Today a big box was delivered by Fed Ex. It's our Techkit! I'm very excited to feel like things are finally rolling. Inside this jumbo box we have an HP laptop (complete with case), an HP printer (including ink cartridge), a very nice headset, software (Microsoft Office Pro!) and the coolest thing of all, a Wacom Bamboo Fun! You may be saying, "What is that?!" A quote from their website explains it well:
Now there's a simple, easy, and fun way to harness your creativity. Bamboo Fun makes your computer your canvas, allowing you to freely express yourself by simply touching the pen tip to the tablet. Touch up digital photos, draw by hand, create artwork and paintings, and even write in your own handwriting.
This link will take you to the sample of what it can do: click here
Tomorrow we will pull it all out and set it up to make sure it's all in working order. Our addition to the house is moving along, but is not ready, so we'll make do with a small table in the family room. The contractor says about 3 more weeks. Since PA Cyber's start date is August 18th, I don't know if we'll make it. Thanks to cyber flexibility, I don't need to sweat it!
I hope the box with our curriculum will arrive soon. I'm really looking forward to checking out that material. Our plan is to pretest our way through third grade math and cover any gaps in the first couple months. When our son was tested by a psychologist in March, he was said to be working at a high 3rd grade math level. We figure we can start into fourth grade math shortly. If he was in a brick and mortar school, he'd still be reviewing the second grade material by the time we have reached fourth grade.
I did hear one potential negative rumor about PA Cyber today. Someone I know was told by someone else that the Calvert Curriculum may be phased out. I would really hate to see that happen, so I'm going to pretend I didn't hear it. At this time, PA Cyber offers two choices; Calvert or Lincoln Interactive. Calvert is presented in more of a traditional homeschooling option. The facilitator at home does most of the teaching. I'm told it is very flexible and easy to differentiate. Lincoln Interactive is the Virtual classroom option. It follows the same pattern as a brick and mortar school. Scheduled lessons with a teacher moving all students at approximately the same pace. A good choice for children who left their traditional school as a typical learner. More of the same for anyone who needs a faster or slower pace. I REALLY hope it's only a rumor!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Do you know what your child is doing in school?
A new study has been done that shows...ready for this?....children should be expected to master math concepts! Isn't that a shock? If you have looked at the math that comes home from most public schools you'll know that mastery is a *new* idea. When I was in school, mastery was the norm. First you learned addition, then subtraction, then multiplication...and so on. Now, every year through elementary school a child is given a little bit of many math concepts. They never work to the point of mastery in any one concept. The general consensus among the experts for the last several years was that this was the best way to teach math. In some ways it makes sense. The regular reviewing helps to keep things fresh in mind. However, for kids of average intelligence, this can be extremely tedious. For kids who are above average, with high rates of acquisition and retention, it can be torture. I am hoping this study will be used to improve the curriculum offered in schools. It will be funny to see how quickly spiraling curriculum will be labeled as horrible for kids. Many in the gifted ed community have been saying that for years, but until the *educational experts* declare something law, it's not true.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Waiting.
We still hadn't heard from our IS (Instructional Supervisor) at PA Cyber, so I called to see what was the hold up. They are still waiting for the school nurse to approve our son. He's entering 3rd grade. All 3rd graders in PA need to have a dental exam form filled out. I haven't sent it in yet, since we already have a check up scheduled for the beginning of August. Apparently we have to wait until that is sent in to get the ball rolling.
I am anxious to get my hands on the materials so I can have time to see what we will be doing. However, it probably is best that I don't have more to do right now. The addition is moving along nicely. The roof is on and the inside walls are framed. No windows yet. Next week will be the electrical, plumbing, windows and deck. Then we move onto the really messy stuff...drywall. I've been running our son to a Cartooning Camp that he signed up for this whole week. He loves drawing, so it seemed like a good summer activity. I could do without the extra driving, but he's having a good time.
