More about my new home schooling students.

Here's some information on my new home schooling students. I've already introduced you briefly to Rachel and Tina. There's also Paula, and I'll start with her.

Paula is Rachel's older sister. She will be a high school sophomore come this fall, and desperately wants to go somewhere other than my house. I had Paula and Rachel for two years back in 2000-01 and 2001-02. Paula was a fourth and a sixth grader then (yes, she skipped fifth grade). She enjoyed the two years with me, but now that she is not in fourth grade but is fourteen years old - friends are very important to her. I totally understand why she doesn't want to come to my house for home school. According to her mom it looks like Paula will be with me, though her dad says they are still undecided.

Knowing and fully understanding Paula's feelings, I have been trying to come up with ideas that will get her out of the house and into a safe, structured, working environment. Hmmm, When I was in high school I was in a work/study program. Let me see... the hospital is two miles away, and the library is about eight blocks... GOT IT!!!

I can create a volunteer program for her three to four afternoons a week; at the library three days a week and the hospital twice a month. Between that and co-op (reminder: co-op is a group of about 35 families - about 100 kids - that meet together twice a month for three hours at a time), she should get some socialization with some new work skills thrown in.

Did I say they aren't totally decided yet where she'll go? I'm hoping that this will be enough to persuade them to send her to me.

Rachel finished up fourth grade Friday and she's thrilled to be coming back to me. I've been tutoring her since February because of a poor teacher she had in third grade. She will continue to come to me once a week for tutoring. Today I gave her the supplemental sections of a third and fourth grade Abeka math books and told her that it was now up to her to let me know what she needed help on. If she doesn't do her work, I can't help her. Let's see how motivated she is.

Tina is my student attempting to do two grades in one year; fourth and fifth. I think I mentioned that she will be heading to the Ukraine this week for two months, which blows my plan for regular summer school. We could have gotten most of fourth grade done - if she had been here. Here's the kicker. Her parents are NOT going with her. She is leaving with her best friend and the friend's mom. O-K. Not sure I would send my only child (Tina is an only child) thousands of miles away for two months. But what can I say? I've only spent every available moment creating daily work schedules for her to take with her so she knows what work she needs to get done while in the Ukraine. Oh, and she's taking language and music lessons there as well.

Tony - well, you already know him. My son. First grade. Active boy. Loves to learn. Thrilled about having classmates. Will probably pester them to death at first. Hopefully has grown out of the bonking-Rachel-on-the-head-with-a-toy stage. He was only a year (and two years old) when they last had school with me.