I am so much more organized!
We hit the stores yesterday and loaded up on office supplies. File folders, filing box, labels labels labels, every subject gets a color and a section. Purple is our color this year so the metal mesh box that's holding the stapler, punch, extra spirals and copy paper looks as though it belong with the rest of the stuff.
Banker's spirals and workbooks all have a spot and they're in their spots.
I worked on his schedule, daily breakdown, for an addition week so he has specific instruction for academics on a daily basis, down to the chapter and lesson specifics, until March 1.
I know we were going to use this week to judge the work load and I'm ready for it. I have a bunch of courses lined up, grammar, typing, additional pre-algebra, programming and blogging to add to the mix if (when!) we determine his current academic load is too light. I didn't want to not prepare the lessons pending a determination of the load so I worked flexibility in to add content as required.
Yeah, I'm feeling less frantic today. Should color coded file folders, files, and labels take this much of the edge off? I have a horrifying feeling the answer is yes. Simple organization has done wonders to make this room go from a kitchen to a classroom/office. It all goes away so nicely that today is IS a kitchen, the place where I cook and create, where we laugh and gather and visit. Tomorrow, it'll be the classroom, the lab, the office and the morph from one to the other, now, will be seamless.
I sent a, "hi...we're new in town" email to the AAH yahoo group and I got a ton of replies about groups and clubs. Math, science, soccer, minecraft and even an email about geocaching (ya cool!) so even the finding humans to be near fear is much reduced today. I will go through and try to organize the information tomorrow.
I had a hours long conversation with a longtime homeschooling friend and got more fabulous links to courses and classes online, to information about high school and college, about plans for the future and how to make them without losing your mind.
I look at the calendar and realize we are packed solid with trips, friends coming for lunch, guest Pug sitting, friends for sleepovers, happy hours with out of town friends and a birthday. Already, how did we have time for school? I can't imagine adding 3+ hours of drive time per day back into the calendar. Have we slipped so easily into the freedom schedule? That being said, Banker claims he's going to start every day at 7 this week, he may set an alarm ? that remains to be seen.
We are doing a road trip to Fredericksburg on the 27th with laptops and iPad to share what we have and gather what we need. There will be wine and friends included, I can't think of a better way to spend time getting even deeper into my home school groove.
I am more than a little surprised at how, after a mere 3 days of being out of the academic rat race, much happier I am in my skin. I feel better than I have in a very very long time. I kind of feel as though I exhaled a bit. Did middle school affect ME that dramatically? I mean, I'm worried, frantic, happy, sad and all those mother things for Connor of course. This exercise is for him, to give him the best opportunities, the best choices and experiences. To set him up to be as successful and happy as he can possibly be as he proceeds through whatever life has in store for him. That being said, what's happening to me in this? Something has, something dramatic and it was immediate. I don't have near the 'life' dread I had last week, I feel, more like 'me' in my head. My committee isn't nearly so angry, or frightened? Something is going on here. I'm not going to attribute it to the jump just yet but I have to acknowledge the timing of it all. Coincidence?
I feel less like buying him a kitten today, less as though I need to over compensate with 'other' things to give him joy...less as though I've done something awful and ever so very very slightly less like I will break him.
I'm going to take a research free day. I'm going to be at home, just at home, today and exhale some more, I like the new feeling of it.
/
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Day Four (weekend)
Wow.
What a week. Intense, just what a crazy shift in our universes. The days felt 4 times as long, we both felt it. Suddenly removing travelling, for me, and other children interrupting a lesson, for him, we were more productive than either of us thought we'd be.
Banker said he'd like to do some work on the weekend to get ahead. I asked, "ahead of what, you?". We both sort of stood and stared at the weirdness of the statement. I said he should read, of course, but that he should take a school work break. I said I think weekends should be home time, play time. I'm the mom and am in no hurry to lose any of that status even with the addition of new titles like teacher, guidance counsellor and managing director. I have always been those things, of course, but this version is a more academically, professionally, directed one, of course.
I'm confident about the curriculum, I think.
He is going to learn a lot and produce a lot, I'm sure.
I think he'll dig some of the additional things he has time for now, like his stop motion lego movies or some of the sketchy physics things he was working on, or mind craft creations.
I reminded him that this first week, coming, is the litmus test for volume of work.
What's the amount of work that works for you to work in any time you sit and work.
I told him not worry about finding other children. I said we'd look after we see how the work load is. Don't mess about too many things. Find a good system that's fluid enough to tweek as needed and then add on clubs and kids and other activities. He bought it.
I'm going to be spending the next chunk of my time looking for kids for him. I feel as thought the first time out of the shoot has to be perfect. Whatever we find, it cannot.be.chaos. So, in the next week, all I have to find is a group of relatively serious, pleasant, easy going, 12-14 yr old boys who are into physics and science and minecraft and soccer and girls. How hard can THAT be? Yeah, I'm not worried at all. Ok, I am. I very am.
I think it's the way he looks at me when he asks about groups and clubs and the ever lurking questions, "am.i.going.to.find.friends?" It's the idiot kids at school who drove the question deep into his head. When I first talked to him seriously about home schooling his concern was having a schedule and when would he eat...he HAS friends. Jerk idiot kids climbing into his head.
I'm not going to panic, yet. I'm going to take the weekend off, sort of. I'll search groups and clubs madly in a little while. No home school on weekends is for him of course, I have to secretly search and present seamlessly, almost accidentally, for him to buy into the fact this is not going to break him. please please please let this be sweet.
Ok, one more thing... the other this is that *I* cannot be the one to arrange said group of kids. He'd never believe they exist out there and it'd just be me buying him friends so that can't happen.
I am feeling really really frantic this morning for some reason, I'm sure it'll pass. I'm going to go make him his favorite beaten biscuits with some sausage on the side, and maybe buy him a kitten. Here's hoping the academics enthrall him enough this week to let me find what I need for him to stumble upon. Before, you know, I break him
What a week. Intense, just what a crazy shift in our universes. The days felt 4 times as long, we both felt it. Suddenly removing travelling, for me, and other children interrupting a lesson, for him, we were more productive than either of us thought we'd be.