We have started collecting other educational tools for the classroom as well. I won an auction on Ebay for a lot of Eyewitness books. We already have tons of books in the house, but there's always room for 15 more! I also placed an order with Mindware http://www.mindwareonline.com/MWESTORE/Home/HomePage.aspx?
and Educator's Outlet http://www.educatorsoutlet.com/
They are both great websites for parents who want to supplement their children's learning at home. I love the clearance section on Educator's Outlet!
Only a little over a month left until we dive into this new endeavor! I am still excited, but also nervous about the responsibility. The occasional negative comment by well meaning friends adds to that concern. I know that whenever someone tries something outside of the norm, they are going to encounter resistance. When we first made our decision, I was telling everyone about our exciting new plans. Now I just keep it to myself as much as possible. It's what our family has decided is our best option. I don't need anyone else's approval.
I am anxious to get my hands on the materials so I can have time to see what we will be doing. However, it probably is best that I don't have more to do right now. The addition is moving along nicely. The roof is on and the inside walls are framed. No windows yet. Next week will be the electrical, plumbing, windows and deck. Then we move onto the really messy stuff...drywall. I've been running our son to a Cartooning Camp that he signed up for this whole week. He loves drawing, so it seemed like a good summer activity. I could do without the extra driving, but he's having a good time.
We have started collecting other educational tools for the classroom as well. I won an auction on Ebay for a lot of Eyewitness books. We already have tons of books in the house, but there's always room for 15 more! I also placed an order with Mindware http://www.mindwareonline.com/MWESTORE/Home/HomePage.aspx?
and Educator's Outlet http://www.educatorsoutlet.com/
They are both great websites for parents who want to supplement their children's learning at home. I love the clearance section on Educator's Outlet!
Only a little over a month left until we dive into this new endeavor! I am still excited, but also nervous about the responsibility. The occasional negative comment by well meaning friends adds to that concern. I know that whenever someone tries something outside of the norm, they are going to encounter resistance. When we first made our decision, I was telling everyone about our exciting new plans. Now I just keep it to myself as much as possible. It's what our family has decided is our best option. I don't need anyone else's approval.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Space is at a premium.
Most people who decide to cyber school generally just find a quiet corner somewhere in their house to allow their child to do their school work. Not me. I decide we should add a two story addition!
This was actually a plan we had from the time we first bought our home. Our kitchen is a smallish, eat in style kitchen typical in a ranch home. The house we lived in previously had been built in 1920 and had a huge kitchen and dining room. The downsizing was irritating, but we loved the location and decided to just deal with it. I would occasionally mention the need to add a "real" dining room someday. Once we decided to cyber school, I knew I had my chance!
I believe one of the great aspects of cyber schooling is that you can do it anywhere. Of the families I know that do cyber school, most use a desk in a living room or family room. One friend took her previously unused formal dining room and turned that into cyber central for her 3 children. At an information session I went to for PA Cyber, a teacher told us about some of her students. One girl had a father who was a very successful businessman. He spent a lot of time traveling in his private jet. She would travel with him, laptop ready for school anywhere, anytime. One student was in the hospital waiting for a bone marrow transplant. This child needed to be kept away from others physically, but could still interact with classmates through cyber schooling. What incredible opportunities technology has opened up for learning!
So...do we need a new classroom added to our home? Probably not. I'm enjoying myself imagining and planning what it will be like. Ultimately, what will make the difference for my child will be the opportunity to immerse himself in learning for the first time in his school career. I know that could be accomplished anytime, anywhere when he is given the freedom to dive in and drink it up.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Why Cyber?
When we first started looking into alternative schooling for our children, we weren't sure which way to go. Our oldest child went to a private Christian school for most of her school years. That decision was partly made due to the fact that her father and I lived in different school districts (for her middle and high school years) and the transportation issues would have been difficult. My husband and I lived in a less than desirable district at the time and didn't like the idea of her going to school there, either. So the private school tuition shared between two households seemed like a good deal.
When our second child was born, we decided to start looking for a home in a "better" district. So we moved to a more rural, conservative district thinking we would fit in better; being conservative people. Little did we know that may have been the least of our worries! When we recognized the need to pull our son out of the school he was in, we started considering cyber school.
