We need Mr. Erickson!

Braeden and Emma had ninth grade English from Mr. Erickson.  He challenged them.  They learned stuff.  They enjoyed it.

And now Mark.

I pulled him out of English and I'm dusting off my homeschooling persona.  He's done two days so far of his online course that is one of the few the district will accept.

It is weak.

After two days, he's almost 1/4 of the way done with a semester's worth of work.  It is super easy and bare bones.

When I was growing up, I remember my accountant mom frequently saying, "I don't know why I have to fix the accounting problems of the world," as she would call businesses or insurance companies or the like whose errors had affected her.

Now I feel like I don't know why I have to fix the education problems of my world.  I have pulled out some grammar and literature books.  I'm going to come up with a curriculum.  We'll continue to use the weak-sauce course we're required to use but we'll do more too.

I had Braeden and Emma tell me everything they could remember from Mr. Erickson's class.  It was a discouragingly wonderful list.  I'm not an English teacher (maybe you can tell from my sometimes wonky grammar).  I'm no Mr. Erickson.

I will try to be 10% as good as Mr. Erickson.

Here's what I know:  whatever I can add to what we're already doing will be better.

And better is better.