of the coursework by the end of the first quarter.  I believe that is a nice tidy 25% for both children with the exception of my youngest who just began a new grade level in Math two weeks ago.  She is expected to be at 9%.   Next, they have to have earned a certain number of "blue ribbons" in their study lessons.  They are also expected to submit work samples and those count for a percentage of their grade.  They have recently added a weekly skills check.  Another percentage. 

     I have not figured out how all of this will work out.  There are also honor roll and academic excellence formulas.  If I understand the formulas correctly, the girls may very well get straight A's...if I do not...we may be in for a surprise.  Ahhh..well.. We will know in a little over a week.

     Now for the other little tidbits... We were a little less organized this last week and it created a little condition I abhor: Stress.  I did not take the time to plan the week last weekend.  Each day this week we have sort of muddled through.  Where is this book?  My children go to work with me three days each week.  This meant that each night, we were starting over.  I must say that of all of the tips I may have, planning each week has to be the biggest.  Even if we were at home every single day, I do not want to have to start my day wondering what we should do next.  We are not regimented by any means, but each week, I look over what needs to be accomplished and create two checklists.  One has the lessons that are best suited for their time at my office, the other list is the lessons that need a bit more "mom" time.  Even though we have the list, I do let the children chose which subject they would like to begin their day with as long as they are not procrastinating.  We all are more relaxed when it is written down like this.  We can clearly see what has to be accomplished during the week.  Looking at the "next lesson" method might work for some, but we found that it increases our stress.  Our conclusion: It is not worth it to skip the planning stage.

      One other little tidbit.  As things were a bit "out of sorts" for us, one of my children chose to "skim" the material and attempt to take the test.  She bombed it and looked up the answers that she had missed and took the test again.  When I discovered this, (I can see if they took the test more than once... (Getting a 66% and then a 100%  20 minutes later was a bit suspicious.) I immediately had her redo the lesson entirely.  I made her take notes as she went.  So, lesson learned, children may attempt to "work" the system also.  Once I explained that she would be quizzed again on this material and was unlikely to remember since she did not do the work as intended, she was a little less annoyed at having to redo it.  Either way, there are cumulative tests, so allowing a child to do this would NOT work out well.  Lesson learned by all.

       I have also found that perhaps the message forums are not for us.  Even the one offered to parents of children who are accelerating left me feeling a little separated.  I viewed the message boards as a way to connect with other families with similar issues and support each other.  I just did not find what I was looking for there. I am shocked at the amount of posts regarding how much "work" this is for them.  I do not know any of those people, so I do not know what they thought this program would be like.    I will leave this as enough said for now.

     For myself, I am happy to report that my fears have all been addressed, and the work load for myself was not one of them.  I knew that for this to be a success for my children, I had to put in the time necessary.  I knew that teachers often work late at night after teaching children.  I did not think this was going to be a picnic.  All in all, I am actually thrilled with how much I do NOT have to do.  I do not have to grade most of the tests.  I do not have to stay up at night grading papers.  I have not had to write extensive lesson plans.  I review everything one evening a week and write two lists for each child.  Poof.  Planning complete.  If there is a lesson with more prep time required or suggested, a little alert shows up at least a week in advance.  Even if the preparation is to provide construction paper, it shows up.  There are no, "Mom, I have to bring 40 ______ to class tomorrow."  days.  It is just another perk.  I will not lie, occasionally, I have to really pay attention when I am reading one of their test questions.  There are writing assignments that require my undivided attention when reading.  The website will ask me, "Did the student explain the difference between ______ and ______?"   I will even admit to looking up the RNA/DNA differences this week in order to answer my parent questions.  Ah... it happens.  It's still easier than I could have imagined. 

