Looks like I need to be keeping up with this blog a little more as almost a year has passed.
Once again Seri was tested using the Stanford Achievement Test Series, ninth edition. We also decided to have Michael tested as well. He was assessed the first year and then last year I never did get around to getting him an assesment appt. so we went illegal and didn't fulfill requirements. Figured this year it was safer to just have him tested at the same time and not rely on me finding him an alternate situation... I was a tad nervous about him testing as he has never been a really great tester. he puts too much stress on himself and freaks out if he doesn't know the answers to some of the questions which then throws him into a tail spin for the rest of the test. He totally surprised me though and did great! He had a good time and was all smiles each day when I picked him up.
So now onto the part I know you are all waiting for..... the scores. I will post each year for Seri so that you can see the progress. She just finished the 8th grade.
2008 2009 2010
Total Reading - PHS (post highschool) 11.3 PHS
Vocabulary- 12.8 7.5 PHS
Reading Comp.- PHS PHS PHS
Total Mathmatics- PHS PHS PHS
Problem solving- PHS PHS PHS
Procedures- 10.2 12.8 PHS
Language- 6.3 8.1 PHS
Lang Mechanics- 7.4 6.6 8.4
Lang expression- 5.3 10.2 PHS
Spelling- 4.7 6.9 7.1
Study skills- 10.3 PHS PHS
Science- 12.8 PHS PHS
Social Science- 9.4 PHS PHS
Listening- 8.0 PHS 10.8
Using Information- PHS PHS PHS
Thinking skills- 10.4 PHS PHS
Complete Battery- 10.3 PHS PHS
When I told her that her listening score went down this year she replied "of course it did, this year I am a teenager".
Michael tested at the fifth grade level, but in retrospect I should have tested him at the fourth grade. Technically the PS system would have placed him as a fifth grader this past year, but being the fact that he is a male and has a summer birthday I would probably have placed him a year behind.
Total Reading- 5.1
vocabulary- 5.0
Reading comp.- 5.1
Total Mathmatics- 4.8
Problem solving- 5.2
Procedures- 4.6
Language- 3.9
Lang mechanics 4.5
Lang Expression 3.4
Spelling 3.9
Study skills 3.9
Science 9.0
social Science 5.4
Listening 10.0
Using Information 5.6
Listening Skills 5.0
Basic Battery 4.8
Complete Battery 5.1
So, Overall the boy is right on target. Exactly where he should be... The science score surprised me a bit. Not sure where that came from. His mind however is much more Science/ logic minded than it is reading/history...
Once again I am proud of my children. I understand that there are a ton of factors regarding the testing that bring about the results they do, however it just shows that children are natural learners and do not need to have info shoved at them for all of their childhood years. I do not teach to the test and actually have never even seen the test nor have any clue as to what may be on them. The interesting thing is that the children are compared with every other child of that grade taking the test, the majority of which are PS kids who have been taught to the test, and my children are still testing in the mid- high percentages. I could go on, as those who have ever listened to my "soap box" speech could attest to, but I wont. The test results speak for themselves...
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
out sourced
Last year was the first year that we had really out sourced any of our children. Seri was taking some classes.
this year has evolved to many of our children being out sourced and I have such a mixture of feelings about it.
Ser has:
Shakespeare
writing
Voice
Speech and Debate (although this year I am asking that she just focus on speech and not compete in debate.)
Swimming
Michael is taking a Lego Robotics course which is really cool and right up his ally.
Isaac is taking keyboarding.
Sariah is taking music
The thing is the children love all of their classes and each one has classes that are geared towards their passions. It is a great opportunity for each of them. On the flip side it feels like we are all going in circles a lot of the time. driving this one here, that one there…. Rarely are we all together any more and rarely are we home for a whole day.
I really miss those days when our schedule was ours and it was rarely interrupted during the day by other things. We could just stay home and be together if we wanted or we could spend the whole day exploring. Just pack up and go on a field trip somewhere.
I feel as if that was one of the main reasons we decided to home school in the first place, so no one else would dictate our schedule. So, now that our calendar is running our lives I feel a little like I am not being true to the ideals I set for our family.
It’s a hard line to draw. What things are better and what things are best? Yes, all of these opportunities are great for my children but at what point is their greatness undermined by the lack of family time and down time and time spent on other more important things (scripture reading, family home evening, etc.) What if this is one of Satan’s ploys to distract me from the best by keeping me insanely occupied by the better?
Yet, on the other hand which of these things am I willing to let go of for my child. Which child should have to hear me say that I am asking them to stop an activity they enjoy?
Or, is it none of the above and just a result of my growing and changing family. Something I need to learn to accept and adapt to and relinquish what used to work for us but might not any longer?
Guess at this point only time and prayer will tell.
this year has evolved to many of our children being out sourced and I have such a mixture of feelings about it.
Ser has:
Shakespeare
writing
Voice
Speech and Debate (although this year I am asking that she just focus on speech and not compete in debate.)
Swimming
Michael is taking a Lego Robotics course which is really cool and right up his ally.
Isaac is taking keyboarding.
Sariah is taking music
The thing is the children love all of their classes and each one has classes that are geared towards their passions. It is a great opportunity for each of them. On the flip side it feels like we are all going in circles a lot of the time. driving this one here, that one there…. Rarely are we all together any more and rarely are we home for a whole day.
I really miss those days when our schedule was ours and it was rarely interrupted during the day by other things. We could just stay home and be together if we wanted or we could spend the whole day exploring. Just pack up and go on a field trip somewhere.
I feel as if that was one of the main reasons we decided to home school in the first place, so no one else would dictate our schedule. So, now that our calendar is running our lives I feel a little like I am not being true to the ideals I set for our family.
It’s a hard line to draw. What things are better and what things are best? Yes, all of these opportunities are great for my children but at what point is their greatness undermined by the lack of family time and down time and time spent on other more important things (scripture reading, family home evening, etc.) What if this is one of Satan’s ploys to distract me from the best by keeping me insanely occupied by the better?
Yet, on the other hand which of these things am I willing to let go of for my child. Which child should have to hear me say that I am asking them to stop an activity they enjoy?
Or, is it none of the above and just a result of my growing and changing family. Something I need to learn to accept and adapt to and relinquish what used to work for us but might not any longer?
Guess at this point only time and prayer will tell.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Seri's results are in!!!
Last year I reported on her SAT scores for all those who are either interested or who do not believe that homeschooling my children was the best decision for their education.
We just received this years, so let the dreum roll begin...........
P.s. The scores are reflected as grade level achieved, 7.5 means she tested in the middle of the seventh grade year. Last years scores will be posted in the first column this years in the second. She just completed 8th grade.
2008 / 2009
Total Reading - PHS (post highschool) / 11.3
Vocabulary- 12.8 / 7.5
Reading Comp.- PHS / PHS
Total Mathmatics- PHS / PHS
Problem solving- PHS / PHS
Procedures- 10.2 / 12.8
Language- 6.3 / 8.1
Lang Mechanics- 7.4 / 6.6
Lang expression- 5.3 / 10.2
Spelling- 4.7 / 6.9
Study skills- 10.3 / PHS
Science- 12.8 / PHS
Social Science- 9.4 / PHS
Listening- 8.0 / PHS
Using Information- PHS / PHS
Thinking skills- 10.4 / PHS
Complete Battery- 10.3 / PHS
Once again I amazed at the process and will probably repeat much of what I said last year.
I have a curriculum for Math and that is the only subject I "teach" in a way that would be recognizable for anyone. I do not have a curriculum for or "teach" in a traditional way, science, reading, writing, or any other subject. I do not instill time lines on my children such as, "you must be reading by this age", or "writing a good paper by this age". Many would say we follow more of an un-schooling approach. Our day consists of Scripture study, prayer, chores, Math, and being together. Yet somehow in the middle of my not teaching them Seri seemed to learn the things that society has deemed neccesary for her to know in order to be a functioning member of society. And I will have you know that I, unlike some teaching institutions (actually more like the great majority of teaching institutions) do not teach to the test. I have no idea what is even on the test...
