Back to School

At this time of year mothers across the country are buying lunch boxes and backpacks. Though the price of school supplies is high, they realize no price is too great for seven hours of sanity. Seven argument-free hours. Ahh, bliss.

I am planning on losing my sanity this year.

Parker will not be going back to public school this fall. He is going to stay home and do online/homeschool through K12 Virtual Academy.

Homeschooling does not seem very Kodie-esque. First of all, I do not eat enough whole wheat. Secondly, I haven't given up my nap yet. Maybe when I'm forty.... I take a nap almost every single day. I love my nap. I've tried to give it up by distracting myself with chocolate or calling my sisters on the phone, but I tend to slump after lunch. So I'm thinking this homeschooling thing should be interesting--"Parker, you do your math, and I'm going to sleep on the couch for an hour." Third, I really, really love kid-free time. One time last year Parker was in school, and McKay and Deacon both took a nap at the same time. As McKay rarely naps, this was a major event. I may have done a little happy dance that involved me kicking up my heels and squealing for joy.

So you may wonder what would make me decide to pull my child out of public school. I am not opposed to public school in general, but I was dissatisfied with Parker's public school in particular. I will spare you the rant. If you are one of the two or three people I have not given the long rant to, call me--I can go on for hours. My real excitement about K12 is the superior curriculum and the fact that Parker can work at his own pace. That means that if he finishes his third grade work by Christmas, he can start on fourth grade work. But the best part is that Parker is really excited about learning.

Look at all the cool stuff K12 sent him. Besides a computer and printer, he also got boxes and boxes of textbooks and manipulatives. I counted the books. He got 36. Do you know how many books my students had when I taught third grade? Two--an outdated reading textbook and a math book they had to share because there wasn't enough to go around. They definitely did not get their own graduated cylinder, science goggles, or math cubes. History textbook? What public elementary school still teaches history? Parker gets to learn it this year. He pulled out one of his history books and read the title out loud. "Michelangelo? Where's the rest of the Ninja Turtles?"

We have a lot to learn this year.

If I can stay awake to teach him.