Banker said he'd like to do some work on the weekend to get ahead. I asked, "ahead of what, you?". We both sort of stood and stared at the weirdness of the statement. I said he should read, of course, but that he should take a school work break. I said I think weekends should be home time, play time. I'm the mom and am in no hurry to lose any of that status even with the addition of new titles like teacher, guidance counsellor and managing director. I have always been those things, of course, but this version is a more academically, professionally, directed one, of course.
I'm confident about the curriculum, I think.
He is going to learn a lot and produce a lot, I'm sure.
I think he'll dig some of the additional things he has time for now, like his stop motion lego movies or some of the sketchy physics things he was working on, or mind craft creations.
I reminded him that this first week, coming, is the litmus test for volume of work.
What's the amount of work that works for you to work in any time you sit and work.
I told him not worry about finding other children. I said we'd look after we see how the work load is. Don't mess about too many things. Find a good system that's fluid enough to tweek as needed and then add on clubs and kids and other activities. He bought it.
I'm going to be spending the next chunk of my time looking for kids for him. I feel as thought the first time out of the shoot has to be perfect. Whatever we find, it cannot.be.chaos. So, in the next week, all I have to find is a group of relatively serious, pleasant, easy going, 12-14 yr old boys who are into physics and science and minecraft and soccer and girls. How hard can THAT be? Yeah, I'm not worried at all. Ok, I am. I very am.
I think it's the way he looks at me when he asks about groups and clubs and the ever lurking questions, "am.i.going.to.find.friends?" It's the idiot kids at school who drove the question deep into his head. When I first talked to him seriously about home schooling his concern was having a schedule and when would he eat...he HAS friends. Jerk idiot kids climbing into his head.
I'm not going to panic, yet. I'm going to take the weekend off, sort of. I'll search groups and clubs madly in a little while. No home school on weekends is for him of course, I have to secretly search and present seamlessly, almost accidentally, for him to buy into the fact this is not going to break him. please please please let this be sweet.
Ok, one more thing... the other this is that *I* cannot be the one to arrange said group of kids. He'd never believe they exist out there and it'd just be me buying him friends so that can't happen.
I am feeling really really frantic this morning for some reason, I'm sure it'll pass. I'm going to go make him his favorite beaten biscuits with some sausage on the side, and maybe buy him a kitten. Here's hoping the academics enthrall him enough this week to let me find what I need for him to stumble upon. Before, you know, I break him
Friday, February 10, 2012
Day Three
I wake up at 7:03am *yay*
Tight schedule in hand, banker asked for a weekly schedule with A and B days, you know, like school. In my lame attempt to buck the system, we have Day1 and Day2 *hahaha* I have put us on a 4 academic day week with the extra day (which can come anytime in the week) as our "field trip/cool thing/make up/catch up/club meeting/go play with other home schoolers/get the hell out of the house or else we'll burst into flames" day.
Tight schedule in hand, banker asked for a weekly schedule with A and B days, you know, like school. In my lame attempt to buck the system, we have Day1 and Day2 *hahaha* I have put us on a 4 academic day week with the extra day (which can come anytime in the week) as our "field trip/cool thing/make up/catch up/club meeting/go play with other home schoolers/get the hell out of the house or else we'll burst into flames" day.
Connor wanders into the kitchen at 7:48am. He's never slept this late! He's very annoyed with himself for coming down so late. I assure him he's not wasted the day and that sometimes, 12 year old boys need to have a little sleep. He's unimpressed. The banker doesn't DO late.
I tell him he might look taller.
Let’s take the day off! It's an AISD holiday!
So, that's his schedule for the week. We will see how he copes with the workload. It's a reasonable amount of work I think and it should take him through to about 12-1 then he can work on extracurricular things like he wants to look into Mayan civilization and he wants to look more deeply into some of the physics of space units.
I tell him he might look taller.
*bingo* he grins and wanders away, "oh right, Ms. Zan said you grow when you sleep".
This is the schedule we have agreed to try for a week, notice the inclusion of the "worksheet". He's not ready to go cold turkey, I pick my battles.
ENGLISH LITERATURE (Classic read *Sherlock Holmes* and book report – every 3 wks)
TRUMPET (30 mins)
LATIN (book, notebook, online)
This is the schedule we have agreed to try for a week, notice the inclusion of the "worksheet". He's not ready to go cold turkey, I pick my battles.
