How Was Your School Year: The Kid's Perspective 2012-2013

This year had many unplanned events. We bought a foreclosure, sold our home of 11+ years, (moved which totally destabilized Goldilocks), started major renovations on our new home, and our oldest went through heart/pacemaker surgery. All of these things had an impact on our homeschooling. Each year I give the kids an opportunity to tell me how they think our year went. They are encouraged to tell me the good and the bad, as well as their dreams and how they think things could run better. I take what they feel into consideration when planning the next school year. Of course, I am still the Mom and my husband is still the Dad, so we have final say. The kids are always interviewed separately.

Little Red Riding Hood -- 9 years old

What worked for you this year?

• I love Teaching Textbooks (math).
• I like Journal Time with the Dry Erase board.
• Explode the Code is more fun than most of the language arts workbooks.
• Learning is much easier now that Goldilocks is not learning with us (she makes so much noise and interrupts so much).
• I like the way we watch CNN Student News first and that we are done with most of school by lunch time.

What were your favorite thing(s) about school this year?

• Cooking ~ We should do it every day. I like being your lunchtime helper.
• I love Life of Fred books and math literature books.
• I like literature time because you read to us, and we draw pictures of what you are reading.

What was your least favorite thing about school?

• I don't like spelling. It is hard and boring.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

• A mother and a dance teacher.

What is the one thing you would like to learn next year that you are not learning now?

• I want to learn more about cooking and how to make whole meals. I want to plan the meals sometimes.

If you could take only one class outside of the home, what would it be? 

I skipped this question with Little Red Riding Hood. She has been invited into Tween Company next year at our dance studio. We have had many conversations around committing so much time to dance and that it will preclude her getting to do other extracurricular classes this coming year. She is very excited about doing a more concentrated dance program.

Do you like learning best when it is hands on, listening, or watching?

• Hands on

If we were going to volunteer next year, what would you want to do?

• I would like to cook food for old people and sick families and take them meals.

What were your favorite special activities this year?

• I like science projects and field trips the best.

Tom Sawyer -- 11 years old

What worked for you this school year?

• Books on tape
• Cooking time with you
• Writing down my math problems (even though I don't like to do it)
• Teaching Textbooks
• Note booking our science
• Goldilocks learning in a different room than us

What was your favorite thing(s) about school this year?

• Cooking time ~ I want to do more experimenting and learning about ingredients.
• I like doing all of our science projects.

What was your least favorite thing this year?

• I don't like writing. Nothing is fun about it.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

• I want to be a Lego engineer, a demolition artist and a chef. I want to own my own restaurant.

What is one thing that you would like to learn next year that you are not learning now?

• I want to learn robotics. I want to learn it here at home with you or Dad.

If you could do just one class next year outside of the home, what would it be?

• Continue taking Boy's Dance or Aerial Arts at the dance studio

If we were going to volunteer next year, what would you want to do?

• I would work with animals or make dishes of food for families in need.

Do you like to learn best when it is hands on, listening, or watching?

• Hands on

What was your favorite special activities this year?

• Science projects
• Field trips ~ especially animal related ones
• Play dates with friends

Goldilocks -- 12 years old

What worked for you this school year?

• Learning on the computer is much better for me.
• Explode the Code helps me.
• I like the time lines and posters on the walls.

What was your favorite thing(s) this school year?

• Time4Learning
• Field trips
• Literature time

What was your least favorite thing(s) this year?

• I don't like being told what to learn.
• I hate my language arts books.
• I don't like assigned writing. I just want to write my own thing.
• I don't like being corrected and having to redo stuff.
• I don't like math.
• I don't like having a separate desk from everyone else. (Her desk is still in the same room, but if she stays at the table with the others, she cheats).
• I don't like you tricking me into learning stuff.

(I finally had to cut her off when she started telling me all of the non-school related things she doesn't like -- you know all of those "You are controlling my life" and "I want to do my own thing" issues.)

What do you want to be when you grow up?

• Pet sitter
• Babysitter
• Clothing designer
• Dance teacher
• Makeup artist
• Drawing teacher

What would you like to learn next year that you are not learning now?

• How to use a real sewing machine
• More about how to care for animals
• What are the different kinds of dance careers

If you could take only one class outside the home next year, what would it be?

• Gymnastics. (This answer surprised me. She is always talking about dance and how much she loves it and that she wants to dance when she grows up. Now, she says she wants to do something else!)

If we were going to volunteer next year, what would you want to do?

• I would help cats and dogs.

Do you like learning best when it is hands on, listening or watching?

• Hands on

What were your favorite special events this year?

• I like tea parties and field trips the best.

There is lots to think about. There were not many surprises. Apparently, I need to work in a concentrated home economics class for the kids. Tom Sawyer loves to play restaurant at dinner time -- preparing the meal, writing out the menu, setting the table just so, and lighting the candles. He told me the other day that we need more than one china set so he had choices for table settings! LOL! We sure live in the right area for him to pursue a career in the restaurant or hotel business. I also need to  think about what to do with Goldilocks. She is so oppositional these days. I will put up my perspective on our school year in a day or two.

Blessings, Dawn