I had met a neighbor who was cyber schooling her son. She told me how wonderful it was. I listened, but thought, "you just don't know what it would be like for me to deal with this kid all day!" But, the more I listened, the more I tried to picture myself teaching my child. I also met another mom who had just started cyber schooling her 3 gifted children this year. She had nothing but positive things to say about her experience. She told me that all the time and energy I was spending arguing with my school about the best way to deal with my child could be better spent teaching him myself. In fact, I would probably have less stress if I brought him home. I hope what she said will prove to be true!
Why cyber school over traditional home schooling or private school? We ruled out private school mostly due to the cost. Our youngest will be going to one of the local private Christian schools for Kindergarten, but after that he will also cyber school.
Home schooling has a lot of positive possibilities. However, the need to document and plan for every lesson and/or pay for the materials out weighs any benefit I could see. So, it was to be cyber school.
In PA we have 11 schools to chose from. If you are not familiar with cyber school, I'll give you a basic course in how it all works (at least in PA):
Cyber schools are a part of the public school system. They are charter schools. They are paid for by tax dollars. Therefore, there is no cost to the parents. The home school district pays the tuition from the funding they receive for that child. That home district keeps a small portion of the alloted money to cover the expense if your child would chose to participate in extra curricular activities (which they have the right to do according to PA state law). Here's a link to the PA Department of Education website that provides additional info and links:
http://www.pde.state.pa.us/charter_schools/site/default.asp?g=0
The cyber school provides the curriculum, all the classroom materials including text books, a computer, printer, headset, reimbursement for internet service, as well as postage to send in any assignments or assessments. The cyber school does all the reporting to the state on our child's learning. That takes a big chunk of the responsibility off of the parent's shoulders. Some schools also provide other services. Our school provides a reimbursement towards PE class every year.
There are also opportunities for the children to get together. At a statewide level, there are field trips offered. On a more local scene, there is a group, similar to PTA, that helps keep the kids connected through various social and learning events. So, if you are worried about socialization (we are not, due to involvement in other activities) that helps cover that aspect.
Parents are the facilitators of the classroom. For the younger children, it's much more hands on. The older kids take "virtual classes". There is a teacher who has a group of students as her "class". The students participate in the class by wearing a headset and watching on their monitor. When a student has a question, they can raise their hand by clicking an icon on the screen. The teacher "calls" on them and activates the mouthpiece on their headset so the whole class can hear the child speak. Here's a link to PA Cyber's website that explains a little more about the virtual classroom:
http://www.pacyber.org/students/technology.aspx
We have chosen to use Calvert curriculum which will make our schooling more like home schooling for the elementary years. We did have the option to chose virtual classes starting with 3rd grade, but we wanted to keep the ability to modify the curriculum based on the speed our son was learning. That's the joy of the whole cyber school experience! We can choose what suits our child's needs best! PA Cyber's tag line is, "Build your own school....out of choices, not bricks". I just love that. Every time I see that on the materials they have given us, I feel so positive about the next school year. For so long it's been, "We don't do that here".
I know this is going to be tough. I know there are going to be days that I want to run after the big, yellow school bus and beg them to take my children with them. But, I also know this is a small sacrifice I can make so my children can continue to love learning. With the opportunities before us, I guess we will soon find out....
When our second child was born, we decided to start looking for a home in a "better" district. So we moved to a more rural, conservative district thinking we would fit in better; being conservative people. Little did we know that may have been the least of our worries! When we recognized the need to pull our son out of the school he was in, we started considering cyber school.
I had met a neighbor who was cyber schooling her son. She told me how wonderful it was. I listened, but thought, "you just don't know what it would be like for me to deal with this kid all day!" But, the more I listened, the more I tried to picture myself teaching my child. I also met another mom who had just started cyber schooling her 3 gifted children this year. She had nothing but positive things to say about her experience. She told me that all the time and energy I was spending arguing with my school about the best way to deal with my child could be better spent teaching him myself. In fact, I would probably have less stress if I brought him home. I hope what she said will prove to be true!
