A Big Change Part 2

If you haven't read the first part of this post, you can find it here. Otherwise, feel free to proceed. :)

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After looking at several curriculums, asking my homeschool friends what they used, and even flipping through some sample books, I decided on a curriculum and ordered it (I even found the majority of it used -- God bless Ebay!).

At first, she told me several times that she missed her old school. I'm not sure why. Maybe just to be contrary.

She did get to talk to the teacher occasionally during conferences and at some of the classes we were able to attend. And she is a charmer toward any adult. Except me. And Daddy. So she didn't get to try to work her magic on the teacher anymore. The teacher was suddenly wise to it. Hmm.

After about a month, we began to figure things out. The meltdowns had mostly ceased with an occasional one here or there. And, then, suddenly, we had a great day where everything fell into place. Her day ended by 1:00. What!!

She decided this kind of school wasn't so bad. But she still wouldn't claim to like it.

She began to not mind reading either.

The last book we read in the online school was, it turned out, a 5th grade level book. According to the teaching manual, she should have been able to read the almost daily assignment of 2 chapters in about 20-25 minutes. Try two hours. Yes. Two hours!

When I found out what level it was, I fumed. She had struggled and cried about that book. And I had been concerned about some of the content that was above her understanding. Nothing bad, just beyond her maturity level. Concerned because they expected her to pull out all kinds of inferences about motives and such. I don't know any 8 year old who could have come up with some of it.

But, it turned out that she was right at average reading level for her age. The books she has read so far have been age appropriate with a few challenging words. She is mostly able to figure out how they're feeling and what their motivations are now -- not at first.

And for the first time, she is referencing parts of the books she read when she sees something that applies while we are out and about. Because the literature and the history are in the same time periods and work together, she has made more connections than ever before. The online school program was intended to work concurrently to some degree but the schedule the school administrators set up completely threw that by the wayside. So, every class, every lesson, every daily check-in  was on something different, even when they were on the same subject.

This has turned out to be our new blessing. And, the fact that Oklahoma allows me to do it legally is even more of a blessing. For the first time, I feel like she is actually learning -- not just getting it long enough to take a test and go to the next thing. I feel like this might be something she remembers later on. I feel like she is being educated.

Last week, my husband mentioned her 'old school.' For the first time, she told us she likes her new school better of her own accord. I consider that success.

If she ever says she 'loves' school, I will probably have a coronary. So I'll just be happy with liking what we are doing better. That definitely works for me. :)