Questions about educating black boys

I don't like picking on public schools, but I am feeling a bit fed up right now.

• Someone tell me what they are supposed to do with a Special Ed child who has neurological issues if the school system removes the tech track?  Is he just supposed to leave school after his 8th grade graduation? 
•  Someone explain to me how a child can get mainstreamed from Special Ed in grade 8, only to go into high school with no tools to do math and language arts at grade level?  He basically went from elementary reading and math to high school reading and math. What did they expect but for him to fail?
• Someone explain to me how a child can enter a new high school mid year grade 11 who in the previous school was in honors class and even passed AP tests and suddenly becomes unteachable?  No the kid did not change.  He just failed everything he touched in the new school.  Now, you could say that the old school was just pushing him through, but .... like I said, he passed AP exams in the 9th and 10th grade.  (AP exams are HARD ya'll.) Makes me feel like the new school did not want to teach him. 
• Can you explain to me why a child could get kicked out of public school in the 9th grade, being referred to an alternative school, who after 4 years of homeschooling, ends his freshman year in college with a 3.3 GPA?  No this child did not change. The approach to teaching him did. 

 I ask these questions, be cause I either know or have first hand knowledge of these kids... all African American boys by the way. Is it no wonder that I want to start a homeschool  program just for them?  Sometimes I feel like teachers and administrators look at these boys and make snap judgements about their intelligence and worth, long before they ever see the results of an exam... they know nothing about them, and never will, if they don't try to sit with them, and have a heart to heart conversation.  But there is no heart in educating these boys.


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I think I've processed my son's graduation

Already, it seems my relationship with my son has changed.  I am no longer his teacher, and I am no longer parent of a child (not that child anyway).  I am the parent of an adult male.  What a different animal that is.

He's a little more forceful and assertive with me (is this what my momma meant when she said we were smelling ourselves?).  I also am a little more assertive and forceful with him in some ways... in other ways, I am giving him more leeway.  Our relationship is evolving, and it is good.

The graduation speaker was a former graduate of the same homeschool program, and has also been a teacher there for the last 6 years.  His speech was very helpful to me, and probably to my son as well.

He charged the students to:
1. Find a church and go there
2. Read their bibles every day
3. Seek elders for advice and don't listen to peers because "they are as stupid as you are".

He also charged parents with not being so fast to step back and to be hands-off.  We are still parents and will always be.  He mentioned that to this day, married and all, he makes no major decision without calling his parents.... and his parents make no major decisions without calling their parents.  Elders are here for a reason.

And all the parents and grandparents in the room said AMEN! (in my head).



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What your college prep student needs to know.

Remember that whole speech I made yesterday about doing personal finance math instead of Calculus or the like?  Well, the Board of Regents of the University System of GA has released guidelines that must be made to be considered entry into a GA state college, so if that is your goal,  any Personal Finance Class will have to be an elective, or perhaps you can use Economics/Business classes to satisfy the social science requirement.

So, if a GA state college is your goal, (and this probably applies to many state colleges across the country, here is what your child will need to complete beginning the school year 2012-1013.  (As my kids are not applying to state colleges, this is not a problem for us.

College Prep English:  4 units

• American Lit (integrated with grammar, usage and composition)
• English Lit (integrated with grammar, usage and composition)

Calculus or Personal Finance Math

For their senior year math classes, we had to make the decision for both kids whether they should take calculus or personal finance math.  In both cases we chose the latter.

Firstly, the reason we chose for them to study personal finance math over calculus is because neither child is interested in going into a science or math field.  Therefore they really don't need to go beyond Geometry, but for college reasons they took Algebra1, Algebra2, and Geometry.  My son also took Trig. 

Secondly, personal finance math is something they will be doing every day for the rest of their lives, so

MOmmmmm, STOP taking picturrrrrres

Well, this was my son's last weekend as a homeschooler, he can now be considered a college man. ... I think I've harassed him sufficiently.  

I don't have too much to say... I am really exhausted and am heading to bed.  Will post some graduation photos after we recharge the battery on the camera....  Meanwhile, here is one of him being annoyed that I wanted a picture of him at the piano.

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Count down to graduation (video)

Video Summary:

Sharing my excitement about our upcoming graduation ceremonies this weekend.
The college admissions process was actually pretty easy, and my best tip is to apply early.
We've come a long way from the depressed child we pulled out of public school over 8 years ago.

We are very happy to be graduating our first homeschooler... one more to go- next year!



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I love being weird

As long as I can remember I have been strange.  My family told me so.  The only problem is that they made it seem like a bad thing.

First I was the quiet one in my family.... always thinking.  (yes, that was said negatively)

Then I was the bookworm. (also an insult)

Then I was the home-girl (which was a good thing in the 1980s' if you were hip and cool, but in my case, they meant it quite literal.  Everyone else was a homegirl, and I was a home....girl. get it?  Not funny.)
  Then I was just strange (my mother's own words.... expressed after I brought home a creative writing assignment with A+ written on it.  It was a take on Tale of Two Cities where we were required to write from the viewpoints of either a Surf or Nobility.... I chose Nobility.)

At this point, I'd have enough of my family of 11 pointing out how much I stood out from the pack.  I decided to embrace it.  Soon after, my mother was calling me strange based on something I'd said or did, and I stood up in the middle of the living room and exclaimed:

MAYBE I'M NOT THE STRANGE ONE HERE.  (as I pointed to each family member I continued) MAYBE YOU ARE ALL THE STRANGE ONES (I then pointed to myself and said) PERHAPS, I AM THE NORMAL ONE.  .... and they all decided it wasn't worth arguing and changed the conversation.

Some 30-odd years later and I am still the strange one.  Eight years ago, when I finally told my older brother (who I thought would try to get custody of my kids for homeschooling) that I was homeschooling, his answer was "well, you've always been weird, but you seem to make it work, go for it".  At least they now appreciate my weirdness.

And now I do too:

Over at the Education Explorers blog, I just read the post, Dear God, Please Don't Let my children be "normal" where the writer clearly lays out the differences between the words "Normal" and "Quirky".  You have to read it.  It's delightful.

ps.  I have weird kids too... and they embrace it.  I'm so glad they don't have to wait until they are in their 40's to love that they are wired differently.




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