Around Wheeler Academy

I was a little nervous that we would get some complaining from my summer term crew when we started school yesterday morning, but they were excited to begin.  It was a pretty simple day.  Everybody did one lesson from their math, they each read from a book that we are working on for our parent and child book clubs, and everyone had music lessons.  After that they had plenty of time to play and be kids.  I know I was craving the return to a schedule and it seems that they were too.  Here are a few snapshots of our day: 5 year-old doing The Good and the Beautiful Doodles Handwriting 13 year-old working on her novel and finishing up Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra 11 year-old and 7 year-old working on Teaching Textbooks 7 and 4 respectively and setting up a game of Robot Turtles 7 year-old having virtual violin lessons with his teacher Playtime with cousins. These Three were thick as thieves yesterday

Hello Everyone, I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend!  Ours was delightfully relaxing.  Grandpa got us a fun cake from Oakmont Bakery which we throughly enjoyed!  It of course necessitated a cheeseburger theme for our holiday fare. Today we get back into a formal learning schedule.   We usually take the month of June off to regroup and allow me time to put together plans and resources for our school and also for the camps I run in the summer. (The camps are being held virtually this year, which is fun, but presents a new challenge.)  Now that things are well in hand, it is time to get back to an easy summer work load.  The kids will do one language arts lesson or one math lesson each day, in addition to their music practice and summer projects.  I think everyone is craving the return to a normal schedule, especially in this unusual year.  Recording keeping is always a challenge with homeschooling.  We have tried a number of methods over the years, and most of them ha

Hello again dear friends!  It is the 4th of July, and this year looks a little different than most years.  We are not having huge celebrations with family because of the virus, and it is supposed to be 100 degrees by afternoon, so we will be staying inside.  Regardless of the world circumstance or local weather, however, we will be taking the usual time to learn a little about our nation's history and talk about how we can be part of the story. Just a few weeks ago, my husband, 2 oldest and I took a fast trip across the country to participate in  summer program for Ensign Peak Academy, the school where I teach.  On our way home, we decided to begin the introducing our kids to Hamilton: The Musical .  They already have a strong love for Lin-Manuel Miranda, and with the catchy lyrics and hip-hop beat, I knew it wouldn't be a hard sell.  We spent much of the 30 hour drive home, talking about Hamilton, his life, his contribution, and his mistakes, at least when we weren't

If you asked me 15 years ago if I would consider homeschooling, I would have laughed in your face.  For real, I am not joking.  I was adamantly anti-homeschool - - thank you very much!  Isn't it funny how life has a way of changing plans? As a public school English teacher, I had seen both sides of the desk.  I wanted my kids to have a "normal" school experience. Please understand I did, and still do, fully support public education, but as we approached my daughter's kindergarten enrollment, our school district came on some hard times.  The school district we lived in, just outside of Washington DC, was considered one of the best in the nation.  It was the system I taught in for many years, and I knew that it had great teachers and spectacular funding. The year prior to enrollment, however, the housing market tanked.  The district had to make some tough decisions about how to make ends meet and support families.  They decided to combine three elementary schools