Parenting is Just Plain Hard
This doesn't surprise me. I never thought it would be easy. But, I never could have imagined the number of life altering decisions I'd have to make. The big one facing me right now is school. Gabriel turns 4, yes 4, in March. That means my kiddo is entering his PreK year. Ugh...PreK. At heart I feel it's a completely and totally unnecessary thing. Kids should be learning through play, not doing worksheets. And lets face it...so many schools use worksheets at every age level. My goal as a teacher was to try to get through my day without having to photocopy something. It's not always avoidable, but if you work at it you really can accomplish it (and I think it made me a MUCH better teacher).
I'll skip over the Mom's Day Out stuff we've been through this year, but to give you an idea...Gabriel was frightened of his teacher for a good portion of the year early on. It's not until just recently that he's happy to go. Lorelai barely talks at school. She's a chatterbox at home. So, for next year I was looking at new options. I don't really feel either has to go to school at all...but honestly...it's amazing how much I can get done on the days they're there. I looked into an amazing private school that was a perfect match to my philosophy of teaching (this is where being an educator can really get you into trouble. I know WAY too much, and it's hard to satisfy me). But, it came with a college tuition payment each year. :/ I looked into Mom's Day Out programs that had PreK's attached too them. Too curriculum based, or they may not have enough room. No thanks. The local public schools are on a lottery system at that age. Nah. It's A LOT of stress. Finding the right setting to make sure your kids start off school in a way that sets them up for success is SUPER important to me.
These kids deserve the best school experience they can get:
People are always surprised to learn that I am not a fan of the public school system. Look...just because I taught in the public schools doesn't mean I agree with how the government is choosing to run them. But, teachers don't have much say in that, do they? I think teachers are GREAT and have their hearts in the right place. But, kids...boy do too many of them have problems. Parents think teachers are the teachers and the learning stops at the end of the school day, and that goes for learning discipline too. Every year I had to deal with at least 1-2 children who were out of control. Do you know how quickly that can take over a class thus leaving the other 22 children in the room to wait on those few children? It's a mess. Standardized testing is the absolute worst thing we have ever done to our students. I could go on and on...but back to our family.
So, I can't find the school I want. I've mentioned to Brian several times the idea of homeschool. He was very against it. But, I worked hard at researching it and he found out one of his bosses children were home schooled and he began to see it in a different light. He now fully supports the idea. So, the other night while showering (I do my best thinking in the shower...it's the only time I get to myself most days) I decided that PreK would be my trial year for homeschool. And I feel so pumped about it!!!
I mean...I already know how to teach children how to read...how to count...how to work on all of those beginnings that set the stage for great learning. I can also run my preschool how I see fit...full of play! Creative, artistic, play that doesn't force anything on them at this age. Let my kids be kids. Did you know that the country with the highest literacy rates doesn't teach kids to learn to read until the age of 7?! I kid you not. (It's Finland by the way...and now I have the Monty Python song stuck in my head.)
So, we'll see how it goes. PreK isn't a required grade so the pressure is off. If I don't enjoy it, or the kids don't enjoy it I will sign Gabriel up for Kindergarten at our local public school when he's 5. No harm no foul. But, I am certainly looking forward to "teaching" my kids at home, and I really hope they enjoy it too. :)
I'll skip over the Mom's Day Out stuff we've been through this year, but to give you an idea...Gabriel was frightened of his teacher for a good portion of the year early on. It's not until just recently that he's happy to go. Lorelai barely talks at school. She's a chatterbox at home. So, for next year I was looking at new options. I don't really feel either has to go to school at all...but honestly...it's amazing how much I can get done on the days they're there. I looked into an amazing private school that was a perfect match to my philosophy of teaching (this is where being an educator can really get you into trouble. I know WAY too much, and it's hard to satisfy me). But, it came with a college tuition payment each year. :/ I looked into Mom's Day Out programs that had PreK's attached too them. Too curriculum based, or they may not have enough room. No thanks. The local public schools are on a lottery system at that age. Nah. It's A LOT of stress. Finding the right setting to make sure your kids start off school in a way that sets them up for success is SUPER important to me.
These kids deserve the best school experience they can get:
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| Lorelai as a snowman. |
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| Gabriel as a snowman. |
So, I can't find the school I want. I've mentioned to Brian several times the idea of homeschool. He was very against it. But, I worked hard at researching it and he found out one of his bosses children were home schooled and he began to see it in a different light. He now fully supports the idea. So, the other night while showering (I do my best thinking in the shower...it's the only time I get to myself most days) I decided that PreK would be my trial year for homeschool. And I feel so pumped about it!!!
I mean...I already know how to teach children how to read...how to count...how to work on all of those beginnings that set the stage for great learning. I can also run my preschool how I see fit...full of play! Creative, artistic, play that doesn't force anything on them at this age. Let my kids be kids. Did you know that the country with the highest literacy rates doesn't teach kids to learn to read until the age of 7?! I kid you not. (It's Finland by the way...and now I have the Monty Python song stuck in my head.)
So, we'll see how it goes. PreK isn't a required grade so the pressure is off. If I don't enjoy it, or the kids don't enjoy it I will sign Gabriel up for Kindergarten at our local public school when he's 5. No harm no foul. But, I am certainly looking forward to "teaching" my kids at home, and I really hope they enjoy it too. :)