RE: Tonight is the last night...
I'm very happy to see that you are a teacher. The best teachers I have ever met are in Texas. It sounds like you have a solid plan and if you work the plan you will have a great year. Kids are different than they used to be I think also. Many have to deal with a lot more problems at home and still try to function at school and it is a sad situation that is wrecking our country. It is an economic problem I think first and foremost.
When people don't have money for an okay place to call home, food for their aching bellies, electricity or running water, clean clothes that are not wore out; it is hard for the kids to focus on education. I'm not talking about a third world country I'm talking about right here in Texas and the USA. The greatest thing about being a teacher is that you can teach them that education is hard work and by advancing your education you can limit having hardships in life.
Good paying jobs are tough to find in rural or inner city areas. Health care costs are through the roof. This is my 3rd year straight at taking a net pay cut in a similar situation as you. We are trying to plan on doing the same in regards to homeschool. Just need a little more income to make it happen! We both will reach our goals!
Kids are different, families are different. It is really a very sad state that I see our society in. I had a student come to my class on a Friday as soon as school had ended. She had seen me eating peanuts earlier in the day and asked if she could take some home. After some going back and forth I found out that she rarely eats on the weekends and school was where she got her meals. I was talking too my principal about this and he said that it was actually more common than you would think. I had another kid that always wanted to talk to me, constantly stopping in between classes. His mother came in one day and she gave me the run down about how this boys dad had been raping him for years and was now in prison. She also thanked me for always supporting him. I honestly thought of him more as a pain but I was always positive. After talking to his mom I had a whole new perspective. I've got several other examples but it's depressing. What so many of these kids endure is terrible and I know this is why they act the way they do. I'm just hoping that I can keep that in perspective as the year progresses.
That's cool that you have the same goal. I really think in this day and age that a proper education at home is the way to go, you just have to do it correctly and make sure that your kids stay social. My wife was reading me a post on Facebook last night and a kid was completing his senior year in home school AND his bachelor's degree at the same time, debt free.
Fortunately my nephew is in a great school and after his sophomore year of of high school he also almost has his bachelors degree from college. He should graduate both at the end of his junior year allowing him to have a masters before he hits 19...Some schools do it right and allow the kids that want to learn and work to do so and not drag it out.
Wow that is awesome! That would be incredible to have a master's by the age of 19.