I will also remind you that I recieve no funding, so the whole idea that if schools had more money they would be able to teach your child better is a crock of.....
All that being said I am extremely proud of her and of myself and my husband. It is very reassuring for me to see in black and white what I know and am learning to be true. It is comforting to have my work validated in a way that is accepted by everyone.
Aside from what the tests do show, there is more to the story that they do not show. They do not show how much of a hard worker she is and how she seldom complains when serving others. She does not sherk from duty when many teenage girls do.
She communicates effectively with people of all ages and is respectful to all.
She can often be found reading her scriptures of her own free will and not because she has to or someone has asked her to.
She is loyal and honest, respectful and sympathetic, trustworthy and full on integrity.
This is really why we keep our children home, to teach them full time that which the schools could never and would refuse to teach even if they could.
We just received this years, so let the dreum roll begin...........
P.s. The scores are reflected as grade level achieved, 7.5 means she tested in the middle of the seventh grade year. Last years scores will be posted in the first column this years in the second. She just completed 8th grade.
2008 / 2009
Total Reading - PHS (post highschool) / 11.3
Vocabulary- 12.8 / 7.5
Reading Comp.- PHS / PHS
Total Mathmatics- PHS / PHS
Problem solving- PHS / PHS
Procedures- 10.2 / 12.8
Language- 6.3 / 8.1
Lang Mechanics- 7.4 / 6.6
Lang expression- 5.3 / 10.2
Spelling- 4.7 / 6.9
Study skills- 10.3 / PHS
Science- 12.8 / PHS
Social Science- 9.4 / PHS
Listening- 8.0 / PHS
Using Information- PHS / PHS
Thinking skills- 10.4 / PHS
Complete Battery- 10.3 / PHS
Once again I amazed at the process and will probably repeat much of what I said last year.
I have a curriculum for Math and that is the only subject I "teach" in a way that would be recognizable for anyone. I do not have a curriculum for or "teach" in a traditional way, science, reading, writing, or any other subject. I do not instill time lines on my children such as, "you must be reading by this age", or "writing a good paper by this age". Many would say we follow more of an un-schooling approach. Our day consists of Scripture study, prayer, chores, Math, and being together. Yet somehow in the middle of my not teaching them Seri seemed to learn the things that society has deemed neccesary for her to know in order to be a functioning member of society. And I will have you know that I, unlike some teaching institutions (actually more like the great majority of teaching institutions) do not teach to the test. I have no idea what is even on the test...
I will also remind you that I recieve no funding, so the whole idea that if schools had more money they would be able to teach your child better is a crock of.....
All that being said I am extremely proud of her and of myself and my husband. It is very reassuring for me to see in black and white what I know and am learning to be true. It is comforting to have my work validated in a way that is accepted by everyone.
Aside from what the tests do show, there is more to the story that they do not show. They do not show how much of a hard worker she is and how she seldom complains when serving others. She does not sherk from duty when many teenage girls do.
She communicates effectively with people of all ages and is respectful to all.
She can often be found reading her scriptures of her own free will and not because she has to or someone has asked her to.
She is loyal and honest, respectful and sympathetic, trustworthy and full on integrity.
This is really why we keep our children home, to teach them full time that which the schools could never and would refuse to teach even if they could.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The FHE co-op- Families Homeschooling for Excellence
I know I have mentioned before how much I love the co-op we belong to. It is perfect for us in every way. Last tuesday was the last day of this co-op session and we are ready to take a break for summer.
this term I taught WWII to the 7-10 year olds. It was amazing! One of the things about teaching your own children is that you never cease to continue learning things also. there were so many things I did not know about each of the subjects I have taught and I am grateful that I have the chance and oppurtunity to continue learning through this avenue.
I vividly remember when I first pulled Seri out of school we were in Germany and she wanted to learn about WWII. I knew it had something to do with Hitler and the Atom bomb, at least I thought, but I wasn't even sure if those two events were in the same war or one was WWI. We were standing in the library and I didn't even know what countries were involved in this war. I remember being stunned at my lack of knowledge, overwhelmed, and feeling that there were so many things I didn't know.... It was a very empty feeling.
So here is what we covered in our oh-so brief introduction to the war.
1- Hitlers rise to power, the pact with the USSR, which countries were the axis and how they started invading nearby countries.
2-Aushwitz and the Holocaust
3- The Americans get involved, how and why
4-Famous battles and the allied troops
5-War in the homefront and how it changed our world.
6 victory, how and why.
The kids totally ate it up and we made "candy bombers" resembling those dropped by American troops over Germany for the children, Posters representing some of the "Rosie the riveter" propaganda posters and planted Victory gardens.
We filled in maps with the names of the countries involved and color coded them accordidng to their alllegiances, and set up a risk game board and reinacted some of the major battles on it using the risk men.
All in all it was a very succesful class.
Now just for the sake of helping me remember I want to list the different classes I have taught in our co-op career.
Winter 2007- substitute
Spring 2007- Math-Times tales
Fall 2007- Forensics
Winter 2008- Forensics
Spring 2008- took off to have Tristan
Fall 2008- The constitution
Winter 2009- Little Known history
Amastad
Uss Indianapolis
Trail of Tears
Orphan Trains
Shakers
Salem witch Trials
Spring 2009- WWII
I am excited about next year because Sariah will be entering the pre-school class and I am going to be doing pre-school arts and crafts. While I enjoy learning it will be a relief to teach a class in which I don't have to mentally spend so much time on preperation. I need a break I think. I have also been toying with the idea of doing a "Readers Book Guild" for the older children. We'll see.
this term I taught WWII to the 7-10 year olds. It was amazing! One of the things about teaching your own children is that you never cease to continue learning things also. there were so many things I did not know about each of the subjects I have taught and I am grateful that I have the chance and oppurtunity to continue learning through this avenue.
I vividly remember when I first pulled Seri out of school we were in Germany and she wanted to learn about WWII. I knew it had something to do with Hitler and the Atom bomb, at least I thought, but I wasn't even sure if those two events were in the same war or one was WWI. We were standing in the library and I didn't even know what countries were involved in this war. I remember being stunned at my lack of knowledge, overwhelmed, and feeling that there were so many things I didn't know.... It was a very empty feeling.
So here is what we covered in our oh-so brief introduction to the war.
1- Hitlers rise to power, the pact with the USSR, which countries were the axis and how they started invading nearby countries.
2-Aushwitz and the Holocaust
3- The Americans get involved, how and why
4-Famous battles and the allied troops
5-War in the homefront and how it changed our world.
6 victory, how and why.
The kids totally ate it up and we made "candy bombers" resembling those dropped by American troops over Germany for the children, Posters representing some of the "Rosie the riveter" propaganda posters and planted Victory gardens.
We filled in maps with the names of the countries involved and color coded them accordidng to their alllegiances, and set up a risk game board and reinacted some of the major battles on it using the risk men.
All in all it was a very succesful class.
Now just for the sake of helping me remember I want to list the different classes I have taught in our co-op career.
Winter 2007- substitute
Spring 2007- Math-Times tales
Fall 2007- Forensics
Winter 2008- Forensics
Spring 2008- took off to have Tristan
Fall 2008- The constitution
Winter 2009- Little Known history
Amastad
Uss Indianapolis
Trail of Tears
Orphan Trains
Shakers
Salem witch Trials
Spring 2009- WWII
I am excited about next year because Sariah will be entering the pre-school class and I am going to be doing pre-school arts and crafts. While I enjoy learning it will be a relief to teach a class in which I don't have to mentally spend so much time on preperation. I need a break I think. I have also been toying with the idea of doing a "Readers Book Guild" for the older children. We'll see.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
constitution bowl
the second semester of this year Seri took a class entitled "Key of Liberty". It was a very in depth study of the constitution. During the semester they analyzed the constitution, memorized the preamble, wrote their own constitution in a simulation experience, read reference books, and many other activities.
