I think....

I think I might be on to something!

Oh my little man child is something else! I will say that the last three weeks have been an adventure. The two of us are learning how to hang out together again. I will note that his behavior and attitude have improved immensely!

When we decided to withdraw him from school, he was a bundle of tantrums and wet pants. If he was asked to do anything at home, it was like an explosion of exhausted little boy. If his pants weren't wet when he walked through the door, they were wet soon after.
In three weeks, we have had fewer and fewer accidents and tantrums are almost non existent. If he is asked to do something, he does it with enthusiasm. I really hope his sisters take to being home as easy as he has.

It is encouraging to see his personality re-establish itself. He has gone from a very tired little boy back to the fun loving little boy he once was.

I have found a few curriculum books that I am sure we will go through, as time progresses. Eventually we will have a mission statement and some where along our journey we will set goals. For now, we will enjoy the ride!

wait...what??

"Why would you do that to yourself?"

That was the response from an eavesdropper at karate today, when the instructor and I were conversing.

Wait, what? Why would I do what to myself?  Oh, actually want to spend time with my kids? yeah, I have no idea **eye roll**

Loving my children is easy, there is no thinking about it, but I actually like my children. I find them entertaining, funny, smart, sensitive and they are the most courageous people I know. Qualities that my husband and I would like to take credit for. I am actually looking forward to having them home all of the time again. I think it will be new and fun.

Do people not like their children? So the idea of spending quality time with them is absolutely horrifying?

I never thought I would take the leap to home school. Yet, here we are and I am excited. The fact that the only schedule we will have to abide by, is the one we create. The idea that we can throw our picnic blanket in the yard on a hot September day and read a book while the birds fly by or turn our trampoline into castle with a moat and a draw bridge is absolutely liberating!! (and never needing an alarm clock again is really why I am excited for this!)

What I am really hoping for, is that the kids take an interest in their home life. I want them to be able to function in a world that does not include their mother. I want my girls to know how to use a lawn mower and I want my son to know the difference between a sauce pan and a frying pan.

There I said it, I am excited to spend time with my minions. I am excited that I will get to be there when the light that shines on the gift of learning is sparked! Yippeeee

Who needs a schedule??

This girl does! As much as I wanted to be free and let the wind take us where it desired, my brain can not function without a strategy. Last night I sat down with a pencil and a calendar and charted a course for days off. I have loosely scheduled 186 days of instruction time starting in September 2014 and running its course before June 1, 2015.

I still haven't figured out lesson plans, I know that will come. I do know that I want to create a portfolio for each minion. To ensure that records are kept and they can see just how much we do, together as a family and how they can learn outside of a classroom.

To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition. To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Now I will work on our mission statement and what the goals of this journey will be.

What am I doing?

Really, what am I doing? I have no clue. I think I need to stop perusing pinterest. I don't know where those creative geniuses are, but I am not one of them! I had a plan. Then I changed it!

We chose to withdraw the man child from 1st grade. His last day was Wednesday April 4, 2014. We didn't know it would be his last day. Even though I feel like we are taking a small step off of a very high cliff, I feel it is the right decision for the boy. In just under a week, his personality is on its way back to the happy go lucky kid I know and love. Now to figure out a plan and map out the next 8 weeks of "school" for him.

We have a loose "unschool" plan. We are letting the current take us a little farther down stream.
Yesterday we found two worms and I got to hear the most amazing sound, the sound of giddy giggles. The worms are now named Wiggles and Squirms and they are residents of our garden beds.

Something has to be said for a dirty face and dirty hands, especially when they are attached to a very happy boy!

Ready for what??

The theme I am hearing when I listen to the "positives" of the common core standard is college AND career ready. How can you be college and career ready when you finish high school?

When someone says "career" I think of a doctor or a lawyer, someone that completed high school and then made the commitment to pursue a degree of higher learning in a specific field.

Being college ready means that a student has mastered and exceeded high school standards and has taken courses in high school that will prepare them for college. Classes that involve higher math and English such as pre-calculus, trigonometry, and AP Literature.

How are we going to ensure that every child from every walk of life is college AND career ready?

How does common core plan to accomplish that? The bottom line answer is, the common core standards can not accomplish that. Not because we have standards, but because not every person wants to go to college or have a career when they graduate high school.

Why are we insisting that every round object will fit where the square peg goes?

I know when I graduated high school, I wanted to see the world. I knew I could not see the world from the inside of of a classroom. In order to see the world, I enlisted in the Army. Guess what, I got to see the world!

At 9 years old my daughter has said she wants to be an astronaut, a veterinarian, a pediatrician and a teacher. How does a standardized test pick which career or college path would be the best for her?

Just some food for thought...or the many ramblings of a frustrated parent!

Teachers are wonderful!!

Question of the day...

Why are you going to home school, do you not believe in our teachers??

I believe in teachers 100% I truly believe that each and every teacher is called to the profession of teaching. There is something beautiful about a person that can open windows and doors and instill a love of learning in little hearts and minds!

What I do not believe in is the government. I do not believe that government should be able to tie the hands of our teachers. I do not believe that anyone, except the teacher, should dictate how a lesson is taught.

I believe as a parent, not only do I have to be the voice that advocates for my child, I should be advocating for the teachers. Teachers have access to the most powerful tool in the world, the human mind. It is a shame that teachers can not express their fears and concerns about these common core standards because they are afraid if they do, they will not have a job to come back to.

Parents should be asking those journalist questions that are so very important.

Who? Who, decided that common core was the best decision for every district in every state?
What? What are these standards?
When? When, did we as parents agree that this was the best option?
Where? Where, is the accountability?
Why? Why, are we allowing the government to use our children as guinea pigs??

The start...

The idea to home school is not a new one. It has been an idea that was planted, about the time our little guy started Kindergarten. The amount of time little boys spend sitting and being reminded to stay quiet, was astonishing. Kindergarten was a push of sight words and phonics, addition and subtraction there was very little time for physical activity and almost no time to have a conversation with any of his peers.
First grade for him was not any better. While the girls thrived in this type of environment, our little guy has been on a down hill ride. 

Then came a move. A move that we begged for and gladly accepted when it finally came to fruition.

With this move we entered a new realm of education, common core standards. A program that is supposed to be awesome for military families. A program that is supposed raise the bar and have every graduating senior ready for college (didn't we try that with no child left behind?). So, I started my research and I haven't found a single sheet of information that outlines what the national standard is. I haven't been able to find anything that has benchmarks or a way to measure what our children learning.
What I have found are complicated ways to solve simple math problems. English Language Arts is an absolute farce. Yes, children can read but they lack the ability to comprehend what they have read. The other problem with ELA is the lack of grammar and punctuation. How are our children going to be college ready, if they can't write an essay?

I have found that districts are using "task forces" to evaluate teachers. Really? A task force? Isn't that what law enforcement agencies use to track down criminals? Even with the use of a task force, I still can not find the ruler that determines the success of the teacher. What I have found is mandated curriculum. A way to teach children how to take a test. A means of teaching them to all think the same. An attempt to put every child, regardless of ability, into one box. 

I believe we should push our children to meet and exceed standards, when a clear standard has been put in front of them. I don't know how our children are supposed to thrive when the bar is constantly lowered. Yes, we need to reform schools. How do we do that? We empower our teachers! We allow them to teach our children how to think, not what to think.