The World According to Leslie

 I know that we just completed our first year of homeschool!  Chasity has finished 9th grade. Since she completed 3 credits in middle school (public, before we pulled her to homeschool) and she did 9 classes this year.  She TECHNICALLY has enough credits to be considered a JUNIOR!  NO... I'm not trying to get her out of the house any sooner.  We are leaving her as a SOPHOMORE for next year.  She will have her classes at home, and she will do dual enrollment for 11th and 12th grade... but... that's a different story. So....  We had an interesting journey to start homeschooling. As most of you know, I worked in the public school system as a Sign Language Interpreter for 4 years. I also taught high school English for 4 years. I'm currently (well, when school's in session) a substitute teacher. I love working in the school system.  The system just wasn't working for Chasity!  (And no, I don't have a sob story with a list of peo...

Some of us have been bullied. Some of us have bullied others. Some of us have been bullied and then "toughened up" and started bullying others. No matter which of those categories you fall into bullying is wrong!  Unfortunately, it happens on a daily basis. It happens in homes across the country. It happens in classrooms across the country. It happens in public and in private. It just happens. But.... it shouldn't!  No one should ever be bullied. When I was growing up, we called it "being picked on". Now, it's much more serious. With social media, it's often much more private, as well. I was bullied as a kid. I was taller than most of the kids in my class. I was bigger than most of the kids in my classes. I was bullied. Luckily, I had a family that told me how awesome I am, and I am stronger for the battles I have been through. The Princess has been bullied. She has beautiful long blond hair. She has been called Rapunzel many times, and...

When something happens at Chasity's school, I really try to see it from both sides. I try to see it as a mom and as a teacher. Naturally, I see it more as a mom when Chasity is involved. Last week, Chasity came home from school saying that a girl in her class had been picking on her. The girl was telling Chasity "I'm smarter than the whole class. You don't know anything." "I have my own phone and computer. Your parents don't love you if they don't give you things." So I told Chasity that she needed to let the teacher know when things like that happened. Also, I told her that if the girl did it again I would let the teacher know. The MAIN thing I said was that her dad and I love her enough to share our phone and computer with her. We don't try to buy her love by giving her things that she doesn't need right now. I also promised her that as soon as she needed her own computer...we'd get her one. When she needed (or we thought ...