When Matt was trying to find all the books, movies and other articles on her list he mentioned that the class was more in depth than his high school and even college classes.
For the semester Seri enjoyed it. She did not have the same enthusiasm that she showed for her Shakespeare class but she did OK. I am not sure if it is because she missed the first semester so she never really fully got the benefits of the course or what but she did not complete very many of the expectations for this course.
she did her presentation on John Hancock and I did not help her one bit. She did great.
For the conclusion of this course they had a constitution bowl. I was shocked and amazed and what these children and my own daughter knew. She knows who all the delegates were and where they were from, what they believed. The questions asked covered things in the constitution, some of it I knew but a lot of I had no clue about. Not only would the children answer but they would then explain it and state what article, what section and what clause it could be found in!!!! Amazing!!!! I can't explain the pride I felt as my daughter sat there and answered these questions in this manner, getting them right! How many well educated adults don't even know how many articles there are?
I left grateful that my daughter now had this knowledge but overwhelmed at how much I do not know.
On a home schooling note it validates a lot of things that I have held true. One being that the parent does not have to be a genius to be able to teach their children effectively. There is no way I could have taught Seri even half of those things, but I can find her someone who can and will. I can't keep up with her in math hardly now (please note here that I have taken college math courses and passed them) but that does not mean that she can't follow the curriculum on her own with help from other mentors who can. It is insane to deem one person a "Professional" at teaching and then trust your child to gain a whole education through them. What I see often enough is teaching on a basic level. I want my children to learn through those that are passionate about a subject and who are therefore able to teach it with charisma and energy. From this, children truly learn. Not from a person who has sat through boring lectures for at least four years of "higher learning".
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Transitioning
Ok. I saw it coming. I avoided for a bit, then it hit. Homeschooling a teenager is definetly different than homeschooling the younger set.
I used to wonder why it was such a common trend for parents to homeschool elementary aged children and then once they hit middle school, they are thrown back in to the PS system. For me it was always the opposite. I figured if I were only going to choose one age in which I would keep them in a safe environment it would be that age.
As Seri has gotten older the resources we have for her are dwindling. The homeschool support system I am finding is mostly gear towards the elementary set. Other homeschooled friends are few and far between, unlike the plethora of little kids running around. I have had to look harder and drive farther away to find support for a homeschooled teenager.
Luckily, we have a good community and she is able to attend two classes this semester for teens in the TJED style of education. Lucky thing is, it's about five minutes away, there are children there who drive at least an hour to participate. She is taking Shakespear again and adding "key of liberty" which is a social science sort of class. They are studying the Constitution in depth this term.
There is also a Homeschooled teen group that meets once a month. We have to trravel an hour for that one, but again there are people who travel farther than that.
Lately she finds she has a ton of time on her hands and describes herself as "mentally bored". Her math, and shakespear are no longer cutting it. She does more academics than she realizes but I think we have taught our children to be in tune to their thirst for knowledge and now it has come back to bite me in the butt.
So, for awhile I have been wondering what to do about my "mentally bored child". It dawned on me the other night that one win-win situation would be to recruit her as my new preschool teacher. Win for me since Sariah will be getting that much desired time and attention, win for Sariah, win for Seri........ So far, so good.....Today she sat down with a few preschool activity books from the library and plotted out a lesson plan. The subject is Bees. They will sing the "I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee song", do a little bee finger play from the book, run and dance around the room acting like bumblebees to classical music, make bees out of construction paper and pom pom's for the antennae. After making this plan I asked her what she needed to have prepared for her lesson tomorrow and we discussed that this step was important because a two year old will not sit patiently while you get your act together. I think she will do great.
It begs to reason and got me thinking about whether she would be so mentally bored if she were in a ps highschool. That thought didn't last long. As I remember my days sitting in class and listen to the girls in the youth group I lead discuss their days at school I am comfortable that the answer would be yes. She would be just as mentally bored, or worse she wouldn't realize she was bored and would head for the socially active and mentally ignorant lifestyle that so many teens have today.
On another note one of the girls the other day told me that her favorite subject was PE. Now that is no surprise, that's been the age old favorite for as lon as I can remember, but what she said next caught me off guard. "Yeah, because we get to take naps". When I gave her my astonished "are you kidding me?" look, she went on to explain that they lay down matts and turn down the lights, play soft music and go to sleep until the bell rings. Wow, there is just so much wrong with that. Maybe these children wouldn't need to take naps if they were allowed to get an appropriate amount of sleep rather than burning the midnight oil to finish homework they procrastinated on and then getting up at 0'dark 30 to catch the bus. Maybe if the system found a way to be more efficient with their time the children could be home in time to take a nap and we wouldn't have to pay the teacher who is supervising them through this activity...... What a waste!!!! So glad my tax money is going to ensure that these teens are getting their naps!!!!!
I used to wonder why it was such a common trend for parents to homeschool elementary aged children and then once they hit middle school, they are thrown back in to the PS system. For me it was always the opposite. I figured if I were only going to choose one age in which I would keep them in a safe environment it would be that age.
As Seri has gotten older the resources we have for her are dwindling. The homeschool support system I am finding is mostly gear towards the elementary set. Other homeschooled friends are few and far between, unlike the plethora of little kids running around. I have had to look harder and drive farther away to find support for a homeschooled teenager.
Luckily, we have a good community and she is able to attend two classes this semester for teens in the TJED style of education. Lucky thing is, it's about five minutes away, there are children there who drive at least an hour to participate. She is taking Shakespear again and adding "key of liberty" which is a social science sort of class. They are studying the Constitution in depth this term.
There is also a Homeschooled teen group that meets once a month. We have to trravel an hour for that one, but again there are people who travel farther than that.
Lately she finds she has a ton of time on her hands and describes herself as "mentally bored". Her math, and shakespear are no longer cutting it. She does more academics than she realizes but I think we have taught our children to be in tune to their thirst for knowledge and now it has come back to bite me in the butt.
So, for awhile I have been wondering what to do about my "mentally bored child". It dawned on me the other night that one win-win situation would be to recruit her as my new preschool teacher. Win for me since Sariah will be getting that much desired time and attention, win for Sariah, win for Seri........ So far, so good.....Today she sat down with a few preschool activity books from the library and plotted out a lesson plan. The subject is Bees. They will sing the "I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee song", do a little bee finger play from the book, run and dance around the room acting like bumblebees to classical music, make bees out of construction paper and pom pom's for the antennae. After making this plan I asked her what she needed to have prepared for her lesson tomorrow and we discussed that this step was important because a two year old will not sit patiently while you get your act together. I think she will do great.
It begs to reason and got me thinking about whether she would be so mentally bored if she were in a ps highschool. That thought didn't last long. As I remember my days sitting in class and listen to the girls in the youth group I lead discuss their days at school I am comfortable that the answer would be yes. She would be just as mentally bored, or worse she wouldn't realize she was bored and would head for the socially active and mentally ignorant lifestyle that so many teens have today.
On another note one of the girls the other day told me that her favorite subject was PE. Now that is no surprise, that's been the age old favorite for as lon as I can remember, but what she said next caught me off guard. "Yeah, because we get to take naps". When I gave her my astonished "are you kidding me?" look, she went on to explain that they lay down matts and turn down the lights, play soft music and go to sleep until the bell rings. Wow, there is just so much wrong with that. Maybe these children wouldn't need to take naps if they were allowed to get an appropriate amount of sleep rather than burning the midnight oil to finish homework they procrastinated on and then getting up at 0'dark 30 to catch the bus. Maybe if the system found a way to be more efficient with their time the children could be home in time to take a nap and we wouldn't have to pay the teacher who is supervising them through this activity...... What a waste!!!! So glad my tax money is going to ensure that these teens are getting their naps!!!!!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Math-U-See
After a few years of doing the Saxon math curriculum I was looking for something a little different. Saxon was great don't get me wrong, it was thourough and complete, but there was just so much of it....... Once Michael really started getting into math it took a lot of time to do Seri's math and his and they both got frustrated with the amount of work there was to do. The assignments were a little overwhelming.
