Two Days Down

Now that we are finally settled after our trip home to Wisconsin, Drew and I have started our homeschool routine. We've only been through two days so far, but both days reassured me that keeping him home for awhile is a good thing. I hate second-guessing myself, but I was worried that maybe we made the wrong decision. Both yesterday and today proved that we're headed in the right direction, at least for now.
Drew does not sit and complete his work very well. He needs to have someone on him all the time to sit and do his work. He wants to make excuses why he should get up and go to the garbage can or go to the bathroom. Of course at home he has the temptation of getting a snack from the fridge and procrastinating even more. But we have a set snack time to prevent him from taking advantage of that.
I can't imagine a teacher, who has 25 other kids to deal with, being able to make him sit still and do his work. It's a challenge for me, and it's just the two of us. I also know how to engage him much better than his teacher did. I can tell the second he gets bored and I've lost him. I know when to switch activities, or even just give him a short break. The past two days "my way" has been working. I know we're just at the beginning, though. We have a long way to go. He's loving the one on one attention, and he's enjoying all the different things we can do because it is just the two of us. Like today he got to write his spelling words in flour. That was a huge hit! Then we took a nature walk, learned about autumn, and collected items for a collage. He really wants to learn anything that we throw at him. He just needs someone to make sure that he is staying on task. I really don't think he got that in his class.
Yesterday, Wednesday, we went to the parish (county) school board building to see if we needed to fill out any more paperwork than the stuff we had already sent in to the state BOE. We talked to three different, very nice and helpful, ladies. None of whom were surprised in the least that we had issues with this school's principal. It seems he has less than a stellar reputation 'round these parts. This is his first year in this particular school, but there is a reason why he left his old school. Something about many parents threatening to pull their children from school unless they found a new principal. Huh! Interesting! Wonder how many people will have to pull their kids from Drew's school in order for the school board to consider another principal change? But really, I'm just speculating through rumors I've heard *wink wink*.
An extremely understanding "textbook and curriculum" lady gave me the complete first grade curriculum. I can go back to get the textbooks if I want them at a later time. Since I kind of went in to this homeschool thing so "spur of the moment", I'm just doing some trial and error things for now to see exactly where Drew is at. (gotta LOVE the internet and all the free stuff you can get from it!) I have also gotten so many suggestions from homeschool people, that I think I have enough lesson plans to last until 5th grade! This same lady also offered to help us out if we ever want to go back to the elementary school. She said that she would be an advocate for us if we wanted to meet with the principal to get Drew back in to school at some point. I really don't want him back in that particular school, but it's a good feeling knowing I have someone on *my* side if I need them. Way too many teachers and staff down here use the "good ole boy" system and back eachother up. So I like that someone down here is working for us, the parents and students. Sometimes it feels like we're in this alone.