Home Sweet Homeschool

One of my Blogger friends (Mommy Belle) has asked me to write an entry on why we have decided to homeschool Annabelle. This was actually something that Hubby and I decided to do long before Annabelle was born. For us, the decision to homeschool was a direct result of some of the things that we saw happening in the public school sector with our older daughter. I was, and still am, dismayed at what I see in Gabby's public high school and what I have seen in her previous (public) middle school. I realize that no one system is perfect....nor can one shoe fit everybody who tries it on. But for me, and Hubby agrees, the things that we have seen and experienced at Gabby's school are simply unacceptable. Unfotunately, Gabby is so rooted in the system that I believe taking her out would be detrimental to her. Homeschooling only works if the student benefits from the experience. I don't believe Gabby would.....but I do believe Annabelle would. I've never homeschooled a child before, so I guess Annabelle is going to be my "lab rat" so to speak.

Before deciding to homeschool my daughter, I had to sit down and figure out what it was, exactly, that I wanted for her. What kind of person do I want her to become? What kind of education do I want her to have? By thinking through these things, I had to ask myself an entirely different set of questions as well: by being in a public school, will Annabelle be able to make friends with people who have the same values that we do? Will she be able to stand up to peer pressure and say "no" when her friends try to talk her into doing something that she knows she shouldn't? How big will her classes be and will her teacher be able to give Annabelle any individual attention if she really needs it? What happens if the school runs low on money...will the quality of her education suffer for that? Will Annabelle be taught certain "moral values" that I feel should not be taught in a public school? What if something really bad happens at school...will Annabelle feel comfortable enough talking to me about it? What kinds of books will she have access to in the library? I don't know the answers to any of these questions and, quite honestly, I don't like that. I don't like not knowing what will be happening in my daughter's classroom. I don't like not knowing what she may (or may not!) be learning in school. I don't like having so little control over her education. As it is right now, Gabby brings home books from her school library that are so full of sex and underage drinking that it actually makes me blush to read some of this stuff! And I won't even get into the foul language that these books contain! Why can't she bring home some of the classics? What's wrong with Mark Twain or the Bronte Sisters? What about some of the translated classics of Tolstoy or Cervantes? Well, the main problem is that these timeless classics are not available on my daughter's library shelves. Why aren't they available? Because the shelves are too full of the "Gossip Girl" series and other individual books that tout the benefits of sleeping with your best friend's boyfriend (as long as he's cute!) To counter this disturbing pattern of trashy novel reading, I have offered Gabby some of the books from my bookcase, in an effort to expose her to a little bit of literary culture (and class!) What do you suppose happens when a 15 year old girl, who has been reading nothing but "fast food" literature for so long, finally gets her nose into a more "classic" novel like "Rebecca" (Daphne du Maurier)? Well, what happens is that the 15 year old girl simply doesn't have the ability to understand it. Gabby has been reading these morally bankrupt novels containing watered down vocabulary for so long now, that she simply is not able to understand anything else. "Rebecca" is not a difficult book to understand, but it contains no foul language. This means those places where the foul language would have been now contain actual multi-syllabic words, some of which Gabby has never heard before. This would be a perfect opportunity for some vocabulary enrichment......but, well, I guess that's too much work. Gossip Girls is easier. All these years of Gabby doing book reports, I honestly thought she was reading the same kinds of books I read when I was in (public) school. I never realized what she was actually reading since many of these books stay in her backpack or her bedroom. I guess I just assumed she was reading something intelligent, not realizing that nothing intelligent was available. Now Gabby is so hooked on this garbage that she refuses to read anything else. I don't want to go through this with another daughter.

When Gabby was in the 6th grade, I remember her bringing home a book called "Stone Soup". For those who don't know, this is actually a 3rd grade book. I confronted Gabby about this and told her that I would not allow her, a sixth grader, to write a book report on a 3rd grade book. She informed me that she had no choice, that this was the book her teacher had given her and told her to write about. After questioning Gabby further, I found out that they had been tested that day, and that Gabby tested at a 3rd grade reading level. When I found this out, I requested a conference with her teacher. At the conference, I informed the teacher that I was aware of the reading test that Gabby took, and that she tested at a 3rd grade level. However, I did not want Gabby reading 3rd grade books for her book reports. I Wanted her to read something on her level, or at the very least, one level higher (4th grade) so that she could improve her reading and get caught up as soon as possible. Long story short, the teacher would not work with me and would not help me. She told me that Gabby was reading at a 3rd grade level, and she would not be allowed to check out anything but 3rd grade books. Well, if a 6th grade reads nothing but 3rd grade books, she will never improve her reading skills. That afternoon, I put Gabby on a reading schedule. We started with 4th grade books, mostly Nancy Drew, and slowly worked our way up to 6th grade ones. She read 40 minutes every day and, in the course of one school year, brought her reading level up from a 3rd grade one to a 6th grade one. It took my intervention to do it, and I received absolutely no support from her teacher. I thought teachers and parents were supposed to work together for the good of the student?! What happens when the teacher is uncooperative?