Time Together

       I am no artist.  If I were to try to paint this sunset, I would leave out so many colors.  This sunset is filled with yellows, pinks, purples and so much more.  There are intensities in light and in shadow.  I would miss so much.   I now feel that education can be a little like this sunset. There is so much to learn. There are so many degrees of enlightenment.  I am beginning to feel like I can see more of the colors.
       I am so fortunate that before we enrolled in a virtual school, I had written my own lesson plans and taught these lessons to children before.  I say this because I know that my experience is very different than someone else's might be.  I am truly grateful that so much thought was put into the K12 curriculum and guidelines. I am able to appreciate how much went into making this as thorough as possible for as many students as possible.  It really does seem to allow my children so much more of an opportunity to learn.
     As I write this, I am aware of how much things have changed for our family.  I don't know if I can put into words how grateful I am for these changes, but I will try.
     First, I was the parent who volunteered at school.  I was aware of my children's friends, activities and daily grades.  I was lucky.  At the end of each day, I would ask them about the most interesting thing they had learned. It gave us an opportunity to talk.  It gave me an opportunity to see things from their perspective.  I have always been very interested in how they perceive the world around them.
    Second, I was afraid.  I was afraid that my children would resent me for this choice. I was afraid I would grow frustrated with them.  I was afraid that spending so much time with them would begin to feel like a tremendous burden.  I do not have a lot of outings away from my work and my children, partially from my own choice, and partially due to our specific circumstances.  I was afraid that I would need to start a closet drinking habit to survive and stay motivated.
     I really underestimated one very important thing.  Children really do like their parents.  It sounds silly, doesn't it?  I have been in the throws of prepubescent sarcasm and tantrums for a while, and I had forgotten this. No matter how odd, or how strange, or how out of fashion, children really do admire their parents first.
     Fear is a pretty powerful motivator.  It keeps us from standing like idiots waiting to be eaten by the bear, and it keeps us searching for more improvements.  I was afraid. I was afraid that the curriculum would not be enough, so I researched many options to add to our weekly lessons.  I was afraid that my children might become less outgoing, or less confident, so I found many things for them to be involved in.
     Educating my children at home has been a tremendous blessing.  My children have told me more and more about themselves and their likes and dislikes.  We have found a lot of wonderful resources that we may not have ever known about if it were not for our fears.  Just today, we attended a virtual field trip about the US Constitution through history.org.  Constitution Day was last week, but viewing the field trip really helped the children understand their history assignments better. (It also made it more interesting.) 
      I have been able to take ownership of my children's education.  Yes, I held them accountable for assignments and grades when they were in a brick and mortar school, but this is different.  If they miss the answers on a test, even if they have "mastered" the material as far as the scores go, I have the opportunity to review the missed questions right then.  They can retake the test if they want to, but more importantly, the understand the material.  With my younger child, I have the ability to see where I may not have explained the material well.  (Perhaps I should not have skipped that particular explanation.)  I know that I am not the teacher, I did not create the material, the tests or the lessons, but I know I am responsible for ensuring that they understand it.
     We do have a variety of extra projects at this very moment.
     I found a wonderful book of poems with teacher lesson plans to accompany it and both girls are doing one of those lessons each week and then they discuss them with each other.  (We found this summer that they really enjoyed book discussion groups.)  This will be great practice for when they are participating in book discussion groups for school this year. 
     We also have several science projects at this time.  The children are growing different plants, one of which is something called a 'sensitive plant' to learn more about which plants require more water, light, etc.  We have a book of body parts to color in and complete worksheets about also.  They are then able to cut out the body parts and assemble them on poster board.  My youngest child is assembling an insect collection while the oldest child is creating a detailed sketchbook on her microscope slides.
      We always have some sort of art or craft project to do also.  We are each interested in different things, so there is always a variety.  It is fun to create gifts for others, or new things for our home.
     All in all, we have the freedom to be together.  It is so wonderful to hear my children say that they enjoy talking to me.  They enjoy hearing me explain things.  It has brought us closer and sometimes I get a little tear in my eye when they tell me how much they love this new school. 
    We are not like some families who left the brick and mortar schools out of disgust or anger.  We loved our previous school. My children were given a fantastic foundation and own some of the responsibility for them being accelerated students.  It was time to make a change.  That school did not have a place for them this year so we had to search for the best option.  I am so grateful that I took a second look at the virtual education option.  Maybe I cannot paint that sunset, but I can see so many more of the colors than I could before.

    

Hmmm...

    The fifth grade math curriculum arrived Tuesday night for my younger child.   She had finished with the 4th grade curriculum and was ready to move on.  It is now Thursday night and she has finished almost two weeks lessons in Math, in addition to finishing her first quarter work for Spelling. She is about a week to two weeks ahead in each subject. 

    She was also invited to participate in ALP.  I'm not entirely sure of all of the details yet, as today was a virtual orientation meeting.  It is a program by invitation for additional enrichment.  It seems that the children meet regularly in the virtual classroom to do extra projects and share them with each other.  The first project is a LEGO project. (I do not own a single Lego. Hmmm....)

     From what little I know about local public schools, it appears to be similar to their gifted and talented programs.  The kids get credit for attending these classes, but they get to do extra things.  When I was a kid, I thought the gifted and talented programs were some sort of super geek lab where you just worked complicated math problems continuously so I refused to meet the teacher. Now that I am an adult, it looks a bit more like directed goofing off, but I can see its merits.  By building, cooking, designing and drawing they are able to express themselves and discover more that they might enjoy.  I get it. 

    The leader did express that participation is voluntary.  They could join this group and complete the projects or not.  They could attend the classes or not. It is completely their choice. 

    I still have a few questions about this rapid acceleration for my younger child.  What will happen if she has not completed the 5th grade on May 25?  How will she be graded?  If she is halfway through one grade level, do we just pick up where we left on when school begins?  Does she work through the summer?  I will await the email with those answers.  Yes, I could have called her teacher, but it is September, I think those answers can wait another day.  Since it is September, it would be silly to make decisions based on the what ifs in May.  Right at this moment, it does not look like it is going to be an issue.  She will probably be caught up with the other 5th grade math students by the end of this quarter.  As for English... we have time...

     My older student is in a different situation.  She is in the 7th grade.  As most of you know, 7th grade can be a major transition. There is more homework, usually, more independence expected and the classwork begins to get a little more challenging.  My 7th grade student is exactly where she needs to be. She is currently about a week ahead in her assignments.  That is a nice comfort zone for her.  She has medical issues at times and being ahead makes her worry less about the inevitable illness that will cause her to fall behind.  She is not racing through her work.  She is often challenged and has to take a little extra time to study.  This is new for her. She really has never had to work to understand a concept.  She is not to the point of frustration, or feeling lost, it is just enough of a challenge for her to feel more of a sense of accomplishment.

