Learning at School and Home: Year 5

First day of school (7th, 4th, and 9th grades)

 We took an unexpected trip to the Grand Canyon

The boy studied hard, taking dual credit courses as a freshman

He also learned to cook.

 Sharpened some existing skills

 (the sisters couldn't be outdone)

 And changed a few light bulbs in awkward places

 Our county Fire Department opened a new station in October, so we gave it a visit

And the girls went on a school-sponsored fishing trip

Ember caught the biggest fish and won a hoodie

We took walks with dogs

We had bunnies in the yard

Ember's self portrait was featured in a local gallery

 Willow played all of the sports

And tried a few new things (things that need a little more work)

 Marching Band is Ryvre's sport

Of course, Willow does that too!

Ember's softball season has just begun

Learning at school may be finished for another year, but there's plenty to do over the summer.

Fifth Year of Public School (No Looking Back)

My blogging hiatus was not exactly planned: Google decided to lock me out of my account two years ago, due to disuse, I suspect. As even my regular readers probably don't recall (because i haven't made a single post in over two years, and no regular posts in...maybe five?  Six?), I haven't had internet access in years. Well, that is one thing that changed. Satellite technology finally caught up to the fact that not everyone lives in an area with DSL lines, so NOW services are offered that work completely off the satellite receiver (as opposed to receiving through satellite, and sending through DSL. Now the signal goes both ways). SO rural customers can now get an internet connection without either relying on cell service (which is also bad in most rural locations!) or investing in military-grade equipment. Hurrah!

We are also still public-schooling our kids. Why have a homeschool blog then? That's a pretty good question. The title, at least, should probably change, though there is still PLENTY we teach at home that they aren't getting in the classroom (life skills, financing, morality vs religion, etc). Also, homeschooling was a very big part of our lives for a very long time. Ten years! And our kids are still seeing the benefits.

Why public school now then? Well, it just works for us. While there are many things we provide at home that the school can't, there is plenty the school offers that we can't. So really, it's the best of both worlds. So we're opportunists. It's all good.

Starting our third year of not-homeschooling

Why We Did It.

Dale and I started discussing the possibility of sending the kids to public school as soon as we moved out to the country (farther out than before, at least), last November. We preferred the idea of a small, rural school, to the type of district we were coming from—moderately large and “political” (an apt euphemism once used by Willow's thrid-grade teacher).

We also began to suffer from isolation, with no close neighbors and the only homeschooling, playdate-compatible family we knew in the area moving to California in December. We settled into our new neighborhood and routine, planning to start fresh the following Fall.

We met with the elementary principal in August, the week before school started. We grilled him about everything from sports to school lunches, discipline to class size. Of course the policies weren't perfect, but our basic philosophies lined up rather well with the principal's, so we enrolled the kids. Dale and I agreed to give it a full semester before making our final decision on the matter.

The semester ended with Christmas break.

Of course there are many pros and cons.

Pros:

1. The kids are making many friends
2. Small class sizes (18-20 kids per class, two classes per grade level)
3. Lunches (and breakfasts) are all cooked on-site
4. Activities, life lessons, and points of view we couldn't provide at home
5. The faculty is not only able, but expected, to know each child

Cons:

1. Cliquish, small-town mentality makes it very difficult for parents to make friends
2. Little to no funding for extra-curriculars, current textbooks, etc.
3. Lunches (and breakfasts) are full of complex carbohydrates and HFCS
4. Lots of money out-of-pocket on fund raisers, equipment, supplies, class parties etc.
5. Grouchy teachers teach multiple classes and grade levels—no escape!

There are, of course, personal concerns we're dealing with that aren't necessarily about the school itself, but rather dealing with other peoples' children and introducing our kids to society in general. Closed-mindedness, bigotry—that sort of thing. They're being exposed to it sooner than I would have liked, but at a time when they are still willing to talk to us openly about the issues, so learning opportunities are being taken advantage of too. I won't go into detail about these right now, because like I said, it's more an issue of individuals than the school. I do appreciate how the school as a whole deals with our concerns when we bring them up. So that's an entry for both the pro and con side.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Ryvre made his dramatic debut as King Arthur.  Nana, Papa, Granny, and Aunt Nancy all came to see him.  We're very proud!

New Hair, New Glasses

Ryvre's 10th Birthday

Due to the loss of our beloved Great-Great-Granny, Ryvre's birthday was pushed back a week.  We had a small party with my parents and Dale's mom.