Tweaking Our Homeschool

Most of you know we continue to homeschool here in Brazil. The way this works is, we have a "professora particular" who teaches the boys in our home. That is, a private tutor. She happens to work for smiles, hugs and kisses, but who am I to argue?

To help facilitate things for her, we downloaded some new software that organizes the children's assignments, keeps track of completed work, grades, overdue things, even organizes field trips and things. Then, each Monday morning, the professora can print an assignment sheet for the week, one for each boy. Brilliant! No more "I forgot....", because it will be printed right there in front of them, waiting to be checked off. On Friday, then, the professora can check the work, enter the grades into the program, and at the end of a term can print a report card. All thanks to a lovely free software program! Wonderful!!

To make sure everyone is currently working on grade level and doing well, we had the boys do some unofficial testing, using the on-line versions (scored automatically) of the TAKS Test, which is the standardized test used in Texas public schools. The two older boys completed the 3 tests for their most recently completed grade (Math, Reading and Science). I'm pleased to report, and the professora is thrilled, that they scored an average of 80% on each segment of the test. I'm particularly pleased with the Science results for The Artist -- he's currently in 4th grade, so his last completed grade was 3rd grade. Yet, he took the 5th grade science (the only year available) and scored in the mid-80s. All the science reading he does on his own has paid off! The professora is beyond thrilled to know that her efforts over the years have produced such nice results.

We've gone through our library of books and found the official grade level/reading level of each, so that we can be sure the boys are reading appropriate material. We even found a website that will allow them to take on-line quizzes for books they read; lovely built-in instant feedback! Those quizzes will be scheduled on their assignment sheets, grades entered, etc. What a help for the very busy professora! Keeping up with the schooling of a 7th grader, a 4th grader, a relatively new Kindergartner/K-4er, as well as the needs of a new puppy and running a household -- well, anything we can do to help her out is a nice bonus! She works so cheaply it's the least we can do!

The Writer has a new reading list to reflect his current grade level, with his fun reading relegated to the sidelines for 'extra' and not for school credit. He's not thrilled, but I hope the books that have been chosen for him will soon win him over to our side. Also, the aforementioned quiz site allows parents to create personalized rewards for successful quizzes; we plan to set up some prizes that will help motivate him as he meets his goals. The professora is certain that some outside motivation will help him greatly.

We're roughly to the half-way point in our school year; we got a late start this year because of travel issues, so we'll finish a bit late, but that's okay. Next year we'll be able to finish on time again. (we follow the Brazilian calendar, more or less, of schooling from February to November, with some minor tweaks along the way since we travel in the off-season....). 

I'll be doing some re-decorating and organizing in our school room/dining room this week, to give us a little boost for the 2nd half of the year. I always get a school itch when the public schools are starting back up in the US and all my friends back home are talking about "back to school" time; I think mid-year new school supplies, decorations, and tweaks will satisfy the itch and help all of us over the hump so we can finish the school year well. I know the professora at least is quite thrilled; she and I are on pretty intimate terms....you might even say we share one mind.....