I feel like a have a big secret hiding in my closet.  We have decided to homeschool Baby in the fall.  

Baby's kindergarten teacher was a cold fish but she was good.  She made her students tow the line and she had high expectations. Most of all she did not but up with Baby's shenanigans! Baby likes to lower her chin and bat her big blue eyes at people to get her way. Some times she will even add tears to those baby blues if it will help her cause. I so appreciate that the kinder teacher saw right through all of that.  

First grade...UGH! That is a year I don't want to relive!  Baby got the teacher that everyone wanted.  I was happy with that. The school year started out just fine. Shortly after Halloween Baby started complaining that her teacher didn't like her and she didn't want to go to school. Things just got worse and worse. The teacher started missing a lot of school and every time there was a sub Baby was super happy about it.  In December I requested to meet with the teacher and set up and appointment. She canceled the appointment and never rescheduled.  I hoped that after the holidays and a little vacation things would improve, but they did not.  In late January I met with the teacher and the principal. To say the least I was not impressed!  The principal was new and I don't think she knew I was a teacher.  I don't remember all the details but I was NOT happy when I left.  They mentioned the 4th grade writing test and Baby not being able to pass it, and all sorts of other stuff.  They talked about Baby refusing to do any writing work. They also mentioned if she got further behind she might end up in resource. That is where I "blew my top" in a very controlled way.  I told them over my dead body would a child of mine go to resource.  Resource is the cesspool of public education and if you don't believe me go watch a resource class at the high school level.

(Disclaimer: I know many amazing resource teachers, my MIL included.  

Again, it is the system not the teachers. I don't for a minute profess to know what the answer is.)

At this point I knew I had to do something.  I knew that Baby was not just refusing to do her writing for the fun of it.  There was a pattern that was for sure but I wasn't sure what the cause was.  So I stepped out of my mommy hat and put on my teacher hat.  I knew baby had some "quirks" but I wasn't really sure what all that meant.  She had/has lots of sensory issues, tags, embellishments in clothes, loud noises, constantly chewing on the neck or wrist of her shirt, and on and on.  I knew all of this meant something but I wasn't really sure what.  Long story short Baby has some visual processing problems and we started therapy for that.  The eye Dr suggested having her allergy tested because of some of the behaviors she was seeing.  Indeed she has a significant dairy allergy.  Getting her off of dairy has been huge!  

Meanwhile her teacher missed more and more school and by late February she never returned.  There were a million subs in her class (or at least it felt like it) and some days there was not a sub and her class would be split up and sent to other classes.  Finally the last 8 weeks of school she finally got a permanent sub.  Oh how I wish that person could have been her teacher all year!  

Over the summer we moved and started at a new school.  I talked to her teacher and told her a little about Baby's first grade, gave her a copy of her vision report that also has suggested accommodations in it, and we started the year.  So far it has been a pretty good year.  I have seen some of the vision stuff creeping back in and really need to start doing the exercises again. 

Baby has also acquired some interesting skills.  She knows her teacher doesn't grade everything so if she doesn't want to do it, she was folding up her work and putting it in her pocket and bringing it home.  So this is all a brief history of her school experience.  

Currently I am reading a book called 

The End of Molasses Classes: 

Getting kids unstuck, 101 extraordinary solutions for parents and teachers

by Ron Clark.

This book has reminded me of a conversation I have had several times with a friend of mine about how we allow our kids to get away with things we would have NEVER allowed our students to get away with. It has also pointed out to me something I already knew but didn't want to accept responsibility for... I am way to easy on Baby. I let her be "the baby". I let her get away with stuff I shouldn't and I often make excuses to myself about it.  Enough of that!  

So why on earth would I want to homeschool.  After spending 9 years as a teacher in public education, my philosophy of education has grown and change.  I don't like that our child is being educated to pass "the test" I don't like that when our child is missing a skill there is no way to back up and get it.  I don't like that when our child is ahead in an area she can't move forward. Our child doesn't fit well into the public school mold.  She needs to move, she needs it quiet to think.  She is easily distracted and when she is overwhelmed she shuts down.  I want to bring her home and give her what she needs to do well academically. By Halloween I might be rethinking myself but I need to do what is best for her. 

As of right now we are planning on using Sonlight. I love their curriculum and it fits Baby's learning style. 

So that is my skeleton in my closet.