I started the search for a new curriculum and after ordering and watching the free DVD from Math-U-See, I knew I had found a perfect fit!!! Three years later we are going strong and I have no regrets.
Math-U-See is amazing!! It is helping me to understand math when I had all but given up hope on my mathmatical ability. Rather than teaching the methods and short cuts and procedures, he shows you the "Why". Why it has to be that way, demonstrating with cubes and different visuals exactly what happens when you are working mathmatical operations.
So many times I have watched the lesson and been left with my mouth open as I finally understand something I have never gotten through school or college. I then make Matt watch it and when Mom comes over I insist that she watch it also. We then spend the next hour exclaiming over how amazing the teaching method is.
Seri is doing math that I do not understand. Luckily it is also a self-teach program for the children who work best in that manner so she is pretty self sufficient.
Michael is moving along at a great pace.
Isaac is now adding and subtracting multiple digits and he just turned six last month!! He is also solving for unknowns. The amazing thing is he doesn't use his fingers to count on at all. I have seriously considerd putting Michael back in an earlier level so that he can learn how to not use his fingers to count with.
I recommend this program to anyone who is home schooling and looking for a curriculum, anyone whose child needs a little help understanding and anyone who has ever considered themselves "math illeterate" as I have.
This curriculum has blessed each and every person in my family including Matt who has a very "math/science" brain.
the other nice thing about the program is it fits all learning types, those that need to see it (with the DVD) those who need to manipulate and those who need to hear it. It also enforces a move at your own pace mentality with no pressure to finish at a certain time, they instead encourage you to master a procedure before moving on no matter how long that takes. That is something I struggled with when I was teaching third grade. It made no sense to teach these children division when they had a limited understanding of multiplication.
I love, love, love this program!!!!!!
Thursday, December 04, 2008
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.
Monday, October 06, 2008
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."
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."
Monday, July 28, 2008
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!!!!!!!
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!!!!!!!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
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 :)
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.
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.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
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.
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.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, April 07, 2008
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?
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?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Celebrating Unification
We had an enrichment class this evening on making our homes "Christ Centered". It was an awesome meeting and I truly left feeling not only inspired to make changes but extremely proud of myself and my husband and family for the changes we have made. The first lesson was on the words and language you use within your home. How we speak to our spouses and children, the tone of our words and the lasting impact this leaves on them. Of course, I know and have known for sometime that this is something we need to work on. Our home is loud and I tend to blame it on the fact that first of all neither Matt nor I are very quiet people, add our four children to the mix and you can imagine. Latley I have come to see this as an excuse for being lazy and for not wanting to make the effort to change. I will work on this by setting the example myself.
The second class was on keeping evils and distracting things of the world out of our home. Here, is where I felt the pat-on-the-back was well deserved. The teacher gave statistics on the various effects of TV watching, internet surfing, and over-scheduling that our children are exposed to. When we moved last Nov. we took the "dramatic' step of not hooking up our TV. Yes, you heard me right, we have not had television programing in our home for almost a year! Do I regret it? Depends on if there is a reality show on. :) Just kidding. No, I really don't. There are times when I think it would be nice to watch some of my favorite shows. There are times when I am bored and it would be so much easier to occupy the void with tv than it would be to find something productive to do. But then I watch my children as they imaginate worlds and play for hours literally. Not with store bought toys or video games, but with eachother. My eleven year old still has an awesome imagination that her peers have lost a long time ago. This, I would not trade for the world. They read to eachother all the time, not because they are told to. They play, physically, running, jumping, gymnastics, etc........ We have great discussions all of the time. We have wonderful family meals where we are focused on eachother. There are moments when I consider getting programming, but then I watch my children and think,"would we be doing this if it was competing with TV? Many times, I think we would lose a lot, a lot more than it is worth....... Along the same lines, with Christmas coming up I hear a lot of my friends talking about what their children want and whether they should get it, whether they can afford it. Funny, I can't relate.....my children ask for so little. Maybe because they are not watching all of the commercials or going to a school where it is the fad to have the latest gadget. Are they missing out, nope, definetly not!!!
The last class talked about how society and the schools, etc, are now "celebrating individuality", Look at our world, do we really need more individuality? A majority of our children are lost trying to figure out their individuality. The teacher suggested that perhaps it was time to start celebrating unification. Our family is great at that!! We are extremely unified and much more comfortable, secure and happy for it. Anyone who has seen our children can tell right away how unified they are. Do not offer one something without the intent of offering it to their sibling also. I have seen times where they have refused the item because their siblings did not recieve one. It is common for one to come back with a small candy bar and share it with the other three meaning they each only get a tiny piece....... My eleven year old recieved some money from her Grandparents with a note telling her that they wanted her to spend the money on herself an not her siblings. They wanted her to enjoy something that was hers. What a dilema this brought to her young mind........ She eventually added the money to her brothers to buy a hamster for all four of them. She contibutes by far the largest part, never once mentioning this fact.
As far as over-scheduling, with four children I have learned that our family is sacred, our time is sacred and we only have a short time with our children to instill in them all that we want, to ensure that they are able to enjoy a childhood, to love them and be with them......There is not enough time to farm them out to other sources which may not be beneficial but rather just fill up time, or ensure our place among the popular, our standing among other parents. I have nothing to prove to other parents who think my children should be involved in some sort of "great" activity. I do have something to prove to my children..... Not that all the activities are bad or don't have something to offer but we have come to a point where we are no longer choosing between good and bad but rather between good and good. Yes, I pick and choose, yes I say no to things, to a lot of things actually. Yes, other parents sit and wonder at how I could choose not to allow my child to participate in such and such. It is a scary time to be a parent and far scarier still to take a stand for what you know is best for your children despite oppostion from those you trust or even respect.
Are my children in a plastic bubble? No, far from it, although secretly sometimes I do wish they existed. They are "socialized" they do participate in some activities, they are able to relate to others of all ages. Most impotantly they know their home is a safe haven and they feel secure, respected, encouraged and loved.. What more could I want for my children than that?
The second class was on keeping evils and distracting things of the world out of our home. Here, is where I felt the pat-on-the-back was well deserved. The teacher gave statistics on the various effects of TV watching, internet surfing, and over-scheduling that our children are exposed to. When we moved last Nov. we took the "dramatic' step of not hooking up our TV. Yes, you heard me right, we have not had television programing in our home for almost a year! Do I regret it? Depends on if there is a reality show on. :) Just kidding. No, I really don't. There are times when I think it would be nice to watch some of my favorite shows. There are times when I am bored and it would be so much easier to occupy the void with tv than it would be to find something productive to do. But then I watch my children as they imaginate worlds and play for hours literally. Not with store bought toys or video games, but with eachother. My eleven year old still has an awesome imagination that her peers have lost a long time ago. This, I would not trade for the world. They read to eachother all the time, not because they are told to. They play, physically, running, jumping, gymnastics, etc........ We have great discussions all of the time. We have wonderful family meals where we are focused on eachother. There are moments when I consider getting programming, but then I watch my children and think,"would we be doing this if it was competing with TV? Many times, I think we would lose a lot, a lot more than it is worth....... Along the same lines, with Christmas coming up I hear a lot of my friends talking about what their children want and whether they should get it, whether they can afford it. Funny, I can't relate.....my children ask for so little. Maybe because they are not watching all of the commercials or going to a school where it is the fad to have the latest gadget. Are they missing out, nope, definetly not!!!