    She recently spoke with friends who were in her class last year.  After hearing how much homework they had, and how much pressure they felt to keep up, she felt much more confident.  She is able to do her lesson in whatever time she needs. She is not rushing to keep up with someone else, nor waiting for someone else to finish.  She is also very grateful that at the end of the school day, her books are on the shelf until the next day. She has no homework.  Occasionally, she will take out her Latin notes and review them, but she really has not needed to review any of the other materials.

    I do not know how this could be accomplished in a group setting but it would be nice if each child were able to work within their potential.  I wonder how many children would benefit from simply being able to concentrate on their own lesson without worrying about what the other kids are doing or if it seemed the teacher was trying to move on to the next lesson even though they did not yet understand.  I wonder how much more some children could do if they were not spending so much time trying to be quiet while others finished. 

    There are very specific goals with the virtual school.  In order to make A's on their report cards, the children must have completed a certain percentage of the coursework by the end of each quarter. They must have earned a certain number of "medals" in the study program and they must have submitted satisfactory work samples.   Within these goals, each child can begin to see the areas where they may need to work harder, or areas that are easier for them to accomplish. I will admit, this actually concerned me. One of my children has had a history of turning in assignments 5 minutes after they were due.  I was concerned that if she were able to see the entire path, that she would use it to attain yet another level of procrastination.  Instead, thankfully, she has found a positive way to take control of her own educational path.

    It is my job to remind them to do the lessons they do not enjoy as much as well as the ones they love.  I have found the slimy spinach approach works best.  One of my children chose to put off a lesson they did not like until last.  She found that she was thinking about it and dreading it all day. It was like watching a child push slimy spinach around and around on a plate.  When I pointed this out to her, she decided that she would master it early in the day in the future so that she could enjoy the rest without the sense of dread. 

    I cannot tell you if this is the norm.  I cannot tell you if virtual school has somehow masterfully created a way to make children more responsible.  I can tell you that my children take ownership of their educational path in a positive way.  They are both very proud of their accomplishments each day.  As soon as a lesson is completed, the "grade" is posted.   They do not have to wait to know where they stand and I think this helps them to move forward with confidence.

     For my part in this adventure.  I know some complain about entering attendance.  That has become almost automatic for me.  That is actually the easiest for me.  The thing I struggled with in the beginning was keeping up with the amount of work being completed.  Since many of the lessons have semester tests, which are cumulative, I created a filing box for them to put their completed assignments in. They still have them if they need to review something, but they are out of the way as they continue to do more assignments. Another thing I would like to simplify is my planning.  I can print out assignments a week or a day at a time on the website, but as I have one child racing through things, one week can be accomplished in one or two days.  I am doing my best to anticipate how much she will complete in a given week and have everything prepared in advance, but often, we are stumbling through that a bit.  Really, all that I mean by this is that occasionally we will put of a science lesson for a day so that I can gather the necessary supplies as I did not realize she would move so quickly through the previous assignments.  It's not such a big deal, more of an annoyance to me, as I like to be prepared.

    This learning coach gig is not for the weak.  I wish I were a full time, stay at home mom as some days are a bit overwhelming. Trying to do my job to the best of my ability does occasionally mean that I must say, "I'm sorry, move on to a different subject until "X" time, when I can focus on your lesson with you."  We are working it out and it is a miracle.  It is a gift. 

     I have asked my children if it makes things complicated for them since I see every single assignment they do. They cannot stuff a failing paper into their desk and hope the grades average that bad one out before I find out.  Their response surprised me.  "Mom, it's actually a relief because you can explain where we need to change something to do it better."   Not that their teachers couldn't, but again, it is different. They have immediate feedback and are able to tackle the misunderstood material while it is still fresh.  Often it is simply a case of turning back a few pages and realize that one child skipped over the word NOT somewhere. I also have the luxury of being able to explain each and every missed question.  I cannot imagine a teacher would have time to do that for each student and each missed answer.  When my daughter was doing 'mental math' to complete more complex equations, it was nice to sit down with her and have her show me step by step on a white board what she did in her head.  I was able to see that she was doing the problems correctly, not just guessing correctly.  I was also able to show her how writing it down could be a big help with more complex problems, just in case a number wandered off in her head.

    Ahhh.. the conversations I have had with my children these last few weeks.  I was afraid that this would be psychologically strange for them. I was afraid that they would resent me for this.  I had my fears.  I must say that I think this has brought us even closer.  We have the opportunity to have discussions about history and art and science in a way that is just more fulfilling for all of us.  It is like the difference between B&W television vs Blue Ray.  I love this.

   

Long Lunch Break

    At this point, we are definitely getting more comfortable with our routine.  The girls know what to expect. They know how to check their schedules and how to get ahead.  I can see where this can cause some problems, as I have one particular child that will say, "Mom, don't worry, it's not due until Friday."  I do not like procrastination. However, right now, the children have both learned to use this to their advantage. 

