I got to meet....

mammag wrote: Bill Bennett last night! If you don't know him he used to be the US Secretary of Education and he wrote The Book of Virtues. He is the Chairman of the board for the Ciriculum we will be using next year....K12. He's also on the major news channels a lot. He was hilarious! And a very intelligent man. It was great getting to meet him!

The meeting went really well last night and I'm really excited to start using the program. They said I'll be getting around 6 boxes of materials for each child plus a computer system (computer, monitor, and printer) for each of them. It'll feel like Christmas!

Now I really need to get working on transforming the dinning room into a classroom for them. The kids are actually excited too.....about School!!!!

amymom replied: wow awesome. I did not remember that you homeschool. What a great thing you do.

mammag replied: Well, actually, I don't yet. I'm starting next year. I'm nervous but excited! I think my kids are so quiet and get good grades so they are just getting lost in the regular school system. I think they have tremendous potential and I think I can really help them to reach that. It's going to be a big job with 3....one day 4 of them but it will be worth it.

A&A'smommy replied: WOW that is awesome!!!!

jcc64 replied: Jeanie-
I am in no way challenging you or looking for a debate, a defense, anything of the sort. I was just wondering if you could elaborate on how and why you came to the decision to homeschool. Was it purely an academic decision, or were there other factors? What are the schools like where you live? I was particularly interested in your assertion that your kids' needs weren't being met b/c they are quiet and academically successful. I am not unfamiliar with that dynamic- ds Alec (7th grade now) was often overlooked or misunderstood in elementary school by teachers b/c of his shyness. (he's always been an A+ student).Things are better for him now that he's in a bigger middle school with a more skilled teaching staff. I think high achieving students in general are underserved by mainstream public education- their needs are no less important than kids with disabilities, but the mindset of the schools seems to always be one size fits all. For me personally, I wouldn't make the choice to pull him out of school, for many reasons. But I'm just interested in your thoughts, if you get a chance.

amymom replied: Jeanie, Me too! I have similar questions to Jeanne's. I would love to know how you came to the decision as well. Last year, we moved and I grappled with the idea. There is a large support system for homeschooler's in my new area. The support system is that one day per week the group (of about 170 kids) meet and do phys ed., music, language, art. Things that all parents may not be equiped to give to their students/children. I chose not to, but am always interested in how others decide, yes or no.

mammag replied: Well, I always thought I would like to homeschool. Mainly because my own education was highly lacking and I was also shy in school so had that experience as well.

The school district is fairly decent....rated effective. The one problem is that we are in a rapidly growing area and they are having a hard time keeping up with the increase in students. There are close to 30 students in their classes so I know it is hard to give kids individual attention. There is also a serious disconnect with the parents. I try to get involved and it feels like I'm being a bother to them. I've had an especially rough time with Kristen's teachers this year because they have gone to the split teaching and neither of her teachers seem to even try to get to know the kids. I go to the parent/teacher conferences and it is obvious they are just looking at the grades and couldn't elaborate on what was causing the drop in grade (okay, so it was just a B but she has always gotten A's and I just wanted to know if she was struggling with something in particular and they said they didn't have anything written down). She said she was afraid to go up and ask questions because they don't have time and get mad at kids. It seems the kids that are noticed are the ones who are outspoken or the trouble makers and the rest just kind of drift through unnoticed.

I've not seen any science or history work coming home and she is in 5th grade. I felt like there was a serious lack of content in these subjects. I guess my main thing is that the public school (here, I'm sure it's not that way everywhere) teaches to the average and when you teach to the average, you'll get average. Like you said, it's a one size fits all teaching approach. I know my kids are very intelligent, pick things up easily, etc. so I want to make sure they are getting the best education possible. I would have sent them to private school but I simply can't afford it with 4 kids.

When I first started looking into the eschool/charter option I did the assesments and Kristen (who was getting an A in 5th grade math at the time) placed in 2nd semester 3rd grade with the K12 program. That is a big gap.

I also like the fact that this is still through the public school system (only as far as they get the tax dollars alloted for my kids and we still take standardized tests). I like that because I would worry if I were doing it on my own that I wouldn't be teaching them everything they needed so that gives me something to judge their progress.

I hope I answered your question.....I may have started rambling on a bit...

jcc64 replied:

Jeanie, you could be talking about my sons' school. My son(not the shy one) is perpetually telling me that when he approaches the teacher for assistance, he is told to go figure it out himself. And his science classes consist of the teacher standing up in front of the class reciting out of the textbook. Same for history. This is infuriating to me. If I put this kind of effort in at my job, I'd have been fired long ago. God, I could go on forever, so I'll restrain myself. Remind me again, what part of the country are you in?

mammag replied: I'm in Ohio. My sisters have said the same things... One is in Illinois, the other in Hawaii. It's really sad because we (the US) used to have the best education system in the world....

Maddie&EthansMom replied: This is precisly the reason my children will attend private school. (well, that and some others) I think you are doing the right thing. Especially since your children are so smart and tend to make good grades easily. It seems as though learning comes easy for them and that won't make your job so hard. We will see how Maddie does in a private setting next year. I cringe at the thought of sending her to the public schools around here. I was also very shy and had a horrible experience in the public school system. That is not something I wish to relive with my children.

Anway, 3littleladies homeschools her girls. I really wish I had the patience and self discipline to do this. I know this private school is excellent though and is second best to me teaching her at home.

I'm proud of you and excited for you. Keep us posted on how they do.

mom21kid2dogs replied:
I've worked with several families who have used this curriculm and have been pleased. What a wonderful thing to do for your children, Jeanie!

amymom replied:

I agree with Cheryl.

Jeanie--Can those assesments be done with any children or do you need to enroll in the curriculm in order to do the assesments?

Thanks for sharing your info with us. Good luck and keep us uptodate on your progress.

mammag replied: Well, you have to set up an account (give name, address, etc. & phone number and they will probably call you). It's the Ohio Virtual Academy so it's for students living in Ohio. You can then go straight to the assessments though... It's OHVA.org

Thanks for the kind words guys. I really do think it's the best thing for them. I'm not kidding myself, it's going to be tough work, especially in the beginning but we'll do it. I have to admit, I'm a small bit nervous (self doubt) but I know I can do much better than what they are getting now. I'll keep you guys updated as we progress through this. K12 has virtual academies throughout the country so it could be an option for many of you.