‘Twas the night before schoolhouse… Maybe someday I will finish that poem, but not this year. But, as I write this on eve of our third year at A One-Room Schoolhouse, my heart is so full, my brain can’t stop racing and my nerves are on edge.

Three locations, three new teachers and 60 new students. I am all nerves for everyone. My son is nervous because a few friends transferred to another campus. I am trying to calm his fears, but inside I am just as torn up.

The classrooms lay still tonight. Every room, every chair and every pencil has been carefully placed for each student. All five of the schoolhouse teachers have worked tirelessly for the last week to make each student’s first day magical. When each child walks in, we want them to feel so loved.

Relationships are the most important part of the schoolhouse. Back in my public school days, people would ask me, “how do I find a good school?” I would always say: “Ignore test scores and look at parent involvement. If the parents are there, it is a great school.” Our schoolhouse parents are at the schoolhouse. Our classrooms are four walls, but it is the parents, teachers and students that make the magic. It is not the place; it is the people.

Kiddos, each teacher is here to support you as a learner and your family as your learning team. We have planned showcases, science fairs, field trips and parents’ nights to help your family engage and feel supported by the schoolhouse community. The curriculum has been poured over and lessons have been prepared.

As we sit in our teacher chairs, we pray for each kiddo and their family. We ponder, study and create to help each student have the best year that they can. My oldest asked me if he was ready for the 3rd grade. Yep, you are all ready for the year before you. Let’s all walk it together.

And now, just like you, we sit waiting for sleep to calm our excitement. Be still, schoolhouse students. Be still, schoolhouse families. Be still, schoolhouse teachers. Another school year is here. We await this adventure together. Here’s to another schoolhouse adventure!

(PS: As you look around our classrooms, do you see anything you like? I was thinking about doing a post about our favorite schoolhouse materials. Do you see anything you would like to learn more about?)

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Have no fear, A One-Room Schoolhouse is here! (Really, even if your child’s papers are in a big pile on the floor of your office, like mine, don’t worry!)

Pennsylvania Homeschool Portfolio Helps:

1. Check the number of days you are counting as a school day. You are the supervisor of your child’s education, so you say what counts. You need to have 180 counting days before you turn in your paperwork to your school district.
2. Get your child’s reading log up to date. Does it have to include every book? No! There is no way your evaluator will know if you wrote down every book. On my children’s reading log, I will have the books that made it into their planner log, and I will have my friendly librarian print out all the books we have checked out this school year.
3. If your child is in 3^rd, 5^th, or 8^th grade, then it is a testing year. Head over here for detailed information about testing. It does not matter how your child does on this test. Only the parents and the evaluator see the results.
4. Get your portfolio ready. Deep breath; it is not going to be that hard. There are many ways to put together an awesome portfolio. Here is what I do: Get a binder. Label the following tabs in your binder: ELA (reading, writing, spelling, grammar, etc.), Math, Science, Social Studies, PE/Health/Safety, and Art/Music. Put in papers, pictures, journal entries, tests, record sheets and/or planner pages showing progress in these subjects. Make sure you show proof of doing something with fire safety. Most people say an example from the beginning, middle and end of the year is a sufficient number of examples in each subject area.
5. Put in your 180 days log. (This is how I show my 180 days. You don’t legally need this log since the affidavit you signed and submitted to your school district at the beginning of the year attests to this fact, but I like to check boxes off a list.) You should also include your child’s reading log in the portfolio. If you are in 3^rd, 5^th or 8^th grade, put in your test results. THAT IS IT.
6. Set up a meeting with an evaluator. You and your student will both need to attend this meeting. At the conference, the evaluator will give you the needed letter to turn in to your school district. For A One-Room Schoolhouse students, we will advise you on what curriculum to buy for next school year, and you will be able to choose your electives. If you are returning to a public or private school, you can request a formal report card from us.
7. Final pro tip: If you are continuing on your homeschool journey take your portfolio evaluation letter and next year’s affidavit and objectives to your school district on the same trip (or in the same envelope if you mail yours to your district.) Also, I like to keep my important papers (standardized test results, affidavits, objectives and evaluation letters all in that corresponding year’s portfolio. Keep this forever. Do you need help with your affidavit and objectives? Click over here!

