It's amazing, watching your child grown and learn in front of you, and mature and watch their personalities develop. But now that we've decided to do the online schooling with Connections, I've seen them grow in their education as well. It is both humbling and gratifying. Humbling, because, as I guide them through each lesson, I think about the awesome task teachers have in shaping and teaching a whole classroom of children every day, as I, with only two, sometimes struggle to find balance between their lessons. Humbling, when I realize that how I respond to a challenge will dictate how they respond to challenges in life. They are watching me.
Gratifying, because I am seeing them learn. I am seeing the "I get it" moments. I'm seeing them conquer challenges they haven't faced before. And sometimes we conquer them together. Today, my oldest, the sixth grader, wrote his very first essay. He learned, not only to write, but also to do research, and cite that research. He learned to organize his thoughts. And at first, when he thought it would be boring, he resisted. But we found a topic he was interested in and researched. And then he wrote. And suddenly, he decided he wanted to write as if he was a newscaster, and he became engrossed with his project. And he wrote. He didn't just type a few sentences. He put down his thoughts and ideas and his impressions of the event. And I watched and felt pride in my son, as he learned and grew. And all the headaches and nagging was worth it. Because he was writing an essay, on his own. And he was engaged. He was interested. THAT made me proud. Because he was liking school. He was learning. And thinking and learning how to put those thoughts on paper. It is amazing watching them "get it", and seeing those moments where they figure out what they need to do and then get creative. With Connections, I have the best of both worlds. I can see his "aha" moments, yet he still has a certified teacher monitoring his learning. I'm the learning coach, and yes, I do alot of coaching, but with Connections, I don't have to wonder, "is it enough?" "Am I using the right curriculum?" "Is this age appropriate", etc. He has a teacher who is certified and evaluates his learning, and who will tell me if there is a concern. So far, he is doing well. No D's or F's on his report card like before. For us, this is huge. He says he likes it better than his old school. Also huge. It is amazing to watch a child, who formerly hated school, bloom and grow, and thrive. And actually be interested in learning. It is an indescribable feeling.
The youngest is thriving as well. He loves Connections. He is enthusiastic about his classes, and does well. Today, he learned to paint with water colors. It was fun watching him learn the new techniques, and how they worked, and trying them for himself. It was fun seeing his excitement and enthusiasm as he opened his new art kit, supplied by Connections. I love art. I love painting. So it was a special moment to see my own son painting, and sharing that joy. Before, lack of funding meant that there was no Art Class. No art teacher. And ours was not an isolated situation. Art and music programs are the first to be cut when funds are short, and many school districts can't offer these, due to funding.
So, it blows my mind when I hear that the Nevada school board wants to shut Connections down. Already, in just a few short months, my children have both excelled and grown and excelled. But, yet, someone on the Nevada school board wants to take that way from them. But I've seen what they were given before. Don't get me wrong, the teachers they had were amazing. But because of a limited budget, the funds supplied to their school were abysmal. Because they were in large classrooms, there was no individualized attention. No one on one. No chance to work at one's pace. No chance to go ahead if the material was well understood and competencies met. With Connections, there IS that freedom.
With Connections, for the first time, a child who has hated school for three years, is engaged, and open to learning. For the first time, he is writing essays. For the first time, they are both in Art Class. For the first time, math doesn't bring us both to tears of frustration. For the first time, he is not failing.
And the Nevada Authority wants to take that from them? My husband is so impressed by this change in both the boys that he is WILLING TO MOVE TO ANOTHER STATE if Nevada Connections is closed down. And we will. We will uproot everything, because quality education is that important to us. I can get a new job. I don't want to, but I will if I have to. Because I believe in Connections, too. That much. That is how much they have impacted our lives. In just a few short months.
I'm proud of my boys. I'm proud of what I've watched them become, but now that I've been an active part of their learning, I see how hard they both work, and how engaged they are and how they LIKE school. And they both tell me, unequivocally, that they like Connections better. And after the change I've seen in them, especially my oldest, I'm not willing to lose it because some close minded individual in the Nevada Authority (who calls Connections parents "whiny babies" for choosing Connections over traditional public school) wants to take it from us. Parents who pulled their children for a multitude of reasons; bullying, autism, health reasons, education concerns; none of that mattered to this person, who simply feels that every child should be enrolled in a traditional public school.
It may work for some, but it didn't for us. And so, as I look at my two amazing children, and see their potential, and how far they've come, I cannot go back. I hope we don't have to move. I love my new home, my coworkers, my new friends. But I will not deny them the opportunity to learn, the way they have learned, just in the short few months we have been with Connections. Because I've seen that "aha" moment. And I've seen my oldest "get it". I've heard him swear that if he had to to to regular school, he'd just drop out. And I won't be the one explaining to him that he has to go back.
Hopefully, that will never happen, because Nevada Connections Academy (NCA) is just as committed. But even so, small minded individuals will attempt to take away this incredible opportunity, and we will continue to fight it, along with NCA. I believe in my kids. I also believe in NCA.
Because "two roads diverged in the wood, and I, I took the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference".** Never could I have imagined how much of a difference it would have made.
Where will your journey take you?
** - excerpt from Robert Frost's "The Road Less Taken". (influential when I first read it, and still influential today)
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