To Focus or not to focus

We are into November and still  getting our sea legs but we are learning sooo much. I do mean we. Everyday I am struck by how much Sarah knows and how little I do. I am discovering my own weaknesses (Science) and identifying Sarah's strengths (Math). Together we are learning, laughing, reading arguing and growing.

We have joined a few groups and have fallen into the over scheduling trap and realize we need to pull back a bit. After all, we are in school. Sarah has a great capacity to learn while seemingly not focussing at all. it is very amazing and unexpected. While standing on her hands..I do mean standing, she can retain a ton of information. It is true that everyone learns differently and I don't mean slower.  Sarah's mind works so fast that it is hard to keep up sometimes. I am constantly amazed at what she retains. Everyday is a new experience.

a lifestyle

We are 7 weeks into this journey and I have to say that it is more than just an education, it's a Lifestyle. My (our) life is much more structured and because of the schooling schedule it forces the rest of my life into a pretty strict schedule. All this is very good for Sarah and me.  


There are days, many days,  when I feel like we didn't get enough accomplished and then I look at the lesson plan and realize..hey not so bad. I am understanding that you don't have to be doing a worksheet or sitting still to really be learning. As the weeks go by, I am becoming marginally more relaxed. I am hoping that I can begin to have a little more fun with it because I know that is possible.  As a child i never thought learning was fun. I thought of it as a necessary evil..just get through it, pass the test, get it over with. The content was never important or interesting to me. I want Sarah to not just go through he motions of learning but to really enjoy and understand. I don't want it to be a waste of time. Hopefully this new way of learning will spark an interest in us both.

Back Home

  Last week we returned form a trip to Providence Rhode Island. Wow! we had a great time visiting family and seeing the sights. We spent a day in Boston and walked the Freedom Trail. We took a tour with a cantankerous guide who was a teacher at a local college. He tried to tell the behind the scenes story of the revolution which was contrary to what we have been learning for the past 6 weeks. Sarah tried to catch him on various inaccuracies but it ended up really being a battle of wills. Nevertheless it was a great time and we were able to see where it all began and it tied in nicely with our history unit.
  We also visited the RISD museum which was very impressive and across the street was the art supply and gift shop..equally as impressive..we got a t-shirt.Of course the best part was being able to see family. It was great to have the flexibility and take advantage of cheap air fares. 
    I thought we would be able to do school on the go but that was a little ambitious. Although the trip was educational, we didn't get much done in the way of scheduled schoolwork..lesson learned.
  Overall, a great trip and I am looking forward to going back.

September 11

On the ten year anniversary of September 11, I remember that fateful day like is was yesterday. Sarah was a baby just under a year and the world seemed to stop cold. We were glued to the TV for the days and weeks to come. We all felt so uneasy and restless and grateful and angry and patriotic all at the same time. A Decade later we feel many of the same emotions but we now know that the world as we know it continues to go on. For some, it goes on without a father or sister or friend because of that senseless day. 


I am not sure how we teach this to the next generation.  We can't really put this in the context of a War or a fight for Peace. It is hard to explain more than that it tragically happened. Now, the war that ensued thereafter is certainly more concrete, but that day...still difficult to explain in history.  What did the attackers want? Why Americans? How did we not know this would or could happen? How will history write this chapter after significant time has passed? 


Two years ago on September 11 my Father died. Clearly this is a day that is full of sadness on many levels. I hold my breath a little today and wait for the 12th.  This event, tragic as well, was much easier to understand, much easier to explain and is many ways it was easier to grieve. 


I did not attempt to teach Sarah the complexities of this day but she  has seen the footage  and she does respect the struggle but like the adults, it will likely be more than a decade for her to really understand 9-11.

The first four weeks

    We are on Day 20 of homeschooling. I am counting the days like when your kids are little and you say she is  14 weeks instead of about 3 months. Then you say 17 months instead of about a year and a half.  No one really cares..just say she is one and people will think she is super big but really smart. 


    Anyway, we are about 4 weeks into this and I have to say I like it. I love the flexibility and Sarah seems pretty happy. It is hard to tell because she is generally a happy kid, but so far so good. We are meeting some other families who homeschool and they mirror the general Catholic school community we came from. Some crazy nuts, some overzealous, well tanned skinny moms, some wear it on your sleeve Christians (who I hope are praying for me because I am sort of winging it.) but mostly just great down to earth parents who are just trying to do what is best for their family. In case you were wondering, I consider myself the latter.


