Friday, August 22, 2008

What We'll Be Doing For School This Year

Well, as I mentioned earlier in the week, this subject of what we'll be doing for school this year has definitely been the hardest ever in our homeschooling lives.

Having moved across the ocean has given us pause to think about why we homeschool and whether or not, at this point, it's the most beneficial thing for our kids. In the end, Hubby and I agreed to apply to the school here which he most liked, and allow God to make the decision as to whether or not they got in.

They didn't get in. (Please note: If your screen is shaking a little bit, that's me doing the happy dance, jumping around like a fool in the background. No pictures, please.)

So, all summer I have been planning on having them transition this year to an online school, in the event that they do go to a traditional school next year. This would give them the chance to get used to working with other teachers, other people's expectations, etc.

The school I was interested I in ended up having some concerns about, so I spent Monday night and Tuesday in a tizzy. We looked at some other schools here in town, but they are all filled with extensive waiting lists. I considered ordering Sonlight again, but didn't feel right about it. This past year and a half have really been a struggle for my kids. I LOVE the curriculum, but it hasn't been a good fit for them lately. I looked at the online school K-12, but it's cost is pretty steep for us.

In the end, I found another online school Keystone National Middle School. It seems to be a good fit for what we are looking for. The classes are appropriate for where my kids are, the cost isn't too bad (though I'm still hoping Hubby's company will help pay for it, in lieu of paying 5x as much in tuition at a local private school which is in his contract), and it seems to be reputable.

If you know something bad about it, just don't tell me ok? I don't want to have to go through this all over again. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, ya know?

In addition to the basic curriculum from Keystone, we'll also be doing our Rosetta Stone Arabic (I'm more convinced now about our need for this since those mean cousins were talking about my kids in Arabic!), signing up for progressing towards the kids getting black belts, Emily will be continuing in her piano lessons and Daniel would like to begin guitar.

Whew! That's what we'll be doing this year. What about you?

6 comments:

Mary said...

My son is a 7th grader in public school. He actually attends the same school I did as a child which is kind of neat. I'm now the treasurer of the same PTA my was the secretary of almost 30 years ago. He takes guitar and drum lessons and is a First Class Boy Scout working towards his Star rank. I'm a Committee member for the troop and hubby is the assistant scoutmaster. We keep pretty busy.

Stacey said...

i know this has been a difficult thing to deal with, but i hope all these new pieces fall into place.

Nancy M. said...

I hope everything goes well for y'all and that they love their new 'school'. I am doing a unit study with my son and supplementing with math and science.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure any of us will ever find a perfect fit for a family of children :-) They are all so different. That's one reason I love homeschooling as we can challenge each child to their own potential!!

Be blessed!
Sallie

Joy Junktion said...

Wow, I think I'm glad my kids are out of school. I homeschooled my oldest through high school but the youngest went to a public high school. It just worked better for him.
I admire all homeschooling families no matter what curriculum they use.
Looks like you have a very full year ahead of you.
Blessings.

Unknown said...

We're not doing anything compared to you!

Seriously, my girl can't decide which after-school activity she wants to do. I think we may be on the verge of missing them all!

I hope the school stuff goes great for you all!

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