   For instance: Today was Kids Free day at the State Fair.  The children know that I am not wild about the State Fair, but made a rather convincing argument.  If they were more than one day ahead in their school work, and if they got up early to do lessons anyway, could we please please please ??? Yes, you get the idea.

   Sure enough, last night, both of the children asked me to check their "Progress".  Both were almost a week ahead in their lessons.  How could I say no? 

     The girls got up early, they each did three lessons and then we were off.

     Let me tell you how wonderful today was.  There were plenty of people at the Fair, but it was not super crowded.  Since it was Kids Day, there were a LOT of child friendly demonstrations and activities.

     There were two different  Science "guys" doing shows in two different areas.  Since they were also at different times, we were able to watch both.  During one of the shows, my youngest child was chosen to participate and got to eat a cheese ball dipped in liquid Nitrogen.  She looked a bit like a crazy grinning dragon as vapor shot from her nostrils while she chewed.  It was FANTASTIC!

     During that same show, there was a demonstration with a lead bell using the liquid nitrogen and another using aluminum foil, a balloon and hydrochloric acid.  He also convinced a very shy child to let go of an extremely long rubber band so that it would snap back and show the properties of applied force. 

    The second show was outside and this guy had a large clear tank of water.  He steadily asked the crowd to guess what would happen each time he dropped an object in.  Would it float or sink?  Coke can, ping pong ball, egg, bowling ball, Diet Coke can..... It was really a great demonstration of density.  Next he used a chinese yo-yo to show how an object at rest would have difficulty balancing, but in motion, could do amazing things. 

    I think I enjoyed these 30 minute science demonstrations as much as my children did.  What a wonderful way to spend our lunchtime!

    We also went to the Creative Arts building to view all of the exhibits. There were three rooms dedicated to child entries.  My children were able to see at least three categories each that they would like to enter next year.  One of my children asked if she could join 4-H to participate in their science fair.  (This afternoon, I was on the phone getting information on that, since I know NOTHING about 4-H.)

    We then went to the Agriculture building and watched a beekeeper with a beehive, touched baby chicks, saw a rabbit that is larger than our pug, and many other animals and their part in the food chain.  (I did not know that France was the largest producer and consumer of rabbit before today.)

     We were only there for 3 1/2 hours but we learned so much and had a lot of fun. We have an opportunity to join other children in an after school activity with 4-H.  We were able to see two very different 30 minute science shows and even participate.  My youngest was able to see an several different ways to display an insect collection, something she loves.  My oldest was able to get ideas for new projects to try herself, without mom's help. (sigh)

    We got home this afternoon and they each completed two more lessons while I gathered information about local 4-H clubs.  They each completed 5 hours worth of work with a long lunch break at the fair.  The only thing I altered was PE.  I gave them each 45 minutes PE credit for attendance since we were walking so much.  Yes, they need their 30 hours of attendance this week, but that one hour will be easy to make up.  (They can add 20 minutes each day, or do one extra hour tomorrow, or do work on Saturday, whatever they need to do to make it up.)

      All in all, the flexibility of K12 is Fabulous.  It is helping to reinforce one of my favorite messages. "Get your work done first and you can enjoy life more."  My children saw an opportunity, did the work necessary to make it happen and VIOLA! 

     I ♥ this lifestyle!

There is another solution...

   I may have mentioned that I have a child who likes to speed right through all of her work... I may have also mentioned that her teacher had already talked about moving her up a grade.
   Let me explain my hesitancy.  Not only is this particular child very small for her age, but she is also very emotionally young.  My biggest concern was that skipping a grade at this age is NOT the same as skipping a grade when you are talking about kkindergarten or first grade.  Yes, she is a little smarty pants, but who knows where her knowledge stops until something vital is "skipped" ? 
    I took advanced math classes in junior high and in high school...  This began in eighth grade when I was in Algebra II.. after that, I took the courses that the schools had an opening in until my senior year when I was placed in Calculus.. I had skipped around so much that nobody noticed that I had never taken an actual Trigonometry class.  Trigonometry is absolutely crucial to understanding calculus.  It's sort of like going to a new city and not knowing how to speak the language or read a map. I was soooo lost at first.. Then I took a one week crash course in Trigonometry and I was fine.
  OK, so this current situation is not about me, but I could not help but think of that dreadful week when discussing the situation with my child.  I did not want her to miss an important concept and then be completely lost later when the curriculum attempted to build on that concept.
   Teacher to the rescue!!! Again!  She suggested a method that would show me that my child knew the material without spending an entire year on math that was simply too easy for her.  My little one took the semester test. 
    In this program, each subject has a semester test that is cumulative.  If she could pass the test, that meant she knew the material that was covered in that semester. 
   In one afternoon, she scored a 100% on one test and a 97% on the other.  I made a quick note of the question that she missed so that we could go over the material.. just in case she missed it because she didn't know it, not because she was bored with taking tests...
   I emailed her teacher the results, as I knew she was in a parent conference and did not want to interrupt another parent's concerns.  That evening, she let me know she had ordered the next grade level for math for her.
    Yes.  She will be doing this with other subjects also, but not as quickly.  There are more tests in the other subjects.  For instance, at 20 words per week, that cumulative test would simply have to be broken up or we would be testing for an entire day.  My daughter thinks she will be able to complete the entire 4th grade before Christmas.  We shall see.
   It does make it odd to answer the question, "What grade are you in?" but at the same time, we are so thankful that she is able to do it this way.  I would imagine that there are a lot of students who need a little more help in one subject than in the others.  Or perhaps, like my daughter, they seem to absorb information from breathing the air.  This gives us the opportunity to continue to have challenged children.  She can continue to feed her need to learn more with this program rather than becoming a distraction to other students because she is bored.
   Ahhhhhh... I think I love this.