  Everyday I do wake up a little scared that I will screw her up.  I worry that I will forget to teach her something. She will go to High School and not know where France is and we will both look like Idiots. Oh Crap, I totally forgot to teach  Europe. Then they will come to my house and take my stupid child away. I don't know who they are, but that is the way I fear this could play out.


Although I am still nervous, I know Monday Day 21 is going to be great!

Waiting for Superman

     When I want to feel validated, I watch waiting for Superman. WOW. So many things resonate with me in this movie..Tracking, curriculum issues, ranking in the world..so much. There is no doubt that Sarah was being tracked in her current school. She was never even given the opportunity to learn at the highest level because for some reason a teacher decided she could only learn a certain way and at a certain pace. I would think that decision at  the very least that should be discussed with the parent.  After all, it affects their entire academic life.  I am not being overly dramatic.it really does. Once you get tracked in fourth grade..you begin to fall farther behind and it is near impossible to change your track.  By middle school even the student believes that they are only capable of a certain level. If that level is the highest..great,  but what about the other eighty percent of the class. So, In Our class Sarah is expected to perform at the top of the  class (of One). There is nothing she can't learn. She may struggle and some things may be hard but she can learn and master any concept given the chance and the right expectation. This I am sure. 

The first week

We are in Day 2 of this adventure. Yesterday was day 1 and it went great. Sarah was very focussed. We worked from 8-2:30 and there were no tears or frustrations. Today was great too. As we were eating our lunch on the deck, Sarah seemed a little pensive. She asked me to play with her for recess and I felt a little sad too. Did I take her away from all the activity and friendships of school? Everyday, I hope I am doing the right thing for the right reasons.  I know she will learn more and better so it is worth it.

Right now Sarah is at a knitting class...I know.  We'll call it Art.

summer is winding down

The Public schools start next week and so will we. The summer school didn't go exactly as planned but we did manage to get about 20 days of some learning. My plan is to begin on Tuesday August 16th. We have a Math orientation at the learning vine on Monday, so Tuesday seems like a good start. I am excited to have our family on a better routine. The summer has been filled with house guests and 100 degree temps and parties and lots of lazy days. I guess that it what summer is all about.

The home stretch of Summer

I haven't blogged in a while because we have had house guests and Sarah was at Girl Scout Camp. Unfortunately, she was at camp during the heat wave which was a little challenging.

 I am stealing a few minutes until our next house guest arrives (grandma). We are so excited! I am a little surprised that my Mother, Sarah's Grandmother, has been pretty supportive of homeschooling. She is from a different generation and I am sure has some preconceived ideas about Home school families. She is not alone. I recently met a Mom who homeschools and I was surprised how cool she was and how much we related. So, even I harbor some of those prejudices.

We are nearing the stretch and although we haven't gotten as much done this summer as I had hoped, We did do a fair amount of reading and assessment. As I am reminded daily, It is Summer.  My goal is to finish the American Revolution in early September. It will culminate with a trip to New England to see my oldest daughter and to visit Boston.  We got a great price on a flight because we are so flexible now. I feel a little like we are playing hooky..going to Boston in the school year in the middle of the week. Hopefully this will be one of many trips that we can take that can combine learning and family time.

little breakthroughs

Ahhh Summer. I'll admit is is hard to do school in the Summer but really what are they doing all day.  Once swim team is over there will be a lot of hours to fill. Today we worked on writing, which I think will prove to be our biggest challenge. It is hard to write and it takes a lot of patience. Sarah and I are not known for our patience so I think this will be interesting. The revising and editing process is particularly difficult for her. Her mind wanders,  she gets bored and she just wants to put down anything to get it over with.  I can understand her frustration because it is frustrating.  We fight and today she cried a little but in the end she said to me " Oh I guess I can do it myself" This is a huge breakthrough. Sarah thinks she is unable to finish the work without a ridiculous amount of help. What she calls help is basically giving her the answers.  When she finally does accomplish the work on her own she feels proud, even if it is not perfect.  I feel proud too.