EVERY DAY
ENGLISH LITERATURE (Classic read *Sherlock Holmes* and book report – every 3 wks)
TRUMPET (30 mins)
LATIN (book, notebook, online)
DAY 1, FRIDAY 10 FEB
ONLINE SCIENCE (T4L & Khan)
T4L; chapter 3 plus Plants worksheet
Khan Academy; Scale of Earth and Sun
ONLINE MATH (T4L & Khan)
T4L; chapter 8
Perimeter, Area, Properties of lines, Angle measure, Application of properties,
Polygons
Khan; review of any of the above
T4L; chapter 3 plus Plants worksheet
Khan Academy; Scale of Earth and Sun
ONLINE MATH (T4L & Khan)
T4L; chapter 8
Perimeter, Area, Properties of lines, Angle measure, Application of properties,
Polygons
Khan; review of any of the above
WORKBOOK ENGLISH
1 chapter, complete
WORKBOOK HISTORY
1.5-2 chapters
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (iPad textbook)
Chapter 1, read, review, complete activity
ONLINE SOCIAL STUDIES (T4L & Khan Civics)
T4L; Chapter 11. African American Struggle (plus worksheets)
ONLINE ENGLISH (T4L)
T4L; Chapter 1. Prefixes and Suffixes
WORKSHEET SCIENCE (notes)
*to be supplied*
WORKSHEET MATH (HOLT)
Chapters 8-5 to 8-11
ONLINE PHYSICS (www.physicsclassroom.com)
1-D kinematics, Newton’s Laws
*follow up on Khan if required
FIELD TRIP: TEXAS HISTORY MUSEUM and IMAX MOVIE 9:30am
1 chapter, complete
WORKBOOK HISTORY
1.5-2 chapters
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (iPad textbook)
Chapter 1, read, review, complete activity
DAY 2, MONDAY 13 FEB
ONLINE SOCIAL STUDIES (T4L & Khan Civics)
T4L; Chapter 11. African American Struggle (plus worksheets)
ONLINE ENGLISH (T4L)
T4L; Chapter 1. Prefixes and Suffixes
WORKSHEET SCIENCE (notes)
*to be supplied*
WORKSHEET MATH (HOLT)
Chapters 8-5 to 8-11
ONLINE PHYSICS (www.physicsclassroom.com)
1-D kinematics, Newton’s Laws
*follow up on Khan if required
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14
*daily reading expectation remains on field trip days*FIELD TRIP: TEXAS HISTORY MUSEUM and IMAX MOVIE 9:30am
DAY 3 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15
ONLINE SCIENCE (T4L & Khan)
T4L; Chapter 3, Characteristics of plants *continue from previous spot
Khan Academy; Scale of Solar System
ONLINE MATH (T4L & Khan)
T4L; chapter 8. Regular polygon angle, angle measurement of polygons, congruent and similar polygons, symmetry/reflection
WORKBOOK ENGLISH (1 chapter)
WORKBOOK HISTORY (1 chapter)
T4L; Chapter 3, Characteristics of plants *continue from previous spot
Khan Academy; Scale of Solar System
ONLINE MATH (T4L & Khan)
T4L; chapter 8. Regular polygon angle, angle measurement of polygons, congruent and similar polygons, symmetry/reflection
WORKBOOK ENGLISH (1 chapter)
WORKBOOK HISTORY (1 chapter)
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (iPad textbook)
Complete chapter 1 activities (if any) move to chapter 2
ONLINE SOCIAL STUDIES (T4L & Khan Civics)
T4L; Chapter 11, Women take a Stand (and worksheet)
ONLINE ENGLISH (T4L)
T4L; LA extensions, chapter 1
WORKSHEET SCIENCE (notes)
*to be given*
WORKSHEET MATH (HOLT)
Chapter 9; Lesson 9-1 to 9-4
ONLINE PHYSICS (www.physicsclassroom.com)
Vectors & Momentum
*follow up with Khan on either, as required
*Drive to pick up M for a sleepover!*
Complete chapter 1 activities (if any) move to chapter 2
DAY 4 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
ONLINE SOCIAL STUDIES (T4L & Khan Civics)
T4L; Chapter 11, Women take a Stand (and worksheet)
ONLINE ENGLISH (T4L)
T4L; LA extensions, chapter 1
WORKSHEET SCIENCE (notes)
*to be given*
WORKSHEET MATH (HOLT)
Chapter 9; Lesson 9-1 to 9-4
ONLINE PHYSICS (www.physicsclassroom.com)
Vectors & Momentum
*follow up with Khan on either, as required
*Drive to pick up M for a sleepover!*
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17
Let’s take the day off! It's an AISD holiday!
So, that's his schedule for the week. We will see how he copes with the workload. It's a reasonable amount of work I think and it should take him through to about 12-1 then he can work on extracurricular things like he wants to look into Mayan civilization and he wants to look more deeply into some of the physics of space units.
If nothing else, it's organized *shudder*
We had our first academic crisis today. He was doing an online unit about triangles and area and perimeters. He came into me with his notebook, with pages of drawings and notes and asked me how to complete an equation he couldn't get.
CRISIS! I don't DO MATH!
CRISIS! I'm going to BREAK HIM! RUIN HIM!
OH NO! I shouldn't have taken him out of school...I can't do trapezoids!
He came into my studio (I'm artsy fartsy, remember) and found me making him a fabric covered, padded, school use, bulletin board. It's cute fabric. I bought it years ago when I was making chair covers for his 2nd grade teacher. It's a double thick square of rather heavy cardboard, a medium batting is stapled on it then some muslin and then this fabric. It's ugly on the back but hey, it's hanging on a door. I think I may add a criss-cross of ticking or something so we don't have to pin in we can slide things on... I'll wait and see.
We had our first academic crisis today. He was doing an online unit about triangles and area and perimeters. He came into me with his notebook, with pages of drawings and notes and asked me how to complete an equation he couldn't get.
CRISIS! I don't DO MATH!
CRISIS! I'm going to BREAK HIM! RUIN HIM!
OH NO! I shouldn't have taken him out of school...I can't do trapezoids!
He came into my studio (I'm artsy fartsy, remember) and found me making him a fabric covered, padded, school use, bulletin board. It's cute fabric. I bought it years ago when I was making chair covers for his 2nd grade teacher. It's a double thick square of rather heavy cardboard, a medium batting is stapled on it then some muslin and then this fabric. It's ugly on the back but hey, it's hanging on a door. I think I may add a criss-cross of ticking or something so we don't have to pin in we can slide things on... I'll wait and see.
But anyway, look at this cool fabric! I hung it on the door beside his desk with his overall schedule and a list of his home expectations. School is school and home is home and I need to be sure he gets that...I'm not his teacher/guidance councellor/director/manager or anything once we close the books...I'm his artsy fartsy crazy cooking wine drinking mom!
Oh right, the trapezoid. Calculating area.
Connor looked at me...this was one of those moments. If I sucked, failed or crumbled, his faith would waver and we can't have that.
"No problem...let's go see where we can find the answer. This is what's so cool about this, kiddo, if you're stuck there's examples here *khanacademy.com* that will not only tell you but show you how to do it".
SCORE!
