I am posting my 11th grade choices much later then the others because there were things that were up in the air about Alex's junior year. Last spring, Alex expressed an interest in taking a welding class that the local high school offers that takes place at a Community College. I discussed it with the counselor at the school that Nick attended to see what we would have to do in order for Alex to take the class. I picked up the paperwork and then waited to see if the classes were even going to go on this year. In July when we were fairly certain schools would open, we turned in our paperwork and Alex was enrolled. I double checked to make sure there was nothing else I needed to do and was told he was all set and ready to start class on the 24th. Then last week (10 days before class would start) I was contacted by the school who told me that he could not take the class because "homeschoolers weren't allowed" to do this. There are several homeschool laws in Arkansas that are absolute and then some things that are left up to the district. Having gone through the district before and knowing what I know about the laws, I knew that what I was being told was not accurate, but also that the ultimate decision would be in the hands of the superintendent. I made a LOT of phone calls (HLSDA, Education Alliance, Arkansas Department of Education,school superintendent, and more) and sent several emails trying to resolve the situation. I was running out of time to try and find another option to enroll him in this class but I was looking into those options as well. I did learn something through that process. There had always been an assumption even from the college that the only way homeschoolers could register for the tech courses in high school was through a public school or if they were enrolled in Arkansas Virtual Academy. I found out with the help of an advisor from the college that did research for me that this is not true. A homeschooler can enroll without going through these, but the parent is responsible for paying the cost of the class. If you register through a school, the state pays for the class. We did find out Wednesday that the superintendent was going to go ahead and give the final approval for Alex to take the class. He will be at the college for one class period a day Monday-Friday.
In addition to the welding class, Alex will be taking:
Algebra 1 from Math U See
Exploring Government from Notgrass (1st semester)
Economics for Everybody from Compass Classroom (2nd semester)
Essay Intensive from IEW along with Daily Grammar for Language Arts
Applied Engineering from Master Books
Art from ARTistic Pursuits (1st semester)
Computer Science (2nd semester)
School starts on Monday! It's going to be a great year!
Happy Homeschooling!
1 comment:
I'm really glad that the welding class worked out! Here's wishing you all a great school year!!!!
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