confusion induced insomnia
if i can only say, without flinching, that there is a remote possibility i can be a good teacher to my son…
i will homeschool him.
then, i will not spend one more minute debating over my head where to send him for kindergarten.
public school? private school?
private school A? private school B?
and just when i thought going to an open house will help….
it didn’t. it only doubled the confusion.
and to those who suggested i follow my gut…
it’s not very helpful.
my gut is even more confused than my head, thank you very much.
i tell you, it keeps me awake at night. even when i am not at work.
i have no idea how some people can decide so quickly.
the fact that the deadline for application submission is only three weeks away, makes matters worse. and the reality that everyone has a valid, logical explanation why we should choose one instead of the other only makes matters more difficult.
somebody, please. send me a crystal ball!
now.
If your children can develop, with your help, an appreciation of learning and reading, then it probably doesn’t matter much if their school isn’t perfect.
Comment by shrimplate — March 3, 2008 @ 6:57 am
Homeschooling sounds like an excellent idea. Private schools are expensive and public schools intentionally maim children intellectually. If you can make it work, I say go for it. I was thinking about this a few years ago, that I’ve had so many friends over the years who know a lot about many of the subjects that are covered in elementary education, that they could all help educate eachother’s children through distance learning and videoconferencing. The only extra hinderence seems like it would be providing for socialization, but there are plenty of ways to socialize a child outside of the compulsory education model.
Comment by PM, SN — March 3, 2008 @ 11:06 pm
I know I am not patient enough to homeschool, so our dilemma was public vs. private. We debated long and hard, and interviewed the schools concerned, etc. In the end, we decided to go public on the theory that we could always change our minds if we didn’t like it, and that we’d have empirical evidence at that point to support our decision.
Our son is nearly 8 and in the 2nd grade, and we will unhesitatingly send his brother to his school for kindergarten next year. Public schools, despite their sometimes dodgy reputation, have a lot to offer. Indeed, our public school is teaching my son a lot more than the “excellent” private school down the road is teaching my niece and nephew.
If you’d like to talk specifics, I’m happy to do that. My e-mail is listed.
Comment by MamaBee — March 4, 2008 @ 5:10 pm
Homeschooling is not easy, but it can be done and the rewards are huge. Many days its fun and interesting other days it’s banging your head against the wall. I did 10 years. There are fantastic resources available.
Comment by Marla — March 7, 2008 @ 6:14 pm
I do not know much about home schooling. I did have a friend in high school that came in senior year and had never been schooled outside the home and it was really hard for her. I substituted at a montessori school for a few months. I wouldn’t recommend it. I had a terrible feeling that if any of those students attended any traditional school they would get the everloving crap kicked out of them.
Comment by Elizabeth — March 11, 2008 @ 11:40 am