This is where Sophie will be next year. We toured, we emailed, we examined the (scant) alternatives, we perused course offerings, and we applied. We did it above-board, having her apply as an out-of-catchment, out-of-district student, rather than “moving to
In the cherry tree
The same cherry tree that Fiona’s picking the fruit from: Sophie is climbing amongst its tangled branches. I love our local school. The teachers and staff are fabulous: interesting, passionate people with wonderful talents and the best interests of their students
Cherry-picking
We’ve enjoyed unprecedented flexibility and co-operation from our local school for many years. At first we were merely registered homeschoolers with no official school affiliation, yet we were welcome to attend special events, use the library and participate in assemblies
Homeschooling just one, v2.0
What a difference this year! A new violin teacher has arrived in the area and I have relinquished all my private lesson teaching to her. This means that Fiona is not dragged to a furniture- and electronics-barren teaching studio for
Planning homeschooling
As has been our after-SVI routine for the past few years, Fiona and I are thinking about and planning the upcoming year of homeschooling. While she had some ambivalence about homeschooling during the tail end of winter last year, she’s
Another year of school
Rose and the Doctor at school on Fictional Character Day Classes have ended at the local high school. Sophie and Noah are in the midst of exams. This represents the completion of Sophie’s second and Noah’s first year of full-time
Math cat
Though still essentially an out-and-out unschooler, Fiona has been taking Introductory Spanish at the local school this semester. Nominally she’s in Grade 4 and the requirement for second-language learning doesn’t kick in until Grade 5 within the DL program we’re
Fear and locked doors
Dear Ms. School District Superintendant I’m writing to express my distaste for the recent board-level changes in school security policy. I chose to raise my children in this area in large part because I wanted them to grow up in
End of the school year
Sophie and Noah both entered high school this year out of a lifetime of unschooling, Sophie full-time in a combination of Grade 8 & 9 (Grade 8 being considered high school here) and Noah part-time in Grade 10. I realize
Grad Photos
Graduating
We have Erin home for almost four days. She made the trip back from Montreal for her high school graduation weekend. While she’s been living there this year studying violin and playing in an orchestra, she’s officially still been a
Fiona reads
The Arts & Writers School and Community Coffee House was last night. It’s the culmination of a week of electives and workshops held at the school with a variety of local and guest artists. In the gallery space was the
My working parent day
Today I felt like a working parent. I packed all three kids off to school, went to work, picked them up in time to start juggling the after-school activities and homework. Yes, all three are at school this week. Fiona
Using school to fit our needs
Compared to what the kids’ educations looked like several years ago, things are much more varied and piecemeal these days. I used to have four kids hanging out and playing at home and in the community, pursuing learning entirely outside
Finding his place
The high school has just completed a week-long documentary project. The student films were shown, as well as an informal “documenting the documentary-making” film pulled together by Mo, one of the professional film-maker facilitators. In this last film, there was