Wednesday, August 10, 2011

1.5 weeks left

before Lance goes to Kindergarten!
I am excited for him and sad and everything all rolled up into one.
Lance is going to public school which is ironic because 5 years ago I would have never considered it, but now it is our best option.
I had wanted to homeschool, because I wanted to protect Lance from the children that would be bad influences on him and might hurt him and for him to learn efficiently because the material can be covered in a lot less time, but Lance and I just don't work well together. Doing speech homework or working on workbooks is a struggle and a fight, it is pulling teeth and one of us gets mad at the other and it is just not effective. Then there is his speech delay and possible learning disabilities that are a struggle. No one has been able to figure out how he learns and what problems he may have and is he is just learns differently and he needs different teaching strategies that I just do not have. And then he is just so darn social, it would kill him to not go to school because he just loves people, this summer has been rough for him in the weeks that he didn't have summer camp or many playdates, I can't blame him, he gets it from me. So I have realized over the past two years that homeschooling is not an option for Lance, or myself. Yes there are co-ops that meet once a week for extra lessons, but once a week is not enough for Lance, he really is ready for all day school, though I am not ready for him to be.
I considered for awhile private school, but looking at the prices, over $500 a month, that is too much money to be spending on education when we are barely making it, have to pay for college one day, and do not have any savings, yes we could borrow money, but I don't want more debt. Then there is some consideration that a small percentage of the children that are in private school (usually the upper grades) are the very kids I am afraid of in the public school. The kids that get the boot from public school or so out of control that their parents send them to private school to hopefully get them away from the bad influences or reform them. I know of countless people who have sent their kids to a private, Christian school in town after their child was expelled from public school or gotten in trouble or is out of control in hopes of reforming them. And also with private school, the special ed services for students is non-existent or can't compare to public school so why pay tuition for a school that might not even be able to even help Lance because of lack of special education services?
So after ruling out homeschooling and private school, public was the only option left. Fortunately we live in the school zone for a very nice, small elementary school that is in competition for students of a very nice private school. I am not looking forward to the upper crust snobbery of the school, but I am thankful for it being small with great teachers and students (I went there and I turned out fine).
So how to school your children is another one of those choices of motherhood that are often judged just like vaccines, breastfeeding, and natural childbirth, and I am going against the flow that many I know are. Some may think I am throwing Lance in the lion den, but it would be far worse if I tried to homeschool him because he probably would not learn anything and hate me, so I am making the best decision for all of us, but it is hard knowing that some people would judge me for it. I ran into a woman a few weeks ago, she homeschools, but she admitted to me she wasn't very good at it and her middle child is extremely social and craves social groups and I thought, are you really helping your children? Are you really protecting them or giving them the best when you admit you don't think you are doing a good job and one of your children is lacking what she needs? Is private or public school really that evil or is it just the pressure of everyone else? Which reminds me, why do people pressure other people when their choices are unlike their own? Homeschooling is HUGE around here and it seems like EVERYONE does it, but does that really make it the best?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sarah!!

I'm a new follower of your blog and am really excited about this post!

My son did preschool (kinder) last year and I ended up asking for another year. So he is doing another year this year which is really what he needed! Anyhoo..

Today a was taken on a tour of the public school closest to where I live and was excited to see how all the kids loved learning together. The school was amazing with veggie gardens, two big ovals, a big library.. everything! Well everything except the main thing.. RE!

Apparently this school hasn't had Religeous Education for the past four years which was a huge bummer because up until that point I had fallen in love with the school.

I ended up calling a good friend (mother of 6) who had just just recently put her kids back into main stream after home schooling for six years. Before that they went to a christian college in the next town (which was my second prefernce) and she said exactly what you just said! The mothers are putting them in those schools in hope they'll become moralised teens but are not practising christian values at home!

My son is the type of boy who is not shy about his faith.. he'll pray any where - anytime!! Its sad that the schools here don't teach RE and I don't feel right putting him in that school knowing the majority of the students don't believe in what my son believes.

I'm now in a position where I need to work out what's best for my boy! I have faith that God will provide what Jie needs to reach his full potentual!!

Thanks for letting me vent with you!

Mel x

Mollypants said...

I have noticed a lot of people homeschooling lately. I have no problem with it as a concept, and you are certainly the best decision-maker with regard to yours, but I have oddly noticed a couple of people on facebook who are homeschooling who...for lack of a better term...are complete morons. One of them STILL can't use the proper form of your/you're and she can't compose a sentence to save her life. I remember even questioning why a certain state (not VA) gave her a teaching license after only 8 years of failing in and out of college. And now she's the sole educator of her two children. what the...?

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