Math Camp and The French and Indian War

Summer school is underway amidst swim team, play dates and camps. Sarah has been really great about doing some school everyday.  This is a kid who LOVES routine. Every morning after she returns from swim practice, she showers, gets dressed and comes downstairs with her backpack ready for school. Some days we can only fit in a couple of hours but hey, it is summer.  


Today we started the French and Indian War.  I am noticing that on most curriculum sites and textbooks, Fourth graders study the Revolutionary War. Sarah has not studied the birth of our nation but she has heard of it.  I guess that's something. 


 She also went to Math Puzzle camp this afternoon for a couple of hours. To Sarah's surprise it is more Math than camp. It really is a mix of kids from third to fifth grade. When I picked her up, a little girl came up to her, said nothing, but handed her an elaborate origami  bird made out of a piece of notebook paper.  I thought it was very sweet. Sarah was also arguing with another girl about passing notes in class...she will find the drama wherever she goes but it sparked a conversation on the way home.  

Mr Poppers Penguins

Last week we read Mr Poppers Penguins. I say we because I read it as well as Sarah. I am  figuring out that I will be doing a lot of reading because I need to read everything she does.  As a reward for finishing the book and because we love movies, we are going to see the movie tonight. Now Sarah can be one of those obnoxious people who leaves the theater saying " the book was so much better than the movie".  


We are taking most of the day off...Shopping for Fathers Day gifts and enjoying a perfect day at the  pool  Finally!!  It hasn't felt much like summer so far so we are all excited to get some sun. 

Grade it!

 I realized how fond Sarah is of grades. She likes As and she will try to do what she can to get one. I explained it was a writing exercise and that I would not be grading it but that would not fly. She Screamed GRADE IT!! I  complied and I thought it was a C.  By the third draft she was much improved and I was happy to give her an A. I think I have to go out and buy more red pens. Whatever works.....

She also wants to keep her books in her backpack and take it to her room at night. She loves routine, so we will have to keep things very ordered which is inherently hard for me. At first I argued saying, no keep everything in one place and she cried. I had no real basis for my point except preference. Why not?

The Eve of School

Tomorrow is the first day of home school. I have been so focused on math and reading that I haven't fully researched Social Studies. I was going through the curriculum and it was about ancient civilizations. Sarah has learned nothing about this. I looked back at the fourth grade in our online program and saw that fourth grad included an introduction to this topic. I can"t very well start the fifth grade without the basics from fourth grade. The fourth grade also covered the Revolutionary war which Sarah has only really heard of. I honestly do not know what they did in fourth grade SS at her school. They learned about map reading and the regions of the united stares and I really think that is about all. A whole year, 45 minutes a day and all you learned was how to read a map and limited geography of the regions of the US. I am a little  mad at myself that I didn't pay attention more to her studies. Her SS spiral notebook came home at the end of the year and there were about ten pages filled out.  Now I know. I feel like I learn so much everyday. 


Although we are doing an abbreviated school day in the summer, tomorrow should be fun. I think we will work from 10- 12 and see what we get done. I will gage Sarah's attentiveness and a lot will depend on the weather. If it is a hot day she will go swimming in the afternoon..if not maybe more school. Either way it is the beginning of year round school.  I will try to chronicle our progress in this blog so I have a record of our journey into homeschooling.  I am nervous and excited and hope I can work out some kinks in the next 2 months.  

Little House

     Sarah finished reading Little House in the Big Woods yesterday. Her assignment was to write a paragraph about Mary and Laura's  relationship and compare it to her own with her sister Jessica. The paragraph was adorable. She wrote that she couldn't really compare it because she and Jessica get along perfectly and are so alike.
    We are trying to write often so that eventually it is not overwhelming.  After I gave her the assignment this morning, she just sat at the table and when I asked what was wrong she said that she didn't understand it. I said "you can ask me if you don't understand something" She just smiled. I think she is so used to just trying to figure it out and getting frustrated that it didn't even occur to her to ask for help. She often asks for help when she actually knows the answer to things but I think she is really just asking for affirmation.
 

The first day of Summer

Today was the first day of Summer Vacation and it began with rain and 60 degree temperatures coming off of a brutally hot week. I heard my first "Im Bored" today which was a little surprising being that it is the first day and all. The problem was solved when friends began arriving at the door so they could all be bored together.


