Plan B

Back in the beginning of the year, we had Harrison signed up for an online school called Mountain Heights Academy. It is a very academically rigorous school, and great if you have a student who wants to be intellectually challenged and prepared for college. The teachers are really great, and Harrison really liked all the teachers he had.

Harrison is very smart, but because of his ADHD he really struggles when things aren't step by step organized. In January we realized that Moutain Heights wasn't working for him and he was literally flunking out. So, we enrolled him in a school called Utah Online School (formerly called Washington Online, because the county it is based out of is Washington county in Utah. I think they changed it for obvious reasons, the main one being it was confusing.)

UOS isn't as challenging for Harrison, and that isn't a great thing, but it's not bad either... because we realized some things... UOS works better for Harrison because he has to check off an assignment before he is able to move on to the next one. So, no missed assignments or tests! It has also helped us notice there are some things that Harrison really struggles with for some reason. A big one being foreign language. Because our plan included him going to college, he was signed up for Spanish. That has been an interesting experience. One that has helped us learn that maybe college isn't on his immediate path. Originally we wanted him to almost or completely have his associate's degree earned by the time he graduated from high school. After this adventure, we learned that we needed to focus on what Harrison could do and would excel at.

So, the plan changed. Harrison loves to weld. Since he has only welded for about five hours tops when Shane was teaching him the basics, he will take a welding class when he goes to high school next year. Depending on how that class goes, he has the option of going to the local trade school and working on a welding certificate. If he does this, the high school will pay the tuition for the classes he takes at the trade school. Because he learns the online school topics pretty easily, he will have more time to take classes at the trade school. The more we discussed this, and thought about it, the more we realized that this would be a good way to go, if it's what Harrison wants. (At this point he does, and he has a natural knack for it.) As an added bonus, by the time he graduates he could have a welding certificate and the possibility of a decent paying job.

We anticipate that he will go on a mission close after he graduates from high school, and once he gets back from his mission, he could go on to college if he wanted to. He loves math and could possibly get a degree in manufacturing engineering with an emphasis in welding. If he didn't though, he would still have a job skill that would make enough money to provide for a family.

I have to tell you, that while this sounds pretty easy peasy and like we just magically came to it, it really wasn't that way. It was noticing that he was struggling with certain things, and then realizing that there may be an alternate path to achieving the same thing. It didn't help that there was a preconceived stigma to get over that Shane and I both had from high school. When I was in school there were two paths, trade school, or college. I wish we had been given a third option...trade school, college, or trade school/then college. Having a student graduate with a skill that would help put them through college!

So, it's an interesting path. We'll see how it all pans out. If it doesn't, there will always be a plan C. ;)

School is in session...kind of...

Hazel started school this week. This is a week earlier than they started last year, and last year they started a week earlier than the year before that. So...yeah. Still, they get out for summer about a week before everyone else. BEFORE memorial day so that will be new for us.

Harrison's main school starts on Wednesday next week, and then the school he takes orchestra at and seminary will start on the 31st. He's actually been working on one of the classes this week because it is self paced and if he can get it completed before the school semester starts he won't have to do work from that class because it will already be passed off.

Jeffrey starts preschool on the 31st. His teacher came to visit just to meet him. He hid behind the recliner. That's his spot. His teacher from the year before came too, and she mentioned to me that he also had a spot in the classroom that he liked to go to. I guess he likes to have a safe spot where he feels in control. :) He will be going to school four days this year. If it is too overwhelming for him they will back it down to three and then try to get it up to four. I really didn't ever want him to start kindergarten right after he turned five, because he would be the youngest in the grade. I just didn't think that would be a good thing. I still don't. I am going to use all my parental power to have him go to preschool another year.

I was pretty impressed that all the kid's school holidays are pretty evenly lined up except for spring break. Harrison's main school is off for spring break one week before the other schools in our family. Still, we may be able to work it so he does his school work that week and then takes the next week off when his orchestra and seminary will be having spring break. That's the cool thing about online school.

It's going to be a busy year!

It is what it is...

Well, a new adventure awaits us this fall. Harrison will be in 9th grade, and decided he wanted to be homeschooled again. I guess, depending on how things work out, we might try to get him enrolled in the charter high school, but it is about 25 minutes away, and yeah...

He really really really doesn't want to go to public school. Considering his past adventures in that arena, I can't say that I blame him really. Maybe I'm paranoid, but all I see is him getting beat up and not realizing his potential. He's a really smart person intellectually, but like most kids with ADHD he still struggles with social norms.

I know, you're probably thinking that if I take him away from the school environment, won't he miss out on getting used to social norms? I really don't think so. After seeing how Harrison has progressed in the charter school, which has been awesome, versus the other kids that have been going to public school, and the kids in our neighborhood who are home schooled, I would say he behaves more like the home schooled kids. Not in the social norm arena, but in the, I'm not too worried about peer pressure and being "cool" and "liked" and changing myself so I fit in arena.

Anyway...

Once again, I have had to deal with people telling me why they think what we are planning to do is wrong.

I find this so strange and bizarre. Why do people really think that it's any of their business? Am I abusing my child? No. Am I neglecting him? No. If anything I am trying to prevent both of those things.

Personally I find it to be a very old way of thinking. The, "public school is the only way a child should be taught" way of thinking. I find it wonderfully amazing at all the options kids have available these days that we didn't have when I was growing up.

Harrison is signed up for an online charter school that has some of the best rates in the state. He has the ability to take college classes when he's a junior, just like any other public school student. I find that wonderful! He could almost or completely have his associate's degree earned by the time he graduates from high school, if he wants.

Aside from that, he will also be taking orchestra at the middle school, and seminary, and he will still be in the youth chamber orchestra. Plus, because he is going to be doing the bulk of his schooling at home, he can be in seminary the whole school year, and he can take orchestra the whole school year. I think that is really cool.

If we want we can even become involved with the local home school groups that get together for outings once a week. It may be every other week...I can't remember. Still, he will have seminary, church, scouts, youth chamber orchestra, and orchestra, I think his social needs will be more than met!

For some reason there is this stigma and idea that if you don't learn how to deal with all the negative awful social things while your teenage brain is still developing and you are still trying to figure out yourself, that you just won't succeed in life. Really? Really?!

I also keep thinking, whether or not someone agrees doesn't matter. As long as we are okay with it, he's going to get a high school diploma, and be ready for college, what difference does it make in how that is achieved?

Plus, if we find out that it's not working out so great, we have other options.

To me, it's all win, win, win, win, win. There it is.