In Actuality … homeschool.

ac·tu·al·i·ty
/akCHo͞oˈalitē/

noun
actual existence, typically as contrasted with what was intended, expected, or believed.

"the building looked as impressive in actuality as it did in magazines"

synonyms:   reality, fact, truth, real life

Homeschool – or, at the very least, Kellerschool – looks very different than traditional school.

For instance … not a desk, but a big furry beanbag …

While at the same time, 20’ away, lecture happens online.  And students apparently don’t need to comb their hair…

December Days

Some elements unexpected (caterpillars and chrysalids), some elements delightful (lots of citrus fruit, lots of drawing & puzzling & reading), some elements seemingly detestable (pre-calculus).

By the way, and totally off topic, for fellow blogger + windows live writer users … WLW has been essentially killed off for use with blogger.  Good news, though, is that it is now open sourced.  The new platform is called Open Live Writer and can be downloaded here.  I experienced a glitch trying to get everything to work and found the fix on this blog post.  Many thanks to the volunteers who are working on the new software and making it compatible with Blogger!!

In actuality … algebra

ac·tu·al·i·ty
/akCHo͞oˈalitē/

noun
actual existence, typically as contrasted with what was intended, expected, or believed.

"the building looked as impressive in actuality as it did in magazines"

synonyms:   reality, fact, truth, real life

In actuality … homeschool

ac·tu·al·i·ty
/akCHo͞oˈalitē/

noun
actual existence, typically as contrasted with what was intended, expected, or believed.

"the building looked as impressive in actuality as it did in magazines"

synonyms:   reality, fact, truth, real life

 
Middle Dude thinks it’s important for everyone to know that he’s writing an essay while Little Dude is merely finger looming.  Because Middle Dude’s school work is just that much more onerous. 

How Many Boys Does it Take to Build a Billy Bookcase?

Two years after we officially ran out of bookshelf space (one of the not-unusual catastrophes often experienced by homeschoolers), we bought a new bookshelf…

#1 in a Class of 1.

Almost 18 years ago, this very little dude showed up 3 weeks before his due date.  And to this day, I remember thinking how remarkable it was that we got to hold him, as a tiny little baby, in our arms for three weeks longer than we might otherwise have been able.  Like we got  3 bonus weeks.

I kind of feel the same way about our homeschooling years.  Like we got 10+ bonus years of daytime hours with him.  Not to say that some days we didn't want to kick his behind to the nearest school around the corner (6th & 9th grade, I'm looking at you...); but, truly, one of the neatest benefits homeschooling has given us (beyond a really great education!) has been flexibility and a whole lot of time all together as a family.

We graduated The Teen.  Life is going to be forever different.



From his 3-week-early arrival to his near departure [for college] ...

In Actuality … School.

ac·tu·al·i·ty
/akCHo͞oˈalitē/
noun actual existence, typically as contrasted with what was intended, expected, or believed.

"the building looked as impressive in actuality as it did in magazines"

synonyms:   reality, fact, truth, real life

Field Trip – Keller Style, Part 8

Last Day – on which we brave the cold, wind & rain (don’t know why it wasn’t snow – it was 32*).  First destination: National Archives.  We got front row parking!  Unfortunately, there was quite a line … in the rain … so I and my big girl camera waited in the car while the dudes perused the Declaration & Constitution.  Of course, I wasted time taking pictures of the cold and the wind and the rain.
  Oh look!  The cutest little Angry Bird in the Universe is back.  He doesn’t look toooo angry … The Teen requested a stop at the Jefferson Memorial.  To take his birthday portrait.  So I sucked up my weather-weenie self, stuffed my big girl camera in a plastic grocery bag, and ran the half mile (ok, maybe it wasn’t that far. but really, it FELT like 3 miles) from the very distant parking lot, thru the rain and the wind and the COLD, to the monument. Thus concludes our field trip days in DC.  Now it’s time to find our way out of this confusing downtown monument maze, get over the bridge, and hop on our plane home.  Where it’s warm.