 On Monday we begin our first day of fifth grade. Although the summer will be a modified school day it will at least get the ball rolling.  I think we will work from a minimum of 2 hours a day in the summer. 10-12 am seems like a good schedule at first, after swim team practice and before the pool opens at noon. Like everything it will be trial and error at first.  I am reading The Well Trained Mind  which is a guide to classical homeschooling. I will post my opinions as I get into it. It seems a little overwhelming at first but pretty comprehensive.

More validation and summer reading

Today I received a call from a parent who is also pulling her child from our school for basically the same reason that we are. This is an involved parent with a background in education who is respected. Although the circumstances are slightly different the reasons are pretty much the same.  Wow, I wish I had known some of these things earlier, I would have gotten Sarah extra enrichment. The bottom line is the school believes ability grouping and tracking is a good way to teach.  Maybe it is just a difference in philosophies. I think perhaps that is the question we should be asking of our schools is How do you teach as opposed to what do you teach. As every day passes I know my decision is the right one or at least the better one.


This was the true last day of school. It was only Mass and then distribution of report cards.  Sarah received all As and a  B+ in reading and spelling.  A pretty good report card, you would think she is ready for fifth grade. Think again. We also signed up for Summer Reading at the library.  This is be the first summer we will actually participate and I am really excited. Sarah seems to be excited about reading which is huge. Tomorrow marks the first day  of summer vacation. I think we will take a few days off and start school on Monday.  This will be the first day in recent memory where we have absolutely nothing to do..I mean nothing!  

I Agree

Today was the annual Founders Day Celebration at Sarah's school. I volunteered at the school which was very hot but nice. While at school, the word got out that we were not going back to the school next year. I continue to be surprised by the reaction. So many parents agree with me that the education is not so great.  Why didn't I know this sooner? Parents agree that it is ridiculous that they have to pay for tuition as well as tutors for their kids. They know many of the teachers aren't good and the curriculum is not always challenging.  What the hell!!  They weren't surprised that the principal didn't take my concerns seriously.  I am honestly surprised at the reaction I am getting. It is a lot of I understand..we will miss you but we see your point. Many people are facing the same concerns that I have but feel it is the best option. If I wasn't able to home school, I would feel it is the best option too. It is pretty sad that we have to settle for not great education because there aren't many other choices. What really does it mean to have a great school district when the whole system is mediocre? Great means better that crappy but not necessarily good.


When Sarah took the ITBS test last fall, we got her results which were all over the board.  It was interesting to me that you only receive a percentile not a percentage. You can get a percentage if you ask but it is not in the file or sent home. So... the mean is 50% of course. Sarah may score in the 80th percentile but have actually only scored 70% on the test. It could happen in the reverse but that is less likely on this test. So in some categories I thought she did well, but realized she just did better than some other kids who couldn't pass the test either. Is this really the standard?  If she takes the test and completely misses  a section like capitalization..then what? Do we go back a help her learn that category? We all know the answer. Because the parent never receives the individual scores we never know where the problem is.  We just get a general language arts or math score. They do have the breakdown though if you ask for it. Why wouldn't a parent be given that information?

Why we are leaving a school we love.

I told the school today that Sarah would not be coming back and I fought back tears. It is very hard to leave a school as well as a community that we love and a place in which we have great memories.


These are the reasons we are leaving:


Sarah is close to a straight A student; however,  she struggles with reading and writing.  The school put her in Small group in third grade and it went down from there.  The small group allows her to get extra tries on answers, have everything read to her and get easier tests and assignments. It did not bring her up but held her back.


Her teacher assured me that Sarah was getting the same tests and assignments as everyone else. I found this to be untrue and had to confront the teacher. When a teacher lies to you it doesn't sit well..twice


I eventually spoke to the principal about my concerns after weeks of conferences and emails with the teacher. It took me three weeks to get a conference with him and he was 2 and a half hours late. I expressed my concerns and asked for some answers. I never received any follow up, that was a month ago.


The school has tracked Sarah and really doesn't seem to care. They have very low expectations of her which is why they feel it necessary to dumb down her curriculum  just so she can get an A. 


We have little or no homework. Almost everything she gets Sarah seems to be able to finish in class. They say she learns differently (slower) yet she has time to finish all her homework in class.


I feel like I will regret not giving Sarah the best chance to really learn if I keep her here and that would be really unfair. I need to see how far she can soar academically.


