For eight years my son struggled in the brick and mortar schools - not  because he couldn't do the work, but because the work was too easy -  way too easy for him.  He was IQ tested twice at school district expense to determine his placement and yet nothing was ever done with the results.

We were promised year after year that he would get the new subjects he needed, the acceleration he required, and the compacted curriculum he craved.  What worked one year another administrator shot down the next - there was no continuity other than the unending tediousness of subjects he'd already mastered. He was failing his every-day course work due to the monotony of not being able to move on and yet the standardized tests placed him in the 99^th percentile nationally.

Due to extreme boredom with subjects he had mastered years before, behavioral issues started, along with a defiance and distrust of authority that had promised him more and produced nothing.  He would come home from school frustrated and angry and powerless to help himself.  As a parent I felt as though I had failed as well since hours of meetings and conferences produced only the status quo.

In shear desperation I began researching schooling options other than brick and mortar schools.  I stumbled upon the WIVA model of home-based public education.  What sparked my interest were the mastery-based curriculum provided and the guidance of a licensed teacher to provide accountability.  The teacher would get concrete evidence of his mastery of subjects and guide us where to go next. My son wouldn't have to keep re-visiting the same concepts year after year after year thus exacerbating the boredom with which he was dealing.  This looked like curricula that would feed his brain rather than dull it. This looked like a way of schooling that would honor his learning style rather than molding the student to the school. This, I hoped, would be something my student could work with, and would work for him.  We jumped in with both feet and never looked back.

Writing this almost a year later, I can honestly say that WIVA has changed my child and our family for the better.  Where he used to come home shaking with frustration from the brick and mortar school, he now ends his day talking about school in a positive way. The flexibility of WIVA and the ability to "take it on the road" while vacationing has opened up new vistas for our family as we explore our country. Having a teacher to which he is accountable keeps my student involved and invested in his schooling.   My child is infinitely happier and emotionally healthier now that his academic needs are being met.  Some days he does double lessons, some days triple, and some days none at all; but most importantly he's learning at his own pace in his own way  with a joy that was absent in the brick and mortar school and WIVA has made this happen for him.

It would be a disservice to both children and families like mine to lose something so profoundly important in the educational world.  Brick and mortar schools are not the only avenue of learning and models such as WIVA  and other charter schools should be explored and expanded and- celebrated - for meeting the needs of children around the state.

Pat

Waukesha County