I find myself in a new phase of life, reflected here in the lack of posts. My life is much less centered around homeschooling these days, and somewhat less around homemaking too. The reason is because the kids have grown! My 19yo (Duncan) has left home for flight school, which leaves just two capable teens in the nest. The housework as a result is drastically decreased, and I really don’t find myself drawn to the projects that people like to blog about. Thus the quiet.
Early in the school year last year (but not early enough), we made the decision to shift all future high school years from traditional homeschooling to virtual schooling. The reason I say not early enough is that I decided this in the first week of September, too late to enroll for the year. Pearl, our then-sophomore, had immediately begun hitting walls with math. This was after a year of backing up and review, and we were all weary and discouraged. After putting two boys through high school (and also just getting older), I was ready to relinquish higher education into other hands. I knew from our experience with online classes the remaining kids would excel and I could just focus on being a mom.
So Pearl will be spending 11th (and probably 12th) grade at Logos Online, a Christian Classical school. The Classical bent will support the learning goals I posted about a couple years ago. (They also offer their classes a la carte.) I chose the school because of its daily live classes, reasonable tuition, and Spanish options. She is taking Integrated Humanities (combined history, literature, and Bible), Geometry, Chemistry, and Spanish. I also like her schedule, which is 8am to noon, four days a week; leaving afternoons and Fridays free for homework or other activities.
(The happy end of her math story last year was that she was rescued by a switch to Learn Math Fast! She got completely caught up to Algebra 2 by the end of the year. These books should be at the top of the research list for anyone frustrated with math.)
We will also execute this plan of virtual high school for Jack, who is currently in 8th grade. That means this will be his (and my) last year of traditional, mom-managed homeschooling.
That’s quite a statement.
I am not sure if we will use the same virtual school for Jack, who is not a natural reader nor the type to appreciate philosophy. But I have a year to think and research.
Jack will be doing two online classes this year (Excelsior LA1 and Foundations of World History), and three video-based classes at home (Systematic Mathematics Algebra, Science Shepherd Physical, and Mapping the World with Art). Nothing is completely print-based anymore. That’s a little bit of a shift for this CM mom.
So this leaves me with a lot of time on my hands, as well as the ability to shift my focus elsewhere. I’m not totally sure where that will be. I guess we’ll all have to stay tuned…
I will try to throw out a post here and there as I remember things that I still consider valuable.
How is your life going?