Back to School has begun

I have only 2 weeks before my (un)official school start date. Officially, A Beka thinks I am starting on the 20th, but I discovered last year that by starting a couple of weeks early, I can fit in more field trips and fun stuff. So, we're doing the same thing this year. It also has the added benefit that A Beka gives me 30 days from my official start date to switch between programs if I decide we need to. I decided to make the move from the DVD program we used very successfully last year to the parent-directed program this year in the hope that it will take less time to finish each day. I do admit that I'm worried about being dedicated enough to do the extra prep work and teaching that I didn't have to worry about last year. I am also adding a few activities for my 3-year-old so I'll have that to prepare and teach as well. But, we will have 44 days in which to decide if it's working or if we want to switch back to the DVD program.

So today we started to get ready for the start of school. The girls got to pick out 5 folders each, which was the highlight of their day. We are now the proud owners of Hello Kitty, Dora, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, and glittery heart folders galore. One folder K picked out has a large pic of Zach Efron (from HSM) on the cover. Her comment was, "Does 'HSM' (which was also on the cover) stand for High School Musical or Handsome?" Ok, we are waaaay to young for that! After the trip to Target, we packed up and headed down to the pool where I sat in the shade and read through the Course Guidelines book and the intros for 4 subjects in one of the curriculum guides. A mother at the pool asked what I was studying, so we ended up talking a little about homeschooling. Her daughter and K were sitting near us eating a snack and the girl asked what homeschooling is. When she finally understood that it meant K doesn't go to regular school, her shocked response was, "Do you have any friends?" Gosh, even in kids :-) So her mom and I both explained that there are lots of other ways to make friends, including all the other activities K does and even just meeting people at the pool like today.

All this school stuff today and my sister calling me tonight about passing her ESL certification test got me thinking that I may want to renew my teaching certificate by getting licensed here in NC. In TX, I took the Excet test for certification, but here I think I have to take the Praxxis in order for my certificate to transfer. So it's $85 to process the application plus a fee to take the test. Then I'll have to have 10 hours of college credit every 5 years to keep the license current. Is it worth it? I don't have to have a teaching license to homeschool and I don't think I'll ever go back to teaching, but I hate to just let it expire and do nothing about it. After all, who knows what'll happen?