Normally, we start the day after Labor Day. But the U.K. doesn’t care about Labor Day and Claude’s first NON-BEGINNER half-term (yes, we have to switch between British and American school terminology now) began today. It’s a big step up. Homework. The text they are using is the series used at Oxford University, with the assumption that kids this young who have already made it through SEVEN Latin courses may be thinking of Oxford for their futures.

She’s also got books three through six of The Odyssey to read for her class Thursday… seventh grade. Shit just got real.

We wanted to start testing out the new basic curriculum (not free, but with features that benefit us.) We will see — it started off with a clinker for Béla.

Um, no. Béla corrected this immediately. “‘Their’ IS a singular pronoun.” Why yes it is.

Still, having it seem like Big Brother has assigned them their core curricula for the day gets it done better than me telling them, and I like getting reports from the system (although I had to do a manual override on something it just refused to give Béla credit for.)

I’m sure we will get more familiar with it and that Claudia will get over her rage at having to do eleven “things” (some estimated as five to ten minute tasks) before she can return to her zombie novel (writing) and her Classics and her new obsession with the Bermuda Triangle.

We ordered bagel sandwiches from the Good Place and had a nice day, although are adjusting to getting up earlier. Lots more little kinks to work out. This is no longer the homeschooling where they can play with rare earth magnets and I can give them science credit. I’m not “teaching to the test” and I never will, but it’s time to take more personal responsibility for one’s work and communication.

They need their extracurriculars so badly it hurts.