Portfolio Party

Would you like some help with your portfolio? Do you have some questions you would like answered in person? Do you need some time away from your kids to get your portfolio done? Join A One-Room Schoolhouse for a Portfolio Party!

I will give a short talk on how to complete your portfolio and then we will work together and get your portfolio done! Bring your pile of papers and walk away ready for your end-of-year meeting! You can even sign up that night for a portfolio evaluation with me!

When: 7 pm on Thursday, May 12, 2022

Where: A One-Room Schoolhouse Headquarters at Camp Agape

But Camp Agape is really far away from where I live. No problem! RSVP to the Facebook event and comment, “Zoom, please!” I will send you a Zoom link for that evening’s meeting.

Cost: FREE! We will have binders, tabs and plastic sleeves available that night. If you use those materials or really like the information provided, please consider making a donation to A One-Room Schoolhouse.

The post Pennsylvania Homeschool Portfolio Help appeared first on A One Room Schoolhouse.

On that fateful Thursday morning, I stepped out of my van only to find there was a rock hiding underneath the snow. I stepped down, and my ankle rolled. Ouch! You see, I have weak ankles from years of youth sports injuries, and I roll my ankles all the time. This time, I heard a little pop, but I really didn’t have time to be hurt.

I had 15 minutes before students started to show up for classes. I had to get my babies settled with the nanny, carry my stuff into the schoolhouse and get everything set up. So, I sucked it up and walked it off and laced my snow boots up and tied them as tightly as I could on that ankle.

I should have known that this was merely a foreshadowing event of the weekend to come. My little ankle injury was going to seem like small potatoes by the end of just that day.

So, here was that fateful weekend’s run-down…

That Thursday, Lindsey and I had already called a half-day of school since an ice/snow storm was pending for the afternoon. (Have you met Lindsey? She is amazing and the best co-teacher ever. Click over and read her bio!) We take calling off classes at the schoolhouse very seriously and try to avoid it. But, the weather people thought this storm could be serious, so we wanted to scoot the kids and ourselves home to safety before the ice started up.

About halfway through our art project, Lindsey got a phone call from her husband. Since her daughter had been at the ER the night before, she took the call. Our parent volunteers were busy helping the kiddos finish up colonial crafts and completing Valentine’s Day party prep. I started back to the kitchen to see if Lindsey needed anything. Unfortunately, she came walking out with a look on her face that will stay in my memory forever.

All she said was that her daughter needed to go back down to Children’s Hospital because some blood work they took the night before came back suspicious. We finished our day, but this unknown news hung over our heads.

The ice and snow started

At 12:30 pm, I scooted home with my kids in a slushy rain shower that would soon turn to ice and snow. The next few hours really went fine. Then, around 8 pm, things started to unravel. Hold on to your tea/coffee/hot-chocolate mugs, because I am gone run through this fast!

8 pm Thursday: Power goes out. We get all the blankets to get ready for a cold night.

7 am Friday: We woke up to a pretty cold, dark house and lots of ice and snow.

10:30 am Friday: I walked over to my mom’s house around the corner to check on her. She is fine, but her phone is not working well because of the internet outage. We sit and chat under blankets and at 11:07 I get a text message from Lindsey. “We need lots of prayers. We’re at the ER. They are repeating the blood work. (Daughter’s name)’s white blood cells are blasting, regenerating, and dying at an accelerated rate. Hematology/oncology think it’s because of the COVID infection but cells act this way for leukemia so this is the concern. Please pray that it is just COVID-related and not leukemia.” I felt the world stop spinning a bit for my dear friend.

Oh how I prayed!

5:00 pm Friday: Power was still out, and no word from Lindsey. My husband and I (and my mom) decide to abandon our very cold ship for a sleepover at my sister’s house which still has power. My sister is pretty newly pregnant and is sick as a dog with a Hyperemesis Gravidarum pregnancy. I had HG pregnancies, too, and to say they are the worst is an understatement. In short, even with medicine, it is a non-stop-nausea-and-barf-fest for nine glorious months. For my sister to invite me and our very noisy kids over to her home to “sleep” was a very selfless act.

