rogue education

I have learned alot this year from "homeschooling" with Connections Academy. The program was a God-send when we needed it. I have come to realize though, that although it is a fabulous program, there are still key requirements I feel are not being met in the education of our children. Specifically, in educating through CA we are still with a public school and public schools must follow states guidelines for education; guidelines which are based on a fictitious middle-of-the-road child who learns specific skills at specific times. I feel the current public school curriculums push the children through their lessons without providing the opportunity to master each lesson. I feel the school districts have prioritized only those aspects that directly effect the assurance of their funding, rather than assurance of a well-rounded education (which is individualized). While I value and appreciate the teacher, and believe teaching is only becoming more difficult, more underappreciated, and more underpaid, they too, are subject to the politics of the state's requirements as well, and consequently, limited by same. I have seen teachers hand out extra credit "work" with the intention that it would pass children along into the next grade level, rather than holding them accountable for their progress. God forbid we hold back too many children - but we "fail" them still. I was in a comfort zone with the only system of education I was familiar with, but it had become a Catch-22.

I agonized about pulling my children from public schooling. I worried about the extra work load I would have and fullfilling the responsibility (but whether they are in public school, private school, or homeschooled, I still bore that responsiblity). I worried that I might do them an injustice by pulling them out of public school, but continued to feel the injustice of leaving them in public school. I could either sit by and watch them struggle, stress, and fret over their assignments and passing each grade level, or I could step up and make sure they were provided the education I felt would be most beneficial (and the education they deserved). Yes, it would be more on my plate, but I had the kids in the first place. It's my duty as a parent, and simply, I am going to follow through for them. Anyhow, no one knows it all, not even the teachers. Fact is, many schools assign teachers to lead classes on subjects they were never trained to teach. A homeschooling parent learns along side the child, and a home education is all about meeting the child's individual educational needs.

So here's our new plan. Are you sitting down? We'll be homeschooling, by its, uh, truer form, and I never, I mean NEVER, thought I would be homeschooling any of my children, ever! This year we rushed our way through the textbooks in an online public school, which became a baby step towards an actual homeschooling program. Now, we will work our way through the textbooks at a slower pace. We will work year around, and allow the children to master each lesson before moving on. I have already purchased the books off of ebay for about $10-15.00 each, beginning with a repeat of this years textbooks.

She said, She said

The following are excerpts from correspondence between myself and the teachers regarding my math curriculum concerns.

Excerpts from my letter to Drew's teacher:
"Although we were given a little more time to spend on previous lessons, and I continue to give extra work myself in math; I am still very unhappy with the current curriculum." "...I do not feel the kids are retaining the information in math - they are not mastering the lessons before moving on; and I feel they are covering lessons that could wait. Drew's grades do not reflect her actual scores because I go over the incorrect answers with her, explain them to her, and then correct the answer before submitting the assessments. Both children are capable of understanding the information being given to them in order to complete the daily assignments, they simply aren't holding on to that information for long because they seem to be moving to(sic) fast."

"As for Drew, I feel she needs much, much more time spent on 3 digit adding and subtracting (borrowing and carrying over), and small multiplication and division (as well as money and time). I feel these are foundational to all other math and it's really important for her to actually master it before moving on. Otherwise, she will be overwhelmed, struggle just to keep up, and not retain the information for later."

"The most important lessons, in my opinion, are foundational math (adding, subtracting, multiplication, division, and simple algebra), and reading and grammar. If they can master these, they will have better problem solving skills in the long run."

Excerpts from (Drew's) teacher's response:
"I agree completely with you that a great foundation in math is of the utmost importance. CA math curriculum does introduce many skills without a lot of time for mastery. I'm a firm believer in repetition to learn the basic math facts."

"I appreciate you sharing that Drew is not as strong a math student as her math grades reflect. Drew really needs to complete the assessments independently so that I can have a better grasp of what her strengths and weaknesses are. Had she been doing this and we were getting a truer picture of her math skills, then she could have been put on an escalation plan. This would allow me the possiblity of modifying and/or deleting some assignments so we could just focus on the basics."

