DaVinci Distance Learning

This morning I suddenly pulled about 20 things out of my closet to send to the D.I. I finally made peace with the fact that I probably won't be fitting back into all those beautiful size 6 work clothes I bought a few years ago and that's O.K.

It always feels good to declutter. But, that is not what this post is about.

This is about how I pulled Isaac and Katie out to homeschool them for a few months last spring and sent them back in the fall after I unexpectedly got a new job. Although the job has flexible hours and I can work from home some of the time -- it is still a job and I didn't want to be ignoring them for 15+ hours a week. Plus what would I do with them on the days I needed to go into the office?

I had enjoyed our months of homeschool together and I was sad. However, when fall came I discovered they were each matched with teachers who were perfect for them. It has been a relief to send all four kids to school and have my days free to focus on getting my work done.

About two weeks ago we had a really hard morning with Katie. Sometimes she is very anxious about going to school. Instead of driving away reassuring myself that her teacher is perfect for her and that sending her to school is the right thing and really the only choice in light of all our circumstances, I said a little prayer asking for confirmation that I was doing all I could for my children.

An hour later, a free newspaper arrived in our mailbox. I am always meaning to read it since I know the editor and some of the writers. I usually set it aside and glance at an article here and there over a 1-2 week period. I started to set it down and walk away, then I opened it to somewhere in the middle and the first story I saw was about DaVinci--the charter school where Sophie attends. That caught my attention and I started to read where my eyes landed about half way into the story. That was the part where it started talking about the DaVinci Distance Learning program.

It was e-x-a-c-t-l-y what I had been searching for last year when I wanted to keep homeschooling Katie and Isaac but I also needed a couple of days to go into the office. Basically, the kids go to school two days a week with other kids who are homeschooled and I get to homeschool them the other three days.

I took the timing of it all as a sign and called the school to find out more. I was thinking we should try to get in for next year, but the administrator of the program said there were openings and I should grab one quick before they were gone and it would be harder to get in if I waited until fall.

I talked to Katie and Isaac about starting homeschool again and, guess what? Isaac said he wants to stay at his school. I was totally surprised. At first, I was sad about his answer. Then I thought, this tells me two things 1) he is growing up (friends and fitting in are becoming more important) and 2) he isn't nearly as miserable at school as he was last year. Both of these are very good things!

Katie on the other hand was firm in her decision that she wanted to do this program (and promised not to cry about going to school since she would only have to go two days a week instead of five).

Earlier this week, I met with the administrator and toured the school.

As soon as I walked in, I had a nice peaceful feeling. I liked everything I saw and everything I was told. It is the most amazing program I can imagine!

Last year, I spent so much time researching and wading through the dozens of different curriculums trying to decide what would work best for us. I spent hundreds of dollars ordering text books (holy cow-they are expensive!). This school provides all of the curriculum. And, there isn't just one curriculum to choose from like some of the online alternatives for homeschoolers. Once a month, I will meet with an advisor who helps me figure out what curriculum best matches our needs. The school loans me everything I need at no charge. If they don't have what I need, they will buy it for their permanent collection so I can have access.

My favorite part of all is a room at the school that is dedicated to projects. There are hundreds of projects with all of the equipment and hands on materials I need for us to borrow and work on the projects at home. All kinds of cool science experiments and math games. Tons and tons of resources! This makes it so we can have an amazing homeschool experience without me investing tons of hours and dollars to make it happen.

I got a phone call today confirming that we got into the program. I had to change so many things around. I already gave up the restaurant features, so that helps free up a little time. I rearranged my babysitting schedule so I will only do that one day a week now and that gives me more flexibility. I rearranged my office schedule so I will go to work on the same days Katie will be in school. I will still need to work 1-2 hours/day from home on the days she is with me, but it shouldn't be a big deal.

I am excited. I am nervous. What if reading that story right when I did wasn't a sign? What if I made my life more complicated for no good reason? I know this will make my already full life even fuller. But, I feel like it is also adding something that is meaningful and that is good. I guess I will dive in and see where it all goes.