Tag Archives: MNVA

Decisions, Decisions

Last week we heard back from almost all the schools we’ve applied to. With the exception of one she was accepted to all, which was exciting. Now it comes down to financial aid. I really hoped it wouldn’t come down to that, however, I have realistic expectations about how much I can afford, and while we didn’t specifically start doing online school for the price tag (free) it certainly doesn’t hurt!

On that note, we haven’t completely given up on the idea of online school, in fact quite the opposite. GM actually completed her 3rd grade math for the year, so this week we’ve begun 4th grade math, and having that flexibility has been awesome.  Continue reading →

Five Things I love about Online School

 

  1. Flexibility – My days are never predictable, as much as I strive for a routine, it’s not usually completely consistent, and it’s great to be able to take spelling lessons on the go, or double up on a science lesson if needed. Or when it’s too busy for school, being able to skip something in that moment, or even that day, and loop back at a more convenient time.
  2. Quality Time– I’m very lucky that I have a kid that loves learning and is very self motivated, which means most of the time we spend together in school is positive time learning, and bonding. Every once in a while we’ll hit a snag, but so far we’ve been really able to problem solve through them, or decide to put the lesson down and come back to it when we aren’t feeling so frustrated. Continue reading →

A “Typical” Day

This title is a bit of a misnomer, since in the two months that we’ve been doing this we’ve had very few days that end up as planned, and almost no two have been the same, and yet, I do feel like we’ve established a rhythm.

We were fairly lucky in establishing a “routine” within the second week of school. I’ve been told by other, more experienced, home-schooling mothers that it takes anywhere from a month to a year to feel like you know what’s going on. I feel like on most days I have a pretty good handle on what needs to be done and a plan on how to do it.  Some days, it feels a little out of control. Continue reading →

Anxiety Rears it’s Ugly Head

Had conferences with our teacher today. It has been so strange when the teacher seems totally happy. Even the mere word conference sends my child in to a fit of anxiety.

I explained to her that today’s conference would likely be much different than most, because since she was home with me I could honestly tell her that she was doing splendidly. She did seems to calm down a bit after that.

We have moments every once in a while. It hurts to realize how much anxiety she was carrying about school on a day to day basis. Again, I am so thankful we’ve found this program.

Hope all is well in your conferences too.

-CM

Gifted – In Context

One of the challenges I’ve found with my gifted children (especially the older one) is that I tend to forget her  chronological age. She and I will be having a deeply philosophical conversation about equal rights, or discussion the stock market or the housing crisis, and suddenly she’ll turn around and do something I perceive as really immature. It’s a bit jarring for my brain, and I find that  in that moment I have to remind myself that she is only 8. Continue reading →

Creativity

My daughter has always expressed a great amount of creativity, most of it channeled well. One thing I began to notice during our last year of school was a sudden disinterest in creativity. As though suddenly it wasn’t cool anymore for her to think up projects, or make up games. Around this time she also started coming home telling me she was bored all the time. Continue reading →