5:45 am Saturday: My husband stayed back at our house to take care of the dog and to make sure nothing went wrong with the house. We had some trees that were not looking great and there is always a concern with pipes bursting in cold weather. He texted me at 5:45 am saying the power was back on. It has been on and off all night, but he was feeling pretty confident that it was on for good. Thank goodness.

Saturday: I did some grocery shopping for my mom, sister, and me, then packed up my kiddos and my mom and headed back home. We were all pretty exhausted, and we took the rest of the day easy. That afternoon I sat on my bed and cuddled with one of my kids watching a show, and I noticed a text message flash across the top of my phone. All I saw was the word leukemia.

4:33 pm Saturday: “We heard two hours ago. (Daughter’s name) has leukemia.” I called Lindsey immediately, and we both just cried. The world seemed to pause for a minute. My dear friend was hurting so deeply. My co-teacher was obviously going to be out for a while. Her son, one of my students, was sad and mad in only a way a thirteen-year-old big brother can be. A world was turned upside down.

5:21 pm Saturday: I let our schoolhouse family know what was going on in Lindsey’s family. I was overwhelmed by the offers to help.

There was a flood of love and support.

No one asked, “But who is going to teach my child. No one questioned how the schoolhouse would function. Everyone rallied around this family with care. This demonstrated to me the supportive Christian atmosphere of the schoolhouse family. No one was concerned with the denomination, Biblical interpretation or theology in these moments. Everyone was ready to serve, pray and love.

6:00 pm Saturday: I picked up a pizza and headed over to Lindsey’s house to sit with her son and talk. If there is any way to get a thirteen-year-old boy to open up, it is over pizza. We talked, laughed and cried a little. Oh, and their power came back on just as I arrived. Because, of course, they were dealing with a power outage, too.

(And you know what Lindey’s husband was doing when I arrived? Crying in a corner? NO! He was at the neighbor’s fixing a problem that had developed due to the power outage.)

Our parents serve one another and our community when there is a need, even if it is not convenient for them.

Sometime during this whirlwind, I called our faithful substitute. One parent who has been with us since the beginning has become our go-to substitute teacher. At the very first information meeting, even before we had a location for the schoolhouse, this parent (a certified teacher herself) volunteered to substitute teach whenever she was needed.

Well, I called her. I told her about Lindsey’s situation and that I was going to need a substitute teacher for the upcoming week while Lindsey got things settled with her daughter. She did not miss a beat. We cried a little about Lindsey’s devastating news, and she said, “Yes, I can sub!” Two years ago when she volunteered to sub, she had no idea that Lindsey (who was not even hired yet) would need a sub. But, God did and He is in control. (Pictured below, is her adorable son, just for fun!)

Isn’t it amazing that God provided a substitute teacher two years before we knew we would need one? We are thankful for his provision and care in our times of need.

9: 24 am Monday: Camp Agape had warned me that the power could be out for a while due to significant tree damage from the ice storm. They were getting work crews together, but the likelihood of holding classes on Tuesday was not looking good.

I talked to the schoolhouse board, and we started to look at our options. Cancel classes? Find an alternative location? I just didn’t know what to do. I reached out to a couple of parents that have been with us for a long time. Many of the schoolhouse parents have become like family. I poured out my heart to one of these parents; I was having a giving-up kind of moment. In reply, she gave me some of the best advice for our situation. But, at the time, it was not what I wanted to hear.

She spoke truth to me, even when it was hard.

With this advice, I knew I needed to find a place to have classes. The faithful and supportive board as well as another amazing parent went to work. As usual, we needed lots of space, for lots of kids, for just a little bit of money. We walked out in faith, and God provided. A few minutes later, I got a call from a board member with a place in mind and when I hung up with her, another parent called with another venue. The first place even offered to let us use the space free of charge.

We decided to hold classes at Shady Elms Farm, a beautiful little wedding venue farm just down the road from Camp Agape. If you are ever looking for a wedding venue, THIS. IS. THE. PLACE. I could just gush about their service, beauty and hospitality. If they could open their doors to 40 kids, 3 teachers and a handful of volunteers with 12 hours’ notice, think about what they could do for a wedding!

