Homeschool To Public School & Embracing The Change

How about an update on how our new school plan is working out?

It's only been three weeks, but it feels like we've been doing this public school thing for a whole lot longer than that. 

I had the whole transition laid out in my mind.  She was going to be a little nervous the night before.  We would talk about it, read some first day of school books, and snuggle in tight for a full night's rest before her big day.

Reality was nothing like that.

The night before her first day she bawled.  Hard.  Girlfriend was scared, for real.  And it was nearly unbearable for me since, ya know, it was totally our fault she was having those feelings at all.  She didn't fall asleep until really late and waking her up the next day was comical (that part was very much how I expected it to be).

She didn't get in the class with her neighbor friend which only added to her anxiety.  Andrew and I walked her to class and met her teacher (who is awesome) and left our baby at school.  The day dragged by and I was the first parent at pickup that afternoon.

That night she cried more.  Begged us to not send her back.

Math was hard, she didn't get the spelling work, she felt rushed all day.  It was hard, but we talked about how it would take a bit of time to get used to it and how proud we were and after lots of pizza and ice cream, she agreed to try a few more days.

her awesome diorama project that was presented in the library

Tuesday she came home crying.  She hadn't understood the math directions and had gotten every problem wrong, tough stuff for a girl who likes to be right at all times.

That night, I sat down with her to explain why she'd missed the answers and made sure she understood how to do it.  Reassured her that she'd get them right the next day.  Well, most of them.  The word problems gave me a run for my money.  Then again, math and I aren't really good friends.  When Andrew walked in, she lost it again.  Big old tears, saying she wanted to be homeschooled again.

Then she woke up Wednesday and I guess just decided she was going to like school.

It really was like she just made up her mind and that was that.  Since then, everyday has been better than the one before.  She gets herself up and ready to go, she marches in to class like a lady boss, she's playing and laughing everyday when I get there to pick her up.  

In her three weeks at school she's already gotten to do a very crafty school project (right up her alley) and go on a field trip which also meant she got to go on her very first bus ride.  She's made quite a few new friends and learned all about which days are pizza day and which days are ice cream days.  

 first field trip to the pioneer museum

Our weeks are going so smoothly it's almost a dream.

School doesn't start until 8:45 and is only 5 minutes away, so our mornings are super laid back.  She wakes up around 7:30, takes a shower and gets ready, then usually has time to watch a show before we go.  When I pick her up we head home for a snack and then she bikes off to play with friends for an hour or so before coming home for homework, dinner, and bed.  It's working out great.

Oh, and speaking of homework, after hearing all the hublub about it I was a bit nervous about what we were signing up for.  But so far, 2nd grade homework is simple.  Once she got in the routine she has no trouble.  She gets math each night and has a nightly journal entry to do.  Then there are 10-15 spelling words to learn by Friday and she reads for about 20 minutes a night.  All of it but reading is done in under 30 minutes and she reads before bed.

She is getting pulled out of class each day for Reading Club, which is basically a very small group at a time for extra reading help.  Her teacher thinks she's reading great, but wants to help her with her comprehension.  She's also taken a huge interest in guinea pigs since that's the class pet.  In the past week she has copied over three entire books on them and had them posted on the board in class.  Big stuff for my girl who "hates to write." 

I'm adjusting slower than she is, but I am getting used to it.

It's strange to not have her here during the day and it is still hard for me to let another person critique her.  I know how she learns and, at first, was concerned her teacher wasn't going to be able to give her that.  I also realized I had a bit of a pride issue when it came to her school.  How on Earth would she ever learn anything if I wasn't teaching her?!?!

Turns out, while I am still needed in a supporting role, I do not need to be the headmaster for learning to happen.  Who knew?

It's fun watching her bloom and I really couldn't be happier with our choice.  I'm so glad we stuck with it and went with our gut about it being time for the transition.  I'll be sure to keep you updated as we continue to find our feet in this new world.  Our next adventure includes the class pet spending the weekend with us!  I'll let you guess who is most excited about that one.

Changing Plans

Hi there.

After three weeks of quiet, I woke up today itching to charge up my laptop and click all the keys.  It's been a nice break.  I didn't spend much time on any social media, which is my usual time killer.  Instead, I spent time reading and thinking and enjoying my family.  I ran and hiked and cleaned out closets.  We've had the best weather here in the desert, I even forgot to pull out Josie's Christmas dresses until right before the big day.  It's hard to think red and green when it's sunny and 70.

