Outsourcing her and preparing for a PS school

Yes, I can't believe the words came out of my mouth either, but we are planning on Serenitie attending a public highschool.

I had heard about Aviation highschool last year and was interested in it. Then we found out that one of Ser's friends attends so I looked into it a little more and was really impressed by what I found. A few nights ago we attended an informaiton night and I continue to be amazed by what this school offers.

Now that she has been there and has had a chance to interact with students and staff she is excited also. She is pretty nervous about being placed in a PS setting, but this school is actually so far off the mainstream path that I think she will have no problem at all.

It is a STEM school meaning that it targets Science, Technology, Engeniering and Math. They study english and social studies together in a humanities course. There are no "fluff classes" no home ec., learn how to budget, life skills or others. They must contract for their PE credits outside of school.
They have a science olympiad team, a robotics team, speech and debat and other groups of the like.
For an elective they can take pilot school where they actually earn their pilots license and the school pays for it.

Their learning approach is not text book based but rather group project oriented which is how Seri has been taught all along anyhow. Generally they are given a topic and then the children are put in groups to define, study and research their project and then present it not only to the teacher but also to a professional in the field.

Their freshman year they job shadow in an effort to narrow their focus, Sophmores are then paired with a mentor who works in their focused field. The mentors come from a variety of places but mostly from Boeing, Microsoft, the aviation profession and the Museum of flight. This mentor follows them all throughout their highschool career. Their Junior year they take on an internship and as a Senior they design their individual senior project and are responsible for designing their own senior year program.

The school only accepts 100 students per year, so the size is very small and intimate. Everyone knows eachother here.

They are currently using an old middle school, but the students who are focusing on architecture are planning and designing their new school (under mentors) to be located adjacent to the museum of flight with a walkway connecting the two on the third floor. Education doesn't get more "real life" than that.

Last year they graduated 73 students whom generated among themselves over a million dollars in scholarships!!! One is at the Air Force Academy, nine at Embry Riddle in either Florida or Arizona, one at Harvey Mudd in California, many at UW and WSU. 98% of the graduating class is now enrolled in college and most with scholarships to pay for it!

It just doesn't get any bettere than this. If I were to design what I thought would be a perfect school for her, this would be it....

Here is the website if you want to check it out. http://www.aviationhs.org/pub/pub.aspx

So, next Nov her application is in!!!

She is finally to the age where we have felt the need to out-source her....

She is taking a Shakespear class which she adores. Her knowledge and grasp of the subject usually amazes me. It seems so natural for her. She has read fifteen of his plays since mid Sept.
She is also taking voice lessons.
She is swimming on the VAST aquatics team three to four days a week and is trying for those silver times that will bump her up to the next level. While I want to encourage her I am also not looking forward to the logistical nightmare that would add between now and when she is able to drive. At the silver level she would swim six days a week. M-F from 5:00-8:00 and Sat from 8:00-12:00.


Looking back on our decision to homeschool her, while it has been scary charting unknown territory, I am so grateful that we made that decision.

She is an independent scholar who enjoys and seeks learning and knowledge. Last night when I went to tell her lights off she was finishing a math assignment of her own accord. I now have weekly meetings with her on Fri where she brings me everything she has been studying and has learned and I am astonished. She does her own papers for Shakespear class and her readings without me asking her to...same with her math.... and most times she is so far ahead in both subjects that before we decided on her applying to Aviation I was concerned about her running out of things to learn (which, yes, I know is virtually immpossible, but....)
She is ahead of me in math and I went to college!!!! Luckily we use a self-teaching program which enables her to move as quickly or as slowly as she wants because I haven't a clue what she is doing. She does not cheat or take the short cuts. She corrects herself and if something is wrong will work at it until she figures out where she went wrong. I can guarantee you that you will not find these traits in the majority of PS kids her age. There are some days when she will do math for five straight hours because she wants too!!!!! Then the next she will spend five hours or more on Shakespear.

It was all so worth it....I am amazed and proud and.........

