After a year of homeschool, I decided to let each kid decide where their educational journey was going to take them for the new school year. Living near dozens of charters gave them many (hard) choices to make. I assumed they each would want to go back to Channing Hall where they attended before the lockdown, or even continue homeschooling. However, each of their different personalities led them to very different adventures.
Blake decided to continue homeschooling for second grade through Canyon Grove. This year mask mandates were removed and more opportunities opened up to him. I still taught him Math, English, Handwriting, Spelling, and Reading at home, but he got to attend school 1.5 days a week where he learned the other subjects. One day was a full day of learning (Epic Day), and the other half day was called "adventure day" where a bus would either take him on a field trip (like paddle boarding), or to the main campus to garden, work in the space center, learn art, and so on. This was really an amazing program, and I'm so happy he got to experience two years of homeschool.
Chase decided to attend our local elementary school (Oak Hollow) for fifth grade. The last time he went here was for Kindergarten. We loved it, but ended up moving him to Channing Hall for first grade where we wanted to send Wesley due to the more rigorous and challenging curriculum. However, due to Covid, a lot of his friends that attended Channing Hall ended up leaving. He wanted a fresh start for 5th grade, and also wanted to attend the feeder school for the middle school he wanted to go to next year so he could make more friends. The hard part about Charter schools (besides the fact that friends come and go each year) is the fact that kids come from all over the valley to attend, which makes playdates hard when your buddy lives 45 min away. Oak Hollow helped him make friends that lived within walking distance of our house. Also, because I had three kids at three different schools, Chase had the new and exciting opportunity to get to ride his bike to school occasionally.
Wesley decided to give Beehive Science and Tech Academy a try. He wanted to go to a smaller school that would challenge him academically, while also supporting his unique learning style. He knew it would be filled with other like minded kids with similar interests. The small enrollment (there were about 50 kids TOTAL enrolled in seventh grade) meant he could get to know the teachers and fellow classmates a lot better than in a larger school, like Draper Park where thousands of kids attend. He had all his classes with the same 25 kids, and ended up making a lot of really amazing friends this year. Unfortunately, in true Charter fashion, many ended up moving away the following year.
This year was a good year for each child - they each got to attend a school that was best for their individual needs. However, my sanity struggled a bit this year. Three schools (one over 20 minutes away), three districts (all with different days off), plus homeschooling Blake on top of everything AND still working as a volunteer Ranger in the Fall and as a seasonal Ranger the following spring meant I had to do something a bit different the following school year!
Blake - second grade
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| Chase with his Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Bell |
Wesley - seventh grade (first year of middle school for him since he was homeschooled for sixth grade)
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