SBA Testing Week

Due to traveling last week, the kids were not able to make it to the state standardized (SBA) testing that is required of all homeschooled kids in Alaska. This week was make-up week. Of the 300+ kids in Homer who belong to Connections and took the SBA (I don't know how many of those are in pre-testing grades, but probably not that many), less than 10 were there for the testing make-up days this week. Since my kids missed all three days of testing last week, they showed up for all 3 days of testing this week. Technically they could have taken more than one test each day, but that would have been grueling. Reading was probably the easiest test, and took 1 1/2 hours. Writing took 2 1/2 hours for Denver to complete; he said he was having a lot of fun and got carried away with writing his story. For math both kids only had one problem they weren't sure of the answer but otherwise were confident of how they did; it still took them 1 1/2 hours to complete. Denver took the 4th grade science test the previous week during the scheduled time.

I had to drop them off at 8:45, testing started a 9:00. When they were both done they would call me and I would come pick them up. It works out--I just had to find a place to hang until they were ready.

In the schools the SBA becomes a huge event. Like Aurora said about last year, "My teacher spent 15 minutes just showing us how to fill in the bubbles!" Snacks are provided, notes are sent home to make sure kids are well rested and in school on time for test days, and relaxing events are planned for the afternoons since the kids are so tired from testing for hours. I will admit, both of my generally motivated kids had no desire to do schoolwork the 3 days they did tests. Two of the days I told them to pick any 2 subjects to do, and after 2 1/2 hours of writing on Wednesday I told them they didn't have to do any schoolwork. Both are hard workers and if they are fried, I'm not going to push too hard, especially since both have already finished their math books for their grade level and are ahead of their grade level in most subjects.

So testing is over; now we wait and see how it turned out!

Time to Volunteer

I have wanted to volunteer more with the kids in the past, but when they were in school all day they would be wiped out by time they got home, and then they had sports and other activities on evenings and weekends. Homeschooling provided me the perfect opportunity to volunteer with the kids during the day.

It took us awhile to figure out where we wanted to volunteer. I wanted something we could all do, and my preference was to work with people as opposed to objects. Aurora loves animals so we considered the animal shelter, but Denver's not into animals and nor am I. The local food pantry seemed to have plenty of volunteers already, as did Pic 'n' Pay. Aurora is a great teacher so I wanted to hook her up with a tutoring situation, but nothing came up. I liked the thought of working with seniors at Friendship Terrace, but wasn't sure how we could all do that together. I ran into the administrative assistant of Haven House, a shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence, last spring at a Cub Scout event, and asked her about possibilities. She liked the idea, though wasn't exactly sure how we might fit in.

When we started homeschooling one of the things on the kids' weekly checklist was service/volunteering. They were supposed to put in 2 hours a week. I was so busy I didn't have time to find a place, but finally Denver was getting quite cranky about not being able to check this off his list so I got motivated. I turned in the volunteer application at Haven House and they suggested that we play with whatever kids might be there in the play room. Aurora and Denver were not sure about it, but were willing to give it a try.

Four months later, we are now regulars, playing with whatever kids might be at Haven House each week. We bring in games and activities from home, depending on the level of kids that are there. It has been good for all of us, and I know that each week when I leave I have a smile on my face. The kids that are there look forward to our coming and appreciate being able to play with kids in their "home." A shelter is not normally a place to invite kids over for playdates, so this can mean a lot to these kids to play with other kids on their own turf. And I think Aurora and Denver gain an appreciation of the normalcy of their lives. I have seen Aurora become a leader in this situation, organizing the games and teaching the kids the rules. And we all see each other in a different setting, which allows us to get to know each other better. Overall it is a great experience and one that I am glad we ended up in.