So that is why we are leaving in a nutshell. 


 Here is what we love and will miss.


We love the faith based education.


We love the k-8 model and how the middle schoolers interact with the little ones.


We love the discipline and the uniforms and the clear cut rules.


We love the structure and the history of the school and the involvement of the church and pastor.


We love the friendships we have made


We love May Crowning, the School Play, Fish Fry, Girl Scouts and all the way the principal addresses Sarah by name in the morning. 


We will miss all of these things but we look to school to educate first and foremost. I am confident we will raise a lovable, moral, christian, empathetic person with good values.  And let's face it ,many kids around this age do not act in a way that that is particularly christian.  I see a lot of mean, gossipy bullying children. This is everywhere and I am sure Sarah is not above some drama, in fact I know it.   If in the process of getting her to be a better reader, writer and thinker, we by pass some of the drama, all the better.


Of course I go back and forth but mostly it is my own insecurities because Sarah is excited about the next year and deep down so am I. Telling the school was a big step toward our next adventure into homeschooling and  I  am glad it is done..onward.

Bargain books

    We think we are going to save money by homeschooling but I am not so sure. I went shopping at my favorite no frills book store. It is basically a huge storefront in a strip mall with tons of cheap books on tables.  Yes, it smells like a locker room instead of cappuccino but it's super cheap. They don't even have a wrap stand, just a guy at a table with a calculator. It is my kind of place, it is like a garage sale everyday and it's  right near where Sarah takes Piano lessons.  Since I only have half an hour it keeps me in check because I could go crazy. Where else can you buy Great Expectations for $2.99.  We bought reference books, classics and an atlas.  They have cute journals and bookmarks too!

Drama

      Sarah came home from school yesterday with the usual drama. I am hoping all that will go away but she is who she is and I think drama will follow her. I do have to say that some of these kids are down right mean. I am not saying she is above it but there does seem to be sort of a mob mentality. Nice kids individually can become nasty when they are in a group. Ganging up..exclusion...mocking..especially girls. One on one they are pretty good, but together, the claws appear. It is the age old thing, if I put you down and talk smack about you, you aren't talking about me. I guess it is sort of a survival technique especially for girls. I guess I thought in a catholic school the kids would be more, I don't know...sweeter. I think overall they are but kids are kids and you can't expect them to act like adults. Lets face it adults don't even act like adults and that I have seen first hand.  

Writing

   Writing is not as easy as it seems. Clearly it is more than just putting words on a page.  In The fourth grade I am not sure what is expected. I remember when I first began to write. I wrote poems mostly, and some short stories. I thought that I was quite the talent. looking back at some of my writings, I can see now that I was pretty passionate and yes..pretty good. Of course I was young and the subject matter was a little dramatic but overall I think my work had some merit. I remember being proud of my writing. I remember getting feedback. I never liked the editing process because I was always very impatient and a little stubborn. Hindsight tells me that much of work could have used some revision.


Sarah is in Fourth grade and for whatever reason she has not grasped onto the writing bug. She is creative and imaginative and is constantly replaying stories in her head. But, like me she is impatient and it is difficult for her to finish things. I am hoping homeschool gives her an opportunity to really learn to write.


 We bought a little Mother/daughter journal from a local paper store. The concept is that she writes something and then I respond and we leave it on each others nightstand. The book give us some prompts like: what were you like as a daughter when you were my age? and what will you be like as a mother? It is very sweet and really gives her a way to write without it feeling like an assignment. I highly recommend it!

Own It

Well the word is starting to get out that we are Homeschooling. It is really touchy because you want to state your reasons without criticizing the public of private schools. But really, why am I stating reasons at all.  I feel like I have to defend or justify my decision not only to everyone else but also to myself. As I hear myself speak it seems very almost defensive, like I am gearing up for resistance and honestly no one has given me any.  Everyone has been so supportive and nice, so why do I feel like I have to explain everything.  I need to just Own it and move on. Make a decision and be confident and move forward. I should take this lesson from Sarah who is so cool with everything and so far has no doubts. I feel also like I am just waiting for the day when she says that she doesn't want to do it. How can she want to leave such a great place? Maybe it is not as great as I think it is. I shouldn't discount her school because I have been really happy there and If homeschooling doesn't work out, we would love to go back. Can we do that? I don't know.