About the Curriculum

     Here is where things might get sticky.  Depending on why you are interested in this as an education option for your child, my little note today may send you spinning.
     I will not use actual numbers or percentages as I do not have time to collect my own data and I do not tend to blindly trust data provided by others unless it includes the phrase 'double blind'... I will simply describe my personal observation. 
    Now that we have cleared that up... Let me say that this curriculum may not be as wonderful to you as it has been for me and my family.  There are many things that go into a family decision. Since we are not all the same, those factors will multiply quickly.
    Some families are wanting to get away from traditional schools for religious reasons.  I have heard the phrases, "we do not want our children being taught evolution", or, "According to the Bible, we are to speak God's word in all things."  If this sounds like you, be aware that this is a curriculum that was given the OK by the public school system.  Yes,  it is very different.  Yes, there are many religious references in the materials, but make no mistake, this is not a religious based curriculum.. My suggestion: Write down what exactly is most important to you in question form.  Ask those questions directly.  Can you supplement the curriculum with your own religious texts or are you completely ambivilant about certain subjects being taught at all?  You need to know before you have your expectation shattered.
    Some families are looking at this as an option since it is so much more flexible.  OK.. Stop the train just a moment.  This does not mean that if your child completes a week's worth of schoolwork in one day that you have six days to play before you have to do any work again.  Several home school moms have complained to me about this.  I have been told, "We were always done with school work before lunch, so the kids could go outside and play for a couple of hours and I got some quiet time."  Um.....What?   Let's just say I do not understand your perspective and you will probably not understand mine. 
    Yes, it is more flexible in that one of my children has a better ability to focus on more challenging subjects in the middle of the day.  I schedule her math and science for those times.  She does her Composition, Literature, Vocabulary and Spelling early in the day as they are super easy for her. Then does either math or science and in the afternoons we do her History lessons.  It works for us.  Also, it is more flexible for us as we have frequent medical issues.  Instead of feeling behind, or lost after missing an important teaching session, my children just pick up right where they left off. 
    It is not flexible if you are looking for zero accountability.  You do have to log attendance, and the public school system has decided what they have determined is an acceptable amount of time in school.  You may go over their number, but not below it.  Ahhh.. but what if you have a child that is flying right through their lessons?  Well, you do have a choice here.  Discuss it with your child's teacher.  We were given permission to count outside activities toward her attendance.  If we go to the Science Museum, she gets attendance credit for Science that day. If she reads an outside book, she gets extra Literature credit. 
    For those who are looking into an alternative to traditional schools because you believe the government is trying to covertly control your child and your family... Ummm..... Okay, I will actually address this one.
    On the surface, yes, it is provided by a government controlled public school.  Yes this curriculum must meet or exceed the standards set by your state. However, the similarities seem to end there.  (At least from my experience.) 
     My daughter attended public school for ONE year.  That was all I could stand.  Before this year, she attended a private Christian school.  At the private school, she was given all subjects.  Somehow, she was able to get Reading, Spelling, Math, Science, History, Vocabulary, PE AND Religion class.  At the public school, history/geography was offered once per week. Science was offered once per month.  PE was on a rotating, every third day type of schedule.  This was our experience. 
      The virtual school is a bit different.  PE is logged every day.  They strongly recommend that you do English and Math subjects every day.  I would say that it has worked best for us to do History two or three times per week and Science two or three times per week.  There is flexibility in this and we are still finding what works for us.  With virtual school, the schedule will immediately list the next lesson in each subject for you.  You do not do the entire list every day.  That would be a bit batty. You are given a % amount of work that should be completed by this day.  It's easy to prioritize lessons with this % for now, and I can see that in the very near future, we will not be checking that as often as we seem to be very close to finding our own "groove".
     To address the 'covert government control'... Yes, this is curriculum that is approved by the government.  Yes, there are some slants in the history text.  (If you take World History in Japan, for instance, you may find a very different version of the events of WWII....)  I do not really know what specifically you are worried about with "covert government control", but I can tell you this is a much more well rounded and in depth curriculum than my child was offered in a supposedly great school district.  I am very impressed with the way the curriculum seems to be interwoven also.  For instance, one child is learning about the Renaissance in Art.  Her history book also begins to explain the Renaissance and its effect on science, politics and other topics.  Her science text covers the discoveries made during the Renaissance.  It is building on itself in a way that offers much more reinforcement of concepts in all areas.  I am impressed at the dedication it must have taken to incorporate these subjects so well.
        If you are concerned about any and every sign of government control... Take a little gander at a little document called the "USA PATRIOT Act ".   It's not just the schools...
    That wasn't very nice, was it?  Well, it's true.  If you have land in this country, have utilities, drive a car, have medical insurance, ... or if you simply exist, you are within the reach of government control.  No matter what your child is being taught at school, it is not only your right, but your responsibility to also teach your children in the best manner you can.  Again, here we are back to the simple fact that we are not the same.  We are different. 
     Yes, many of our forefathers were home schooled in this country. George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Edison to name a few.  At that time our country was still being formed.  I doubt the school system was very organized.   Their families were probably doing the same things we are doing... trying to make the best choices for our children.
    I guess my big point is that we are all different.  We all have very different needs.  I really would like to meet a group of people with a 9 year old child similar to mine and ask them dozens of questions about their methods of education as well as see that child write an essay or explain a subject.  I dislike looking at information for students who could not be more different than my children. 
     I would guess that the parent of a child with learning disabilities would have a much different opinion than myself.   Each family has very different needs.  What works for one does not necessarily work as well for another.  This virtual school offers such a variety of methods to learn the material.  There are workbooks, textbooks, online games, online videos, step by step hands on projects.  It seems they have really tried to help everyone have the best chance to not only learn, but to understand the material.
    Let me tell you what motivates my questions.  It's not simply about academics for me.  I have a very short period of time to ensure that my children are prepared for an independent adult life.  I want them to go out into the world confident, well educated and with choices.  I have no hidden agenda.  That is simply it.  They need to have the best academics I can find for them.  They need to get the moral lectures and stories from me.  They need to be exposed to variety.  Yes, my children learned about both creation and evolution in their private school.  How else would they be able to accurately see both sides of the argument?  It is much easier to be confident about what you are saying when you understand what you are saying. I do teach my children about other cultures, other countries and other social groups.  Like I said, my motivation is simple.  I want them to be exposed to as much as possible.  If I simply tell them this is how we do it and move on, what have they really learned? How will they deal with that situation when they are away from me?  I have to allow my children to exercise their minds now, while there is still a safety net.
   If at all possible, you should really put your hands on this curriculum before you make judgements.  This curriculum is very ambitious in my opinion.  It incorporates textbooks, workbooks, notebooks and online activities very well.  At the end of the week, after overlapping subject matter, I feel as though the children have a much clearer picture than they would if they had just learned mismatched subjects.  
    The math curriculum could use a bit of improvement. It not only did not incorporate the Renaissance theme this week, (Joking) but it does tend to jump around a bit.  It would be nice if it could teach the calculation of area and perimeter directly after teaching the types of shapes and angles, rather than having a lesson on fractions in between.  This may become more of a pet peeve for us if we come across a more challenging topic in math.
     Perhaps I will post their "work samples" here when it is time to send those to the teacher.  That should give you a better idea...