The last class talked about how society and the schools, etc, are now "celebrating individuality", Look at our world, do we really need more individuality? A majority of our children are lost trying to figure out their individuality. The teacher suggested that perhaps it was time to start celebrating unification. Our family is great at that!! We are extremely unified and much more comfortable, secure and happy for it. Anyone who has seen our children can tell right away how unified they are. Do not offer one something without the intent of offering it to their sibling also. I have seen times where they have refused the item because their siblings did not recieve one. It is common for one to come back with a small candy bar and share it with the other three meaning they each only get a tiny piece....... My eleven year old recieved some money from her Grandparents with a note telling her that they wanted her to spend the money on herself an not her siblings. They wanted her to enjoy something that was hers. What a dilema this brought to her young mind........ She eventually added the money to her brothers to buy a hamster for all four of them. She contibutes by far the largest part, never once mentioning this fact.
As far as over-scheduling, with four children I have learned that our family is sacred, our time is sacred and we only have a short time with our children to instill in them all that we want, to ensure that they are able to enjoy a childhood, to love them and be with them......There is not enough time to farm them out to other sources which may not be beneficial but rather just fill up time, or ensure our place among the popular, our standing among other parents. I have nothing to prove to other parents who think my children should be involved in some sort of "great" activity. I do have something to prove to my children..... Not that all the activities are bad or don't have something to offer but we have come to a point where we are no longer choosing between good and bad but rather between good and good. Yes, I pick and choose, yes I say no to things, to a lot of things actually. Yes, other parents sit and wonder at how I could choose not to allow my child to participate in such and such. It is a scary time to be a parent and far scarier still to take a stand for what you know is best for your children despite oppostion from those you trust or even respect.
Are my children in a plastic bubble? No, far from it, although secretly sometimes I do wish they existed. They are "socialized" they do participate in some activities, they are able to relate to others of all ages. Most impotantly they know their home is a safe haven and they feel secure, respected, encouraged and loved.. What more could I want for my children than that?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
OK
While we are on vacation to Texas this summer my Father-In-Law opened a discussion about why we homeschool. Got to love him for that ! He is one of those guys that I enjoy discussing (debating)with because if you present a good case he is willing to listen and consider, that doesn't mean you will change his mind. He also forces you to think about exactly why you stand where you do on a given position, in my opinion any conversation that makes you think is a good one.
Anyhow, at one point he posed what I have since come to think of as the pivotal question. He asked with regards to our having been publicly school educated, "Well, we turned out OK didn't we?" since then I have really thought about the question. Yes, we did turn out OK. But at what point does OK become satisfactory enough for us not to strive for more. "Well, you did OK on that surgery", "Your math on the new Hubble programming was OK". I guesse what I am asking is, why is OK enough? Is there nothing more than OK? There is no pride or fulfillment in being OK. There must be something more. My children deserve more than to be taught by an OK teacher and turn out OK. I want so much more for them than that. I want them to be passionate about learning. to be passionate about something. Almost ever PS kid I meet has no passion aobut anything, they are just serving their time until they are released, literally.
I love our conversations or debates around the dinner table, I adore how we are stuck on a question until we find the answer, the reason why, and then the fulfillment that comes from now knowing. For example in Seri's math she came across word problems dealing with fractions and was confused about when you multiply and when you divide in regards to fractions. She knows how to do both operations very well, but doesn't always understand when to use which application. Matt knew she needed to multiply but could not explain to her why. I plumb didn't know. So I asked around and tried to figure it out. One person told me that" when it asks you to find a part you divide". But that didn't fit, so finally I found a math tutor online (love the king county library system) and asked his reply was "anytime you are finding a fraction of anything even another fraction, you multiply". there you have it. And now we all understand. Because we were diligent about knowing why. We werent satisfied with the fact that she could do the problem, it wasn't a matter of just getting the problem right. We wanted her to have an intimate and firm knowledge of the material. This she would not get from a PS school. They dont have enough time or energy to deliver this kind of experience to 20+ children whom they will probably never see again.
So, in response, yes I turned out OK, but OK no longer meets my expectations or desires.
Anyhow, at one point he posed what I have since come to think of as the pivotal question. He asked with regards to our having been publicly school educated, "Well, we turned out OK didn't we?" since then I have really thought about the question. Yes, we did turn out OK. But at what point does OK become satisfactory enough for us not to strive for more. "Well, you did OK on that surgery", "Your math on the new Hubble programming was OK". I guesse what I am asking is, why is OK enough? Is there nothing more than OK? There is no pride or fulfillment in being OK. There must be something more. My children deserve more than to be taught by an OK teacher and turn out OK. I want so much more for them than that. I want them to be passionate about learning. to be passionate about something. Almost ever PS kid I meet has no passion aobut anything, they are just serving their time until they are released, literally.
I love our conversations or debates around the dinner table, I adore how we are stuck on a question until we find the answer, the reason why, and then the fulfillment that comes from now knowing. For example in Seri's math she came across word problems dealing with fractions and was confused about when you multiply and when you divide in regards to fractions. She knows how to do both operations very well, but doesn't always understand when to use which application. Matt knew she needed to multiply but could not explain to her why. I plumb didn't know. So I asked around and tried to figure it out. One person told me that" when it asks you to find a part you divide". But that didn't fit, so finally I found a math tutor online (love the king county library system) and asked his reply was "anytime you are finding a fraction of anything even another fraction, you multiply". there you have it. And now we all understand. Because we were diligent about knowing why. We werent satisfied with the fact that she could do the problem, it wasn't a matter of just getting the problem right. We wanted her to have an intimate and firm knowledge of the material. This she would not get from a PS school. They dont have enough time or energy to deliver this kind of experience to 20+ children whom they will probably never see again.
So, in response, yes I turned out OK, but OK no longer meets my expectations or desires.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Jen's rants
I was thinking today that maybe I should change this to a rant blog..... Not that it is my intention to always rant about the little things that annoy me and cause me dismay, but it seems that is what I have been doing lately. Reminder to self....come here to blog about the wonderful things also.....
With that said there was an event that happened on the fourth just fifteen minutes from us. You can find the story here, http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_071207_news_amber_alert_death.6d4192ee.html. Seems that a 12 year old girl's father asked her to go get her siblings from the house while the family was enjoying fireworks and she was snatched while in the ally that runs to her home. Her body was found less than a week later. Scary stuff and my heart goes out to her parents. At times I wonder if I keep my children too close to me, if it is good for them or if I am being overzealous about protecting them. Then something likes this reminds me that it is my obligation to protect my children and at all times do what is best for them. I count my blessings every day and that includes my children being safely at home with me.
Secondly, in my endeavor to be learned about the choices I am making on behalf of my children I have found this article. Some anti- immunizers can come off as radical or somewhat of a crackpot. Here is one who knows his stuff and presents it in an educated manner. At the same time he recognizes the benefits of some immunizations and has offered an immunization schedule that even I can almost live with. It calls for no immunizations under the age of 2, no immunizations that contain live viruses or mercury, and Pertussis (acellular, not whole), Diptheria, Tetanus and Polio be given starting at age two, every six months, one at a time. Hmm......that may be acceptable :) Find the whole article here http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller15.html
I have decided that I hold a greater and deeper respect for individuals whose choices run counter to communities dictates. For instance with both homeschooling and deciding to not immunize our children I have found that those people who have made the same choices I have are really quite learned on the subjects and have investigated in depth. In contrast, those that I get objection and flak from have often not researched or studied their opinion very well. Seems they just follow the crowd without asking questions because in our society you are not encouraged to ever think for yourself and much less research a topic to find your own opinion. Nope, much easier to just pick the popular thought and jump on the bandwagon. Then if something happens you are not to blame, the school is, or the Dr. is. but you have succesfully absolved your responsibilitie by following along.
With that said there was an event that happened on the fourth just fifteen minutes from us. You can find the story here, http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_071207_news_amber_alert_death.6d4192ee.html. Seems that a 12 year old girl's father asked her to go get her siblings from the house while the family was enjoying fireworks and she was snatched while in the ally that runs to her home. Her body was found less than a week later. Scary stuff and my heart goes out to her parents. At times I wonder if I keep my children too close to me, if it is good for them or if I am being overzealous about protecting them. Then something likes this reminds me that it is my obligation to protect my children and at all times do what is best for them. I count my blessings every day and that includes my children being safely at home with me.
