Online School for Princess

Many moons ago, I blogged about the challenges of being a minority student. Princess struggles the most with this. Her outspoken attitude can make her a target for some adults so she and I have been discussing online school for months. We decided to proceed with it this school year. I have mixed feeling about it, to be honest, but it really is in her best interest. This is a big change for our family. {Note: The others will be attending their zoned schools-Astronaut will be be a senior, Squirrel will be a 7th grader, Frick & Frack will be in 6th grade, Side Salad in 5th, and Popcorn in first.}

The reasons:

• My girl had several incidents with the adults in her building.  Nearly all of them were the result of an adult giving conflicting directions and continuously escalating a situation.  In the end, she wasn't punished. In meeting with administration, it was clear the adults were wrong.  It was evident that the adults in her school have a low understanding of child development when it comes to certain students.  
• Princess has been state identified as a gifted/talented student. She is a TIP Scholar.  Yet her GPA was a 2.0 and she nearly failed some core classes.  This is unacceptable and the school was unable to provide the type of support she needed as those particular teachers were busy singling her out repeatedly for their own inconsistent practices instead of focusing on student success. 
• The teachers weren't the only issue. For some reason, she just couldn't seem to get her bearings. Maybe it was the size of the school-over 2,000 students.  Maybe it was her own maturity level.  She struggled all year.
• Her guidance counselor left.  That was one of the few faces that looked like hers in that building and she left. She was Princess' trusted adult in difficult situations and was the leader of her mentoring program as well as her step team coach. Without her, who would P go to when she had issues?

I want my children to be successful.  I don't know if she could be successful in the environment she was in.  If that environment is the dining room table, so be it.  This model of learning comes with its own set of concerns.

I am concerned about her time management and her ability to keep up so we'll be utilizing a planner. This is a strategy we've been using the past few years to help her be accountable for getting things done. We'll also create a daily schedule for her.  Luckily, I'll be home for the entire first marking period and part of the second, so I can help her transition.

She  will be missing out on some extracurricular activities but the online program we chose, SC Connections Academy, has clubs she can participate in.

I also plan to get her the Rosetta Stone in German to ensure she is both challenged and supported.  We're going to get  it through the Duke TIP program.  We are also looking into summer programs she can attend next year at colleges.

She's going to have an exercise schedule to ensure she maintains an appropriate level of physical activity.

I also found out one of her school friends and my stepsister's daughter may be enrolled in the same program!  The girls may be able to support each other.

I hate sometimes that parenting doesn't come with a manual and so much is trial and error but I think this decision may pan out for us in the end.  If not, she can always return to her zoned school.