Another reason we are trying homeschooling is because we live in Alaska and our families don't. It is expensive to fly and even more expensive to do it during the summer or over normal school breaks. My husband has taken the kids to the lower 48 to visit his family for 2 weeks. Shortly after he returns I am taking them see my family for a month. I miss them terribly. Hopefully next year we can all travel together.
But every cloud has it's silver lining. It has been quiet here and I have been able to spend time reseaching and buying curriculum. So many choices, so little time! Complete grade packages or a la carte, in books or online, go it alone or through a correspondence course...How to choose?
We have decided to go through a public school that allows you to choose your own courses and curriculum and teach those at home. I think for the first year this will help us get on track. We are required to submit an ILP (individual learning plan), quarterly work samples, and semester grades. We are also assigned a contact teacher that we are required to speak to monthly. This can be done by phone, email, or if we see her at the grocery store-it counts! Homeschoolers that go it alone are not required to do any of this in Alaska. Going through the public school system has another great benefit, money! We can tap into the taxes we pay. While it is not a lot of money and the purchases must be approved by our contact teacher, there is something satisfying about being able to spend some of our own tax dollars on our kids.
3 more days until they return. 3 more days until my books get here. Friday is going to be an exciting day.
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