Secondly, in my endeavor to be learned about the choices I am making on behalf of my children I have found this article. Some anti- immunizers can come off as radical or somewhat of a crackpot. Here is one who knows his stuff and presents it in an educated manner. At the same time he recognizes the benefits of some immunizations and has offered an immunization schedule that even I can almost live with. It calls for no immunizations under the age of 2, no immunizations that contain live viruses or mercury, and Pertussis (acellular, not whole), Diptheria, Tetanus and Polio be given starting at age two, every six months, one at a time. Hmm......that may be acceptable :) Find the whole article here http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller15.html
I have decided that I hold a greater and deeper respect for individuals whose choices run counter to communities dictates. For instance with both homeschooling and deciding to not immunize our children I have found that those people who have made the same choices I have are really quite learned on the subjects and have investigated in depth. In contrast, those that I get objection and flak from have often not researched or studied their opinion very well. Seems they just follow the crowd without asking questions because in our society you are not encouraged to ever think for yourself and much less research a topic to find your own opinion. Nope, much easier to just pick the popular thought and jump on the bandwagon. Then if something happens you are not to blame, the school is, or the Dr. is. but you have succesfully absolved your responsibilitie by following along.
Friday, July 13, 2007
The results are in................
According to Washington state law regarding Homeschooling, all children must either be tested or assessed by a licensed teacher each school year. Well, my views on testing have already been expressed, so as you can guesse we choose to have Seri assessed. A certified teacher came over to the house and in a seperate room evaluated and tested Seri using materials I had no knowledge of.
I was once told that one should not debate over issues or points of view with others who are just as passionate about opposing views, instead they told me to "Lt the excellence of your work be your protest".
Seri is definetly the "excellence of my work". Since I have nothing to hide from either those who oppose or support my views here is her assessment in it's complete form.
Serenitie Olson, Grade 5
students become proficient using non-negative rational numbers to solve problems. Fifth graders demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of divisibility including prime and composite numbers, fractions, and multiples. They apply procedures to measure a variety of geometric figures and collect, display, and interpret data. Students develop understanding of the likelihood of simple events and possible outcomes of simple experiments. They solve problems involving area and perimeter and further develop algebraic sense by using variables to write expressions and equations that represent familiar situations. They continue to check for reasonableness of answers. Students define problems by identifying questions to be answered when information is missing or extraneous and what is known and unknown in familiar situations.
EALR 1: The student understands and applies the concepts and procedures of mathematics.
1. Number sense – Serenity has mastered the concepts in number sense. These include understanding of decimal representation and their relative values, adding and subtracting like-denominator fractions, multiplying and dividing whole numbers, and estimation strategies. She has developed a strong foundation in number sense. She was directly tested on the skills she learned from the Epsilon level of Math-U-See. She completed 41 out of 49 questions correct, giving her an 84%. This information combined concludes that Serenity is definitely working at an independent level in number sense.
2. Serenity is still working to complete her fourth grade math curriculum. Measurement, probability & statistics, geometric sense, and algebraic sense will be covered later in the summer.
3. Algebraic Sense – Serenity shows strong pre-algebra skills. Again, she is still working to complete her fifth grade math curriculum and algebraic sense will be covered in depth later in the summer. She already shows the ability to apply algebraic properties to solve equations involving multiplication, division, addition, or subtraction of whole numbers.
I believe that Serenity functions at an instructional/independent[1] level in 5th grade math and is on track to finish her 5th grade year with an independent level of proficiency. Since she began the internet program in January she has completed her learning activities, quizzes and chapter tests with an average 86% accuracy, with the majority of the skills mastered.
EALR 2: The student uses mathematics to define and solve problems.
This section involves defining problems and constructing solutions. Seri is working at an independent level through the Internet Academy math program, as well as the Epsilon level of Math-U-See. These programs offer opportunities for students to work with problems in a familiar setting.
She must identify questions to be answered, determine missing information and identify the known and unknown. The programs challenge her to construct solutions for problems using concepts and procedures from number sense. This will continue to happen for measurement, geometric sense, and statistics and algebraic sense.
Both programs make use of pictures, charts, calculators as well as internet technology (drop down menus, internet games and animation). The programs Serenity uses allow for her to check her work, rework problems, and ask for additional help when necessary. The skills to define and solve problems were also observed during her math assessment.
EALR 3: The student uses mathematical reasoning.
This section involves analyzing information, making conclusions and verifying results. These components are all found in both of Serenity’s math programs and her instructional/independent abilities in mathematical reasoning were observed during her assessment.
EALR 4: The student communicates knowledge and understanding in both everyday and mathematical language.
This section deals with using mathematical language to explain or describe procedures and strategies. Serenity has a lot of experience with mathematics and in discussing her assessment she is clearly able to communicate using a mathematical language.
EALR 5: The student understands how mathematical ideas connect within mathematics, to other subject areas, and to real-world situations.
This section includes relating mathematical concepts and procedures to other disciplines and relating mathematical concepts and procedures to real-world situations. This year Serenity has participated in several cross-curricular math explorations. She attended the UW Engineering Day Expo, which included lots of hands on experiments combining both math and science. She also took a business class at her home school co-op, which included learning how to run a cooperative business. She presently has a family assignment of meal planning. She plans the meals and doubles recipes in order to accommodate the entire family. Her math skills are very important in order to help her keep the meals within a prescribed budget. This is a wonderful, real-world math situation for Serenity.
Reading—Grade 5
In fifth grade, students broaden and deepen their understanding of informational and literary text.
Students reflect on their skills and adjust their comprehension and vocabulary strategies to become
better readers. Students discuss, reflect, and respond, using evidence from text, to a wide variety of
literary genres and informational text. Students read for pleasure, choosing books based on personal
preference, topic, genre, theme, or author.
EALR 1: The student understands and uses different skills and strategies to read.
1. Use vocabulary strategies to comprehend text.
Serenity completed units on synonyms, antonyms, prefixes, suffixes, homophones, idioms and Greek and Latin roots this year with an average 100% accuracy.
She is independent in this level.
2. Apply word recognition skills and strategies to read fluently
Serenity read three selections with a word recognition accuracy (decoding) percentage of 99%. Independent reading level is normally marked by an accuracy rate of 99-100 percent.
Serenity read at a reading fluency-automaticity rate[2] of 123 words correct per minute. The target norm for 5th grade readers in the spring is 110 – 150 wcpm. Readers who perform at or near these target norms should be considered as progressing adequately in automaticity.
Lastly, she earned a score of 14 out of 16 on the multidimensional fluency scale[3]. This scale rates the reader on the dimensions of expression and volume, phrasing, smoothness and pace.
EALR 2: The student understands the meaning of what is read.
1. Demonstrate evidence of reading comprehension.
Serenity excelled in this area. She earned a score of 5 out of 6 on the comprehension rubric. Her recall was a comprehensive summary of the passages, presented in a logical order. She included a strong set of details along with a statement of main idea.
In assessing Serenity, I reviewed her Internet Academy work for 5th grade Language Arts. She completed guided instruction assignments at an independent level of instruction, including the following topics; theme, main idea, predict and infer, summarizing, fact and opinion, author’s purpose and compare and contrast. All of these topics are critical to reading comprehension and understanding and Serenity’s independent level is determined by her average 94% accuracy on her assignments.
EALR 3: The student reads different materials for a variety of purposes.
Read to learn new information
Serenity continuously has more than 50 books checked out at once. She is an independent reader with varied interests. She chose to study such varied topics as Hubbell Telescope and George Washington this year.
Read to perform a task
Serenity uses reading to perform such tasks as cooking, playing board games, participating in PC enrichment programs (Gettysburg, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego) and social studies workbooks.
Read for literary experience in a variety of genres
Serenity visits the library twice weekly. She enjoys survival stories and mysteries (such a Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys). She picks her own reading selections and has a rotating set of interests.