He has been using khan for a year now as some supplemental fun *ya, he does math and physics for fun. Banker man didn't realize he could use these resources to get a second helping of instruction while he was working through problems.
SCORE!
He is working hard through his program today, the schedule seems to be working. He asked if he could read an additional chapter after his "The Scale of the Earth and Sun" unit this morning. Um, yes, you're allowed to continue to enjoy what you're learning, kiddo. What a crazy concept.
I served him up snacks while he worked. He raises his hand to ask me for milk and when I bring it to him, he yells, "PDA! PDA!!" hahaha goof. For those not in the know PDA is school speak for "personal displays of affection". He's working hard, laughing hard, looks relaxed as heck and is funnier and more chilled out than he's been in a while. Could all this be part of this??
I served him up snacks while he worked. He raises his hand to ask me for milk and when I bring it to him, he yells, "PDA! PDA!!" hahaha goof. For those not in the know PDA is school speak for "personal displays of affection". He's working hard, laughing hard, looks relaxed as heck and is funnier and more chilled out than he's been in a while. Could all this be part of this??
We are heading out to meet friends for Happy Hour this afternoon. I'm looking forward to some normal, we usually HH on Fridays with friends near the school and I'm not going to give that up. It's important, for a while, to do normal.
I think he's going to get this, I think we're going to do fine. Well, as long as I don't break him.
**ADDENDUM**
Well, Hell. he finished all the work, exercises, stupid worksheets and problems, including taking pages of notes for each subject which he's asked me to check and done all the quizzes and gotten 100% on each...by 11:30! He went and read for an hour and it's only 12:30. He didn't start until after 8.
Ok, I'm going to fret now.
Do I dump on more work? Will I dumb him down? Is he over gung ho and will it level out? Will he retain any of this information? Do I just leave it and wait to see how the rest of next week goes?
Breath in, breath out. I cannot possibly break him in 2 days of home schooling. Seriously. Can I?
I'm going to go fret now, just a little, just for a little while.
**ADDENDUM**
Well, Hell. he finished all the work, exercises, stupid worksheets and problems, including taking pages of notes for each subject which he's asked me to check and done all the quizzes and gotten 100% on each...by 11:30! He went and read for an hour and it's only 12:30. He didn't start until after 8.
Ok, I'm going to fret now.
Do I dump on more work? Will I dumb him down? Is he over gung ho and will it level out? Will he retain any of this information? Do I just leave it and wait to see how the rest of next week goes?
Breath in, breath out. I cannot possibly break him in 2 days of home schooling. Seriously. Can I?
I'm going to go fret now, just a little, just for a little while.
Day Two
I roll over to look at the clock at 7:03am, oh yes, this lack of 5:30am alarm clock is going to work nicely.
I hear clicking? What is that noise?
I wander downstairs to find Connor hard at it online. "MORNING!" Suddenly I realize this schedule thing is a good thing for him. He can come down and get right into whatever strikes his fancy. He already has ventured into "doing the daily list in a random order that makes him happy and flows best for his head" land. Already? I thought it'd take weeks for him to be confident enough to look at a list of subjects/classes/courses and work and then to merely pick out what he wanted to do in what order. Wow.
He wants me to check his work, all the work, every single pencil stroke, every word.
Absolutely. *thank HEAVEN there's online math tutoring, I have NO idea how to do this. My confidence is that his teachers don't have all this knowledge either...they, like me, just know where to look.
Oh sure, am I going to infuriate teachers, oh you bet. Well, sorry, but I'm absolutely sure there's some of this you agree with. I feel bad that teachers aren't allowed to teach anymore. I feel bad they have to teach to the test for the almighty dollar. I'm not going to get into a political conversation about this, it's not about that.
Connor has had some spectacular teachers...teachers who challenged him and taught him to love to learn. His kindergarten teacher, grades 2 and 3 did that for him. Lucky. He's had some hellish experiences as well, in his short journey. He had a first grade teacher who could have cared less, she barely showed up and told them to bring GameBoy electronic games to school...to play with...during class. She would ignore the thugs who fought and wrestled in the classroom, she'd walk out. I saw her. He had a teacher who was indifferent, who was overwhelmed by "special" and non English speaking students and a teacher who was so full of her own importance and was so persnickety about (obviously) ridiculous details that she sucked the joy of math and science right out of a boy who lived, breathed and dreamt about math and science.
Middle school has been ok for him. One bad experience per grade, that's not bad at all. He had a teacher was obsessed with whether *I* thought she was mean?! She'd actually stop Connor in the hall to ask him that? She also wrote me to tell me that Connor was being disruptive in class...he "has spent time drawing and writing on his hand when he'd finished all his work". ? Finished all his work? Bite me lady, YOU find him something to do. If he was beating the hell out of students; that'd be on me. Quietly bored out of his head; that's all you, babe. I was dealing with a very creepy, "I'm giving you 100% for the whole year because I like you" teacher. Really? Ick.
He already misses so many of the teachers he has this year, he was lucky to have so many that, I think, truly care and challenge him and he loves working hard because they actually acknowledge his contribution. For the loss of their time and influence in his life, I'm sorry.
Now, this isn't a bashing, it's a sharing. If I were bashing, this would be longer than one could ever read. It's Connor's (and my) experiences to date.
I printed out a couple of quizzes, and call them worksheets, for Connor today, one per subject, to get him off the computer and into a different room. A change of scenery is as good as a rest. He wrote his name, first and last, the date and the subject on the papers. Lovely, honey.
He worked hard until 12. He had concerns that it was a bit "loose" today. I assured him I'd tighten the ship. He asked for a detailed, by specific work requirement, schedule per day. When I presented a schedule for Friday, he asked for one for the next week.
It took me a while to do but I got it done. I handed him a package that lists the day, the subject, the site/class/project/unit/work to be done, specifically for the next week.
I scored, he's thrilled.
