It is where I post products that I, and others, have created.
Feel free to check it out! Thanks!
Until Next Time.....
Friday, November 9, 2012
For those that may be interested.....
It is where I post products that I, and others, have created.
Feel free to check it out! Thanks!
Until Next Time.....
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
My Apologies.....
I have neglected this blog. I shouldn't have, but I turned to another blog that I have and spent most of my time writing in it. That blog site, though, is having issues and I can't access my blog at all. Very disappointed! Anyway.....
Things are going well with Amy. We are still on our adventure and enjoying it!
That is about all I will say for now. I didn't really log in here tonight with the intention of posting, and I'd rather not blabber on, so I will close this out for now.
I will eventually get back to writing!
Until Next Time.....
Things are going well with Amy. We are still on our adventure and enjoying it!
That is about all I will say for now. I didn't really log in here tonight with the intention of posting, and I'd rather not blabber on, so I will close this out for now.
I will eventually get back to writing!
Until Next Time.....
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Falls Park, The Medusa Tree, Project Wendy... And Amy!
This will be a very short entry lol
We went to Falls Park today where pictures of Amy were taken in front of the Medusa Tree for her participation in Project Wendy lol
Amy is a huge fan of Tom Hiddleston! She tries to see everything he is in, and she reads, and/or watches, every interview with, and about, him. In doing this, she learned of Project Wendy and just had to be a part of it!
Please click the links to learn about Project Wendy, and click the other links to learn about the park, and tree, where her pictures were taken :)
Friday, September 14, 2012
Day 9... On To Grade 9!
We are so excited! Amy is now where she is supposed to be!
When Amy was in 1st grade, she began her year with a substitute due to the actual teacher being out on maternity leave. Amy adored that substitute, she loved going to school, and her love of learning grew by the day! Things changed, though, when the teacher returned.
Amy lost her excitement for learning, she lost her excitement for going to school, her demeanor, personality, behavior, and grades all changed. We knew it was due to her trying to adjust to the "real" teacher and her style of teaching. Eventually Amy "got with it" and her grades began improving... except for math. We would work with her at home, and she would do well, but that didn't translate into the classroom. We talked to the teacher, looking for ways to help her. Nothing worked at school. As the school year was coming to an end, we met with the teacher again. Amy had the grades to move on into 2nd grade but, with her math grades not where we would have liked to them be, the teacher felt she would struggle in 2nd grade and that it would set her on a course of struggling all through school. She asked us what we wanted to do. Did we want her to go ahead and promote Amy or would we like to hold her back to give her a chance to improve her math grades. We told her we wanted to talk to Amy before making that decision. The teacher couldn't believe we wanted to consult our 1st grade daughter about the matter, but we knew it was the right thing to do.
We sat Amy down, explained everything to her, and asked her if she wanted to move onto 2nd grade with her classmates or if she wanted to do one more year of 1st grade, where she could go over the areas of math where she had the most trouble. She chose to repeat 1st grade and she did it with dignity.
Repeating 1st grade served her well, as her math skills improved and, as the years went by, she began working above her grade level. When she began homeschooling, she came in as an 8th grader, working on a 9th grade level. All of her work was on a 9th grade level. We talked about that and she said to me "Ya know, if I hadn't been held back, I would be in 9th grade right now." For the first time, since making that decision all those years ago, I felt bad. So I began wondering if she should really be in 9th grade instead of 8th grade. I went searching for answers.
My morning was spent with my face pressed against the monitor screen, my fingers tapping at the keyboard, wearing Google out, and reading every article, FAQ, rule, etc, that I came across. I got so much mixed information that I couldn't make any sense of any of it so I did the only thing then that I could do. I contacted our Association. Several hours later I received the information I needed.
Amy is in 9th grade!
Ahhhh...We are so proud of her!
Until Next Time.....
When Amy was in 1st grade, she began her year with a substitute due to the actual teacher being out on maternity leave. Amy adored that substitute, she loved going to school, and her love of learning grew by the day! Things changed, though, when the teacher returned.
Amy lost her excitement for learning, she lost her excitement for going to school, her demeanor, personality, behavior, and grades all changed. We knew it was due to her trying to adjust to the "real" teacher and her style of teaching. Eventually Amy "got with it" and her grades began improving... except for math. We would work with her at home, and she would do well, but that didn't translate into the classroom. We talked to the teacher, looking for ways to help her. Nothing worked at school. As the school year was coming to an end, we met with the teacher again. Amy had the grades to move on into 2nd grade but, with her math grades not where we would have liked to them be, the teacher felt she would struggle in 2nd grade and that it would set her on a course of struggling all through school. She asked us what we wanted to do. Did we want her to go ahead and promote Amy or would we like to hold her back to give her a chance to improve her math grades. We told her we wanted to talk to Amy before making that decision. The teacher couldn't believe we wanted to consult our 1st grade daughter about the matter, but we knew it was the right thing to do.
