One accomplishment down, and now I need to just pause.

School is done.  My kids survived.  I survived. For those of you who don’t know I had my children in an online school program this year.  I was their learning coach.  Of course, when I signed up to be their learning coach I had no idea that my vision loss was permanent and that I would face some huge obstacles doing my job.  I had to teach, correct papers, review documents and all the lovely things that this permanent loss has made very difficult if not at times impossible.  If I could get the content on the computer I was golden because I have software for magnification. However, there was a lot of trying to read quickly and understand with just a hand magnifier and it was a struggle to say the least.  Now that we are all done I am happy to report I survived and my children aren’t academically damaged.  If anything they are both very ready for the new schools next year. They have both chosen to go back to a traditional school of their choice.  They now have already done a year of “21^st century skills” and since all the schools are implementing this program now, they will be ready and proficient.  My son took two high school classes this year and did phenomenally, so he will be very ready for high school next year. It would have been nice if we could have done more supplemental field trips and days out, however, I think all and all I need to be very happy with what we did accomplish.  The bottom line was I no longer felt like my children and I were under the tyranny of an unsafe and incompetent administration or board of directors. Probably the most profound and awesome experience this year was having my kids laughing and enjoying school and life again. Never again will I “wait and see” if things get better when it is such a huge cost to my family’s safety and sanity.  When folks say “if it quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it is a DUCK” they aren’t kidding.  So if someone looks and acts as though they have no integrity and consistently make poor choices, it will not change, REGARDLESS of all the promises and right words they say. You have to make a change and do something different.  And for my kids and me this year was a wonderful, peaceful, pleasant change and are all excited about our new adventures next fall.