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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Gearing Up For Something New....




The end of summer has always symbolized change and the days leading up to the first day of school become filled with errands and long lists of back to school supplies and school clothing needs.
This year is a bit different for us; we decided to enroll the girls in a cyber charter school called http://www.connectionsacademy.com/ We are very excited because it will offer more flexible schedules and the ability for accelerated studies. E will be able to take a language this year and M will be able to tailor her program to focus on Environmental Science which she has long been interested in. There is no cost to us; this is a state approved public school with certified teachers. We just received our new computers and textbooks this past week.
We have been researching home schooling and cyber charter schools for a while now. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with the public school system in our area, we felt strongly that E was not being challenged. M struggles with Math and needs some extra attention, and we wanted her to be able to focus on her studies without being distracted with the social obstacles that are all too familiar with middle school. Yes, I know she is now a teenager and I can't shelter her forever, but, Rick and I would have liked to been the ones to enlighten her on certain topics, including some rather adult issues. And, it would have been nice if her $200 eyeglasses hadn't been twisted beyond recognition while she was in gym class this past year. (No one ever came forward to claim responsibility.)
Add to this both kids attendance issues-they were sick with strep quite a bit (we were on a first name basis with all the staff in our doctor's office as well as the schools,) and they missed a whopping 25 days of school each.
The up side to the new school is of course the flexibility, and, unless they are deathly ill they have no excuse for not completing their daily work. We also don't have snow days like everyone else does, unless,we decide not to. This only means we have to make up the hours missed on another day. And, there is also a lot of opportunity for socialization, including weekly field trips, outings and clubs in our area.
I also feel this is a good choice for M because she is not sports oriented, and, in our school district, I have come to the conclusion that if you aren't playing a sport, you don't quite get the full benefit of the total school experience. In cyber charter school, she can branch out and explore her own interests without feeling pressured. Growing up these days is hard enough, and I want to make it an experience both of my daughters can look back on and feel really good about. While a brick and mortar school may be the right choice for some kids, we would like to at least explore this new opportunity and see if we can positively impact our children. After all, we are their best advocates.
I am sure we will have our share of good days and bad days, lol! I look forward to sharing my experience with all of you and hope you will follow along as we begin our new endeavor. The first day of school is on September 1.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Inspiration for the Day....


"Aspire to Inspire Before You Expire"