We left at 1, wandered to the rink to watch a friend figure skate then to lunch with a large group of friends. We came home, futzed around a little, Connor chatted to friends online then we went to a presentation of Science Under The Stars and listened to a biologist tell us everything he knew about pollination. OH OH, see how that fits into the plant unit we are doing in science?! Oh way to work it together, Trace!
We got home at 9:15, stood around in the kitchen and chatted to hubba about our day, his day, plans for a random road trip to Washington in September to hit the museums, "because we can travel anytime we want, now". It's the most time we've spent just hanging around chatting in a long time.
As much as this home schooling adventure is for Connor, a gift to his education, the best one I can think of; there might be real cursory advantages like seriously tightening we three who live here. We might have more time, like that, to stop and chat without the urgency of rushing Connor to bed, me to bed and both of our exhaustion and annoyance because 5am comes early and there's 100+ miles to drive and everything else to get done in the midst of it all.
Wow, you know what...this might fix me too.
Oh and yes, I still am afraid I'll break him.
I hear clicking? What is that noise?
I wander downstairs to find Connor hard at it online. "MORNING!" Suddenly I realize this schedule thing is a good thing for him. He can come down and get right into whatever strikes his fancy. He already has ventured into "doing the daily list in a random order that makes him happy and flows best for his head" land. Already? I thought it'd take weeks for him to be confident enough to look at a list of subjects/classes/courses and work and then to merely pick out what he wanted to do in what order. Wow.
He wants me to check his work, all the work, every single pencil stroke, every word.
Absolutely. *thank HEAVEN there's online math tutoring, I have NO idea how to do this. My confidence is that his teachers don't have all this knowledge either...they, like me, just know where to look.
Oh sure, am I going to infuriate teachers, oh you bet. Well, sorry, but I'm absolutely sure there's some of this you agree with. I feel bad that teachers aren't allowed to teach anymore. I feel bad they have to teach to the test for the almighty dollar. I'm not going to get into a political conversation about this, it's not about that.
Connor has had some spectacular teachers...teachers who challenged him and taught him to love to learn. His kindergarten teacher, grades 2 and 3 did that for him. Lucky. He's had some hellish experiences as well, in his short journey. He had a first grade teacher who could have cared less, she barely showed up and told them to bring GameBoy electronic games to school...to play with...during class. She would ignore the thugs who fought and wrestled in the classroom, she'd walk out. I saw her. He had a teacher who was indifferent, who was overwhelmed by "special" and non English speaking students and a teacher who was so full of her own importance and was so persnickety about (obviously) ridiculous details that she sucked the joy of math and science right out of a boy who lived, breathed and dreamt about math and science.
Middle school has been ok for him. One bad experience per grade, that's not bad at all. He had a teacher was obsessed with whether *I* thought she was mean?! She'd actually stop Connor in the hall to ask him that? She also wrote me to tell me that Connor was being disruptive in class...he "has spent time drawing and writing on his hand when he'd finished all his work". ? Finished all his work? Bite me lady, YOU find him something to do. If he was beating the hell out of students; that'd be on me. Quietly bored out of his head; that's all you, babe. I was dealing with a very creepy, "I'm giving you 100% for the whole year because I like you" teacher. Really? Ick.
He already misses so many of the teachers he has this year, he was lucky to have so many that, I think, truly care and challenge him and he loves working hard because they actually acknowledge his contribution. For the loss of their time and influence in his life, I'm sorry.
Now, this isn't a bashing, it's a sharing. If I were bashing, this would be longer than one could ever read. It's Connor's (and my) experiences to date.
I printed out a couple of quizzes, and call them worksheets, for Connor today, one per subject, to get him off the computer and into a different room. A change of scenery is as good as a rest. He wrote his name, first and last, the date and the subject on the papers. Lovely, honey.
He worked hard until 12. He had concerns that it was a bit "loose" today. I assured him I'd tighten the ship. He asked for a detailed, by specific work requirement, schedule per day. When I presented a schedule for Friday, he asked for one for the next week.
It took me a while to do but I got it done. I handed him a package that lists the day, the subject, the site/class/project/unit/work to be done, specifically for the next week.
I scored, he's thrilled.
We left at 1, wandered to the rink to watch a friend figure skate then to lunch with a large group of friends. We came home, futzed around a little, Connor chatted to friends online then we went to a presentation of Science Under The Stars and listened to a biologist tell us everything he knew about pollination. OH OH, see how that fits into the plant unit we are doing in science?! Oh way to work it together, Trace!
We got home at 9:15, stood around in the kitchen and chatted to hubba about our day, his day, plans for a random road trip to Washington in September to hit the museums, "because we can travel anytime we want, now". It's the most time we've spent just hanging around chatting in a long time.
As much as this home schooling adventure is for Connor, a gift to his education, the best one I can think of; there might be real cursory advantages like seriously tightening we three who live here. We might have more time, like that, to stop and chat without the urgency of rushing Connor to bed, me to bed and both of our exhaustion and annoyance because 5am comes early and there's 100+ miles to drive and everything else to get done in the midst of it all.
Wow, you know what...this might fix me too.
Oh and yes, I still am afraid I'll break him.
Day One
We are up at the crack of dawn. All these years of having a schedule of being up at 6, leaving at 7, is going to take a while to shake.
I make us a big breakfast and set us to the task of organizing our space.
We have set up in the kitchen, laptops facing, printer/fax/scanner/copier to my right and table for stuff to my left. My kitchen is split into a cooking half and an eating half. The eating half is now the school half, seems reasonable to me. I can still cook/write/blog while he works and I can be available for whatever I might be needed for.
What AM I DOING?
Connor asks me to write him a schedule, which I do. I refuse to put times in though. One of the points of this, to me, is that he can think without being interrupted or worse, stopped. He can experience and research without watching a clock to see when he'll have to switch gears, grab his stuff and try to make more room in his head for whatever is next. No, baby, there are no times on your schedule.
Connor asks me to set my iPhone to ring a bell every 45 minutes. No.
The first ground rules for The Williams School.