Why cyber school over traditional home schooling or private school? We ruled out private school mostly due to the cost. Our youngest will be going to one of the local private Christian schools for Kindergarten, but after that he will also cyber school.
Home schooling has a lot of positive possibilities. However, the need to document and plan for every lesson and/or pay for the materials out weighs any benefit I could see. So, it was to be cyber school.
In PA we have 11 schools to chose from. If you are not familiar with cyber school, I'll give you a basic course in how it all works (at least in PA):
Cyber schools are a part of the public school system. They are charter schools. They are paid for by tax dollars. Therefore, there is no cost to the parents. The home school district pays the tuition from the funding they receive for that child. That home district keeps a small portion of the alloted money to cover the expense if your child would chose to participate in extra curricular activities (which they have the right to do according to PA state law). Here's a link to the PA Department of Education website that provides additional info and links:
http://www.pde.state.pa.us/charter_schools/site/default.asp?g=0
The cyber school provides the curriculum, all the classroom materials including text books, a computer, printer, headset, reimbursement for internet service, as well as postage to send in any assignments or assessments. The cyber school does all the reporting to the state on our child's learning. That takes a big chunk of the responsibility off of the parent's shoulders. Some schools also provide other services. Our school provides a reimbursement towards PE class every year.
There are also opportunities for the children to get together. At a statewide level, there are field trips offered. On a more local scene, there is a group, similar to PTA, that helps keep the kids connected through various social and learning events. So, if you are worried about socialization (we are not, due to involvement in other activities) that helps cover that aspect.
Parents are the facilitators of the classroom. For the younger children, it's much more hands on. The older kids take "virtual classes". There is a teacher who has a group of students as her "class". The students participate in the class by wearing a headset and watching on their monitor. When a student has a question, they can raise their hand by clicking an icon on the screen. The teacher "calls" on them and activates the mouthpiece on their headset so the whole class can hear the child speak. Here's a link to PA Cyber's website that explains a little more about the virtual classroom:
http://www.pacyber.org/students/technology.aspx
We have chosen to use Calvert curriculum which will make our schooling more like home schooling for the elementary years. We did have the option to chose virtual classes starting with 3rd grade, but we wanted to keep the ability to modify the curriculum based on the speed our son was learning. That's the joy of the whole cyber school experience! We can choose what suits our child's needs best! PA Cyber's tag line is, "Build your own school....out of choices, not bricks". I just love that. Every time I see that on the materials they have given us, I feel so positive about the next school year. For so long it's been, "We don't do that here".
I know this is going to be tough. I know there are going to be days that I want to run after the big, yellow school bus and beg them to take my children with them. But, I also know this is a small sacrifice I can make so my children can continue to love learning. With the opportunities before us, I guess we will soon find out....
Friday, June 27, 2008
What's wrong with this picture?
This is one of the many shirts my son has destroyed with his teeth! In K-4 he would suck on his shirt collar and sleeves. I figured it was just a security issue and would fade with time. Eventually, he broke the habit, or so we thought. After the grade skip, the habit started again, with a vengeance. Not a day went by that my son came home with a shirt that didn't look like swiss cheese.Was this just a bad habit or a sign that something was really wrong? Considering my son's level of energy, I knew sitting still in school was not a fun experience. He never got in "trouble" for it, he just found an outlet. I noticed at home, when he worked on something that was challenging for him, he never chewed. It was only when doing mindless, routine activities that the chewing would happen. Even if he read at home, there was no chewing, so I was pretty sure it was inappropriate placement that was doing him in (and killing our clothing budget!)
When talking to friends with gifted children about my experience I found out this was a common sort of problem. Some situations were much more severe than ours. One friend had a son go through a nervous breakdown in elementary school and a daughter that picked at her skin until it became full of infected sores. I heard about many children who either zoned out all day in class or became the ultimate trouble makers. What were all of these highly intelligent children suffering from? I believe it all boiled down to lack of appropriate challenge and improper educational placement. Sometimes it was educator's lack of knowledge about gifted children that brought it on. Sometimes inflexible rules about what was allowed in a certain district.