    
    

Life Happens

    Another perk?? Can it really be?
    My younger child broke her front tooth over the weekend.  It was a permanent tooth and although she wasn't really in much pain, she was absolutely devastated.  Life happens that way sometimes.
    Did I have to try to plan a dental appointment around a possible missed quiz or test? Did I have to wonder if her class would cover new material and she would be lost?  NO.
    I simply called the dentist first thing Monday morning and accepted the first available appointment.  By noon, she had a new tooth.  She took a nap to sleep off the remaining anesthesia and then did a few lessons.
    Now... I did sent a note to both of the girls teachers to let them know we would be having a "light" day since we would be spending time at a dentist's office.  Both girls did miss an opportunity to attend a "virtual" class with other students. (This is a session where the students and teachers communicate in a virtual classroom. It is mostly teacher led, but it does give the students a chance to interact with each other as well.)
    Did we get a nasty reminder from the school about attendance?  NO... Their teachers wished us well and gave us a few tips on making up the hours.
     Flexibility.. Life happens.. It should not create a ripple effect and more stress for the children.  In our local school, missing one day simply meant missing out.  There was no make up work.  How exactly was the child to understand the concepts that were missed?  I never did figure that out.  They were adamant about not sending work home on the first day.  With this program, the girls missed a chance to interact with others online. Their lessons stayed in the same order.  They were able to just pick up where we had left off on Friday.  
    There are several chances each week and even each day to attend these virtual classes and they are recorded, so the children were able to view the class session later.  Maybe they could not directly interact with the others, but they at least were able to see and hear what was missed.  BONUS.
     So... here we are. It is Tuesday evening, and they have both already "caught up" to the lesson plan I had originally arranged for them.  Hmmm..  It is good.

If I can do this....