It's been a time of some deep reflection for me.  Our family, our marriage, has gone through some deep trials.  I've been grieving a lot of losses and feeling a lot of feelings.  It's been hard in a new way, but, here on the other side of it, I'm feeling glad at the results that are coming from it.

This year has been a doozy.

What started as a run of the mill trip around the sun took one drastic turn after another.  It's crazy to think that Gabe's heart surgery was only 7 months ago.  It feels like eons have passed between then and now. 

I'm feeling good.

Fresh, new, refocused.

But to get there, we have made some pretty huge life changes that I thought I'd better fill everyone in on before we get too far into them. 

For instance, I enrolled my kids in school.

I know.  It surprised me too.

Most of you weren't around when we first started homeschooling, but we kind of just fell into it.  I had never planned to teach my babies.  But when it came time for Josie to start, I just couldn't do it.  Our local school left much to be desired and I just felt like I could do a better job.  From there, we just kept going.  We knew we didn't want them in the local public school and the private options didn't seem worth the money.

And I loved it.  Even the hard days were full of amazing moments that I wouldn't trade for anything.

When we decided to move to Scottsdale, we started tossing around the idea of maybe putting them both in school.  At the end of the day we decided that it was just too much change in one year and that we'd keep them home at least another year.

Then, on Halloween, we met our neighbors and became fast friends.  And the more I talked with them about the local school options here, the more I thought that the kids would love it.

Our area does open enrollment which meant we had a huge pick of where we would send them.  We toured a few charter schools and a ton of the elementary schools and at the end of last month, I walked into a school that felt like home.  From the art hanging everywhere to the huge library and smiling kids in the classes that weren't even close to overcrowded, it all felt like a perfect fit.  Josie was so excited and really didn't want to wait until next school year so, after calling around and seeing what they were covering in the school right now, we decided that she would start after Winter break.

I'm a tiny bit anxious at how fast our school plan has changed, but also super pumped up for this new opportunity.  The school is so adorable, her teacher is amazing, and I know she is going to have so much fun.

Preschool and Pre K are different here than in Georgia so, for now, Gabe will continue to do preschool at home with me until he starts kindergarten in the Fall.  And, holy cow, my baby is going to kindergarten!

I'm not sure what exactly I'll do with all the time this will leave on my hands.

Part of me wants to go back to work, part of me wants to go back to school, part of me wants to sit on the couch in silence without a single person needing me.  I'm looking forward to getting to know myself again.  I never intended to be a stay at home mom that homeschooled her kids.  Like I said, I've never regretted it for a second, but to make it work I did have to put some of my life plans on hold.  I'm excited to brush the dust off of them and see what I can do with them.

So that's our big news.

My mind is feeling clear.  I'm making choices that have me feeling like I'm finding myself again after a long time apart.  The topics on Journey To Josie may change some.  There will still be cute, curly haired kids and more pictures than you'd probably care to see.  I want to share this new phase of life with all of you and I want to document every step of the way, just like I have since the first time I logged in to Blogger.

Our journey is changing course, but it's still the best trip I've ever been on.

Interest Led

Last week we started our new, relaxed Winter school schedule.

My goal is to free up our days to spend time exploring our new state, visit with family while they are in town, and enjoy the unbelievably nice weather while still covering the basics.  We are still doing math, reading, and creative writing, and a unit here or there, but that's it for structured lessons.  Last week we were able to wrap up table work each day within an hour, leaving an almost absurd amount of time to do as we please.  It was nice.

I have some fun field trips planned for the next few months too.

We started by hitting up Sea Life Aquarium in Mesa.

The kids have been to the Georgia Aquarium a few times, which is easily five times the size of Sea Life, but they loved this place.  I was kind of skeptical when I realized the aquarium is in a mall, but the smaller exhibits really caught the kids interest.  We spent a little over an hour exploring then attended a homeschool class on kelp.

Josie was so inspired by our trip that she stayed up late that night working on a sea creatures book.

Those who know Josie know that writing has been a struggle, so when she came out at 10 to show us her four, full page book, complete with spot on handwriting, I was pretty excited!  The next day she insisted we go to the library to get sea creature books which she proceeded to spend the next two days copying facts over into her own book.

