The day after Emily turned 15 (February 26) she visited the local high school with her friend Justine. It felt like passing an act of congress to get permission--I spoke with administrators, Justine's mom spoke with administrators, Justine took a permission slip to each of her teachers, and they had to approve the date on their calendars. After we jumped through the appropriate hoops, Emily was cleared to spend a day at high school.
We delivered her to the rendezvous at 7:00 am for "zero period" class. I can't take you through a day of high school, but there were 7 periods (I think) including English (she loved this one--they were studying Shakespeare); Geometry; P.E.; Band (freshman marching band--Emily got to sit and watch them); Spanish I (she didn't understand more than a few words here); and Leadership. Something is missing. . .I'll think of it later.
In P.E. the girls watched a self-defense movie. When it was over, the teacher asked Emily's permission to open the floor to questions about homeschooling. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall here! Emily said she told them "homeschoolers have friends!" and homeschoolers must study, and those who are enrolled in charter schools must take the STAR test each year. All in all, Emily really enjoyed her day. Her summary comment was, "it was really BIG, and really LOUD." People were nice to her, and she saw some familiar faces. She noted that high schoolers eat their lunches standing up. She also observed the requisite students with "their faces glued to each other." She also noticed (with a sense of irony at the force of peer pressure), that none of the girls had short hair (as Emily does).
My good friend Nancy, Justine's mom, strongly recommended that we also check out the local charter school, "Connections academy of performing arts", which meets on the campus of a nearby local high school. We did this the following week. We met with the principal, and he talked with us for a while, getting an idea of Emily's artistic interests. Then, he gave us a tour of the campus. We peeked into classrooms where ballet was going on (PE, as well as "art"), hip-hop jazz was taking place in another room (still more PE), some students were watching a French film in yet another classroom. We walked through a drama lab where students in a circle threw a ball to each other, calling out lines from books, movies, or historical quotes. We viewed the band room, and learned that the school hopes to have a symphony, if enough string players can be recruited. Another classroom housed perhaps 18 pianos. The students at this school participate in the core classes with high school students, but they must also take at least two "fine arts" courses. This charter school is an accredited high school, and gives an elite impression. At the present time there is no waiting list to get in.
Emily enjoyed the tour, and then said, "can I go to the high school?" Wayne and I still have strong reservations about sending our daughter who has only been in the homeschool or tiny private-school setting to a large public school campus. We've long been accustomed to the choices offered by homeschooling. We also must consider that many high school social and musical activities take place on our Sabbath. Emily's involvement with the social aspect of school would mostly be limited to activities taking place during the week.
The next day, with a sense of resignation, I went alone to visit the last schooling option. It's a tiny homeschool supplemental program called "Basic Training" which meets at a local church. I've known about this program for years, but in the past they didn't have high school. Evidently now they do. What kind of student would attend this program? I surmised it would be composed primarily of "freaks, geeks, and weirdos," thereby revealing my own prejudice about homeschoolers, based on I-don't-know-what--certainly not personal experience!
I arrived at the church parking lot at 11:45, and saw kids getting out for lunch. I sat in my car and watched for a few minutes, soaking in the "ambience". What I saw were about 40 high-school aged kids who looked. . . .well. . . . .normal. Entirely so. Attractively so. Some were seated on the blacktop, finishing lunch. Others were standing in small groups talking. Some were playing frisbee. I went to find the facilitator for the high school, "Pat", and had to ask one of the students to help me. He did so--politely.
Pat and I talked for a few minutes, and I shared with her what we were looking for in a school next year. She had a gracious manner, and when I commented that the students seemed nice, she replied, "oh, you couldn't find a nicer group of kids!" Her son is one of the students, and she is a teacher for a local charter homeschool. All the kids at Basic Training are homeschooled--either privately or through charter schools. There is tuition involved, but it is less expensive than the correspondence courses I've investigated. It's $400 per year per course. Next year Emily could take Algebra 2, Biology (with labs), and English language arts; they also offer an afternoon course in "fine arts" comprised of a variety of teachers teaching a variety of artistic subjects (currently handbells). The program (I hesitate to say "school") meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. To Pat I say, "it seems like the best of both worlds!" She nods.
Now I know what I'd like Emily to do next school year--remain in her current charter school, and attend Basic Training for the core classes. We'd still have the fabulous choices offered by the charter school, yet Emily would have some much needed structure to her days and weeks. My dilemma. . .Emily doesn't want to homeschool next year. She's too alone, and doesn't feel like she "belongs" anywhere. As I drive Emily to youth symphony that evening I describe what I saw at Basic Training. She replies, "that sounds pretty nice; I don't like big crowds of people, anyway." We agree to visit the school again on Monday, so she can see what she thinks. On Sunday, Emily asks, "can I enroll in Basic Training now?"
Monday rolls around, and Emily and I appear at 12:00 as arranged with Pat. We enroll her on the spot, because what better way can we decide if she wants to do it next year than by doing it right now?
Today (Thursday) is Emily's third day at Basic Training. The opportunity to be around other kids, and take literature and math classes from new teachers has already infused a new and welcome energy into our homeschool days. As of last evening, this is how she wants to go to school next year. We want to do whatever is best for her, and are grateful to have found this option! And guess what? These high-schoolers eat standing up, too!