The shirts were a clear sign to me of what was going on inside of my son everyday. Not enough learning=shirt chewed to bits. Some days he would come home and blow up about every little thing. When I'd ask what the problem was, he would say it was a bad day at school. He had a hard time being specific about what was wrong. He loved his teachers, especially his second grade teacher. He wanted to be happy in school. I think some of the time he felt guilty for wanting so much more than they were willing to give.
When I first suggested the possibility to him that we might pull him out of public school, he worked harder to fit the mold. But a few months after we first mentioned it, he told me he wanted to leave his school and be at home. I was glad he had made the decision on his own. It would make my job so much easier. I know so many kids whose parents just can not bring their kids home to cyber school. They need to work full time or have other issues that prevent it. As a person who has worked with an advocacy group for the last two years, I want to make the public brick and mortar schools do what is right for those children. I hope to still have enough energy while working with my kids to devote time to that effort. No child should have to suffer. These are supposed to be the best years of their lives! Why should they be forced to slow their pace to match their classmates?
I'll close this post with a link to one of my favorite sites, Hoagiesgifted. This particular link is to the, "Ridiculous things I've heard today" page. These are the kinds of things parents and children are being told on a regular basis.
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/ridiculous_things.htm
Something needs to change in our educational system. It is broken, can we fix it?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
And so it begins.....
Thursday afternoon we enrolled our middle child in a cyber school. I never thought I would make a decision like that. Don't get me wrong, I love my children and enjoy spending time with them. However, I was enjoying the upcoming freedom I was seeing with my youngest heading off to Kindergarten. Things never go quite the way you think they will.
The trouble began when our son started K-4. We knew he was probably going to test as gifted even before he started school. Our little boy said things to us that we recorded in the baby book... "My sandals make the sound of a bird's wings cutting the air", age 3. "Look Mom! There's an unusually large fleet of pirates in our back yard!", also age 3. He wasn't one of those kids doing phenomenal math problems at age 2 or reading at age 3. He was just a really deep thinker who picked things up as soon as we taught him, or even before we did.
In school, they recognized this and told us he could be tested when he started Kindergarten. By half way through the K-4 year he started telling me he didn't like school. When I asked why, he would say, "We do the same things everyday." I told him not to worry, Kindergarten would be better. I couldn't have been more wrong.
At the start of K, we requested testing. By January we were told, "Congratulations! Your son is gifted. He can participate in the pull out program 2 days a week, 45 minutes a day." Basically, they would give him the reward of extra work. By now, I had been doing a lot of research online about gifted children. I was concerned about underachieving. I asked about the possibility of having him skip first grade since all of his scores seemed to show he was already working at least one grade level ahead in every subject. The answer? "We don't do that here." So, we pressed on. We requested that they test him further to explore grade skipping, even if they didn't "do that here". Eventually, after filing Due Process, we were granted the grade skip. We told our son, "Don't worry, things will improve next year." Wrong again.
The summer between K and second grade he read "The Hobbit". He was six. I remember one conversation in the car about war and dictators. It was a very deep, intelligent conversation. He was 5. I knew public school was never going to meet his needs. But, the desire to have that free time pushed me to keep trying to make it fit. He spent his second grade year improving his writing skills, but really picking up little else in education. When I asked him what he learned in math so far that year (around January) he told me, "curtains come in pairs". I emailed his teacher regularly asking for something to change. I went to parent teacher conferences and made suggestions for things that might allow our child to have a more appropriate education. None of these things amounted to much. Usually I was told something along the lines of, "your child is benefiting from the work he is being given". My child was chewing his shirts to bits while bored out of his mind in class! So, I made the decision. We would stick it out to the end of year (per child's request to stay with friends) and start with PACyber in the Fall of his 3rd grade year.