When you think of how much time is wasted in PS and all the damage that is done to their personalities and morals and self-esteem it all seems like such a complete waste. Then you compare it to her experience of being surrounded by others who love learning in a safe and secure environment where she is allowed to be on whatever time line she fits and not molded to fit the "norm" and you realize that both her and the PS student eventually end up in the same place, if her not ending up in a better situation even..... I have a hard time understanding why anyone would want to do the PS route.

Go ahead, ask me why I homeshchool.

One of my answers will be for you to watch these clip,

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1815820715?bctid=1822459319

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1352578267/bctid1784521903

In a nutshell when children are publicly educated, they are taught the values of the public. Parents lose control over what there children are exposed to, how they are exposed to that material,and what they are taught to believe about that material.

Call me old fashioned, conservative, out-dated, whatever. It doesn't bother me. What does bother me is that issues that should be taught in the home by the parents are no longer being. Parents have no control. What the video does not say is that the parents were given no choice or warning about their children being taught homosexuality. Here is an excerpt of the email Rob, the second father in the video sent me;

"The Wirthlins sued their school district for not following Massachusetts
state notification law that says schools must notify parents of any sexually
related material that will be discussed in class. The school district said
they did not break the law because the book was read as part of the teachers
"families" theme for the week. And because same sex marriage is legal in
Massachusetts the district feels that it must be included, even though the
theme of "families" is not part of the curricumlum for 2nd grade. The
district refused to notify the Wirthlins of other such books that may be
read in the classroom in the future, OR let their son "opt" out of class and
go to the library while books of the same nature are read and discussed.
Their lawsuit is currently waiting to be heard by the Supreme Court."

Seri's Results

The results came in Saturday and when I got them I was sure I was making a mistake in reading them. But, no, there is no mistake, she did fantastic!!!!
She took the SAT (Stanford Achievement Test) Ninth edition. It is a national test and so it was graded nationally, not comparing her just to students in the state of Washington.
Here they are, drum roll please!

These are the evaluated grade equivalents. She just finished 6th grade and she is a young 6th grade as her birthday is in mid-August.

Total Reading -PHS (post highschool)
Vocabulary- 12.8
Reading Comp.-PHS
Total Mathmatics-PHS
Problem solving- PHS
Procedures-10.2
Language-6.3
Lang Mechanics-7.4
Lang expression-5.3
Spelling-4.7
Study skills-10.3
Science-12.8
Social Science-9.4
Listening-8.0
Using Information-PHS
Thinking skills-10.4
Complete Battery-10.3


