Back to School, Already? 8th Grade, Here We Come!

Well, it’s official—summer is winding down, and that back to school season is creeping up again. But this year hits different. This year, my little girl is going into eighth grade. EIGHTH. GRADE. I’m trying to keep it together, but the truth is… I’m kinda freaking out.

I remember eighth grade all too well. Let’s just say I was not exactly what you’d call a model student. I was more focused on goofing off with friends and figuring out how to not do my homework. So the idea of my daughter entering the same phase of life, especially knowing the kind of eighth grade boys out there, makes my brain go into dad panic mode. Still, I have to take a step back and breathe, because honestly? She’s doing great.

We’ve been homeschooling with K12 since kindergarten. Back then, we didn’t love the local school options in the state we lived in, so I figured, why not try something new? I didn’t know if it would work. I mean, me? In charge of school? Yikes. I wasn’t the best student growing up—I know that much. But thankfully, K12 came with amazing teachers (so I never had to be the one teaching fractions—thank God).

I still remember when those first K12 boxes showed up on our doorstep. There were like five giant school boxes stacked like Lego towers. I thought I’d need to build a classroom in our living room. But once I realized it was all for the whole year, I calmed down. All we really needed to buy was some pens, notebooks, and pencils. That was it.

Kindergarten was magical. Kara Zor-El (yes, that’s her real name!) just lit up. She had the sweetest teacher and absolutely thrived. That’s when I knew we’d made the right call. So we stuck with it. Every year the boxes got smaller, the lessons got tougher, and Kara got stronger.

Now here we are. Back to school again, only this time the supplies came in one single box. One! Just the essentials—books, a science kit, some paint, and the usual suspects for math, civics, and art.

It’s a little bittersweet watching her grow up so fast. We’re already asking the big question—what about high school? Do we go brick-and-mortar or keep the homeschool thing going with K12? I don’t have the answer yet.

But I do know one thing: whatever school path she chooses, this girl is ready. She’s smart, brave, and totally capable of flying into her future... (She'll have a fresh cape on)

So bring it on, back to school. Eighth grade, we’re ready for you. (Kind of.)