Brandy on December 12th, 2009

http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2009/12/09/americas-best-high-schools-gold-medal-list.html
So, US News has again published its picks for the top 100 high schools in the US. It looks like the majority of them are either specialized schools or magnet/charter schools. I noticed none of the “exemplary schools” from my area are included in the list. Even the public schools in the [...]

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Brandy on September 28th, 2009

Who says homeschoolers sit at home all day and don’t interact with the outside world? Ha ha ha!

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Brandy on September 27th, 2009

After a six week trial, both kids unanimously voted to be homeschooled again. I guess they prefer to learn and live in freedom. I can’t say I blame them … compare our homeschool schedule to the daily grind of public schooling.
Rest assured that the ‘mean girls’ are worse than ever in middle school.

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Brandy on September 24th, 2009

I volunteer on Tuesdays at my son’s school, working in the library.  There is a classroom that adjoins the library, and the door is typically shut all the time.  So, as I was shelving books, the door opened and the teacher came out to stand in the library.  While the door was open, I could [...]

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Brandy on September 3rd, 2009

Today I attended a volunteers’ coffee social at my daughter’s middle school.  We got lots of great food and some coffee (hey!),  juice and water.  I ate some yummy homemade pumpkin bread that made me look forward to cooler weather and baking goodies in the oven with the windows open… sigh.
We met the school staff [...]

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Brandy on August 24th, 2009

The kids’ first day of school went well for both.  My 6th grader sent me a text message while she was on the bus that said: ‘Hey, mom, I had like a ton of fun today!’
So that was good news.  I had visions of horror that she’d come home crying and never want to go [...]

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Brandy on August 23rd, 2009

In less than twelve hours I will be sending my kids off to school.  They are both already in bed and hoping to be able to sleep from the excitement.  I am hoping to get a little bit of sleep as well.
What am I going to do with all my free time?!
Whatever the heck I [...]

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Brandy on August 21st, 2009

And, it’s 2.5 days and counting until the most wonderful time of the year!
Today we got to get up early to go and meet the boy’s teachers.  He’s got a main teacher — who teaches math, science and social studies and a ’switch’  teacher who teaches language arts (which includes spelling and reading).
The schools in [...]

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Brandy on August 18th, 2009

We got my son’s teacher assignments in the mail today, and I am so pleased he will not be in a certain teacher’s class this year!
And I got a little teary today when I realized that my kids will never again be in the same school at the same time.  Sniff, sniff.

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Brandy on August 15th, 2009

When did my daughter grow up?  Suddenly she is getting ready for her first day of middle school.  Excitement mixed with uncertainty.
This morning we got up early to wait in line with 500+ other people to have 6th grade orientation.  It was HOT.  And if a mouse passed gas, it would have been a welcome [...]

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