Tag Archives: homeschooling

I Love These Boxes My Daughter’s Homeschool Books Came In

My daughter’s school supplies from k12.com came today. It was a lot of fun checking out what we got from them. But one of the most interesting parts was looking at the insides of the top flaps.

That’s just one of the flaps. It’s a little hard to read, but all four flaps give ideas on how you can reuse the box around the house, as a toy and more. It’s really a great way for them to encourage the reuse of the box.

I have to say the supplies look really great too. It’s going to be a great school year.

THIS is Why I Want to Homeschool My Daughter

It’s the last day of school for my daughter today. Yesterday she brought home a stack of papers and her science workbook/text.

The book was scarcely touched. Apparently they only used it for their dinosaur assignment, not at all through the rest of the year. What good is it for the school to buy books they aren’t going to use?

I assume science is supposed to be in the curriculum. The school bought the books, after all, and it’s not like they have money to waste. California public schools are very poorly funded these days.

I haven’t seen whatever text they used for social studies this year. I gather that was barely used as well.

I know her school has low-ish test scores on state testing, and so they want to focus on improving their scores. I resent, however, that they do this by neglecting the overall education of their students.

I suppose the one positive is that now I don’t need to buy a science textbook to use while we try out homeschooling this summer. The one the school didn’t bother using will do quite nicely.

I May End Up a Homeschooling Mom Yet

I’ve never really been into the idea of homeschooling. I don’t doubt that I could do a competent enough job, but it’s not what I’ve wanted to do with my days.

homeschooling

And my daughter so loves going to school.

But I have to admit, life may well be pushing me in that direction. I’ve already decided that if my husband doesn’t get some work soon, and we have to leave this house to move in with my inlaws, I will homeschool my daughter for the rest of kindergarten. Just makes sense to me with only a few months left in the school year. You don’t have to register kids for school until first grade in my area, so no worries about making it formal.

But California schools may well take a big downward turn if the current budget goes through. We’re currently around #46 in terms of state spending per student on education, which is pathetic! And they’re talking about a 10% cut for next year because the state budget is in so much trouble.

I am, of course, keeping an eye on the situation and seeing how things go. In some ways it could be a good thing for me to need to homeschool the last bit of kindergarten, just so that I have a feel for it if I should choose to go for it later. Not that I want to live with my inlaws… the very thought almost makes me run screaming, in fact. But we do what we have to.

Something about living with someone who prefers the term enviro-Nazi to environmentalist to describe people who care for the environment just makes it sound difficult. Although I will admit that having more people in one house can be counted as greener. Maybe I’ll be able to get my father-in-law to understand how deeply offensive it is to use the word “Nazi” as a suffix for just about anything. And that environmentalists really aren’t bad people, aren’t going to take away his preferred lifestyle, etc.

I know my inlaws will have some trouble with the idea of me homeschooling my daughter even for a short time in their home. They really have no faith in it. Maybe it will be another thing where I show them that it’s really not so bad. Did that before with breastfeeding, which they had also been entirely against and now firmly support.

And don’t get me wrong about them. In most ways they really are wonderful people. They’ve invited us to live with them rent-free until my husband gets a job. They do recycle and garden. They are in many ways supportive of my husband, and my daughter has a relationship with her grandfather that is outstanding.

It’s pretty much political and lifestyle choices that make up the challenges.