Not too bad if I do say so myself!! Actually, I am ecstatic! One of the hardest things about homeschooling is wondering if you are doing it right. If they will benefit in the long run or if you are just screwing them up for life. Logically, I know we are doing the right thing, but everyonce inawhile the fear that somehow they wont turn out as well than if they had gone to PS creeps in.
It's nice for me to see it in black and white that I am doing at least as well as the PS if not better than they would have done.
I am so proud of her. It was also her very first time being in a testing situation.
Not to downplay her brilliance ( :) ) but it does make me wonder how far down our standards have gone over time. She is doing well, but in my opinion none of her skills should indicate a post-highschool equivalant. You do have to ask how far the bar has been lowered over time. It also scares me to think that her skills are indicative of it being OK to graduate with that level.
It also proved to me that several of my theories may be true in regarding how children learn. It may surprise some people but the only curriculum I use is for math and I use that because I am math illeterate and need to learn about as much as they need to. I do nothing prepared-wise for any other subject. No science curriculum, reading curriculum, no canned social studies, nothing..... I never taught the children using phonics or any pre-packaged program. We read the scriptures every night as a family, I read to them out of a classic book every night at bedtime and their father and I consistently have a book in our hands. That's it. A bit into our homeschooling I came to believe that
#1 every aspect of life is learning. They even try to replicate life in school because at some level they know that children learn better when it is real to them. Why should I send my children off to read a story problem about "Sue has $100 to spend on groceries and she buys this and this and this, how much money does she have left?" when they actually go to the store with me and help me budget things along with look for the cheapest buy per ounce rather than just the lowest price and so many other skills? You can not go through life without learning, even if you never set foot in a PS building, that's a fact.
#2 It does no good to teach them things they are one, not ready for, or two, are not interested in. It just wastes their time and yours and adds a great deal of frustration to the process. Seri was never interested in writing and honestly I don't think she was ready to truly write without it being frustrating both for her and me. Gradually i noticed that she started showing some readiness signs and now she is off and writing and I continue to be impressed with the material she produces. Best of all, she enjoys it. Not sure if that would be the same experience had she been pushed to write from an early age when she wasn't ready.
#3 If you do not force them to learn they will enjoy learning and will be able to teach themselves with little to no intervention from you. My children are endlessly curious and we have always tried to get them to answer their own questions. show them where the resources are, help them find someone who might know and ask them, etc..... As a result they teach themselves the things they want to know. Now that Serenitie is older she is showing that she can learn of her own accord and volition, she is self motivated to learn about what she is interested in and I don't have to be big brother and impose deadlines or material for her. It is so satisfying to watch her stick up a world map on her wall and pin flags to the places that were instrumental in WW2 as she follows why the war started, who it involved and where the places of geographical importance were.
Or wake up from a nap to find the older three standing in the kitchen, a spoon handle stuck in between four books on the counter, with an ice cube in the cradle, a soda pop tied to the end of a wire while the other end is looped around the ice cube and cutting through it. I listen to them talk about friction and temperature and why the wire can cut through the ice but the ice re-solidifies itself once the cut is made. With no input from me. Amazing.
In fact, now they will say something I did not know and will have to look up. No clue where they got the information from or why, but they had a question and found an answer. I swear half the time these kids know more than I do, including the five year old.
Too sum up, it is sure nice to see that I am headed in the right direction and that my children have not fallen by the way side. I am so proud of my baby girl!!!!!!!

My philosophy

I was pre-reading a book that I want to have Seri read. It's the Rich Dad, Poor Dad; For Teens book.
At one point he said something that completely resonated with me. He was describing how Albert Einstein never really did well in school. He would rather use the storage in his brain for creative and logical thinking than for storing facts.
To be succesful you have to think outside the box most of the time and be creative and logical. You need to know where the facts can be found when you need them, not neccesarily to have them stored in your head.
I guess this is more or less the philosophy that I teach my children by. We don't do a lot of Social Studies or Geography or subjects of that matter. I do teach writing, reading and math when they are at a maturity level that it will be easy for them to learn those skills.
I would rather they be able to think abstractly, logically and I guess what I am is saying is that I want them to be able to think..... not regurgitate information.
Information that they do not really need to know as long as they do know where to look for it should they need it.

Disclaimer

If you haven't already noticed I am a horrible speller. I used to sit at the computer with a dictionary , but now that we have the lap top and I am never in the same place it is not as convienient (see, there I go again). Usually when I write I do utilize spell check or ensure that my spelling is correct.
Here, this is my space and I don't feel the urgency to correct it. If it concerns you that I homeschool and I can't spell then I would kindly suggest that you read another blog somewhere else :)

Results are in for Michael

As per law we had Michael assessed this year. Seri was tested and those results wont be back until August. I adored his assessor and was so glad to have found her.
After the assessment she told me how much she enjoyed working with Michael and that he was a great kid. It is so good to hear compiments even if they are superflous (sp). It is especially nice when I am having one of those days that include me being sure I am raising menaces to society.
Anyhow, we recieved his report today and here it is folks:
Reading Comprehension third grade level
Oral Reading; second grade level
Spelling ; second grade level
Grammar; second grade level
writing; second grade level
Math; third grade level

"Michael has a very strong foundation in both reading and math. When he read the passage for the comprehension assessment, he read it, thought about it, and then made a thoughtful comment about it. In other ways he showed a deep interest in learning.
Areas that need extra work are handwriting, capitilization, and punctuation".