When I gushed with gratitude, they simply said, “Isn’t that what Christians do?”

I was humbled by their outpouring of generosity. I pass their house and farm every day on the way to Camp Agape. Before last week, I thought about how I would love to go to a wedding there someday because it looked so pretty. Now, I think about how they saved the day for 40 resilient children who changed schoolhouse venues without missing a beat. I think of parents who stepped up and volunteered to help out those days. I think of people supporting one another and making the most of a last-minute change.

No one complained. No one was mad. Everyone made due…and we had so much fun! The Shady Elms forest is a magical place. The Shady Elms dogs were definitely the main attraction for many of the kids. And the Shady Elms bride’s room is a great place to practice spelling words and read a story!

You would think that finding a place at Shady Elms might wrap up this adventure, but I could write so much more.

This adventure of a week started with a painful ankle roll on a Thursday, and by the next Thursday, it ended with a Valentine’s Day party and heart decorations everywhere. It made me reflect on the love that was expressed that week. And the heartbreak. And people wrapping their arms around one another and helping to carry heavy burdens.

I could go on forever but here are just a few more things I had to share.

·  The schoolhouse parents filled my dining room with gifts, letters and financial donations for Lindsey and her family during this difficult time.

·  A sibling of a schoolhouse student emptied her piggy bank and gave all the money to Lindsey’s family. Her mother gave it to me at drop-off with tears in her eyes.

·  I got to roll into the hospital, not once, but twice with so many presents for Lindsey and her daughter that I was dropping things along the way. You guys, I had a backpack, rolling suitcase, shopping bags and gift bags. It was a pretty hilarious sight!

·  Parents worked together to get a car out of a snow bank and one of the Shady Elms guys used his tractor to help a car get off an icy patch. (It was such a great story I’ll have to share sometime!)

Even in the midst of all of these hardships (some big and some small), my heart is full of gratitude for this amazing group of schoolhouse families and community members who show God’s love and care for one another deeply.

The post What Christian community can look like. Hint: it’s love in action. appeared first on A One Room Schoolhouse.

We have been delighted by the outpouring of interest in A One-Room Schoolhouse. Since opening up applications for the 2022-2023 school year on Feb. 22, we have been overwhelmed with the response. In order to best serve our returning families and the new families who have already applied, we will close our application period on Friday, March 4, 2022, at midnight.

For those who have already applied, we are working diligently to find additional space and teachers to accommodate as many students as possible while remaining true to our mission, vision and values. Please remember, you will be contacted within three weeks after your application has been received.

If we are able to secure the additional space and the staff necessary to bring on more students, we may open up registration again later in the spring. (This is a big maybe.) If you want to support our growth and you have a venue willing to host an additional A One-Room Schoolhouse location, please contact the education director at info@aoneroomschoolhouse.com.

On a more personal note, I (and our board) have been humbled by the outpouring of support for A One-Room Schoolhouse. Many people are working diligently to meet this overwhelming demand. I think about each family as I read the applications. I can feel the prayers of each family. My heart and spirit are pulled as I pray over these applications.

Thank you so much for your support, your interest and your faith. Can I ask you all a favor? Pray with me that A One-Room Schoolhouse will be blessed with the space and teachers to bring a faith-filled, supported homeschool experience to the families that our Father in Heaven wants us to serve.

Sincerely,

Genevieve Peterson

and

AORSH Board of Directors

The post Announcement: Applications Will Close on March 4 appeared first on A One Room Schoolhouse.

I teach math in snow pants. Really! Also, many schoolhouse students do their math lessons in snow pants. Why do I teach math in snow pants? Mainly, because it is cold outside, and I like to be warm. And, no, we don’t do math outside (even though we do go outside a lot at the schoolhouse!)

But, you see, math is sandwiched between two outside recess periods. Snack recess is from 10:30 to 11:00, math is from 11:00 to 12:00, and lunch recess is from 12:00 to 1:00. So, it only makes sense to teach math in snow pants when math is between two all-important sledding periods this winter.