What happens when the teacher's hands are tied and she CAN'T help her students? Gabby got in trouble in class one day and was disciplined, along with two other students, for mouthing off to the teacher. Her punishment was sentences. She had to write 50 sentences indicating that it was wrong to mouth off and she wouldn't do it again. I don't remember the exact sentence that she had to repeatedly write, but it wasn't an obnoxiously long one. She came home and wrote them and I checked every single one of them. The punishment fit the crime, and I had no problem with her writing these sentences. The next day, when she came home from school, I asked her if she turned her sentences in to the teacher. Yes, she did, however...........one of the other students wrote 7 sentences before deciding it was a stupid punishment and stopped writing them. The other student complained to his mother and his mother called the teacher and told the teacher that her son didn't want to write the sentences and, therefore, would not be turning his in. So what happened to Gabby's sentences? Evidently the teacher felt it was unfair to punish only one of the students when all 3 were guilty, so Gabby got 50 extra credit points for her sentences. Yes, my daughter received extra credit for mouthing off to her teacher! I was furious.

These are just a few of the scenarios that I have had to deal with. I won't even mention the teacher who asked the students to bring in a DVD from home so they could watch it in class the next day. Why were they watching a DVD? Because the teacher didn't feel like making up a lesson plan for the following day.

Gabby failed science this year, which means she will need to take science in her senior year, when all her friends have an elective class instead. Gabby tells me that she, in fact, will NOT need to take science in her senior year because the school will simply take one of her current elective classes and turn it into a science credit. Now, a friend of mine (who happens to be a school teacher) says this can't be done....that Gabby will definitely need to take a science class in her senior year. Gabby, however, is absolutely insistant that this is how it works and that she will NOT need to take a science class in her senior year. So, in all fairness, I will need to look into this one, but to be honest with you....and I know this is going to sound terrible.....but Gabby is not creative enough to make this kind of stuff up. So she had to have heard this from someone else or known someone who had this done to them. Gabby isn't simply making this up, though, she got this information from somewhere.

I remember a couple of years ago when Gabby was having trouble in her math class. Now, math has never been a good subject for me. In fact, math was a potential career killer for me when, as a 16 year old, I decided I wanted to be a pharmacist when I grew up. Well, I couldn't pass the "advanced" math classes (they were far more difficult than the basic math classes I was in!) that I needed to get into the chemistry classes that I needed to be a science major. Sooooooo, I learned early on that a career as a pharmacist was probably not going to be in my future. Anyway, Gabby was not doing well in school and needed help in math. Fortunately, hubby is pretty good in math and could take over at this point, but I remember Gabby telling me that she had asked the teacher to explain how to do these particular math problems. Well, why didn't the teacher explain how to do them? Because there were too many students asking too many questions and the teacher didn't have time to answer everybody's questions. So some students didn't get their questions answered. Now, what happens to the student who doesn't have a parent who can help them with math? Math is not easy for everyone.....and is downright problematic for many (clearing throat here), but this can easily happen in any subject - foreign languages are a prime example. Foreign languages, like math, are either no problem at all for a person or they are a major thorn in your side. Most people don't have a "middle of the road" opinion of either one of these subjects...you either love them or you hate them. You either love math and have no problem computing numbers or, like me, you fear that you will be forever bouncing checks because you are consistantly miscalculating how much money you really have left in your checking account. The same is true with foreign languages...you either love it and can spew out verb declensions like a native speaker or you inwardly fear that you might accidently call somebody a hairy porkchop because you can't remember how to ask where the bathrooms are in French. Well, what happens when the teacher can't help you?