I spent time through the Spring talking with our son about his future in cyber school. When I told him he could spend an hour each afternoon reading, I thought he was going to cry with joy. We started planning the kinds of things we would like to do. We looked over some of the curriculum that the school would offer him. He has never been more excited about school than he is now. HE can't wait to start, and neither can I.
This blog is going to be dedicated to following our progress as we move into uncharted territory. I have talked to many parents of gifted kids who are so frustrated with their children's schools, but don't know if they are ready for the challenge of cyber school. I'm planning on letting everyone see the good, bad and ugly of the day to day cyber schooling of a gifted child. This year I will be working with only one of our children. For the Fall of 2009, I will also start my youngest in first grade. For this year, he will attend a private K. I wanted to dedicate this year to getting our 7 year old back into the habit of learning in school.
If you are considering the possibility of cyber school, please follow us on our adventure. Even if you are not, follow us to learn how our public schools, in most cases, are failing the children they are designed to teach.
And now......
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began,
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
--JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit
The trouble began when our son started K-4. We knew he was probably going to test as gifted even before he started school. Our little boy said things to us that we recorded in the baby book... "My sandals make the sound of a bird's wings cutting the air", age 3. "Look Mom! There's an unusually large fleet of pirates in our back yard!", also age 3. He wasn't one of those kids doing phenomenal math problems at age 2 or reading at age 3. He was just a really deep thinker who picked things up as soon as we taught him, or even before we did.
In school, they recognized this and told us he could be tested when he started Kindergarten. By half way through the K-4 year he started telling me he didn't like school. When I asked why, he would say, "We do the same things everyday." I told him not to worry, Kindergarten would be better. I couldn't have been more wrong.
At the start of K, we requested testing. By January we were told, "Congratulations! Your son is gifted. He can participate in the pull out program 2 days a week, 45 minutes a day." Basically, they would give him the reward of extra work. By now, I had been doing a lot of research online about gifted children. I was concerned about underachieving. I asked about the possibility of having him skip first grade since all of his scores seemed to show he was already working at least one grade level ahead in every subject. The answer? "We don't do that here." So, we pressed on. We requested that they test him further to explore grade skipping, even if they didn't "do that here". Eventually, after filing Due Process, we were granted the grade skip. We told our son, "Don't worry, things will improve next year." Wrong again.
The summer between K and second grade he read "The Hobbit". He was six. I remember one conversation in the car about war and dictators. It was a very deep, intelligent conversation. He was 5. I knew public school was never going to meet his needs. But, the desire to have that free time pushed me to keep trying to make it fit. He spent his second grade year improving his writing skills, but really picking up little else in education. When I asked him what he learned in math so far that year (around January) he told me, "curtains come in pairs". I emailed his teacher regularly asking for something to change. I went to parent teacher conferences and made suggestions for things that might allow our child to have a more appropriate education. None of these things amounted to much. Usually I was told something along the lines of, "your child is benefiting from the work he is being given". My child was chewing his shirts to bits while bored out of his mind in class! So, I made the decision. We would stick it out to the end of year (per child's request to stay with friends) and start with PACyber in the Fall of his 3rd grade year.
I spent time through the Spring talking with our son about his future in cyber school. When I told him he could spend an hour each afternoon reading, I thought he was going to cry with joy. We started planning the kinds of things we would like to do. We looked over some of the curriculum that the school would offer him. He has never been more excited about school than he is now. HE can't wait to start, and neither can I.
This blog is going to be dedicated to following our progress as we move into uncharted territory. I have talked to many parents of gifted kids who are so frustrated with their children's schools, but don't know if they are ready for the challenge of cyber school. I'm planning on letting everyone see the good, bad and ugly of the day to day cyber schooling of a gifted child. This year I will be working with only one of our children. For the Fall of 2009, I will also start my youngest in first grade. For this year, he will attend a private K. I wanted to dedicate this year to getting our 7 year old back into the habit of learning in school.
If you are considering the possibility of cyber school, please follow us on our adventure. Even if you are not, follow us to learn how our public schools, in most cases, are failing the children they are designed to teach.
And now......
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began,
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
--JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit
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