And we are done

 Homeschool is finished! 

Home school in Oregon

In Oregon you have to register your child with your local ESD  for the school year after they turn 7.

There are really no requirements about what you taught. The ESD could require the kids to take

tests but ours did not. You can check with ODE to get the state requirements for each grade.

We taught the basics and then added one things that he was interested in.

And so home school begins

Then Hank came along. There was no discussion he was just home schooled.
The only support I really got was from one sister in law and a sped teacher at school.
We started early. I made him a little quilt that he would put on his lap when it
was school time. We read and played games and watched educational tv. The kid
could read when he was 4. I made him a little book that we took with us when
we went out so he could do school. It had colors and letters and numbers.
I know the book and the quilt are packed away some where.

Home school background part 2

When younger daughter was in middle school I was not involved with school at all. She seemed
to be having no problems. I was oblivious apparently. We had a conference with her teacher who
kept us waiting over 20 minutes while he chatted it up with one of the more popular girls and her
family. I knew this teacher and I knew he was not a good one but since daughter didn't seem to be
having a problem I let it go. After talking with the supportive principal we decided she would
only go to school part time. At home she studies math and, because it was what she was interested in,
she read Japanese stories and studied Japanese history. She started 9th grade because they offered
Japanese. That lasted about one term and she was out of school again studying what interested her.
She got her GED before she would have graduated and then went on to community college.

Home school background part 1

Since Hank never uses this for school anymore, I thought I would start writing about why and how
we home schooled.
Both Hanks sisters went to public school. One graduated and is a teacher, the other started home
schooling in 8th grade and Hank has never been to school except to work with me.
I noticed a big difference in what the girls got to do in school. They were 3 grades apart and
the younger one get less activities and field trips. Her second grade teacher called and asked
if she would be upset because she was having to cut projects that the older one got to do.
They were both basically being taught to take 'the test'.
I was very involved with the older ones school. Class volunteer, PSO president. There were
so many parents who wanted to help in the class the teacher had to keep a pretty tight schedule.
We had a great core group of parents who were very involved.
3 years later there were less volunteers but still plenty to help out. I was still involved but
less of the newer parents became involved. She was also taught that the Americans bombed
Hiroshima just for the heck of it. And could not ask for help because too many kids with
problems needed the teachers time.
As I worked at the school I saw behavior issues getting worse, teachers become less engaged
with the kids than when mine were younger. No more lunch with the teacher. Kids learned about
the Stamp act but not the Revolutionary War. And in 2009 when the kids told me there was only one
presidential candidate, we had a problem.

July

One of the things I wanted to get do this summer was clean the garage. We started on the first of July.
It was a disaster, boxes and junk everywhere. All the boxes get opened and sorted and re stacked. The
holiday stuff got put in the attic. One table has been cleared off. There is now a lot of open space. Still some boxes to stack and the desk to be cleaned off. The cupboards will have to be gone thru.
So, on the last day of July the garage is well on its way to being usable space. Mostly for storing but we should be able to use the area for other things.

We did lots of stuff

I have been wondering if I have thought Hank anything. I keep thinking we have not done
enough. But, I started going thru old lesson plans and organizing them and we have done a lot
of stuff. He has had a fairly well rounded education. Or at least did until he started to have an opinion
and assert his bad attitude toward school.