Change the school or change the kid

Did I mention in this blog that Sarah has ADHD. Well, she does and apparently I was the last to know. She was diagnosed in third grade. The main advantage to being diagnosed is that she will get extra time on tests and hopefully receive a little more patience and understanding. I am still undecided if that is true. There are a lot of conflicting opinions on ADHD and how it affects learning and how to treat it. Doctors are all about medication, as are some teachers and you can certainly understand why.   Traditional school is more of a challenge for kids like Sarah as well as for most boys. So, we can medicate, which will make it easier for her to sit still and pay attention in her school as well as make her more agreeable to the teachers,  or we could keep Sarah just as she is and change they way she does school.  Sarah does not want to be medicated and believed me I have asked her...often. So maybe my decision is not a dilemma at all but just common sense.

Trial Run

Yesterday Sarah wanted to stay home from school for absolutely no reason at all. I relented because I secretly wanted to try our homeschooling. We began our day with bagels at Einsteins and started school at about 9 am.  I have to say from 9am until noon, she seemed very engaged. We worked on Language Arts, writing and Math. She is constant motion so we moved around the house a bit before finally settling into a spot in the Family room. At noon we ate lunch and at 12:30 we began Science.After science, I could tell I was losing her.  Her attention was definitely wavering. But Hey, I got 3 and a half good hours out of her of straight academic work which I think is more than I can say for school. At 1:15 we went to the YMCA to swim for about an hour and then it was off to Piano lessons. Overall a pretty good first Day! I asked Sarah how she thought the day went and she said "Perfect". I think that may be overstating it a little but I'll take it.

After we went to Piano, we went to Kumon for an assessment. This is not a true assessment because it took 30 minutes and they are trying to sell me a product. Well, no surprise they thought she should be well below grade level in math and reading.  I am a little skeptical but the Kumon way is rote memorization in a timed setting. This is not really the best way Sarah learns but I do think it has its' merit. Also, it is EXPENSIVE.

One challenge is for Sarah and I to carve out time away from each other. I noticed yesterday, it was a lot of togetherness which seemed to suit Sarah fine but I felt a little anxious. Sarah has a big personality and is very talkative and needs a lot of affirmation throughout the day.  I think school must be hard for her because she cannot move but I also think it may be good for her because it gives her structure. We will have to work through a routine that works for both of us and one that we can combine both structure and flexibility. Time will tell but I think we are on our way.

More resources

Everyday it seems I happen upon more and more resources for homeschooling. It may be information overload.  I find the program, text or workbook and then I read every possible review of it and then I put it in my shopping cart and then I don't buy it.  Maybe if materials start coming into the house it will seem too real and official. I did the first week lesson plan yesterday which took me about 3 hours. I am hoping it will get easier as I become less obsessive.  Thank god I have Sarah to keep me grounded. I keep telling her the negatives about homeschooling and she keeps countering me. Sometimes I am bored at school, I will still see my friends, I can learn more at my own pace and so on. I am looking in to buying a logic program but I think I might wait so I can catch up with her a little.   I did find the homeschool superstore which seems to have a huge selection of materials. I have to resist the temptation to go to Target everyday to buy pretty folders and sparkly pens.  Actually, I have already given in.they are sitting in my car.

telling firends

Sarah told her best friend Cassie that she was going to be homeschooled. I thought the little girl was going to cry. It felt like when I told Sarah about Santa. I guess I should tell the school now..... I am still so nervous or maybe anxious. We made our decision and feel like we have to at least try but I somehow feel worried still.  What if she can't maintain her friendships? What if I screw her up? I know this is something in which you just have to jump but what if the parachute doesn't open.  Each day this decision becomes more real.

Home sick again

Yesterday Sarah cam home sick from school today..lightheaded.  I think something else is going on. Only about three weeks left of school..then the real fun begins. Should we start homeschooling right away so we don't lose the momentum or should we take a break?   I am not sure how it will go but I still need to get ready.  I am so excited to begin seeing how Sarah learns and how far she can go.

second thoughts

Sarah went to Alter Server training tonight. I do love and appreciate that Sarah feels so connected to the Church and I am afraid she will lose that because I was unhappy with her teacher. I am afraid that I am not going to be able make this happen. Sarah has so much potential but she also has a unique personality that she will need to explore. What if what makes her happy is to watch TV and bounce around the house. What if she can't focus enough to learn with me? What if I get impatient or frustrated and make things worse? What if I can't follow through with the lessons or forget something?

