Monday, May 24, 2010

End of the Year Clean-Out

As I near the end of our "official" school year, I find myself buried under piles of completed work. And that's not just work from this year. There is also work that's accumulated from the previous two years.



I am not normally a keeper of stuff. However, during the first year of homeschooling, I kept mostly everything. Just in case the neighbors or the authorities came knocking. Then I would be able to say "Look at all we accomplished!" and actually have proof.

Now, as I finish up our third year, I'm more confident in what we are doing. I'm more aware of my rights as a homeschooler and the appropriate action to take if someone does show up at my door. And I know what papers I really need to keep.

So what am I going to keep?

Each kiddo already has a cumulative file that includes, in Blake's and Laina's cases, their public school records, health records and up-to-date immunization records, report cards and attendance sheets that I print from Homeschool Tracker, and their id cards from our homeschool group. A current "school" photo and summary of curriculum for the current year is written on the front of the file.

I think as I go through my boxes I will hang onto a couple of the best samplings of their beginning, middle and end of year work for each subject, tests, and special projects or papers. These I will put in a portfolio, along with field trip reports and book lists for the year. My lesson plans are all input into Homeschool Tracker and are easily accessible if needed.

I think that's it.

As we make our full transition to Charlotte Mason, I will have even less stuff to hang on to. No worksheets, few tests, some projects, and lots of memories. That's the best stuff to have hanging around.


















3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll have to check out Homeschool Tracker. Do you think a blog with a few "review" posts would be enough?? I am just blogging these days. My boys are young (oldest just finished kinder). Once they start writing more, I would keep those papers too.

Cori at Wonder in the Woods (open ID is not working for me lately grrrr)

Unknown said...

You will truly love going completely Charlotte Mason. We don't have worksheets or tests and like it that way. We have homeschooled for 4 years and 3 were CM. Each year we have added in more CM education. This year will be the first for Hymn Study, Scripture Memorization and Foreign Language.
Blessings
Diane

Shannon said...

Cori-

I love your blog-you detail everything so wonderfully! What you'll need to record & keep will depend upon your state guidelines & personal preference. As the kids get older, you'll figure out what exactly is the best to keep- Shannon

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