Since his birthday is mid-June I am pleased with the results and figure that I am doing about the same if not better with him than a PS school would.
The assessor told me that she had asked him what program he had used to learn to read and he didn't know how to answer that. She then asked me and I responded that we don't use any programs. We expose him to literature frequently as a part of his life. She was impressed.
My mother saw the results and then said, "hm and you don't really do any school work with him other than math, imagine how he would do if you actually did work with him on schooling".
I knew his writing skills would be a tad lower because I have not worked with him on those at all, I usually don't start teaching a skill until they show interest in wanting to learn it and being able to teach themselves after they are taught the basics. For Seri, I just started with her writing about two months ago.
It makes me laugh though. I am not sure how much I may have shared in other blogs about Michael and his reading but I will tell the story here. When he was in the first grade I put him in school for about three months. I was working and my mother had to leave Germany because they were irritated she had stayed so long. I was really doing it for the free daycare aspect. After two months the teacher scheduled a meeting with me and the reading specialist. When we had all sat down the specialist told me that she found Michael to be a delightful and polite child and that he had a way of making her smile. She then proceeded to tell me what I already knew and that was that Michael could not read. He couldn't write very many words when they gave him two minutes to write down all the words he could think of. Apparently the new fad was that what you can write you can read. They were severly concerned and ketp pushing this point like I wasn't getting it. Maybe I wasn't. He was six, still fairly young and I did not see this as the end of the world.
The teacher then told me that she felt sorry for him and that his lack of ability to read was hindering him socially. I thought this was strange as he had plenty of friends and no social issues outside of the classroom, so I asked her to explain. She said that they had circle time every day and that they would all read the same book, taking turns reading out loud. She called on Michael like she did everyone so that he would not feel left out. When he couldn't read it or stumbled on the words the other children would look at him in amazement that he could not read. I asked her how Michael responded to this situation and she said that he always kept trying or would ask for help. I remember thinking about how sad it all was. The teacher and school had basically set Michael up to be a social failure all because he was not on "their" timeline. I guesse this feeling must have shown because then they said they were worried because I did not seem concerned enough about the situation. They said that studies had shown that what a child can read at this age is indicative of how good a reader he will be as an adult. (I am still kicking myself for not asking them to provide hard copies of these "studies"). I explained that I was not concerned because he was six, not twelve, there was time left for him to learn to read before those skills would be needed to serve him in life. Because when I first sat down they told me that Michael was polite and a delightful child to be around. They had said that he was eager to learn and confident enough to ask for help when he didn't know the answers. This was vereification that I had been raising and teaching him the things that were truly important. How many times have you seen a kid that was a great reader but you couldn't tolerate being around him and he couldn't function effectively in society.
Not convinced they suggested that when we moved we place him in the first grade again. his skills would be a perfect match for a "first of the year first grader but not for and end of the year one", as if that time was of significant purpose in the long run.
So, we brought Michael home. I wanted him to feel safe and secure on his timeline and not to be pressured or harrased because of it. I so wish that I could have another meeting with those ladies and have Michael read to them from the Bible. He comprehends it sometimes more than I do.
Everyday I am thankful for that decision. I can't imagine what his psyche would be if we had left him in school. At home he knows he is perfect.

Last Saturday I went to a church conference for women. At one point a song was sung in which a woman feels she is doing something for everyone she loves and yet wonders what it is all worth and when she gets her time. The chorus went something along the lines of; In the meantime she is being molded and refined.
That really got me thinking. I once had it all figured out and was doing pretty good. Then another baby came along while my youngest was still a baby and ever since then I feel like I am losing it. Between the feedings, diaper changes, dressing and comforting it is impossible to do much else, oh, and then there is the house to take care of and the other three children to teach and nurture.
I picture myself one day as a mid-wife, helping other women bring their babies into this world. It is something I am passionate about and think I would not only be good at but would really enjoy. One day. when my children are old enough to build on the foundation their father and I have laid. When no one is dependent on me. When it is just me and the dream I want to pursue.
There is comfort in knowing that my time will come. I am sure of it. Please do not dissuade me, for there are days when this feels like my only comfort.
And as I change another diaper, feed another child, do another load of laundry, recieve another smile, kiss and hug, hear "your the best" from my child one more time; I will remember that not only will it be my turn someday, but in the meantime I am being molded and refined.