     I have to say, this whole idea of Virtual Education terrified me at first.  It took me a month of continual research and reading to even approach my husband with this as a possible solution.  It took me two full years to convince him that private school was the direction we needed when my oldest was a baby.  He is a bit of a traditionalist...
    Anyway, today's post is not about him... It is all about me. We started the enrollment process in February after gathering all of our documents and waiting for the open enrollment date.  I was nervous. I had a tiny feeling in the back of my mind that there would be some crazy fine print or some slight of hand that would mean that this program would be just another version of what my kids would get across the street. 
    At some point, a DVD came that 'introduced' us to other families who have been using the virtual school system and why.  There were child athletes that needed to practice their sport for 40 hours per week, families who travelled and did not want their children constantly changing curriculum and standards.  There were families with remedial education needs and with accelerated needs.  There are some things in the DVD and blogs that I question now, but I am seeing that each state also has slightly different rules.
    Now, for the points that I chose this program.  I chose this because my younger child has a very specific need.  She is super speedy.  I will concede that perhaps if she were tested, she may even be ADD/ADHD.  As she has never been confined to traditional rules, she has excelled. She races through her work.  She would even take her classwork onto the playground so that she would never have homework.  She told me it only took her about 5 minutes to do it and then she could play, but she could not bear the thought of bringing work to her time at home.  Now... having said this, she may be able to do 7th grade math as a 9 year old, but emotionally and in some ways developmentally, she is on par with much younger children.  We have been very fortunate to have teachers who have allowed her to be herself. They have kept her in a younger classroom, yet given her more work for her voracious cognitive appetite.  She is a poor fit for a typical brick and mortar public school.  I won't fill you in on all of the details, but we have reason to believe she would spend a great deal of time with the principal and probably get herself suspended.   This new program would allow her to work ahead when she wanted, add an elective (language, art or music class) if necessary, or just take her time and explore other things. It just seemed a better fit for her.
    Having said this.  Yes, this is without a doubt, a much better fit for her. Not only is she able to excel, but she is also able to see that she has more control of her own time and education. Thanks to sports and other activities she is enrolled in to keep her busy, she also is able to be around other children her age in a non educational setting.  She does not feel 'different' when she is on a volleyball team or basketball team because she is not needing to wait on their math skills to catch up to hers.  This is possibly the best perk of all.  She really has struggled with being so small and so young and yet able to do her older sister's homework.  This year will give her some time to be more comfortable with who she is, without watching the reaction of her 'peers'.
     Now for social issues. The first thing everyone seems to bring up about educating children at home is this fear that the child will not develop socially.  First, I have a relatively obvious answer to that.  I am not moving to a cave with no other human life forms.  Okay, I know.. Now for a grown up answer.  First, the virtual school students are invited to attend a field trip each month to encourage families to get together. Second, if that is not enough, there are ways to get to know other families in your area.  You could plan your own outings.  It's really not that difficult.  You have managed to take your children to the zoo before... now you just meet another family there.   Okay, trying to get back to the grown up answers.  Third, does your life now revolve only around the people at your child's school?  Ours does not.  We have plenty of other events we attend with other people.  Sports, clubs, etc can all fill that gap. If you do not have anything like that currently, you can easily go online and find something in your area.  Lastly... Your children will model your behavior.  This means that most of their social skills come from watching you anyway. 
     Okay, one more...  My children are NOTHING alike.  From the moment I met them, they have been very different people.  My children do have some interests that overlap, but how they handle themselves and others is very unique to each of them. Both of my children are fairly outgoing, so I would assume they will continue to be.  If your child is more introverted, I have no official advice for you. This is not something I have experience with.  For what it is worth, I do see those children seem to work it out in their own time. I have not seen a miraculous change, but I have seen 'shy' children take their time and open up... Basically, I have no business giving advice about a shy child, but if one lived in my home, I do not believe I would force the issues, just offer opportunities.
   So, to sum up.. Neither of my children are pursuing an acting career, neither of them are an Olympic hopeful.  Neither of them have an IEP.  Although they are the most stunning children in the universe, you might even perceive them as just average kids.  I'm okay with that.  Our average family is finding that we are able to do more than we had dreamed with this curriculum.
     I have always planned little educational events.  If we go out, we do not go to the arcade, we go to the zoo, museum, explore real dinosaur fossilized footprints, historical sites...etc.. You get the idea. Well the wonderful thing about this new program is that when we get to the unit on different species (in science) we will be able to count our trip to the Osteology Museum as part of our attendance.  You get the idea.  This opens a world of possibilities for weeks where they are ahead in their schoolwork. (Of course, the teacher will not approve if the child is behind, and you need the teacher to approve.)
      In addition to trips and outings planned, at the request of my children, I ordered the religion workbooks. I'm fortunate in that I knew exactly where to order them from as I volunteered at their previous school. Score!  They also requested to be allowed to attend "chapel" on Wednesday mornings and the Pastor said yes so... nothing but bonuses for us!
      I am still making daily adjustments to our "plan".   One of my children just has her own schedule. She is getting the work done at lightning speed. The work is not too easy for the average 9 year old. In fact, I am very comfortable saying this curriculum is geared to be both challenging and interesting to the kids.  As for the electives, I can only speak about the ones my children chose.  One chose Art and the other chose Latin. They LOVE them. 
     One word of advice, you will definitely want to look at the plan and the materials needed approximately a week at a time.  Sometimes, an assignment may call for something as obscure as a toilet paper tube.. Now, since I do not save toilet paper tubes, it is very handy to know this ahead of time.  Most of the "extra's" are either free or very very cheap.. Please do not complain to me about purchasing masking tape and straws for a science lesson.  Your teachers have been purchasing many 'extra's' for your child for years.    Now that I am thinking of this.. I will go back and amend/update my previous post about supplies.
         So, my point is..  I suffered a traumatic brain injury two years ago. I have recovered my speech and many other things, but I have some short term memory issues that I struggle with. I have two part time jobs.  My children go with me to my office three days per week. We have moved the lessons around to make this easier for the children. More intensive hands on lessons we save for the days when I am at home and uninterupted.  I would say this would be easier if I did not have to go to work, for all of us, but we have enough flexibility with K12 to make this work.  I do not think it would work with younger children, but thankfully, it works for us.  I am determined not to let my limitations limit my children.  If I can do this...anyone who is willing to do the work can.

