First week of school the virtual way

Last week was our first week of school.  My kids don't have a traditional school day.  We don't technically home school,  but we also aren't in traditional public school.  We use a virtual school.
Our virtual school is technically a public charter school, so we are required to do state testing and keep track of attendance.
We started our virtual school experience 5 years after a horrific bullying experience with my oldest daughter. One day I'll be able to write about it. I still shake thinking how much of the personality of my outgoing cheerful daughter we lost due to that experience. It took over 5 years to see her really begin to come out of her shell again.

We began our journey with K12 Inc. It was great. Then more and more changes happened within our own charter school that made it not the best place for my kids to learn.  I still love the curriculum of K-12 Inc.  Their History program is AMAZING in the way it teaches many cultures and belief systems instead of whitewashing all mentions of any religion.  Countries were formed and kings crowned due to religions.

With 3 children in the K-12 program it was not easy for me as their learning coach to keep track of all their work.  I had to go to multiple places just to get the grades and work for one child. Checking their work due dates and grade books took over 45 minutes due to all the many pages I had to navigate to get to them.  I am a computer savvy person and I would get frustrated dealing with it. This is one place that Connections Academy is really excelling.

With Connections Academy everything is laid out for me easily on the front page of my parent profile.   I can see all assignments that are past due, tests I need to check and a reminder for attendance all on my To Do list.  Connections gave me the ability to run a Family Calendar so I don't have to set birthdays and other events multiple times over multiple schedules. Yet at the same time I can set up separate schedules for each child.      

Every charter school is different within each program. Every family has different challenges and needs.  I love having virtual school as an option for my family.  I have been able to be more active in my kids' schooling and watch them really excel. With the virtual model learning is done in many styles so that all students get a chance to catch on.  It really helped my oldest two with their very different learning styles.

My only regret is not making the change sooner.  You can still ask questions and even join at some school even if the school year has started.  Contact K-12 Inc or Connections Academy today to find what would fit your family's needs or is available in your area.

First day of Kindergarten

The night before her first day of school Nadia.  She wanted to ride the bus to school like her big sister but begged daddy to meet the bus at school.  She struggled to hold back tear as she talked about her nerves about the following day.  After a long talk and a few more reassuring talks from both parents she fell asleep.

When morning arrived I was afraid that we were going to go through it all again.  Instead of a fearful little girl walking down the stairs, I got a an excited big kid ready to start her day.  She had gotten herself completely ready for school without my reminders along the way.  She excitedly posed for pictures, barely giving us a chance to have her picture taken.

As we begin the walk down to the bus stop, she doesn't even want to hold my hand.  There is an extra swagger in her step. (that was one very proud little girl)  We arrive at the bus stop with time to spare. (more time than we thought) We waited and waited... and waited some more.  The bus was late.  Hormonal mommy wanted to cry about putting off the inevitable, but Nadia was just impatient to get to school.
Once we finally see the bus driving towards us (10 minutes after school is supposed to start)  I gave Nadia a hug and told her to have a great first day of school.  She grabs her big sister's hand and ran down the sidewalk to where the bus stopped.  I wait for her to turn around before she climbs on to the bus.  Nothing. Not even a side glance.  She clambered on the bus and sits in the section for kindergarten.  Once she gets seated and comfortable she finally looks out the window to happily wave goodbye.

I choke back tears on my way home.  I was having a tougher time with the day than she is.   Then once Daddy arrived back home to tell me that she was not upset at all when he met her bus at school.  Instead she was excited and taking in her surroundings.  Nadia bounded excitedly into class hurrying Dad away.  He almost didn't receive a hug from her and even had no chance to take a picture of her in class.

I officially have 3 school age kids.  This is a whole new experience for me.  Throughout this year I will also be talking about our newest experience. Our oldest daughter Lauryn is going to home school for 6th grade through the K-12 program.  We made this decision after a long discussion and are all excited for what the year will bring for her as well.  Stay tuned for our first foray into homeschooling.

K-12 is considered a public school but taught from home.  Even with her being at home we will have more contact with her teacher than ever before.  (phone conferences every 2-3 weeks and a special email system to talk often)  The school provides a laptop, printer, and many other instructional supplies.