This is a long one...

A few of my friends have blogs that they keep more as an everyday journal. I like looking at their posts, even on the days when it is only one line long. While I have the desire to do this, I do not think I want to start a whole other blog, so, I am taking this one over for my random thoughts, whether they relate to homeschool or not.

In the state of Washington we are required to have children age eight and over either tested or assessed by a certified teacher. Seri was assessed last year, but this year I feel she is mature enough to participate in testing. I don't want to give the impression that I agree with testing in this manner, but I am a law-abiding citizen.
Michael however will be assessed. I did not like the person we used for Seri's assessment and so I was on the hunt for another certified teacher who would perform it. At church there are a few certified teachers and I saw one in the hall so I asked if I could speak with her and politely explained that we were looking for someone to assess Michael and did she do assessments or know of someone who did.
Her response was "You must call the school district and see when the testing day is. In our school district they have chosen to deal with this by having all homeschooled children come in for testing. And you had better do it soon because the date is coming up soon". Shocked I told her this was the first I had heard of it and that I knew for a fact there were other methods of satisfying this law without bringing my children to a "mandatory" test day at the school.
She then told me that I had better get my curriculum evaluated soon also. Now, I am really in shock and reply that it is not stated in the law that my curriculum needs to be evaluated. Luckily there was another mother who had homeschooled her children who had the same response. Regardless, the "certified teacher" rudely told me that once again this was how our school district had choosen to deal with this since they were still responsible for my children even though I homeschool them. EXCUSE ME??? Who is responsible for my children? Their father and I are!!!! Guesse that is the major beef I have with the PS system is this disagreement over whose responsible for the children my husband and I concieved and I gave birth to.
Man, I was so ticked off!!! If you disagree with my homeschooling then just politely tell me you would not be comfortable with assessing my child and walk away, I promise not to be offended. But, please do not go spouting off inacurate information!! It only makes you look stupid. Trust me, as any home school mother will tell you, we are well versed on the state law. We have to be, to protect ourselves from self-righteous people like you who have a problem with those of "our kind".
Now, I am supposed to go to church and not harbor ill feelings towards this person.... I will be good, I will be good.......
On a brighter note I finally did find someone to assess Michael.
On a less-than-bright note, she charges $75.00. Add that to the $55.00 for Seri's tesing and I am once again irked.
We have to register our Declaration of intent with the school district who then gets the funding for my children to fund a school they will never attend. Meanwhile my husband works and pays taxes to help fund this school my children wont attend and then pays again to fulfill the requirements given us. We get no funds whatsoever. All curriculum and educational realted fees we pay out of pocket. Then when my husband gets a $1,800 bonus, we only see $1,300 of it because of taxes!!!! Man, this seems just so wrong!!!

On the other hand maybe I can't complain too much, a friend once told me that she budgets between $500 and $700 a year per child for school costs. Supplies, Clothes, PE uniforms, fundraisers, field trips, yearbooks, school pictures, lunches, etc....... Now, that's nuts.

Seri's youth group signed up to volunteer at a local Elementary school's end of year carnival. Wow, was that crazy. Walking through the school I couldn't help but to notice how institutionalized it was. Not inviting at all despite the colorful banners and posters on the walls and the little dog foot prints on the hall floors. The walls were of white brick and it was not enclosed, just had an open roof over the top which means (at least here in Seattle) that the hallway is always wet and cold.
They sold tickets for 25 cents or an all you can play bracelet for $15.00. Then the chidren all ran around playing stupid games for stupid prizes that would be thrown away or trashed before they probably even got home, while parents followed behind dispensing cash and looking as if this was the last place on earth they wanted to be.
There was nothing about the situation that made me want to rush out and enroll my kids for next fall. In fact, I felt the opposite emotion of "Thank God that's not us". But I did wonder if Seri saw it all in a different light. When we got in the van I asked her if being there made her wish she was in school at all. Her response was "Are you kidding me? Did you see how most of those kids behaved?". I would like to think that is entirely her own opinion but I do wonder if she does not pick up those attitudes from me.
For the most part I do not fight the battle of my children wanting to go back to school. In fact, I think Seri is very happy to not be in school. They have a highschool in Seattle called Aviation High that is strictly geared towards eniginering (sp) and aeronautics which is right up her ally. I tried to talk to her about maybe going there for Highschool and she responded by saying "But, that's a public school. I am not all that interested".
Michael has said recently that he wants to go to school. When I asked him why he responded because he would then see his friends everyday and get to ride a bus. I told him that in my opinion that was not a good enough reason for me to enroll him in school and that we would ride the local bus next week to get it out of his system. He was satisfied with that answer and finished his math.
As far as Isaac goes, I don't think he knows any better yet.