Don't ask to pee.
Don't ask to eat.
Don't ask if you can read more.
Don't ask if you can get up and take a stretching break.
You can move here. Breath here. Yes, you can have a drink and a snack while you're doing an online class.
He asks me for worksheets. Oh those worksheets. Make work, pretend learning. I worked in the copy room at the elementary school for 5 years. The amount of paper shot through as 'worksheets' shocked me daily. Quickie lesson and here's your papers, mountains and mountains of papers. No, there will not be mountains of random worksheets. There will be project sheets to reinforce what you've studied.
No, my sweet there will not be wasted time gluing papers and worksheets into comp books, no crayons or coloring unless you WANT to color something.
He organizes his spiral books, one per subject. He put his name on them, it's been many years in a row of being told to, I guess this way they won't be confused with mine? I don't say anything about it.
We have decided on these subjects:
Online courses:
Math
Science
Social Studies
Language Arts, English
Physics
Cosmology and Astronomy
Me:
Texas History
Latin
English Literature
Supplemental Science
Supplemental Math
Environmental Science
Wow, that looks intense. I have a strange confidence about this. He looks less frantic. I feel a slight wave of faith flowing from him... to me.
I email him the links that he'll need and passwords to the online information I paid for. I continue to print out rules, regulations and schedules which he poo'pooh's as insufficient as he peruses the sites and looks at the projects for the 'me' led courses.
He's in a small snit because he's doing a lot of repeat work. I reinforce we are trying to determine what he knows and doesn't so that we can not duplicate any lessons down the road. Call all this benchmark testing dear. (sure, I'm tossing school analogy terms...it's the language he's comfortable with...it'll take some time to de-program him)
He works through all the online subjects in minutes. He presents spirals to me with pages and pages of notes he's taken. "It's crazy fast when there's no one bugging me". *ahhhh, this is what we're shooting for* I have him complete some review pages from a math book to determine what he knows and what he doesn't. He hands them back to me, his name on each page, first and last, with the date and subject.
At 12 we pack it in. He's horrified that he hasn't learned anything yet. I assure him he certainly has. I take him to Best Buy to use a gift card he has, he buys SKYRIM. He wants to go home and get on his XBox and play Halo online with his friends. I remind him they're still in school. He laughs. He's less horrified all of a sudden.
His friend calls at 3:30 and the first words out of Connor's mouth are, "dude, this is great, I'm already like a month ahead of you guys!!!!!" Ok, we'll work on "dude" and "like" in the next language class.
He happily parks it in the game-room with his headphone and a bunch of his friends call in and they play, en mass, killing things online. He giggles and chats happily with them.
I'm exhausted, my brain hurts and still worried that I will break him.
I make us a big breakfast and set us to the task of organizing our space.
We have set up in the kitchen, laptops facing, printer/fax/scanner/copier to my right and table for stuff to my left. My kitchen is split into a cooking half and an eating half. The eating half is now the school half, seems reasonable to me. I can still cook/write/blog while he works and I can be available for whatever I might be needed for.
What AM I DOING?
Connor asks me to write him a schedule, which I do. I refuse to put times in though. One of the points of this, to me, is that he can think without being interrupted or worse, stopped. He can experience and research without watching a clock to see when he'll have to switch gears, grab his stuff and try to make more room in his head for whatever is next. No, baby, there are no times on your schedule.
Connor asks me to set my iPhone to ring a bell every 45 minutes. No.
The first ground rules for The Williams School.
Don't ask to pee.
Don't ask to eat.
Don't ask if you can read more.
Don't ask if you can get up and take a stretching break.
You can move here. Breath here. Yes, you can have a drink and a snack while you're doing an online class.
He asks me for worksheets. Oh those worksheets. Make work, pretend learning. I worked in the copy room at the elementary school for 5 years. The amount of paper shot through as 'worksheets' shocked me daily. Quickie lesson and here's your papers, mountains and mountains of papers. No, there will not be mountains of random worksheets. There will be project sheets to reinforce what you've studied.
No, my sweet there will not be wasted time gluing papers and worksheets into comp books, no crayons or coloring unless you WANT to color something.
He organizes his spiral books, one per subject. He put his name on them, it's been many years in a row of being told to, I guess this way they won't be confused with mine? I don't say anything about it.
We have decided on these subjects:
Online courses:
Math
Science
Social Studies
Language Arts, English
Physics
Cosmology and Astronomy
Me:
Texas History
Latin
English Literature
Supplemental Science
Supplemental Math
Environmental Science
Wow, that looks intense. I have a strange confidence about this. He looks less frantic. I feel a slight wave of faith flowing from him... to me.
I email him the links that he'll need and passwords to the online information I paid for. I continue to print out rules, regulations and schedules which he poo'pooh's as insufficient as he peruses the sites and looks at the projects for the 'me' led courses.
He's in a small snit because he's doing a lot of repeat work. I reinforce we are trying to determine what he knows and doesn't so that we can not duplicate any lessons down the road. Call all this benchmark testing dear. (sure, I'm tossing school analogy terms...it's the language he's comfortable with...it'll take some time to de-program him)
He works through all the online subjects in minutes. He presents spirals to me with pages and pages of notes he's taken. "It's crazy fast when there's no one bugging me". *ahhhh, this is what we're shooting for* I have him complete some review pages from a math book to determine what he knows and what he doesn't. He hands them back to me, his name on each page, first and last, with the date and subject.
At 12 we pack it in. He's horrified that he hasn't learned anything yet. I assure him he certainly has. I take him to Best Buy to use a gift card he has, he buys SKYRIM. He wants to go home and get on his XBox and play Halo online with his friends. I remind him they're still in school. He laughs. He's less horrified all of a sudden.
His friend calls at 3:30 and the first words out of Connor's mouth are, "dude, this is great, I'm already like a month ahead of you guys!!!!!" Ok, we'll work on "dude" and "like" in the next language class.
