First "Official Home-school Review" Review

In our state, you must meet with the county school district person for a biannual review of your homeschooling. I was told by some of our new homeschooling friends here that they are just wanting to make sure that you are actually schooling the children and not just playing around, so as long as you have some written work and a list of your texts then you are good to go. When the lady called to set up the appointment, she told me to bring a writing example and reading example as well as a daily schedule and list of books we use. So I thought this might be a little nerve wracking for the first time, but I felt confident that everything would be fine since I AM actually schooling Hannah, she is reading on a second grade level in Kindergarten, and she has finished the Kindergarten math text books completely. I packed up our texts, lists, her current Faith and Freedom reader, her workbooks, and her art folder. And I thought we were set.

We arrived at the review early and they slipped us right in with a reviewer. The kids colored and were excellent the whole time. Then the lady proceeds to ask me about each required subject. When we get to "Health," I am stumped for a second because I didn't know this was required for Kindergartners. Then I remember our lovely alphabet path and how we have studied lots of different parts of the body throughout the alphabet. However, she was not happy that I was using library books and had nothing written to show for it. After a lecture about using a set curriculum, she checked me off though and we moved on. (Side note: No curricula I looked into had any health books for Kindergarten.) Then she asked me about reading and had Hannah read out of her book to her. This all went fine and Hannah read perfectly, but I had been told that Hannah would not be tested and this was just to show what we are doing. Then we get to writing, and here is where this lady really got my goat. I showed her Hannah's handwriting book and she looked at me with a confused look and asked, "Doesn't she write sentences?" Her handwriting book is practicing penmanship of each letter of the alphabet. I said, "Yes, she is capable of writing sentences, but I think it is important to learn how to write the letters correctly first before putting whole sentences together. That tends to make kids sloppy." Then I get another lecture. This time it is about how the Such-and-such county schools are very competitive and start the Kindergartners writing sentences the first week of school. She goes on to say, and I quote, "I find that many home-schooled children are very bright, but are just not challenged enough." Seriously? I asked, "Don't they need to know how to write the letters correctly before they jump into writing full sentences? Because you know that preschoolers don't have the coordination to write letters correctly." She replied that handwriting is not taught and they skip that part. I replied with, "Well, I don't agree with that and since I am homeschooling my children, I can do it my way, correct?" Apparently, this is correct. I don't have to do it her way, and I think I was just getting pushed around since I was a first-timer.

Well, we continue on down the checklist through math and art. Check. Check. Then we get to Social Studies, and again I miss a beat. Then I pick back up with, "You mean History? Yes, in our alphabet path we have studied many different historical figures, like Amelia Earhart, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr, for example." This is not what she meant. She meant more Anthropology type stuff, like how people in different times or countries live/lived. Well, if I really stretched it, I guess I could say we have studied different cultures when reading American Girl books. But I just said we didn't and she checked me off anyway with a note about the historical figures that we have done. Once, again she stressed the word "curriculum," like I'd never heard it before and made me feel about 2 inches tall.

Then on to Science. She checked me off after I showed her in my lesson plan book a handful of topics we have learned about throughout the alphabet path with some projects included. I busted out my planner this time since she is so hung up with written stuff. This went over a little better. Check.

Music. I said we listen to classical music as well as Gregorian chant and other religious music on a regular basis. She wrote down that she "listens to music" and checked me off.

Physical Education. She played soccer in the fall and is in basketball and tap and ballet right now. Next time, I am supposed to bring in proof of these programs as well. What in the world?! At this point, I am mentally despising the liberal state I live in with every fiber of my being and all its regulations (as my husband so often does.)

To be fair, I think that purely through the luck of the draw I got a bad reviewer. A friend of mine said that she was not held to these same standards and did not have to listen to anti home-schooling diatribes either. I still feel that I was also pushed around more since I was a newbie. The main problem is that I am a major overachiever, but at the same time don't want to give them what is not required of me because I think that government is entirely too involved in...well, everything. Aah, the balance! May God help me find it.