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 :)

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.....

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.....

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.....

 

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.....

Day 5... Manic Monday?

If Amy was still in traditional school, it would be a manic Monday, because we slept late! But, because she is school-free, we have no set schedule, nowhere to be at a certain time, and no worries if we sleep late! So, instead of a Manic Monday, I hereby dub this a Marvelous Monday!

I spent last night going over what was done last week. Trying to figure out if there were any shortfalls - If some things could be done better or even not at all. When I had questions pop into my head, I googled those questions, and then read every article that popped up in relation to my questions. As I was falling asleep last night, I mulled over my questions, the things I read in relation to them, and how I intended on tackling this week. I woke up this morning with an idea in my head of a new way of doing things. Before even getting started I already feel that what I have in mind will be good for Amy... Much more relaxed and that makes it more conducive to her learning experience! And that is what is most important... That she is learning. It doesn't really matter how she is learning, just that she is!

And, on that note, let me just say that Amy is practicing the keyboard while Unearthing Ancient Secrets plays on the TV at the other end of the family room. She can see the TV when she looks up from the keyboard. She is playing quietly and can hear the TV over her music. She is relaxed, doing something she loves (music), and getting a history, and science, lesson to boot! She is like a sponge, absorbing it all! Interested, not bored! And that is a good thing!

Until Next Time.....

Day 4... Amy's Choice

I put quite the load of work on Amy yesterday and she completed it all... Very well, I might add! But, at the end of the day, I felt bad because the day went against the style of school-free education that we all wanted for her. So today is more relaxed and Amy is choosing what she wants to do with no input from me whatsoever! I have faith that she will do well and the entry in my log will still consist of things she learned from.

We had thought we would be going to Homeschool Skate today but, when checking the schedule, it doesn't start until the 21st. That was a bit of a bummer, because she was all psyched up, but she will just spend that time now probably getting her exercise from the Wii. That's cool!

Amy's shirt that I designed for her arrived yesterday. I love the way it turned out! I'll have to get pictures of it to post. Anyway... I went ahead and designed it before she settled on what her school colors would be, just so she would have it by today for the outing, but now she wants to design her own, using her colors. The shirt that arrived yesterday will still get worn because she does like it.

Since Amy will not need me today I think I will get some work done. I have some designs that I need to get on products. I worked last night, after she went to bed, and I worked late, but I still feel very far behind. So I think that is how my day will be... Work and Housework. Unless, of course, Amy wants to play a board game or wants me to play the Wii with her. Then I will gladly put my stuff off until another time!

Speaking of time... It's time for coffee! Have a great day!

Until Next Time.....

Day 3 begins... with Beethoven

Amy has gotten an early start (7:30AM) on today and, unlike the past two days, she is beginning with the keyboard... And Beethoven. Fur Elise, to be exact. What a nice way to start the morning! She will practice this song until she tires of it and then she will write a composition about Beethoven for her portfolio.

Yesterday she began a series of essays about the states, beginning with Alabama. She will be doing this daily until she completes all 50 states, alphabetically, and it will encompass a few of her core subjects. She also has a Country Unit Study to do, but that can wait until Monday, if that is what she chooses. However, Math... Algebra 1, to be exact, is on the agenda today. I will actually review her on Pre-Algebra before pulling out the Algebra 1 worksheets for her to do. If she does well with A1, I have some Algebra 2, and Calculus, worksheets for her to do, as well. I'll slip some Science in today, too.

I am sort of testing the waters today to see how much can be worked in before she loses interest and/or begins to feel burned out. I also need to see what her strengths, and weaknesses, are so that I can better plan her course study. This is all about her learning her at own pace, and learning what she wants to learn but, if she has some weaknesses, I want to be sure that I incorporate that subject into her day as much as possible, in any way that I can.

I am also still trying to figure out how to schedule my time better so that I can keep up with the housework, and my job, and still be available to her.
That has been the tricky part of the past couple of days, but I have confidence that I will soon find my groove! I always find my groove!

Until Next Time.....

Day 2.. And thoughts about Day 1 & other things!

Yesterday went pretty well, for a first day! Amy was very relaxed and enjoyed doing things she wanted to do, when she wanted to do them, and for as long as she wanted. Having no time restraints is pretty amazing! And I was impressed with how she went about her day without me having to hang over her telling her what to do. Oh I made suggestions, and she took them into consideration, but she liked the freedom of no pressure and she especially loved not being forced to do something that she had no interest in. Today will be like that, too.