Writing―Grade 5
In fifth grade, students have developed a strong personal voice in their writing. This is demonstrated by the way they sometimes inject humor into their narratives and how they add emphasis or opinion into informational and persuasive writing. Students use precise, specialized vocabulary appropriately in content-area writing. They experiment with sentence length and complex sentence structures and vary leads and endings. Collaborative writing efforts are taken seriously, often with assigned responsibilities and checklists. Scoring guides, often student-initiated, provide criteria for critiquing their own work and that of others. These guides are often detailed, addressing content, organization, style, and conventions.
After reviewing Serenity’s work and assessing her writing skills on a one-on-one basis, I find her to be an instructional level writer in all areas of her writing. She is currently working her way through the Internet Academy Language Arts program for 5th grade. She completed, not mastered, the language arts units she began. She still has several units that deal with writing, specifically the Elements of Writing extension, to complete. Serenity has an expansive imagination, but finds it hard to apply conventional rules to her writing. This is an area that is still developing for her.
EALR 1: The student understands and uses a writing process.
All of these elements (1-6) will be addressed in the Elements of Writing unit which Serenity has yet to complete for Internet Academy. She completed a prewriting (graphic organizer) activity during her assessment. She showed that she understands and uses a writing process and is relying on skills learned from previous years. Her rough draft, My Favorite Pet, was enjoyable and written with a lively voice in which she used a varied vocabulary to describe her fish.
1. Pre writes to generate ideas and plan writing
2. Produces drafts
3. Revises to improve text
4. Edits text
5. Publishes text to share with audience
6. Adjusting writing process as necessary
EALR 2: The student writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes.
In reviewing her Internet Academy work, Serenity has completed writing assignments in persuasive, descriptive, informative and narrative writing as well as character sketches, creative writing and book reports.
1. Adapts writing for a variety of audiences
2. Writes for different purposes
3. Writes in a variety of forms/genres
EALR 3: The student writes clearly and effectively.
Again, I find Serenity to be instructional in this area. She has great ideas for her writing and her style is generally appropriate for the genre in which she is writing. Her handwriting is legible and she spells with relatively good accuracy. Any unconventional words were spelled phonetically (e.g., algey, adventuress) and were understandable. She needs to continue to work on capitalization, punctuation and usage rules. She was not consistent during the assessment in sticking with previously learned usage rules such as writing in complete sentences. This is especially true for her use of paragraph conventions. Her mother stated that this is an on-going problem for Seri and will continue to be an educational focus for her 6th grade year.
1. Develops ideas and organizes writing
2. Uses appropriate style
3. Knows and applies appropriate grade level writing conventions
- legible handwriting
- spells words accurately
- applies capitalization rules
- applies punctuation rules
- applies usage rules
- uses complete sentences
- applies paragraph conventions
[1] Emerging – this skill has not been taught at all this year
Instructional – the student has yet to master the skill and it may be carried over as a goal into the next school year
Independent – they have shown an ability to work by themselves in this area and are considered proficient or
above-average in their skills
[2] Reading Fluency-Automaticity. Reading rate provides a measure of the extent to which a reader can automatically decode words, thus leaving cognitive resources free for the more important task of comprehending a passage. To determine rate, simply count the number of words the student has read correctly during the 60-second oral read.
[3] Scores range from 4 to 16. Generally, scores below 8 indicate that fluency may be a concern. Scores of 8 or above indicate that the student is making good progress in fluency.
So there it is, in all it's technical, scholarly language, put our life in little boxes glory. But don't let it be said that I have not complied with the law. Did it tell me anything I did not know, of course not. Did it really say anything at all? That's debatable. The thing that gets me is we are also required by law to teach eleven different subjects, however the assessment only covered two! Secondly, I had to pay $45.00 for this assessment that was required when we pay taxes and had my children been in public school the money used to educate them would have been a heck of a lot more than $45.00. Don't you think that since we pay taxes they should be have the courtesy to at least foot the bill for something they require?
And, for the last of my rant. The children also recieved their report cards from IA. What a joke!!! Ser recieved two A's and two B+'s and Michael recieved all A's. On the surface this is all good news, but for those of us that know better it just proves that the system is a crock!! First of all I wasn't very diligent about them doing their work so they did not complete the years work, not even close....but this was not reflected in their grades at all. Secondly they were required to do no projects, book reports, writing assignments, essays or anything of the such.... Bet their PS peers would be a little irate to know that my children pulled off better grades with a lot less time and effort in the same Federal Way School District!! And yes folks, these grades are real and will be accepted as valid by any PS school in the states! Scary huh?
Back to those "required eleven subjects"that homeschooling parents agree to teach. IA,while a Public School prgoram carrying all the benefits and validity of said program, only teaches four!! Why then am I required to teach my children more than they are required to teach? Hmmmmm. Double Standard Anyone?
I was once told that one should not debate over issues or points of view with others who are just as passionate about opposing views, instead they told me to "Lt the excellence of your work be your protest".
Seri is definetly the "excellence of my work". Since I have nothing to hide from either those who oppose or support my views here is her assessment in it's complete form.
Serenitie Olson, Grade 5
students become proficient using non-negative rational numbers to solve problems. Fifth graders demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of divisibility including prime and composite numbers, fractions, and multiples. They apply procedures to measure a variety of geometric figures and collect, display, and interpret data. Students develop understanding of the likelihood of simple events and possible outcomes of simple experiments. They solve problems involving area and perimeter and further develop algebraic sense by using variables to write expressions and equations that represent familiar situations. They continue to check for reasonableness of answers. Students define problems by identifying questions to be answered when information is missing or extraneous and what is known and unknown in familiar situations.
EALR 1: The student understands and applies the concepts and procedures of mathematics.
1. Number sense – Serenity has mastered the concepts in number sense. These include understanding of decimal representation and their relative values, adding and subtracting like-denominator fractions, multiplying and dividing whole numbers, and estimation strategies. She has developed a strong foundation in number sense. She was directly tested on the skills she learned from the Epsilon level of Math-U-See. She completed 41 out of 49 questions correct, giving her an 84%. This information combined concludes that Serenity is definitely working at an independent level in number sense.
2. Serenity is still working to complete her fourth grade math curriculum. Measurement, probability & statistics, geometric sense, and algebraic sense will be covered later in the summer.
3. Algebraic Sense – Serenity shows strong pre-algebra skills. Again, she is still working to complete her fifth grade math curriculum and algebraic sense will be covered in depth later in the summer. She already shows the ability to apply algebraic properties to solve equations involving multiplication, division, addition, or subtraction of whole numbers.
I believe that Serenity functions at an instructional/independent[1] level in 5th grade math and is on track to finish her 5th grade year with an independent level of proficiency. Since she began the internet program in January she has completed her learning activities, quizzes and chapter tests with an average 86% accuracy, with the majority of the skills mastered.
EALR 2: The student uses mathematics to define and solve problems.
This section involves defining problems and constructing solutions. Seri is working at an independent level through the Internet Academy math program, as well as the Epsilon level of Math-U-See. These programs offer opportunities for students to work with problems in a familiar setting.
She must identify questions to be answered, determine missing information and identify the known and unknown. The programs challenge her to construct solutions for problems using concepts and procedures from number sense. This will continue to happen for measurement, geometric sense, and statistics and algebraic sense.
Both programs make use of pictures, charts, calculators as well as internet technology (drop down menus, internet games and animation). The programs Serenity uses allow for her to check her work, rework problems, and ask for additional help when necessary. The skills to define and solve problems were also observed during her math assessment.
EALR 3: The student uses mathematical reasoning.
This section involves analyzing information, making conclusions and verifying results. These components are all found in both of Serenity’s math programs and her instructional/independent abilities in mathematical reasoning were observed during her assessment.
EALR 4: The student communicates knowledge and understanding in both everyday and mathematical language.
This section deals with using mathematical language to explain or describe procedures and strategies. Serenity has a lot of experience with mathematics and in discussing her assessment she is clearly able to communicate using a mathematical language.
