View Of East Devils Lake  – From the East – looking west at Regatta Park

My older son has been working on proficiency based credits at the local high school, as a part of his Community College requirements. One thing that came up was P.E. They couldn’t give him a PE Credit.  Sure, we’ve had a few years of sports – Baseball, Track, Surf Club.  He’s trained as a lifeguard and has first aid certification. He’s worked the past 3 years at the community center as a life guard, and worked at several camps doing the same. He was the summer Day Camp leader at a sleep in camp for 3 months. None of that counted. Oh – he’s also the Middle School PE  Class Assistant this year at the school. Nope. He needs to take a P.E. Course online – that should only take two weeks. Sigh.

View looking north – we live about 2.4 miles up the lake on the end.

This gave me a better view of what a credit is worth. A kid can know how to play hopscotch, dodgeball, run lines, know how to do warm ups, yoga and stretching, lead swim lessons, and teach kids to play Sharks, Minnows, and Seaweed. It goes the same for math. I’ve helped quite a few local students with algebra and geography. They learn a few different concepts than Teaching Textbooks or Math U See. It takes a moment to look it up, watch a video on Kahn or one of my online math programs, and then talk the student through the steps.

View looking south – it is almost a mile to the D River.

I’m sharing photos I took today on the lake. We’ve used Paddle Boards, Surf Boards, Kayaks, Canoes, Jet Ski’s, and Boats to explore just about every square inch of the 3 and a half mile body of water. We’ve swam back and forth between East Devils Lake park and Regatta Park. We’ve taught folks how to balance on surf boards and how to wake surf behind boats and jet ski’s. We’ve been on safety patrol for other swim competitions. And still – not enough education, skill gathering, practice, and implementation for a Physical Education Credit.

Mom’s practice Physical Education too – this morning after Bible Study, I did some sport fitness yoga for stretching, then hit the lake for a 2.75 mile paddle with some girlfriends.

As we are about to let go of our oldest son to further his adventures, and we wrap of the 9th grade – I am more determined than ever that homeschooling is the right adventure for us. I’d rather never swap a two hour online P.E. class for a life time of adventures.