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...