Not Another Homeschool Blog

What an adventure!  So daughter and I went to NY for her college spring break.  I don't know how many times I have left to get her all to myself, so I grabbed onto this opportunity while she is still under 18. We saw Lion King, and If/Then, a new play starring Idina Menzel (Adele Dazeem per John Travolta).  We also met with some friends, had dinner with my dad, and shopped until we literally dropped. The thing that stood out to the most in my week with my daughter who is 3/4 of the way through her freshman year in college is that she is all grown up.  She makes decisions easily. She navigated NY like a pro, dragging me along. And thank goodness, her sense of direction is better than mine. She makes wise food and shopping choices, and she's got a quick wit and off-beat sense of humor.  I love being around her. I know that our week was just a snapshot of things to come because she fully  intends to move to NY when she finishes her degree to get a MFA ...

People who don't give themselves enough time to get where they are going, so they speed and harass people like me who drive speed limit. Guys who sag their pants... especially to the degree where their entire behinds are above their belt line.  I'm not talking about 2, 3, 4, or even 6 inches below the natural waist.  I'm talking 12-18 inches.  STOP IT. People who exxagerate the truth for political or social gain.  People who believe these exaggerations. People who re-victimize victims. It's been quite a week.  Taking my darling girl on vacation to see some NY shows.  Will miss hubby, but fun's got to be had.

So the SAT is changing. Changes include returning to the old 1600 scale, making the essay optional, losing the penalty for wrong answers, changing up the English section to be more knowledge based than IQ based, and taking away the calculator for certain sections.  So, it may be time to toss out all those old SAT study guides, because they are probably rendered useless.  My kids are through this phase of life so there is a bit of relief there. However, I don't really see the changes as bad. Schools stopped paying attention to the essay years ago and have effectively graded kids on a 1600 scale. My kids found that the calculator actually slowed them down during the more basic math portions so that's a good move too. Plus they are now grading more like the ACT With no penalties for wrong answers. My only concern is for kids who's graduation date will cause them to take the test both before and after the change. The disparity in grades may be frustrating to them, or...

This image came up on my Facebook feed. Just the image, not the caption above it. I was incredulous. Why would you take such a simple numerical problem and complicate to to such and extreme. I felt it was stupid and said so. (By the way, I do get it, it is a counting up method in where you take the smaller number, 12, and add 3 to get to 15, a number where skip counting can be easier, then you add 5 to 15, to get 20, then you add 10 to 20 to get 30, and then you add 2 more to get 32.  Then you simply add all the numbers you added by.  3+5+10+2=20.  It is more of a math puzzle than a math problem, and should not be used to teach math in my opinion.) So later on today, after a few friends had commented on my status update, I looked at it on my iPad and noticed that it was formatted in a way that the caption, "This is Common Core" above it and a picture of the Lovely Victorian Jackson above it. (Big fan of her comedy, especially from her younger days, not a fan of ...

It is now March 2014, I officially became a veteran homeschooler back in May 2013, when I graduated my second, and last child, from homeschooling. I am still processing all of my thoughts and feelings about the last 10 years, because homeschooling is serious business, and just as you need to be mentally prepared to start and to make it through homeschooling, you need to put the same effort (at least in my case) into coming out the other side, and finding a new you, when you have been released from your homeschooling duties.  Just as I found blogging to be a great way to prepare myself and to keep motivated during the homeschool process, I am finding blogging to be a great way to process myself into my next phase in life-post homeschooling.  As much as inward blogging has helped me, I still need to spend just as much time reading the blogs of others, for sanity reasons , to let me know that I am OK... as in Not Crazy, as in other people are having the same feelings and ...

For the past few months, I've been trapped somewhere in between leading a horse to wate r and beating a dead horse .  However, the horse has been neither thirsty, or willing to try something new. I often tell my kids that the m eaning of insanity is doing something over and over and expecting different results.  It is of course, not a true definition, but a symptom of insanity in which I have chosen to no longer participate. It makes me sad that a young, extended family member, with so much promise is dooming himself to not be his best, and to not do his best, but I have to take the onus off of myself, and place it where  it belongs.  Once you have offered opportunity, and resources, and nothing has changed... for months, and months on end, you just have to move on... And so I am back to working on me, and I am good with that. Almost done with the real estate course... And need to double up my gym time too, but I was giving that time to someone who did not app...