He happily parks it in the game-room with his headphone and a bunch of his friends call in and they play, en mass, killing things online. He giggles and chats happily with them.
I'm exhausted, my brain hurts and still worried that I will break him.
Day Zero
Hello, my name is Tracy. I think I'm a homeschooler.
After all the years of thinking, discussing, reviewing. After the pondering, worrying, planning. I interviewed, emailed and researched. The day had come to remove the Banker from public school in Austin, Texas.
Quick background; Normal, happy, healthy, well adjusted kid. Loads of friends, athletic, popular, a straight A student perpetually on Honor Roll and Student of the Month at the middle school. He's in National Junior Honor Society and Latin club. Sure, doesn't it seem perfectly reasonable to yank his butt out of public school, 2/3 into the year? SURE, nothing odd there.
The Banker and I are very close. He tells me everything, shares his thoughts, fears and concerns easily and without holding anything back...ever. I'm blessed with this relationship. Some of my friends' 12 year olds have entered their dreaded pre-teen "don't speak to me I won't speak to you just do my laundry and feed me, stupid" phase. I truly don't think the Banker and I will go there. Sure, he has his angst ridden periods where he'll mope, snip and storm away but they are short lived bursts and they are always followed by him coming to me and talking to me about what made him frantic or angry. I am lucky and I know it.
I, am a free spirit. I was born in the 60's to a free thinking mother. My son, however, is not; my beloved is a frequently uptight, rule following, rule making, schedule requiring banker man who asked for a suit and tie for his 3rd birthday. I equate our relationship to me being the squiggle and he being the straight line.
I must add there is a beloved and bemused husband/father here. He rolls his eyes a lot. We have had a long standing unspoken agreement that he is hunter gatherer and I am on child and on school. It works. I pull him in as the muscle, the support as required. Not abusing his services has perpetually resulted in spectacularly speedy responses and general success. I presented him a paper outlining my research and plans for this venture and he looked at me and simply asked, "can you do this?". I answered him in my best fake brave, "yeah, I can do this". It was with those two sentences that this venture's wheels began to roll.
I felt sick.
The Banker has complained for years that his education is being interrupted by annoying other students who won't sit down, shut up, listen, learn or pay any attention. He's come home for weeks telling me he's spent time reading...comics...in math or English or social studies; waiting for everyone to catch up. Really? I think the sentence that burned into my head was the, "I just wish the kids would bother to want to learn something". That was the seed I think.
There's a myriad of reasons that led to the final JUST DO IT NOW but the most compelling, for me, is that I feel the world closing around him. I don't want him to settle for ordinary if he doesn't have to. I feel the window of opportunity disappearing. He's half way through 7th grade. I have the time, the inclination, the power to home school him. I'm smart enough and I can find what he needs. I was an private and then public investigator for years (before that pesky motherhood moment) as well as a writer...I cook and I've taught. That's got to count for something.
What.on.earth.am.I.doing?
We had decided he'd been withdrawn at the end of 7th grade. I didn't like that, don't want to start a new year without knowing what on earth I'm doing. How bout after spring break? I didn't like that, too close to the end of the year. February 16! It's the end of a 6 week unit, everything will be complete for him. Yes! A DATE!
The Banker wanted to know when we'd picked a date, he wanted notice so he could say good bye. I failed my first test and told him with 2 weeks notice. He fell apart. He talked about it constantly, requiring constant reassurance down to the most minute detail, "what will we have for breakfast on day 2, in case I don't get up with my alarm?"
OH, bless your heart, I have broken you! I haven't even started and look what I'm doing to YOU!
He started to come home from school on the edge of tears every day. He didn't hand in a assignment on time *gasp* that never happens! He worried, fretted, panicked and was in a weird state of limbo.
I felt sick.
He came home from school on Friday, February 3 and I said, "that's IT, we're DONE". He tearfully requested, "just one more A day and one more B day, mom, please, so I can say good bye". I begrudgingly agreed. True to form, the little putzes at school spent those two days assuring the Banker he was entering into a hellish, lonely, friendless, dark, educational void. Nice. Idiots.
I had a sick feeling in my stomach all day and actually sat in the parking lot of the school for 1/2 an hour before I went in. Assured I was wrong, stupid, and perched on the precipice about to permanently scar, and break, the one person who needs me to be right.
February 7, 2012, 1pm. I went into the school with paperwork, his books, my long explanation as to what I was doing, what i was going to do. I had my plans and arguments.
"Withdrawing a student? Ok, tick the moving or home school box. Oh, home schooling? Then sign this one saying you're homeschooling. We'll send him out at the end of the day with his grades. Thanks, see you, good luck".
8 years of public school, of being involved, being the room parent, the school artist. I've given as many hours as he has to this school system and really...no one gives a damn. He's been a rock star, I've been one of those parents everyone just knows. We've both worked our hearts out for the school system. After 8 years our farewell is THAT? I don't know what I thought or expected but somehow, the experience of the big withdrawal left me...limp. I knew no one cared but I didn't realize no one cared.
The Banker came to the car after school with his backpack, his books and the lock from his locker. He wasn't in tears. He wasn't weepy. Success #1, perhaps, just perhaps he had some faith in what we were about to do. OR, more likely, the poor kid didn't have a clue.
He handed me a few stapled papers with current grades on them in non matching pens and I thought, "wow, this is the sum of his 8 years?"
He looked happy enough, ready for an adventure. He'd been the star of the day, telling his friends he was leaving to home school. I don't think any of their parents believed them but the children were jerks about it. *I can say that stuff, it's MY blog* Really?
I feel sick.
I joyfully and solidly reassure the Banker he won't become a hermit or Quasimodo or a serial killer. He WILL go out and see people and he'll meet new people too. Me too!
He wasn't teary (he had been the days leading up to day zero). I was.
Ok, tomorrow we get up and organize, plan and schedule ourselves into a frenzy. I'm ready, I have all my supplies, web sites, links and a bought curriculum.