We sat Amy down, explained everything to her, and asked her if she wanted to move onto 2nd grade with her classmates or if she wanted to do one more year of 1st grade, where she could go over the areas of math where she had the most trouble. She chose to repeat 1st grade and she did it with dignity.
Repeating 1st grade served her well, as her math skills improved and, as the years went by, she began working above her grade level. When she began homeschooling, she came in as an 8th grader, working on a 9th grade level. All of her work was on a 9th grade level. We talked about that and she said to me "Ya know, if I hadn't been held back, I would be in 9th grade right now." For the first time, since making that decision all those years ago, I felt bad. So I began wondering if she should really be in 9th grade instead of 8th grade. I went searching for answers.
My morning was spent with my face pressed against the monitor screen, my fingers tapping at the keyboard, wearing Google out, and reading every article, FAQ, rule, etc, that I came across. I got so much mixed information that I couldn't make any sense of any of it so I did the only thing then that I could do. I contacted our Association. Several hours later I received the information I needed.
Amy is in 9th grade!
Ahhhh...We are so proud of her!
Until Next Time.....
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Day 8... Just Some Thoughts
Amy is still in the midst of deschooling... Boy, is that ever harder than we expected it to be! Over, and over, last night she sat here in the family room, apologizing again for sleeping in and explaining why she is scared if she sleeps longer than what anyone else would think she should. I have to say it angered me to see her worrying so much about that! Oh, I wasn't angered by her... I was angered by The Outsiders. The people in our lives, the school system, anyone else that put that worry in her head! I will remedy that!
Cut to today:
Little by little, though, I saw glimpses that she is finally truly relaxing and realizing that she is ok to be at home, to be herself, sleeping when her body needs it, waking when her body tells her to, learning in her own way, and that a ringing phone, or a knock at the door, is not the public school system, or another authority acting on their behalf, coming to demand answers as to why she isn't in school, etc! That was one of my biggest things to get past, so I know what she is going through, but once I received our ID cards, with our Accountability Association information on it, I relaxed very quickly! Amy is seeing that in me and that will help her.
We are both finding our groove. Amy is doing what interests her and, along the way, she is finding other things that also interest her. She isn't suffering from boredom, which happened in traditional school. She is also figuring out what time of day, or night, is better suited for her to learn. And we are going to go with that because this is about her, what she needs and wants, and not what others think she needs, wants, or should have.
If only I could get back all the years that we lost due to not doing this way back when we first wanted to, when our other 4 kids would have reaped the benefits of an adventure like the one we are having now! To them I apologize.
Until Next Time.....
Cut to today:
Little by little, though, I saw glimpses that she is finally truly relaxing and realizing that she is ok to be at home, to be herself, sleeping when her body needs it, waking when her body tells her to, learning in her own way, and that a ringing phone, or a knock at the door, is not the public school system, or another authority acting on their behalf, coming to demand answers as to why she isn't in school, etc! That was one of my biggest things to get past, so I know what she is going through, but once I received our ID cards, with our Accountability Association information on it, I relaxed very quickly! Amy is seeing that in me and that will help her.
We are both finding our groove. Amy is doing what interests her and, along the way, she is finding other things that also interest her. She isn't suffering from boredom, which happened in traditional school. She is also figuring out what time of day, or night, is better suited for her to learn. And we are going to go with that because this is about her, what she needs and wants, and not what others think she needs, wants, or should have.
If only I could get back all the years that we lost due to not doing this way back when we first wanted to, when our other 4 kids would have reaped the benefits of an adventure like the one we are having now! To them I apologize.
Until Next Time.....
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Day 7... One Week Down!
Yes, it has already been one week since Amy began schooling at home and what a week it has been! It has been filled with fun, learning, questioning, finding our way, discovering what works best, planning, excitement... And so much more! And I really think I will leave this at that, so...
Until Next Time.....
Until Next Time.....
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Amy's allergies have kicked in and she didn't sleep well last night. She was up at 4AM because she was all stopped up. She finally went back to sleep at some point before the sun came up. I let her continue sleeping until she felt ready to get up.
Just before noon she woke up and kept apologizing for not being up sooner to start school. I told her "No worries, Amy. You are homeschooled now, so your day can start at any time". She said "If I was still in school, today probably would have been a sick day". Yes, it would have. But we don't have to worry about that anymore. The beauty of schooling at home is that there do not have to be anymore sick days. Even if Amy isn't feeling well, she can still learn, and doesn't have to worry that she missed something or will have to do make-up work. And she can rest as much as she wants, when she wants, because her day doesn't have a start, or end, time. But, after that convo with Amy, I realize that she hasn't yet been completely deschooled. I suppose it will take just a bit longer before it finally hits home with her that the rules that traditional schools have just do not exist here in our home.