EALR 5: The student understands how mathematical ideas connect within mathematics, to other subject areas, and to real-world situations.
This section includes relating mathematical concepts and procedures to other disciplines and relating mathematical concepts and procedures to real-world situations. This year Serenity has participated in several cross-curricular math explorations. She attended the UW Engineering Day Expo, which included lots of hands on experiments combining both math and science. She also took a business class at her home school co-op, which included learning how to run a cooperative business. She presently has a family assignment of meal planning. She plans the meals and doubles recipes in order to accommodate the entire family. Her math skills are very important in order to help her keep the meals within a prescribed budget. This is a wonderful, real-world math situation for Serenity.
Reading—Grade 5
In fifth grade, students broaden and deepen their understanding of informational and literary text.
Students reflect on their skills and adjust their comprehension and vocabulary strategies to become
better readers. Students discuss, reflect, and respond, using evidence from text, to a wide variety of
literary genres and informational text. Students read for pleasure, choosing books based on personal
preference, topic, genre, theme, or author.
EALR 1: The student understands and uses different skills and strategies to read.
1. Use vocabulary strategies to comprehend text.
Serenity completed units on synonyms, antonyms, prefixes, suffixes, homophones, idioms and Greek and Latin roots this year with an average 100% accuracy.
She is independent in this level.
2. Apply word recognition skills and strategies to read fluently
Serenity read three selections with a word recognition accuracy (decoding) percentage of 99%. Independent reading level is normally marked by an accuracy rate of 99-100 percent.
Serenity read at a reading fluency-automaticity rate[2] of 123 words correct per minute. The target norm for 5th grade readers in the spring is 110 – 150 wcpm. Readers who perform at or near these target norms should be considered as progressing adequately in automaticity.
Lastly, she earned a score of 14 out of 16 on the multidimensional fluency scale[3]. This scale rates the reader on the dimensions of expression and volume, phrasing, smoothness and pace.
EALR 2: The student understands the meaning of what is read.
1. Demonstrate evidence of reading comprehension.
Serenity excelled in this area. She earned a score of 5 out of 6 on the comprehension rubric. Her recall was a comprehensive summary of the passages, presented in a logical order. She included a strong set of details along with a statement of main idea.
In assessing Serenity, I reviewed her Internet Academy work for 5th grade Language Arts. She completed guided instruction assignments at an independent level of instruction, including the following topics; theme, main idea, predict and infer, summarizing, fact and opinion, author’s purpose and compare and contrast. All of these topics are critical to reading comprehension and understanding and Serenity’s independent level is determined by her average 94% accuracy on her assignments.
EALR 3: The student reads different materials for a variety of purposes.
Read to learn new information
Serenity continuously has more than 50 books checked out at once. She is an independent reader with varied interests. She chose to study such varied topics as Hubbell Telescope and George Washington this year.
Read to perform a task
Serenity uses reading to perform such tasks as cooking, playing board games, participating in PC enrichment programs (Gettysburg, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego) and social studies workbooks.
Read for literary experience in a variety of genres
Serenity visits the library twice weekly. She enjoys survival stories and mysteries (such a Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys). She picks her own reading selections and has a rotating set of interests.
Writing―Grade 5
In fifth grade, students have developed a strong personal voice in their writing. This is demonstrated by the way they sometimes inject humor into their narratives and how they add emphasis or opinion into informational and persuasive writing. Students use precise, specialized vocabulary appropriately in content-area writing. They experiment with sentence length and complex sentence structures and vary leads and endings. Collaborative writing efforts are taken seriously, often with assigned responsibilities and checklists. Scoring guides, often student-initiated, provide criteria for critiquing their own work and that of others. These guides are often detailed, addressing content, organization, style, and conventions.
After reviewing Serenity’s work and assessing her writing skills on a one-on-one basis, I find her to be an instructional level writer in all areas of her writing. She is currently working her way through the Internet Academy Language Arts program for 5th grade. She completed, not mastered, the language arts units she began. She still has several units that deal with writing, specifically the Elements of Writing extension, to complete. Serenity has an expansive imagination, but finds it hard to apply conventional rules to her writing. This is an area that is still developing for her.
EALR 1: The student understands and uses a writing process.
All of these elements (1-6) will be addressed in the Elements of Writing unit which Serenity has yet to complete for Internet Academy. She completed a prewriting (graphic organizer) activity during her assessment. She showed that she understands and uses a writing process and is relying on skills learned from previous years. Her rough draft, My Favorite Pet, was enjoyable and written with a lively voice in which she used a varied vocabulary to describe her fish.
1. Pre writes to generate ideas and plan writing
2. Produces drafts
3. Revises to improve text
4. Edits text
5. Publishes text to share with audience
6. Adjusting writing process as necessary
EALR 2: The student writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes.
In reviewing her Internet Academy work, Serenity has completed writing assignments in persuasive, descriptive, informative and narrative writing as well as character sketches, creative writing and book reports.
1. Adapts writing for a variety of audiences
2. Writes for different purposes
3. Writes in a variety of forms/genres
EALR 3: The student writes clearly and effectively.
Again, I find Serenity to be instructional in this area. She has great ideas for her writing and her style is generally appropriate for the genre in which she is writing. Her handwriting is legible and she spells with relatively good accuracy. Any unconventional words were spelled phonetically (e.g., algey, adventuress) and were understandable. She needs to continue to work on capitalization, punctuation and usage rules. She was not consistent during the assessment in sticking with previously learned usage rules such as writing in complete sentences. This is especially true for her use of paragraph conventions. Her mother stated that this is an on-going problem for Seri and will continue to be an educational focus for her 6th grade year.
1. Develops ideas and organizes writing
2. Uses appropriate style
3. Knows and applies appropriate grade level writing conventions
- legible handwriting
- spells words accurately
- applies capitalization rules
- applies punctuation rules
- applies usage rules
- uses complete sentences
- applies paragraph conventions
[1] Emerging – this skill has not been taught at all this year
Instructional – the student has yet to master the skill and it may be carried over as a goal into the next school year
Independent – they have shown an ability to work by themselves in this area and are considered proficient or
above-average in their skills
[2] Reading Fluency-Automaticity. Reading rate provides a measure of the extent to which a reader can automatically decode words, thus leaving cognitive resources free for the more important task of comprehending a passage. To determine rate, simply count the number of words the student has read correctly during the 60-second oral read.
[3] Scores range from 4 to 16. Generally, scores below 8 indicate that fluency may be a concern. Scores of 8 or above indicate that the student is making good progress in fluency.
So there it is, in all it's technical, scholarly language, put our life in little boxes glory. But don't let it be said that I have not complied with the law. Did it tell me anything I did not know, of course not. Did it really say anything at all? That's debatable. The thing that gets me is we are also required by law to teach eleven different subjects, however the assessment only covered two! Secondly, I had to pay $45.00 for this assessment that was required when we pay taxes and had my children been in public school the money used to educate them would have been a heck of a lot more than $45.00. Don't you think that since we pay taxes they should be have the courtesy to at least foot the bill for something they require?
And, for the last of my rant. The children also recieved their report cards from IA. What a joke!!! Ser recieved two A's and two B+'s and Michael recieved all A's. On the surface this is all good news, but for those of us that know better it just proves that the system is a crock!! First of all I wasn't very diligent about them doing their work so they did not complete the years work, not even close....but this was not reflected in their grades at all. Secondly they were required to do no projects, book reports, writing assignments, essays or anything of the such.... Bet their PS peers would be a little irate to know that my children pulled off better grades with a lot less time and effort in the same Federal Way School District!! And yes folks, these grades are real and will be accepted as valid by any PS school in the states! Scary huh?
Back to those "required eleven subjects"that homeschooling parents agree to teach. IA,while a Public School prgoram carrying all the benefits and validity of said program, only teaches four!! Why then am I required to teach my children more than they are required to teach? Hmmmmm. Double Standard Anyone?
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