It's all us now, here we forge bravely into the unknown. I have everything I need and every resource under the sun.
But, what if I break him?
After all the years of thinking, discussing, reviewing. After the pondering, worrying, planning. I interviewed, emailed and researched. The day had come to remove the Banker from public school in Austin, Texas.
Quick background; Normal, happy, healthy, well adjusted kid. Loads of friends, athletic, popular, a straight A student perpetually on Honor Roll and Student of the Month at the middle school. He's in National Junior Honor Society and Latin club. Sure, doesn't it seem perfectly reasonable to yank his butt out of public school, 2/3 into the year? SURE, nothing odd there.
The Banker and I are very close. He tells me everything, shares his thoughts, fears and concerns easily and without holding anything back...ever. I'm blessed with this relationship. Some of my friends' 12 year olds have entered their dreaded pre-teen "don't speak to me I won't speak to you just do my laundry and feed me, stupid" phase. I truly don't think the Banker and I will go there. Sure, he has his angst ridden periods where he'll mope, snip and storm away but they are short lived bursts and they are always followed by him coming to me and talking to me about what made him frantic or angry. I am lucky and I know it.
I, am a free spirit. I was born in the 60's to a free thinking mother. My son, however, is not; my beloved is a frequently uptight, rule following, rule making, schedule requiring banker man who asked for a suit and tie for his 3rd birthday. I equate our relationship to me being the squiggle and he being the straight line.
I must add there is a beloved and bemused husband/father here. He rolls his eyes a lot. We have had a long standing unspoken agreement that he is hunter gatherer and I am on child and on school. It works. I pull him in as the muscle, the support as required. Not abusing his services has perpetually resulted in spectacularly speedy responses and general success. I presented him a paper outlining my research and plans for this venture and he looked at me and simply asked, "can you do this?". I answered him in my best fake brave, "yeah, I can do this". It was with those two sentences that this venture's wheels began to roll.
I felt sick.
The Banker has complained for years that his education is being interrupted by annoying other students who won't sit down, shut up, listen, learn or pay any attention. He's come home for weeks telling me he's spent time reading...comics...in math or English or social studies; waiting for everyone to catch up. Really? I think the sentence that burned into my head was the, "I just wish the kids would bother to want to learn something". That was the seed I think.
There's a myriad of reasons that led to the final JUST DO IT NOW but the most compelling, for me, is that I feel the world closing around him. I don't want him to settle for ordinary if he doesn't have to. I feel the window of opportunity disappearing. He's half way through 7th grade. I have the time, the inclination, the power to home school him. I'm smart enough and I can find what he needs. I was an private and then public investigator for years (before that pesky motherhood moment) as well as a writer...I cook and I've taught. That's got to count for something.
What.on.earth.am.I.doing?
We had decided he'd been withdrawn at the end of 7th grade. I didn't like that, don't want to start a new year without knowing what on earth I'm doing. How bout after spring break? I didn't like that, too close to the end of the year. February 16! It's the end of a 6 week unit, everything will be complete for him. Yes! A DATE!
The Banker wanted to know when we'd picked a date, he wanted notice so he could say good bye. I failed my first test and told him with 2 weeks notice. He fell apart. He talked about it constantly, requiring constant reassurance down to the most minute detail, "what will we have for breakfast on day 2, in case I don't get up with my alarm?"
OH, bless your heart, I have broken you! I haven't even started and look what I'm doing to YOU!
He started to come home from school on the edge of tears every day. He didn't hand in a assignment on time *gasp* that never happens! He worried, fretted, panicked and was in a weird state of limbo.
I felt sick.
He came home from school on Friday, February 3 and I said, "that's IT, we're DONE". He tearfully requested, "just one more A day and one more B day, mom, please, so I can say good bye". I begrudgingly agreed. True to form, the little putzes at school spent those two days assuring the Banker he was entering into a hellish, lonely, friendless, dark, educational void. Nice. Idiots.
I had a sick feeling in my stomach all day and actually sat in the parking lot of the school for 1/2 an hour before I went in. Assured I was wrong, stupid, and perched on the precipice about to permanently scar, and break, the one person who needs me to be right.
February 7, 2012, 1pm. I went into the school with paperwork, his books, my long explanation as to what I was doing, what i was going to do. I had my plans and arguments.
"Withdrawing a student? Ok, tick the moving or home school box. Oh, home schooling? Then sign this one saying you're homeschooling. We'll send him out at the end of the day with his grades. Thanks, see you, good luck".
8 years of public school, of being involved, being the room parent, the school artist. I've given as many hours as he has to this school system and really...no one gives a damn. He's been a rock star, I've been one of those parents everyone just knows. We've both worked our hearts out for the school system. After 8 years our farewell is THAT? I don't know what I thought or expected but somehow, the experience of the big withdrawal left me...limp. I knew no one cared but I didn't realize no one cared.
The Banker came to the car after school with his backpack, his books and the lock from his locker. He wasn't in tears. He wasn't weepy. Success #1, perhaps, just perhaps he had some faith in what we were about to do. OR, more likely, the poor kid didn't have a clue.
He handed me a few stapled papers with current grades on them in non matching pens and I thought, "wow, this is the sum of his 8 years?"
He looked happy enough, ready for an adventure. He'd been the star of the day, telling his friends he was leaving to home school. I don't think any of their parents believed them but the children were jerks about it. *I can say that stuff, it's MY blog* Really?
I feel sick.
I joyfully and solidly reassure the Banker he won't become a hermit or Quasimodo or a serial killer. He WILL go out and see people and he'll meet new people too. Me too!
He wasn't teary (he had been the days leading up to day zero). I was.
Ok, tomorrow we get up and organize, plan and schedule ourselves into a frenzy. I'm ready, I have all my supplies, web sites, links and a bought curriculum.
It's all us now, here we forge bravely into the unknown. I have everything I need and every resource under the sun.
But, what if I break him?
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