She finished breakfast about an hour ago and went straight to her desk. Just like yesterday she started this day with artwork. Art gets her blood pumping! She will incorporate other things throughout the day. And, hopefully, she and I will get in a game of Scrabble, too! I have to say that I like that she can learn things by doing, while having fun, rather than having her face crammed in a textbook only. She likes that, too. That also made the time she did spend reading more enjoyable. She was able to choose her own books and really enjoy what she was reading and learning.

Next week is when I will start incorporating cooking, and baking, into her day. These first few days are mostly just for getting into the groove of learning from home (deschooling) and figuring out what works best for her (IE: what time of day (or night) is she better able to absorb knowledge). It is also for me to figure out how better to schedule my time for work and housework while also being available to guide Amy. She is my first priority, so everything else will just have to work its way in!
Speaking of which...

While Amy is working on her art, of which she needs no help from me, I think I should probably go work on housework! lol

Until Next Time.....

And so it begins.....

Today, September 4, 2012 is the first day of Amy's new educational lifestyle... Our New Adventure!

Yesterday we took her shopping to pick up a few things she wanted, and needed, for her study area. She got crate shelves in the colors she has chosen as her school colors - Black, Pink, and Green. She got a combo cork/dry erase board, pens, pencils, sketch pad, Avenger notebooks, Avenger folders, and a Dictionary & Thesaurus. This week-end we will be going to the music store to pick up some more music books for the clarinet and keyboard. Being school-free doesn't mean she has to give up music! Oh, speaking of music, she is contemplating joining a homeschool band that will be starting up this year. I told her about it, but the decision is totally up to her!

Last night, before dinner, Amy took all of her new supplies and set up her desk, and study area, in just the way she wanted. She was very happy to not only be able to choose her own supplies, based on what she felt she needed instead of what someone else would think she needed, but to also set things up in a way that she felt would be more comfortable for her. After dinner, she spent time just having fun, and then she turned in, and was sound to sleep, before 10PM! That is what the excitement about today did to her! lol

Amy was up, and dressed, by 5AM this morning. We promised her "Breakfast Out" this morning and she couldn't wait to go! Later, as we drove through traffic at her old school, and she saw the kids in their uniforms, dragging their feet, carrying huge backpacks, we all breathed a sigh of relief and made remarks. I couldn't help but be happy that I no longer have to be in that traffic and Amy was giddy about not having to wear a uniform anymore and carrying a backpack loaded down with heavy books and homework! Heck, she is glad that she won't have homework on her first day (or any day, for that matter!) like her friends had on their first day (and every day since!) of traditional school! And she is also glad that she doesn't have to go by a school schedule anymore. The beauty of being school-free is that she is on her own time and she can take as much time as she feels she will need to do something and there are no bells telling her when to stop and start! And I didn't even need to tell her this morning to start school! She just... started on her own!

Oh, don't get me wrong. We will have to make room, at time, for schedules. For instance, when doing things with other homeschoolers. This Friday will be one of those times. She will be joining others at the local skating rink for a couple of hours of fun and exercise. That will happen twice a month. She is very excited about that! And, if she joins the homeschool band, she will have a weekly Thursday schedule. But those types of schedules are doable and will really have no effect on how we choose to do things at home. She can do anything she wants, when she wants, and won't have to worry about missing out on anything because she has, for example, to do math! She will learn what she wants, when she wants... day and/or night!

And that is what she is doing now. What she wants. Which is art. She is at her desk, working on her drawing technique, and that is fine by me. We are to encourage her to do what she needs to do for her future, and she knows what she wants to be. She wants to be a comic book artist. Her idol is Stan Lee and her dream job is to someday be an artist for Marvel Comics! The girl is amazingly talented and I have no doubt she will achieve her dreams, especially now that she is free from the constraints of traditional schooling. Now, I am in no way bashing teachers... I know a few teachers. But I also know the public school system and I also know my daughter and I know that what she will receive from being school-free will be far greater than what the public school system has offered, or even could offer, her! The world has now been opened up to her and she is free to learn and grow and experience things of her own choosing and at her own pace! Everyone should be so lucky!

Until Next Time.....