Ohio Virtual Academy

Remember how I posted about praying for the knowledge to know exactly what we need to do this upcoming fall? Well, I got the answer and its NOTHING like what I was thinking about.

For the last several days, every day a flier for the Ohio Virtual Academy or another virtual school for our area would be in the mailbox. I would glance at the fliers just long enough to see which one it was from, and then drop them in our recycling bin. I'm not a fan of the virtual academies, they feel too much like public school to me (oh wait, they ARE public school, just at home instead of in a building) Anyway, last night I had a dream, and the ONLY thing I can remember was that it was involving me schooling Melissa and Lydia this upcoming fall.

When I woke up this morning, I thought about that little I remembered from the dream, and I knew it was His way of telling me something but I didn't get what it was. Then I thought to myself "hmmmmm OHVA, I wonder............" and decided that after I got Melissa to school I'd look at their site a little just for kicks. So I got Melissa up and into the shower, then she got dressed and I got her Cheerios at the table. She ate, got shoes on, finished her homework, and then sat and colored with her little sisters for a couple minutes before time to leave.

I walked her across the street like usual so she could walk the 200 or so yards to the school (this is a new thing for us) and then I went back inside once I was sure she was in the school (I can watch kids go inside from my porch) I got on my laptop, and the internet wasn't working. So I went and fiddled with the main computer and the wireless hub and the modem, and ended up having to reboot the whole thing for it to work again. (we have to do this every few months for some reason) By the time I got back to the laptop and online, I forgot about checking out OHVA. I checked my e-mail, then read a few chat boards I go to regularly. On one, a lady was talking about unschooling, asking who was unschooling their kids and such. Now, Scott and I were discussing taking a more unschooling type of approach for the next several years to make it easier on ourselves, and so I responded to her with that. The next discussion I read was talking about a virtual academy in FL, and wanting to know what people thought about doing virtual schooling. Then I remembered that I was going to check out OHVA lol

So I checked out OHVA, and instantly it hit me like a load of bricks. THIS is what we're supposed to do in the fall. I need the rigid structure that it gives us for assignments, the materials are excellent (OHVA uses the K12 curriculum), and it gives us things that we can't get ourselves right now (we are out of hs budget money for math and LA materials, and we wanted the girls to start learning typing and gaining more computer skills) Melissa is a very worksheet-oriented child, and needs structure also. There is a ton of accountability involved since it is technically a public school, but it gives me the ability to be 100% involved in their education right now when they need that the most. If I don't have that strict accountability, then I won't do it usually. I'm really bad about that kind of thing. And best of all, my father approves of it since its public education and I have to answer to a teacher and do all the standardized testing and all that stuff. His biggest thing about my homeschooling is the fact that I have a hard time sticking with stuff unless I absolutely have to, and that I have health problems that require me to have stuff set up so that anyone can pick up right where I leave off without a problem. With our Sonlight stuff, we can't just pick up and go right now, handing over everything to my father or Scott's mom if needed because I'm in the hospital. By using OHVA for the time being, starting this fall, it will meet all our needs and still give the girls a great education and the one on one time that they need. And best of all, I won't have to coordinate times for bus pickups and dropoffs with the two oldest going to K and 1st grade in the fall while Kimmy is going to Head Start a couple days a week at the same time.

I'm still going to use the Sonlight materials we have though, as supplement to our OHVA education. One can NEVER have too many great books!