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.