We had to get up WAY too early to get down there (5:45am - we are NOT morning people LOL) to register and be ready for the first session at 9. (She just had her second surgery of the year so we didn't pre-register in case she wasn't up to it) But it was well worth going.
The main reason I went was for a session called "Teaching Art to Young Kids" it was taught by the owner of the art store in my town. I was in there one day talking to him about teaching at the Academy next year and he mentioned it to me. It was great, he had a lot of great tips for teaching young kids (he actually talked about all ages but spent the most time on the youngest age group (3-7) but that is great for me since that's the age group Aurora is in. :) (and I know a lot more of what to do with the older ones already))
I unfortunately missed one of the session, I took Gideon and he took one nap all day and that was during lunch break (of course) so I missed one about reading difficulties which was apparently really good. (hubby and I both stink at reading out loud, I used to make my literature teacher laugh so hard when I would read aloud in class because I tend to change the story without even noticing. FYI - I was never even slightly offended that she laughed or she would have never done it) M.I.L told me a bit about it, like when you read (if you have difficulties) you should follow along with your non dominant pointer finger. I'll try it out next time I read to Aurora and see if it helps.
The other two sessions I went to were:
"Lazy, Late bloomer or Learning Disability" that one was excellent. I am not worried about Aurora having a learning disability, but two of my husbands brothers have them and it's something that's always interested me to know more. The speaker was great and it was really worth sitting in on even if you don't have kids with learning disabilities.
and one on Charlotte Mason. I really didn't know a lot about the different home school philosophies before, heck, I didn't know there even were different styles so "Charlotte Mason", "Montessouri" and "Un-Schooling" were all new terms to me a year ago and I am still learning what goes into each, although I am leaning mostly towards classic style I think with some of the other styles mixed in a bit. I guess we'll see as time goes by.
It was great to meet so many other home school families from all over Ontario and see some awesome resources too. It was a pretty good day (except for the parking ticket I got :-( stupid bylaws I've never even heard of....)
Academic learning can be acquired at school. Values can also be acquired there, but the first education and values come from home. These two components always come together. You will never appreciate a person who is great with academics, but exudes absence of core values. You will not also get to appreciate a person who is the other way around. Schools would usually make ends meet in order to address this need of a child.
ReplyDeleteEntrust your child’s future in good hands. American Academy is not like any other christian home school. We work to give your child the best online education that he can get including his values.