8th Grade Homeschooling Soft Opening

 

When I was a kid back in the 1980s I occasionally heard about stores having grand openings or grand re-openings. It wasn't until well into adulthood that I heard of soft openings where a store quietly lets a few people in to test their systems and processes.

And Lo! Eighth grade homeschooling began today, the first Monday in September! And it is not a big deal. For one thing, no schooling is starting before 2:00 PM so the teenager can sleep in and get moving slowly.
 
For another thing I have changed my (unspoken, emotional, subliminal) goal from what public school optimally should do for a 2e student in every subject to doing better than public school was doing in some subjects. And by "better" I mean prioritizing and supporting my kid's mental health over academic achievements while encouraging some intellectual growth.

Language Arts: Critical analysis of media and journalism is already very good. Familiarity with some literature classics is good. Grammar is good. Spelling is bad but continues to improve gradually with texting and using Discord. Reading comprehension is good. I'm going to keep leaving appealing books around. I'm going to stay alert for something my kid wants to communicate on social media (Reddit? YouTube?) and be ready to support her producing informational or creative content.
 
Science: Understanding of concepts and facts in multiple areas of science is excellent. Ability to write a lab report or design an experiment is poor, but public school was not helping her advance in that area at all. 
 
Extra-curricular: My kid started private singing lessons a few weeks ago and those are going okay.  Getting to know a new grownup for educational purposes is still really stressful. 
 
Math: I'll start setting up private math lessons after my kid has a low-stress, productive relationship with the singing teacher. I don't want to push too hard too fast. She's currently ahead in math and so far she learns new math concepts easily as long as no one pushes her to do too much repetition.

Career-focused: Logging in to the coding website from last year to make sure that still works was enough for day one.

History: This seems to take care of itself with access to YouTube. My kid knows way more about history and geography than I have ever known.

Taking Standardized Tests: I don't think my kid could sit through an entire SAT without serious accommodations right now.
 
Good Citizenship: I think our regular family conversations about helping people and about current events covers this sufficiently well.
 
D&D: She's playing in three different campaigns (two since January, one for longer) and my husband and I have set aside an hour a week to support her in DMing. 

Physical education: You know how young cats "get the zoomies" and suddenly run around the house and jump over furniture? My kid does a version of that at 9 or 10 at night with running back and forth or jumping rope while watch YouTube most evenings so baseline PE takes care of itself. When the weather cools off a bit more we'll go for walks in the woods again and take the inflatable kayak out. I want to find a regular time to go to the gym pool with her but our other schedules and meal times are a hurdle.

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