After listening to Gabby's horror stories about what goes on in her school, it just seemed like homeschooling Annabelle was the best choice for us. Now, I will say this: if there were a private school in the area that fit every single one of my "demands" (including location, cost, classmates, class size, quality of teachers and educational materials, curriculum, etc.) then I would be very happy sending Annabelle to that private school. However, I can't control the other students' behavior in Annabelle's class. Nor can I control how many students are in her class or what she will learn. It's just too "iffy" for me and (I'm repeating myself here, I know) because of what I see and hear in Gabby's school, I really have no desire to put Annabelle through any of that. In all honesty, I really don't think Gabby is happy at school. She says she is, and I believe that she probably really does think that she is, but I'm just not seeing it. There's a look in her eyes, a tone in her voice....a mother picks up on these things....that tells me she's not happy there. I also know she wouldn't be happy if I were to homeschool her, either. Her social life is way too important to her and I don't want her to end up resenting me because I pulled her out of public school. It's a tough call to make. If Gabby is going to be unhappy either way, then I feel it is just best to leave her where she is. No sense putting me through hell if it isn't going to make a difference to her one way or the other.

Well, this is just the beginning of the list. I could go on and on (like I haven't already!) with the reasons why we are homeschooling, but everytime I start a list like this I only come up with more reasons to write down. I have already got a homeschooling blog up and running (no entries in it yet, but it's at least up!) I am keeping this blog for my benefit....so I have a record of what Annabelle is learning and if she is progressing the way I think she should, etc. Obviously she is too young right now for any type of schooling, but I am going to start logging all the books I read to her and note her preferences....again, for my own personal knowledge. However, I will be making this blog public (as soon as I start writing in it!) so that the friends and family members who have shown curiosity toward my decision to homeschool can see how it's going for us. This blog will continue to be the main line of communication with my friends. :-)

Her First Steps!

I finally got it!! She started this yesterday, but because of the darned 3 second delay from when I push the shutter down to when the camera actually snaps the picture, I was unable to get any pictures of Annabelle walking. Her she is, though, in all her glory as she proudly marches across the living room! I'm so proud of her!

The Road to Independence

Every single day that passes represents one more step on the road to Annabelle's independence. The day before yesterday, Annabelle insisted on feeding herself. She has been self-feeding for awhile now, but it's always been little (non-messy!) finger foods that I have broken down into bite-sized pieces and laid in front of her. This time, however, she grabbed for the spoon and insisted on feeding herself. My presence at her high chair was evidently no longer needed. I don't know if any of the food actually made it into her mouth, but it made Annabelle very happy, so I just let it go. I'm *STILL* cleaning spaghetti sauce out of the tile grout in the kitchen!


























And my baby has started walking!! She hasn't quite mastered this difficult skill yet, but she is taking 2-3 steps at a time, repeatedly. She falls, stands right back up (without holding onto anything!) and attempts these steps again. It is now just a matter of time. I am so excited to be able to witness this milestone and Annabelle, obviously very proud of herself, will be off and running in no time flat!

Born to be Wet!

Big sister Gabby had her birthday party at the park, under the pavillion. Afterwards there was swimming....which Annabelle thoroughly enjoyed! She loves the water and had a blast playing with Aunt Joanie in the "Raindrop" (kiddie) pool and watching some of the bigger kids playing and kicking a beach ball around.

Toys, Toys, and More Toys!

Annabelle's birthday party was what I consider a success. Lots of children, lots of food, and lots of fun. Annabelle refused to nap on this day, so she was functioning on no sleep. All things considered, she was remarkably well behaved for the intense amount of excitement and suger, combined with the fatigue I know she was experiencing.

Rather than post all the pics from Annabelle opening her presents...or rather, *us* helping Annabelle open her presents, I figured I'd just take pictures of Annabelle playing with some of her new birthday presents. I think this makes for cuter pictures, since the actual gifts weren't always visible in my "unwrapping" shots. The first few pics are from Annabelle at her party, and the rest are taken over the next couple of days...I just snapped a picture as I caught her playing with one of her new toys.


Her adorable Pooh cake:











Such a sweet smile!














Annabelle loves to suck on the lemons from Grandma's iced tea!















Grandpa cuts the birthday cake:















Wow! A birthday cake that moonlights as Play-Dough!




















Gabby's friend, Tiffany, gave Annabelle this ball for her birthday. Annabelle loves it!

















Aunt Joanie and Cousin Tristan gave Annabelle a "Learn and Laugh Book" and a "Learning Purse", both of which Annabelle loves!





















