09/20/2019
Dear Teacher,
We see how hard you work during school hours, but we know your work day doesn’t end there. We know you sometimes have to grade papers, complete lesson plans, or other work related activities at home. We know your passion for your students’ success is part of who you are, and continues beyond the 4 walls of BASIS Baton Rouge. For this, we are extremely thankful, and some of the reasons this is such a difficult letter to write.
We have decided to go back to homeschooling our children. Though we support the vision of BASIS and think it is a great asset to the Baton Rouge community, we have come to realize that it is not the right fit for us. We have come to feel as though the teachers, staff, and student families are like an extended family, so this decision has not come lightly.
However, as BASIS’ founder’s vision states, “the goal of a great education is to provide students with choices, limitless opportunities, and to send them into colleges and professions empowered to shape their own futures.” Let us apply that to our situation for a moment…
We first want to expound on student choices. We feel like in order to explore these choices, students first need to learn the basics. Even though Roo has come so far and is starting to become a little more independent in her work, she is still reading about 1.5 grade levels behind, and we feel she needs stronger evidence-based intervention in this area. Our goal, from the beginning of last year, was to do the intervention at home on top of the homework. However, because she is dyslexic and her brain has to work extra hard to keep up in class, she comes home physically and mentally exhausted, and even getting through homework is a chore. Though she is a fighter and perseveres, we feel she is missing out on some of her childhood. Many evenings, all she does is homework, eats dinner, bathes, and goes to bed. Sometimes, she even wakes up and does more homework in the morning. Don’t get us wrong, not every day is like this, but enough of them are, that we cannot do the proper reading intervention with her, and she cannot pursue any other activities outside of school. We understand that we have permission to cut her off at a given time, BUT then class goes on the next day…
If we continue on this path, we feel her insufficient reading fluency will begin to create a larger gap in her other academic areas, and we are already starting to see some of this change. We worked really hard over the summer on her reading, and she made some outstanding improvement (She went from a 1.3 reading level in her Orton-Gillingham curriculum, to a 2.5). However, the large gap remains. We are very thankful for Ms. Stern, all the SET’s, speech therapist, Ms. Lynn, Ms. Fletcher, and Mrs. Glasper. They have all been so accommodating, and it is apparent that they truly care about our daughter. They have worked hard to help Roo with her academics both in the past and at present, and also were understanding with her ankle injury this year. However, with the BASIS curriculum pace progressing at a faster rate than Roo’s reading is currently advancing, we want to get in front of the academic gap before it’s too late.
Ultimately, we want our girl to be able to read. We believe reading is so fundamental to success, that not focusing on it more in depth now, will be very detrimental in numerous ways later. Sure, we realize that even with intervention, Roo will probably always read at a slower pace than her peers; she may never be a great speller; she may always need a little extra time to complete her studies… BUT she will read on grade level! AND one day, she will be able to access all grade level content without read aloud accommodations! It is going to take consistency and drive, but we will get there!
With homeschooling, we will not only be able to do her reading intervention, but we will also be able to individualize her curriculum more by slowing down, remaining on level, or accelerating as needed. She will also be afforded more opportunities to explore who she is, and who she wants to be, because she will have more time that isn’t tied up in “just academics”. She is ambitious. She wants to be a doctor, veterinarian, a babysitter, AND a mom. None of those are easy tasks to accomplish, and all take hard work, long hours, and determination. Sure, she is only 8, but if she wants to be all four of those titles, she can be! Regardless if we homeschool for 1 year or through highschool, we will make sure Riley (and all of our children) is (are) empowered to shape her (their) own future. We appreciate y’all hanging with us thus far, and please know that we believe that some of Roo’s future academic success is undoubtedly because of the time she spent at BASIS with you by her side.
But what about Iz?
Iz loves the social and institutional aspect of school. AND, her mild dyslexia is not holding her back in academics. She loves success and is extremely self-motivated. She is also self-critical and competitive, and takes pride in being “advanced” in her studies. She loves, loves, loves her friends and teachers at BASIS. So, why not let her remain at BASIS?
Iz also loves the possibility that homeschooling brings for her to be able to explore her other aspirations and dreams outside of academics. In homeschooling, she will continue to have accelerated courses, and hopefully she will be able to begin to unleash her entrepreneur spirit that is screaming inside of her. There is not a doubt in our minds that Iz would be successful if she remained at BASIS. However, we believe that with the choices and opportunities made possible by homeschooling, she will truly thrive.
So, let us close. Homeschooling isn’t for everyone, and it is certainly not possible for everyone. We are not homeschooling because we think the teachers and staff at BASIS are not good. You are the reason BASIS is great! You are one of the reasons this decision was a difficult one. Thank you for the unique role you have played in the education of our daughters and will continue to play for their peers. What you do is significant. Please know that we still love the BASIS teachers and staff, and the friends we have made. Thank you for being an inspiration to the next generation. Thank you for your encouragement. Our reasons to homeschool are complicated, layered, and deeply personal, but because of the level of respect we have for you and what you do, we felt it only right to peel back a layer and let you see a small piece of the puzzle.
That being said, we will finish up the first grading period at BASIS, and the girls’ official last day will be on September 27, 2019.
You will always have a special place in our hearts!
The Kings
Beyond the Elm 
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