Life Long Learning

Ding, ding, ding! Schools are almost back in session.

This year I have a senior and a fourth grader, so while the past years have felt fairly routine, this year will feel very different.

First, I have a senior! He’ll be attending an old, new school. We’ve been reassigned back to where he did his freshmen year. So, there’s the move, the reintegration, and the fact that this is the year of lasts: football games, grade reports, dances, and more.

Second, I’m going to homeschool my fourth grader for the first time. This has been the plan all along. We’re looking forward to it. The first day of summer break I asked Tara, “What do you want to do today?” and she said, “Get ready for homeschool.” We’re in agreement—that, in itself, is very different.

I’m not an expert in either of these areas. I have a little experience in the homeschool scenario, because I homeschooled Thomas for fourth grade as well. He lived through it, and it didn’t hinder his progress. He returned to public school as a full-on fifth grader, easily on target for all that entailed.

Since I’m out of my element, I’m going to do now what I did then: share with you some resources I used and have learned about and ask you to do the same.

Here are my suggested resources.

Two sites we used for homeschool in 2006:

• Book Adventure: This site was created by Sylvan because of the sobering statistics that, at fourth grade, 33% of students are below their reading level. With Book Adventure, I evaluated my son’s reading comprehension and created an incentive plan similar to how they did it at his old school.
• BrainPOP: The videos, online games, and printables at BrainPOP were excellent tools to introduce concepts and build on them throughout the year. Now the site has many varieties: a BrainPOP Jr., a Spanish BrainPOP, and an ESL version. Their parent/teacher support site isn’t something I used much before, but I plan on using it now. I love that you can search the curriculum to tailor it to your state’s core requirements and your child’s grade level.

One site we will use for homeschool this year (in addition to continuing those listed above):

• Newsela: I’m so excited I found Newsela. I have already briefed my husband on an innovative way he will be helping with homeschool. He is going to point out news items that he finds interesting, and Tara will search them on this site. It is written at multiple levels of complexity, so they will be able to discuss news in terms that she can understand. I think I’ll have her pick a few news items to respond to and share with her dad as well.

What I don’t have a handle on are sites and resources he can use to prepare for his next step—college, trade school, national service, whatever it may be. I worry we don’t have enough money saved, that he’s behind in knowing what he wants to do, that so many moves have worn him out, and that this fun senior year will come with more than the normal anxieties, and so on, and so on.

Where are the sites for that?

I try to not let my own anxiety spin out of control. I found this sentence in a blog I wrote back in 2006. It was an important lesson I learned that year, and I will try to keep it at the forefront during this year:

We can do anything if we are motivated by the right reasons and take the bad with the good. It’s the challenges that we learn most from for sure.

Still, if you have any comments, sites, or advice that would make the journey a little easier, I’d love to have them, not just for my family, but also for all our families considering homeschool or dealing with their first senior.