I know I ‘homeschool.’ and I am (one of) the homeschool contributor (who misses her deadlines by 2 or 3 months) here, but I have a confession. I am not homeschooling anymore. My kids are going to *GASP* public school.
Well, kinda… Not really but kinda…
I have, indeed enrolled my kids in public school for the 2011-2012 school year~ but it’s a cyber school.
I did it. I never thought we’d be that family but now we are. And it all started when I ‘overheard’ a conversation on FB:
I have 4 portfolios with pavcs…drives me nuts…but they are the BEST school for students with disabilities
And I was off! It led me to delve into the world of cyber school and PAVCS~ and I made these ladies WORK for their money.
First, I checked out the website and read everything I could about the school. I e-mailed them and requested that someone call me. I spoke to someone, then signed up for the information session they were holding at a local hotel.
At the info session, I met the Supervisor of Enrollment and the Regional Family Services Director. I stayed for the entire 2 hours (plus some) asking every question I could think of. Both of the ladies IM’ed different people to get answers to questions I had and took the time to listen to me ~ really listen.
In that session, I was told that PAVCS has a designated DYSLEXIA TEACHER!!!
BINGO!!!
We are pretty sure that Knuckles is dyslexic. She already has the ‘precursor diagnosis’ of phonological dyspraxia. After talking to Mary Ellen (the dyslexia teacher,) we suspect that The Princess may be suffering from a milder form of it, too.
I hung up from my phone conversation with Mary Ellen, LITERALLY, stopping myself from crying! I was so relieved ~ beyond relieved! I was over the moon for PAVCS! NO ONE told me Knuckles was just a low IQ student that may never work at the level of her peers (the local school district said that.) No one mentioned medicating her (the local school district put a lot of pressure on me to medicate.) No one said anything other then ‘I think we can help your children learn.’ I still feel teary eyed when I think of that conversation! I told my Dad “She believes me! Someone finally believes me!” For years I have been met with questioning faces and choruses of ‘She SEEMS fine to me…’ even though she wasn’t learning.
PAVCS really seems to go above and beyond the requirements for a public school! In fact, they offer a million things that our local district doesn’t:
- a designated dyslexia teacher
- the twins will be out with a teacher with REDUCED CLASS SIZES so they get more individualized attention
- they will also have a Special Education teacher
- Title 1 instruction
- Barton curriculum~ a program specifically for dyslexia
- Monthly outings
- a dedicated staff that REALLY cares about my children
- Parent-led learning~ I will still be the girls teacher
It really was not a hard decision to enroll them in PAVCS! From my first phone conversation, they ‘had me at hello!’
Stay tuned for Parts 2 & 3 of this series where I discuss the benefits to ME (yes! Benefit’s for Mama!!) and things you should consider when deciding if cyber school is right for your family.
Tiffany is one of the Mom Bloggers behind Home Grown Families and an expert in missing deadlines. A single Mama to 3 girls, when she is not frantically writing to fulfill past obligations, she is searching for better ways to teach her twins. You can follow her journey at Home Grown Families, on Twitter and on Facebook.
Related posts:
I’m doing virtual school with my kids this year too. We have been down a looooooong road of finding what works and this is our next to last ditch effort. We are doing K-12.com with them If it doesn’t work I am going to do a twisted version of homeschooling and unschooling mixed together. I hope it works because I suck at homeschooling, that was the beginning step in our long road, I haven’t got the time or patience for it, I don’t want to go back there!
What a blessing to find the perfect solution. I have a son with ADHD and I suspect a LD as well. He is entering into 1st grade. He is in our fantastic, five star rated school. I am so grateful to be in a great school that cares and provides the amazing team he needs to thrive. Good luck!
That’s awesome Tiffany! Way to go to bat for your kids. You are a model mama.
I used to homeschool two of my three kids. For the past two years one of those two has been doing virtual school with Laurel Springs School and we love it! My other homeschooled kiddo was only home for a few months due to her learning disability and thrived back in traditional school last year. I am so grateful for options when it comes to schooling. I don’t believe that one size fits all!
That’s awesome. I have a cousin who’s been diagnosed with Aspergers last year. She recently started a similar public cyber school (her mom was homeschooling her previously) and I think it’s been great for the whole family!