If you had asked me a year ago, six-months ago, four-months ago, heck, even two-months ago, if I would ever go back to traditional homeschooling, my answer would have been an emphatic Hell No!  It’s not that I have anything against homeschooling, but I really liked the online charter school we’ve been using for the last three years.  My kids were learning, the teachers were great, the school was genuinely concerned with the kids succeeding, I could have gone on and on.  Well, tomorrow that “Hell No!” will go to “Bring It On!”  We’re going back to traditional homeschooling for two of the three kids and I. Cannot.Wait.

This year, the Common Core State Standards have been implemented and the online school?  Yeah, they have changed…A LOT.  And not for the better…AT ALL.  That family-centered, kid-focused education my children were receiving has been replaced by a corporate run school that is no longer a good fit for my kids.  Times are a changin’ and it came to a head last week when my super-motivated, very focused fourth grader was in tears after spending all day working on assignments and not being able to get caught up.  Why?  Because busy work assignments that were grading him on material he was never taught, but somehow expected to mysteriously know, kept piling on.  Where is the logic in grading a child on something they have never been taught?

My oldest is struggling with the same issues, but his dyslexia intervention is superb and without it he would struggle even more.  Removing him is not an option at this point.

But the kindergartener and fourth grader?  They’re out of there….tomorrow is their last day.

Lesson of the day?  Never say never.

You can follow our homeschooling adventure here.