Haha! Now you too can have that song stuck in your head for the rest of the day. [grin]
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This is the time of year when everyone is looking at schools (unless you are happy with where your kid is already attending). We knew before we started checking around that our options would be limited, for the same reasons they were limited last year. Our daughter is just too far ahead of her age group and our county has age restrictions at every school (public and private).
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But we also knew that homeschooling wasn't really what we were looking for either. I have done a passable job this year, but her success is due to her determination and desire more than my planning and scheduling. She is the one who says, "Mommy, are we going to do schoolwork today?" every single day. It isn't me, planning and executing a well-thought-out educational plan for her. As a matter of fact, I'd have been better off buying an entire curriculum at the beginning of the school year and paying for the daily lesson assignment calendar as well.
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All that being said, I love having both my girls home with me. I love taking them to museums, the zoo, outings at the park, and basically being the primary teacher and caregiver to both of them. And I don't want to give that up. But I also know that we're doing her a disservice by maintaining my status as her teacher.
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So, I knew that whatever choice we made regarding her schooling had to be a fantastic one for her. The best available. Because to give up my role, it must really be a good move for her. And I believe we've found the best of both worlds. A challenging curriculum, geared directly to her abilities, a certified teacher planning her day, the flexibility for her to work at her own pace, and I get to be her primary day-to-day teacher. It sounds too good to be true. But the reality is it is going to be incredibly challenging for both of us.
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She will be attending a virtual public school, using the K12 curriculum. There is one issue, since they will be labeling her "1st grade", but that is easily overcome by the fact that her core classes will be geared to her ability - she has been assessed at the beginning of 4th grade level for language arts and 3rd grade for math. We are happy to have them start her with second grade math and reading (practice makes perfect, right?) and as she completes the lessons and masters skills for the other subjects, they are happy to move her forward, even in the middle of a school year. (They will never, however, label her the next grade level until the following school year).
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We realize that this is not a perfect system, since she will likely get to a point where the school cannot fit her needs (providing we decide to continue with this school after the 06-07 school year, we are taking this all one year at a time). But, we know that mainstream school won't fit her needs NOW. And even if she did have an option that suited her now in a mainstream school, it will likely not suit her down the road, the sponge that she is. But, we are confident that this is a wonderful opportunity for her.
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And I am happy that I will have the support I need to stay on track and the security in knowing that what I am teaching her each day is moving her forward in a logical and successful way. I know this is a fantastic solution for our family and I look forward to enrolling her sister for the 07-08 school year, and having the support I'll certainly need in teaching two girls at home. It is exciting and I know that seeing their progress is going to make the hard work that it will require (from all of us) worth it.
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