Virginia homeschool law requires that beginning in the first grade, students take standardized tests to demonstrate academic achievement.
I got approval to be a test administrator so that I could test my girls myself.
I didn’t trust that they would test well in an unfamiliar large group setting.
Last week my husband took leave from work to help with our younger two while I was testing EA and MC.
As a reward for making it through the testing week, they got to camp out in the tent on Thursday night.
This was a great treat that really helped to motivate them throughout the week! I am so proud of my girls and the effort they put into doing their best all week long.
Before settling in to their sleeping bags on Thursday evening, they asked me to read a chapter from our current read aloud, Follow My Leader.
This book is about a young boy who is blinded in a firecracker accident and how he copes with begin blind. Through the help of a therapist, he learns to read Braille, walk with a cane, and is given the opportunity to have a guide dog.
When we started reading this book, I was a bit apprehensive about it. I thought my girls were bored with the first chapter, but they proved me wrong at dinner one night as they told their Daddy all about it. They are learning so much about empathizing with another person as they see Jimmy struggle with his new hardships.
Yesterday as we were driving to church I overheard MC say that she hopes Jimmy is un-blinded. As we continue reading she is going to discover the hard reality that sometimes instead of hardships being taken away, we grow more in learning to cope with them.
I love the opportunity that homeschooling gives me to discuss so many issues with my children.
Reading books together has opened up a big, wide world to us!
Mary says
I’m going to look into this book right now! I love your idea of camping in the living room as a reward, Monica. I hope everything went well with testing… we will be doing that very soon ourselves…