"On future math assessments, I would like for you to not correct Drew's mistakes and let me see what she is understanding. After I grade the assessments, Drew could then go back and rework the incorrect questions. If Drew does complete the assessments independently and does not make a passing grade I will then readjust her grade to 70%, if she corrects the missed questions. She will need to show her work, how she arrived at her answer and webmail this to me. (make sure to include the unit/lesson)"

(Let me just say here, that as the parent and the "learning coach", I feel I'm in a pretty good position to determine how my child is doing as well as the lessons my child needs more attention with. I also feel, in an online program such as CA, the teachers would take that into consideration and, consequently, my opinion and concerns would carry more weight, and that weight would allow us to cut straight into action as opposed to this process of submitting incorrect answers in order to verify what I am already expressing. I do not want to appear to harsh on CA, as I have enjoyed it so much, and I do realize they are a public school entity and must conform to the same rules and procedures (which may not be what I am looking for in a homeschooling program, rumor has it I am the controlling sort) ;) I do feel I have a fairly accurate understanding of how my children learn, think, and feel; education is an emotional process as well. So, I've pulled my children from our local public schools not only because they have been undergoing dramatic changes in the last two years that I did not agree with nor feel comfortable with, but also because I could see so many children in the public school system losing their power, losing the passion, and losing respect. I didn't want my children to be lost as well. I want them taught in an environment that nutures a healthy self-esteem, encourages their passions, enthusiasm, and love. Okay, okay, I've started rambling and I, in no way, mean to imply that CA is anything nearly resembling my local ISD, so let's move on.)

Excerpt from my letter to Wolfie's teacher:
"I still feel that Wolfie is moving forward in Math way too fast, and he is not given the time to master the lesson before moving on. While he seems to do well with watching a live or recorded lesson, reading the book, watching videos, and understanding the assignment, he is not retaining the information. (I believe his TAKS is going to reflect this as well.)"

"I am extremely confused as to why Wolfie is already studying Geometry, when his focus, I feel, should be long division and multiplication, and simple algebra. I have noticed he struggles in these areas and I feel it's because he wasn't given the time to master it enough to feel good about it, and then move forward. In my opinion, the most important lessons are the foundational math (adding, subtracting, multiplication, divsion, and simple algebra), and reading, writing, and grammar. If they can master these, they will have better problem solving skills in everything else in their lives."

Excerpt from (Wolfie's) teacher's response:
"I've actually already modified the math 7 curriculum by skipping everything in part B that is not required by the state of Texas. My plan is to have students work on that material during the last month of school, because those lessons are foundation topics for next year."

"Though it may feel frustrating that Wolfie is studying Geometry instead of focusing more on basic math skills, our state requires studying in Geometry, Algebra, Data and Statistics, etc. each year. I can make curriculum modifications, but I cannot omit topics that are required in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)."

"However, it may make more senese for Wolfie if we spend the last month going back and continuing to practice the essential skills from Math 7, instead of having him work on the skipped topics. That will give him a full month to reflect and review."

Consequently, I am looking into more homeschooling options. I don't view this as a set back nor a wrong decision; this is all, simply, a learning experience (and I suppose one would be very lucky to find just that right one, on the first try). I also understand, there will be pros and cons to every situation, but I also feel the gravity of my expectations for my child's learning experience. I have sat and watched my children working hard only at keeping up, and never really being allowed the time to "get it" and get excited about "getting it". What then am I looking for in our educational experience? A "program" that allows the children to (1) work at a pace I feel is comfortable and reasonable for them, (2) with a focus on mastering each lesson before moving forward, (3) offers a adequate and well devised curriculum, and (4) affordablity.

I start my search with the following: Sonlight, Winter Promise, Alpha Omega, The Pioneer Woman, A Beka, K12, and North Texas Academy, and I will post more links to more programs as I come across them.

To leave or not to leave, that is the question!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, but with the holidays and the way my new year began, I simply haven't had the time (and those who know me personally, understand).

Lately, I've been questioning whether or not Connections Academy is the right program for us. As previously posted, I had touched base with a couple of our teachers to revise the lesson plans for Drew and Wolfie so that they could spend more time on certain math lessons. While the teachers worked with me, I still feel the children continue to move forward on the subject of math faster than necessary. I would rather see them truly master the basic foundation lessons of math and retain that information, than have them move forward into areas quickly, covering plenty of ground but not remembering any of it later.

Consequently, I have been entertaining other homeschooling programs. I have a family member that was homeschooled and continues the tradition with her son; she has given me lots of information and support (I am truly thankful).

But for math, I am really happy with the program and the childrens progress in all other subjects. I could do without some of the ridiculous "trick" questions snuck in here and there. I believe those only promote self-doubt and insecurities; although I understand they may encourage a student to pay more attention to detail, it can be saved for late-middle and high school grades (elementary is just too young for those "games"). Connection Academy's teachers have been amazing! The program itself, is easy to use for everyone. The curriculum and grading system is fine. Therefore, leaving Connections would not be a decision made lightly.

(p.s. I do not, however, have any regrets whatsoever about pulling the children from our local public schools.)