I have to say it is very freeing to not have to call a school and let them know my child will be absent and be reminded to send a note and then to still receive the automated call later in the evening telling me my child wasn't in school with yet another reminder about sending in a note! My disgust for sending in notes started two years ago when Amy, and her older sister, Kristy, missed school due to a death in the family and our having to be out of state for days. I sent in notes with them but those weren't accepted until we sent in an obituary notice. And, even then, nothing was accepted until the school did their own checking to make sure the obituary, and their relation to the deceased (their uncle), could be verified! That really upset us all! But... no worries of that anymore! And no need to think of it anymore, so I will move on!
We began this adventure figuring we would be referred to as Eclectic Homeschoolers because, while we would mostly be following the unschooling method, there would be books, worksheets, etc, involved from other methods, on occasion, which would then nullify the unschooling method. But I have actually decided that I don't want us to be tagged with any sort of label, other than School-Free, because the manner in which we will be doing this will be changing and changing too often to stick with any sort of labeled method. I have never liked labels anyways. So, while some may look at us and refer to us simply as homeschoolers, others may see us as Unschoolers, Relaxed Learners, Eclectic, Radical Unschoolers, etc, but I would much rather just have people look at us... as people. And if they feel they must label us because our child learns at home, rather than at school, then just refer to us as School-Free, because that is what we are.
On that note, I changed up things here a bit yesterday and it worked really well! Amy watched 4 hours of documentaries on the Science Channel. She not only got a science lesson out of them, but she got a history lesson, too. She had been practicing the keyboard when I first turned on the docs, and she was paying attention to the TV while practicing but, 30 minutes into the first one, she walked away from the keyboard and put all of her attention on the TV. She absorbed everything that she was watching and later, when telling her dad about her day, and the docs, you could hear the excitement in her voice. That is the moment I had been waiting for. That unbridled excitement! It validated our decision to become School-Free! She did more things toward learning yesterday, but those docs covered two core subjects and made a huge impact! They made her want to learn more and even ignited an interest into forensic science!! That pleases me because I have always had an interest in forensics and I can't wait to dive into that with her! I'll be sure to blog about when we do!
Until Next Time.....
Just before noon she woke up and kept apologizing for not being up sooner to start school. I told her "No worries, Amy. You are homeschooled now, so your day can start at any time". She said "If I was still in school, today probably would have been a sick day". Yes, it would have. But we don't have to worry about that anymore. The beauty of schooling at home is that there do not have to be anymore sick days. Even if Amy isn't feeling well, she can still learn, and doesn't have to worry that she missed something or will have to do make-up work. And she can rest as much as she wants, when she wants, because her day doesn't have a start, or end, time. But, after that convo with Amy, I realize that she hasn't yet been completely deschooled. I suppose it will take just a bit longer before it finally hits home with her that the rules that traditional schools have just do not exist here in our home.
I have to say it is very freeing to not have to call a school and let them know my child will be absent and be reminded to send a note and then to still receive the automated call later in the evening telling me my child wasn't in school with yet another reminder about sending in a note! My disgust for sending in notes started two years ago when Amy, and her older sister, Kristy, missed school due to a death in the family and our having to be out of state for days. I sent in notes with them but those weren't accepted until we sent in an obituary notice. And, even then, nothing was accepted until the school did their own checking to make sure the obituary, and their relation to the deceased (their uncle), could be verified! That really upset us all! But... no worries of that anymore! And no need to think of it anymore, so I will move on!
We began this adventure figuring we would be referred to as Eclectic Homeschoolers because, while we would mostly be following the unschooling method, there would be books, worksheets, etc, involved from other methods, on occasion, which would then nullify the unschooling method. But I have actually decided that I don't want us to be tagged with any sort of label, other than School-Free, because the manner in which we will be doing this will be changing and changing too often to stick with any sort of labeled method. I have never liked labels anyways. So, while some may look at us and refer to us simply as homeschoolers, others may see us as Unschoolers, Relaxed Learners, Eclectic, Radical Unschoolers, etc, but I would much rather just have people look at us... as people. And if they feel they must label us because our child learns at home, rather than at school, then just refer to us as School-Free, because that is what we are.
On that note, I changed up things here a bit yesterday and it worked really well! Amy watched 4 hours of documentaries on the Science Channel. She not only got a science lesson out of them, but she got a history lesson, too. She had been practicing the keyboard when I first turned on the docs, and she was paying attention to the TV while practicing but, 30 minutes into the first one, she walked away from the keyboard and put all of her attention on the TV. She absorbed everything that she was watching and later, when telling her dad about her day, and the docs, you could hear the excitement in her voice. That is the moment I had been waiting for. That unbridled excitement! It validated our decision to become School-Free! She did more things toward learning yesterday, but those docs covered two core subjects and made a huge impact! They made her want to learn more and even ignited an interest into forensic science!! That pleases me because I have always had an interest in forensics and I can't wait to dive into that with her! I'll be sure to blog about when we do!
Until Next Time.....
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