Down Time and Testing

Such a long break from blogging--thanks for sticking with me!  We went back to CO for the annual ski trip, and managed to fit in the kids' standardized testing.  My dad takes his sons-in-law and grandkids up the mountain for a ski trip every year.  The kids were yammering about this year's trip for WEEKS.  It's a fun week of hangin' with the cousins and grandpa, and Uncle Darrell!  This year NS had to sit out for most of the trip because of sinus problems.  Poor little man.  So he and I got extra time together down the mountain with grandma.

Before the kids could head out to their ski trip, NS and K had to take their standardized tests.  In the odd school years, starting in 3rd grade in CO, kids have to take standardized tests.  When we first started this homeschool adventure, it was overwhelming to me, because CO honestly doesn't care which nationally recognized standardized test you use.  We're even invited to take CO's tests at the public school if we want.  But I figure that if my kids weren't having their needs met in the public school full time, what chance do they have of succeeding on a standardized test in an unfriendly and unfamiliar location?  So I administer the test for the kids at home, they're comfy and cozy, and they can focus on doing a good job.

We had meltdowns.  There were parts that were hard.  The idea of skipping a question and doing the ones you know was unsettling, and so undesirable.  Which means that some tests did not get good scores because of a refusal to continue mid-way through the test.

We got the test results back right before we left CO.  The kids rocked their tests, mostly.  But for the ones that they didn't, I know why, and now we buckle down and tackle those issues.

I didn't get to plan out our next year while in CO, too many things I had to get done.  So I've got my planning stuff with us, and I need to buckle down and get this done.  G starts 9th grade.  The final slug towards college.  I'm nervous about this part of our journey.  I don't wanna screw this up for him.  Pray for us!