Mommy and Daddy gave Annabelle a "Fairyland Playhouse" and an "Enchanted Castle". There's nothing better than getting lost in a fairy tale:




















Annabelle loves to sit on the scooter that her friend, Wesley, gave her. She can't quite figure out how to ride it yet, but sitting on it is just as much fun (for now!)






















Richard and Jimmy gave Annabelle an "Activity Walker" that makes all kinds of cool sounds and plays tons of different songs!



















Annabelle loves to push on the lion's nose because he sings when she does. Grandma and Grandpa made a great choice with this gift!





















Annabelle looks so pretty in one of the dresses that Aunt Wendy sent from North Carolina.

Annabelle's Birthday Dinner

On Annabelle's actual birthday (not the day of the party) we all (hubby, Gabby, parents, sister & nephew) all went out to Mama Fu's Chinese restaurant for dinner. It was a fun night that we all really enjoyed. While we were there, the waitress found out it was Annabelle's first birthday (yes, we told her!) and she offered a piece of chocolate cake to Annabelle. This was Annabelle's second cake for the day and she enjoyed it every bit as much as the first one. What a mess she made! I am *STILL* trying to figure out how to get the chocolate out of her high chair!

It's Fun to be One!

My little girl is officially one year old! I can't believe how fast this year has flown by! I just brought my little princess home from the hospital yesterday....how can she be one already?!? Wow! What an incredible year this has been! I took Annabelle out for her one year portraits and it went so well. The photographer insisted that I bring a cake along and just let Annabelle dig into it....so I did! It was a lot of fun watching her with this cake (her first one ever!) She didn't know what she was supposed to do with it until I put a small piece in her mouth. She figured out the rest all by herself! The day before was big sister's 16th birthday, so we did some double portraits as well, just to mark the occasion.

Will Somebody Please Slap Me.......

......if I ever even *THINK* about having double back-to-back birthday parties again? We had Annabelle's first birthday party and Gabby's Sweet Sixteen party (two milestone birthdays nonetheless!) this past weekend (Annabelle's on Saturday and Gabby's on Sunday) and I am totally exhausted (as well as broke!) All in all, though, it really was a fun weekend......just a bit much for one weekend. I would have preferred to have had these parties on separate weekends, but my sister and her 5-year-old son (whom I haven't seen since he was 3 months old!) came to visit for a week, and we wanted both of them to be here for both parties. It was nice to see them again after five years. Time really is too short to spend it so far away from our loved ones. Hubby and I are already trying to figure out if we might be able to make it over there to Georgia (where they live) next year for a visit. I love road trips, but have never taken one with an infant before, so I'm not sure how that would work......but I'm trying to figure something out.

We had Annabelle's party at Chick-fil-A. All in all, there were 9 other children there (if you include my older daughter and her friend, who sometimes act the same age as Annabelle & her friends, there were actually 11 children there!) Two of the children showed up 10 minutes before the party ended, but it was nice that they came. Annabelle received SO MANY wonderful gifts, most of which are battery operated (thanks a lot guys!) Up until now, Annabelle has not had a single battery operated toy. That's not necessarily because I have anything personal against battery operated toys, I've just always opted for the non-battery operated ones for some reason or another. I guess I always suspect, somewhere deep in the back of my mind, that battery operated toys are more likely to break.....or just suddenly stop functioning when the batteries die. The second scenario is not necessarily a problem unless I have no spare batteries to replace the dead ones with. Determined not to let that happen, I carefully checked all the toys to see what size spare batteries I should keep on hand. Wouldn't you know it.....every single one of these battery operated toys requires a different size battery! Go figure. Hmmmmm, perhaps *that* is the reason I have yet to purchase a battery operated toy for Annabelle?

Needless to say, I have dozens and dozens of pictures from this past week. With my sister in town and both birthday parties, it has been kind of a week-long holiday for me and I am currently working on bringing myself back down to reality. I am going to post some, but not all (There are WAAAAAAY too many!) pictures from the parties, as well as some misc. photos, but I am going to post them all under their own separate blog entry. This way, I can stop this entry here and not worry about it turning into 4 pages of rambling nonsense that nobody wants to finish reading.

Ersatz Binky!

OK......here is what happens when Annabelle is "deprived" of her precious binky. She takes the binky cover and...... VOILA! Ersatz binky! I almost fell over laughing when she did this! :-)