A Trip to the Chalkboard

Yesterday I went to the Chalkboard, a teacher supply and toy store.  What a disappointment..Everything was old and so dated, the whole store looked like my classroom from 1975.  The books were old and yellowed..Well this is not a review of the Chalkboard so onward to find cool materials in which to learn. The computer program is good but we need more.  I hope I can do this.  I hope Sarah can do this. I hope I don't screw everything up.  This is very stressful and a lot of pressure..Right now I can blame the school but if I homeschool, It is just me.  I suppose, in a pinch I can blame my husband for not talking me out of it..but that might be a stretch. The summer should be fun..Stay Tuned

Home Sick

I met with Sarahs' principal on Wednesday to voice my concern. He was one and a half hours late for our meeting.  This was not a good start. He was very nice and listened and took notes which I appreciated, I rambled a little which was to be expected but he did not get defensive and he let me say my peace so I was overall satisfied. Did it really change anything?..No.  In an ironic course of events, I was in charge of putting on the Teacher appreciation luncheon the next day. It went off without a hitch and all the teachers felt appreciated.. 

Friday Sarah came home sick from school with a stomach ache. I also received her weekly cummulative report card (which is a very good thing the school does) . Anyway..straight As.  Yesterday she could not read the word successfully.  She kept saying useful..no matter how hard she tried within the sentence, she could not read that word. An A is reading though....

She is upstairs resting because you can't watch TV if you are home sick..I have no idea why I have that rule. It is almost like she is being punished for coming home sick. I think it is because at the core of it, I never really believe any kid is that sick.  I did let her eat a butterfinger candy bar that was in her lunchable though. Is this making any sense?...Even a ten year old know it is rediculous..but Sarah ,although she questions a lot is overall pretty obedient which I plan to enjoy  as long as I can.

What are you really learning?

How much can a child learn? in the right environment how far can they soar? I am asking this question about Sarah. Currently in Catholic school and by all measured accounts in doing great. Almost straight As, friendly and liked by her teachers although she may be a bit energetic and inquisitive for some. This is the beginning of this journey into the best way to educate Sarah.

A Little background...Sarah is 10 years old, in the fourth grade and attends a local catholic school. I have been generally happy with the school.  The community is close, the principal is great and the teachers are loving and caring. This year as I was going about my way between school and piano lessons and swim team and a variety of other activities that fill our day. Everything is being managed and the house is relatively neat so Life is Good.

One day I had some kids over the house for a play date.  When they asked to play a game, I was delighted. We got Scattegories from the game cabinet...Great, they can learn and play.  I sat down to help because we have played before and sometimes Sarah needs help reading the cards or understanding the context. We had two kids over a fourth grader and a first grader. To my surprise the first grader could pretty much read most of the cards.  The visiting fourth grader..no problem at all.  Sarah ..not so much.  How could this be. She is a straight A Student with the occasional B in Reading.  Surely she is at grade level...Are these neighbor kids just geniuses.

I requested a conference with her teacher and the firestorm began.
How is Sarah doing?
great!
 I noticed she doesn't seem to be reading that well.
 We put her in small group and she is doing fine.
She gets mostly As. is she getting the same work as the rest of the class?
 absolutely..the exact same work.
Are you sure because she seems behind to me yet she is getting good grades.  Are her grades based on the exact same work.
  Yes the exact same work.
Okay then maybe I am overreacting.

Well this is when it gets interesting..As it turns out Sarah is not getting the same work..Not even close. Sarah Had ADHD which qualifies her for an extra time accommodation.  The same work..extra time on Tests. Apparently the school interpreted the accommodation as same time, less test questions. So for the entire year she has been given significantly less vocabulary words, language arts assignments and so on. I was unaware but I don't think it would have made a difference because the teacher assures me this is not he case. When I finally proved this on one test..she conceded on the one instance and gave her the complete test.

I began to think..How much have we missed..20 % 30 %....Will I have to catch up to get her ready for 5th grade. Unfortunately I don't know the answers because I can't get the whole story from the school.
So, my quest begins..How much can Sarah Learn? Where is the right place for her? Will she be tracked in the school at such a young age?