Random Rantings

It's been awhile since I have updated this blog. There have been many things I have thought about and have wanted to blog, but the line between intent and action has been faded these past few months.
Disclaimer: I love my friends dearly and in no way mean to offend them by commenting on remarks they have made. These are just my personal thoughts and should be regarded as such.
With that being said, while ago a friend posted this quote on her blog.
If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers. ~Edgar W. Howe

While I can understand the humor in the statement, mostly it just makes me sad. The idea that our children are somehow incapable of being with us for long periods of time without us resenting it is just incredibly sad. These are our children, who look to us for all of their needs.
There was a time once when children did not spend eight hours a day, five days a week, nine (sometimes ten) months out of the year away from the parents. I believe that those who lived during this period or have studied this period would agree that families were happier and that mothers did not feel they were being driven to the insane asylum by the mere fact that their children were present.
What has changed? I feel that we no longer have the same expectations for our children. We no longer discipline them when they fail to strive to meet these expectations. Thus, they are given free reign to exhibit behaviors that rattle our nerves. We blame it on their choices and actions, but is it not actually our fault for not having taught them proper behavior and restraint in the first place?
Another component is the fact that this day in age children are entertained. Outside factors entertain them for almost all of their waking hours, be it television, game systems, or other people. Few children in this day in age are able to entertain themselves for any extended period of time without help. Thus, they look to us to fill this need, by following the parents around, badgering the mom, hanging to her pant legs begging to be entertained. We expect them to entertain themselves but they have never been taught how, have never really had to before. When we removed television programming from our home and limited game systems to Friday evening and Saturday the first few weeks were very painful, for all of us. I heard "I am bored" so many times.... I finally told them that boredom is a great place to be in, because it is there that you have the ability to focus on what it is you really want to do. Months later there is a marked difference in my home. I have children that know how to occupy themselves without any direction from me. Sometimes it can get pretty scary as hours will go by and a child has not approached me for any guidance on what they can do. I have to remind myself that this is good.
The quote above implies that there is something wrong with our children and that we need to be "saved" from them by someone else. I would venture to assert that the something wrong actually lies within the parents.

On another friends blog she wrote about Spring Break and how wonderful it was to have this time to spend with her daughter. How they had the freedom to do all kinds of things that during a normal week there was not enough time to do. She then said she felt sad when Monday rolled around and her daughter was once again gone and "real life" began. Wow! Have we given the schools the power to determine for us what "real life" is? I think about the time I am free to spend with my children, no one is demanding them from me, scheduling our time making my family bow down to their desires. We control our schedule, which is as it should be. When my children are ill I comfort them, we spend days on the couch cuddled. There is no worry about if it is OK with the school, or presenting them with a DR.'s note to excuse them, wondering if they are missing too much work and will fall behind, hoping it doesn't hurt their attendance record, HELLO!!!! These children belong to us! They do not belong to the school and I can guarantee you that when your child leaves their building they will be forgotten. All the time, effort, spent on school "needs" only to have the relationship dissolve when they move schools or are no longer of school age. Think of how you could have spent that time.. With them, developing relationships, memories, life lessons, skills that may be important to you but are not being taught to your child because they are not important to others, going on vacation any time you want (Since you may be actually able to afford going by not going during summer or holiday break). How sad it must be to feel that your children are being taken from you, to feel that you have to curtail to the demands of people who care far less about your child than you... Why is this OK?