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.