Getting Ahead...

     For now... I am still making minor adjustments here and there, but I have started doing something called "chunking" with our lessons.  This does not mean I am over feeding my children.  We have also started to make a few other adjustments with the lessons.
       What is "chunking"?  For instance. A science unit might be split into three lessons.  One will be an introduction, explaining vocabulary, offering concepts. The second may be a workbook page and the third a hands on activity or experiment. Instead of doing these in short bursts, both children agreed it would be more fun to do it all at once.  We like this for three reasons. One is that my children really do like the 'hands on' activities in science.  The enjoy scooping dirt, planting seeds, filling test tubes, wearing goggles...all of it.  The second reason is that they are able to see the whole picture when we do the entire set.  They can read the information, write down their new vocabulary words, complete the worksheet and then do a physical demonstration of the work at the same time.  The third reason, is this makes it easier to schedule.  I set up the entire unit at once, rather than pieces each day.  As I still have a job, we have less to carry to my office if we schedule these activities on my off days.   We are finding that History works better this way also.  Later this week, we will do this with an Art unit to see how that goes also. 
     Now, for the other adjustments.  Since this is new to us, I did initially recommend to my children that even if they felt confident about the material, that they should work through each lesson before taking the "assessment".  (The school word for TEST)  Now that we are getting more comfortable navigating the material, I can see that we will be adjusting this method as of tomorrow.   I have been skimming the material this evening and have found three assessments that I'm sure my younger child can simply take the test and move on.   I have found at least two for my older child also.  I am planning to let them simply look through it and decide for themselves tomorrow.  If they know the material well enough, they can take the test without doing all of the "busy work" and move to the next one. 
     This second adjustment will show me two things.  One of our teachers is concerned we may need to move up an entire grade level.  I am hoping to see how this child does.  If she still races through, and has no obstacles, then maybe the teacher is correct.  (I'm nervous about this and need to really be sure before making such a leap.)  Also, this will combat some of the frustration.  Both children have expressed that they do not want to do the practice work that leads up to the test.  If they do indeed know the material, moving ahead will lead to more challenging work.  If they do not, both are reasonable enough to realize they may need the lessons.
     So, here is the plan. First, we will complete the composition assignments. Next, I will show them the Math pages for their lessons and let them look at the objectives for the assessments. If they are confident they can score at least 80%, I will let them take the assessment.  This is really a 'no fail' situation as the worst that can come from it is they will have to complete the pages to learn the material and then take the assessment again. 
    Flexibility is really a wonderful thing.


     

Attendance Questions

     Today went really well.  In fact, so well that I am composing an email to both of our teachers.  Let me explain:
     Each day, it is the learning coach's responsibility to log attendance.  That sounds simple enough, right? Okay, here is how it works.  For instance, on the attendance page, each child has a list of their subjects.  It looks something like this:

• Math
• Composition
• Literature
• Spelling
• Vocabulary
• Grammar
• Science
• History
• State History
• P.E.
• Study Time  (They have their own website with games, tests, worksheets, etc for extras)

      Each of these has its own recommended time listed in one column, and you are to enter the time your child used in the second column. 
       You are still thinking this sounds simple, right? 
       Somebody, (School Board, State, Federal Agency, etc collaborative) has mandated that children attend school for a certain amount of time each school year.  Relate this to the drama that occurs when too many snow days are used.  Well, in the virtual school, it is flexible, but they use the number of hours your child is working as their guide.  They must attend an average of 30 hours per week.  Hmmm... Maybe now you are starting to see where this is going. 
     I checked off the attendance today, and even with working ahead in two subjects, my youngest child only logged about 5 hours today.  This included all of her scheduled work, PE, study time, read aloud time as well as doing two extra lessons. 
     I am feeling like I am in an interesting position.  Do I make her do 6 hours of work each day?  Will she complete all of her work in January and then what?  It specifically states to record the actual time your child uses.  If the subject has a recommended time of 45 minutes and  little Speedy Sue completes it in 20, you are to log 20 minutes.  Both of my children completed their scheduled school work in less than 5 hours today.  Perhaps this will all even itself out when they have something goes wrong with a science lesson or something.  I do not know, but to appease myself, I am sending an email.
    Perhaps the work is too easy and perhaps it is time to let the younger one especially step up a grade level.  She completed her grammar assignment in less than 5 minutes... So I had her do another one.  I'm wondering if her teacher will raise an eyebrow at 10 minutes for two lessons that were supposed to take 20 minutes each. I don't know. I will await her reply.
    As for my older child. I am sure I saw articles written by older students who specifically stated that they only spend about 4 hours per day on their work.  Given the attendance rules, I am now very curious how that played out.
    Hopefully, I will have an update on this soon.