Why take them off? I think the kids were a little shocked when I told them to just leave their snow pants and boots on if they wanted. We were just going to sit down and do a little math, before heading back outside to the sledding hill again.

It really comes down to a matter of priorities. Where is the real learning happening? Is it in the classroom at desks or is it on the sledding hill?

I say both!

Why has this line been running around in my head for a week?

On Tuesday, I was squatting on the floor in front of a level three math group. As I set up the pieces for a math game, I looked around at the students’ legs and then at mine, and it hit me: We were all wearing snow pants. Not one of us had bothered taking them off.

This realization struck me as monumental. I have taught thousands of math lessons over the years. Somehow over the last year and a half, while teaching math at A One-Room Schoolhouse, a shift occurred.

It was not a conscious shift, I never thought, “Wow, I need to teach more subjects in outdoor clothing.” It just happened. A profound switch from dressing for indoor teaching to prioritizing time outside as a means to access effective learning and focus.

The Four to Seven Minute Problem

Did you know that “on average, American children spend four to seven minutes a day in unstructured outdoor play compared to seven or more hours in front of a screen?” (Standford Health) Seven minutes! Let’s be honest, A One-Room Schoolhouse students get more than that walking from the car to the classroom at drop-off and pick-up.

Seriously.

That statistic is just sad in so many ways because of the amazing benefits of being outside. And it’s not just about being outside, it’s also so important that they engage in daily unstructured outdoor play. I can guarantee that schoolhouse students get an hour and a half of daily outside unstructured play. Even when we have to eat our lunches inside, those kids wolf down their sandwiches and head outside.

And you know what, the process of getting outside is just a little more streamlined because, you know, we do math in snow pants!

Why Outside?

I have written about my reasons for prioritizing unstructured, outside play before. I made a nice little list of them here. You can find countless lists if you Google the “benefits of outside play.” I like the ones here, here, and here. But, I have been thinking about some less general and more specific benefits that I have seen at A One-Room Schoolhouse.

1. Age differences melt away, and everyone plays together. Seriously, I have seen sledding trains of kids in grades Kindergarten through ninth grade. They just play. Age and grade mean nothing while outside.
2. Fine motor skills skyrocket when children repeatedly practice taking on and off outdoor clothing. (Even if we leave our snow pants on for math lessons!)
3. Natural consequences of actions teach valuable lifelong lessons. Nature is the great equalizer. Gravity, weather, dirt and water are all around everyone. We are affected and learn to exist in all of God’s creation.
4. Emotional health improves as kids learn to play together without any need for direct instruction. Although, direct instruction in emotional development is helpful (and we do that too!), the emotional wellbeing derived from unstructured play outside is priceless.
5. Problem solving skills skyrocket through finding solutions to real problems. We don’t have to talk about contrived problems to solve, they are happening all around us while we play outside. Negotiating rules, including those that are sad, making up games, finding the best sledding hill, climbing a tall rock or testing the ice at the edge of a pond all help kids figure out how to solve complex problems.
6. An appreciation of nature becomes natural. This familiarity with the natural world provides a solid foundation for scientific and historical inquiry. This also provides a better understanding of life in the REAL world.
7. Mental and physical resilience are fostered as kids get hurt, navigate problems and overcome obstacles. (Yes, kids will get hurt. I don’t say that to be mean or flippant. But, getting an occasional skinned knee is great for kids!)
8. Children learn compassion and care. During unstructured outdoor play, sometimes kids get hurt, sometimes physically and sometimes emotionally. I love seeing kids rally around each other and care for one another when someone gets sad or when someone gets hurt. I have never seen that in a video game.
9. Focus improves. I can expect so much more out of students’ seat work if they have been completely worn out on the sledding hill.
10. Differences decrease and community increases. I dare you to come by at recess and point out the kids with learning disabilities, high-functioning autism, ADHD, speech impairments and health concerns. All of the students are out there playing together, and I doubt any of the kids know who has what or who does not. I have worked at many schools that tout inclusion, but none of them have achieved the inclusion that playing in the great outdoors fosters.

Does this sound like something you want for your child? Join us next year! Registration opens Feb. 22.

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