She even illustrated some of the pages with our Draw, Write, Now books.

And not to leave her arts and crafts skills behind, she bought some felt and yarn and has been sewing her own stuffed animals.  So far she's done a dolphin, a shark, and a sea turtle with plans to add a few more to the collection.

It's been so cool for me to see all the learning she's done just because she is interested.  Since we have the time, she is free to explore and has blown me away with what she's come up with.  Lots of reading and handwriting, math when she had to figure out how much felt she could buy with her money, sewing skills, and drawing!  I'm not an unschooler by any means, but it has been fun to see that so much learning happens all the time.

 

the helmet.  i can't even.

 

Whole Lot Of Nothing

Man, it's been quiet around here.

We've been busy, just not with a lot of blog worthy stuff.  Dentist appointments and park days don't make the best reading material.  But my kids have Grandparents that demand a certain quota of kid updates, so here's a random collection of our recent adventures in Scottsdale.

We went to the pumpkin patch.

It's been tricky getting in the Halloween Spirit when we are still hitting the high 90's around here.  But the other day I decided that, with only a week left, it was now or never.  We headed to the Desert Botanical Gardens and had a very festive morning picking out gigantic pumpkins and going on a hayride.  I won't lie, it was hot.  But we survived without one single complaint, which signifies we are one step closer to being real Arizonians.

I've been promised by multiple sources that Halloween signifies the day the temps drop to the 80's and don't climb back up.  We will see.

School is still rolling along.

2nd Grade isn't as fun to blog about, which is a shame because this is the first year that homeschooling looks how I always pictured it looking like.  She's reading and writing and spelling and just acting like a sponge with how she is learning things.  She'll ask a question then come up with her own solutions for finding the answers.  It's kind of awesome.  Even more awesome that it just sort of happened.  I find little people brains to be fascinating.  When they are ready they just explode!  So cool.

Mother Goose Time is doing all of my preschool work for me.

I finally decided it was time to give the monthly letter and sight word flash cards another try, trying to not think about how when Josie was his age she already knew all the letters and their sounds.  I settled in to drill him and the kid got every all 12 right on the first shot.

How'd he learn them?  Beats me, but he did so my job here is done.

My Mom gets here next week so we will be starting our modified schedule.  I'm still working out the details, but it will have lots of field trips and some very basic daily school.  Leaving lots and lots of time for family!  I'm super excited.

I'm still married.

Andrew pointed out that it's been awhile since he made an appearance on the blog, so I assured him I'd put his pretty face up.  His new job is still going great.  They are about to enter their busy season and he had a couple of managers quit which makes his job harder, but he's always up for a challenge.  Well, almost always.

We sneak in a date every week.  Something we both desperately need after how intense our weeks can get.  Last Friday we went to the soft launch of a new restaurant.  We got on the VIP list through a new website I'm getting to write a little for (East Valley Moms Blog).  We had the best time.  I like this guy.

Last but not least, here's a plug for something awesome my brother is doing.

Most of you know he had a seizure a few years ago that lead to us finding out he has brain cancer.  This Halloween marks 3 years since that first seizure.  He made a reprint of the shirt he was wearing that day and is selling them to raise money for brain tumor research.  Here's a blurb from his wife:

One Halloween, Aaron had a seizure. Turns out, the reason for the seizin’ was a brain tumor. Turns out, that tumor was cancer. Turns out, he’s still kickin it in the face. Was the fact that he was wearing this t-shirt during his seizure a coincidence? Absolutely not.

Because this isn’t just a t-shirt. It’s a message to the world no matter what life hands you, giving up is for wusses and mama’s boys. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a brain tumor, a lost puppy or farting in a meeting, you’re still kickin. Because you’re a tough sonofabitch. Who likes to donate to excellent causes.

For every t-shirt sold, we’ll be donating the profits to the Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research, funding research grants that make it possible for more people to say they’re still kicking.

The first round raised over $7,000 and broke the record of shirts sold on Cotton Bureau (insert proud sister face).  If there's enough interest, they will do another round, so if you need one (you do), enter your email HERE.  No commitment to buy, just trying to raise enough interest for them to bring it back.

Here's Aaron's Still Kickin site, where you can be inspired by all the people that are Still Kickin.

And that, my friends, brings us all up to speed.  

On deck from here, a couple reviews and the obligatory Halloween Costume Post.  See ya soon!