I had a revelation yesterday - I don't like the fact that someone else gets my daughter for six hours a day. Someone else gets all her funny and precious moments. Someone else gets to watch her succeed at reading and math. I get her for meal time, bath and bed time. So the realization hit me - why not home school the kids next year? And I felt a calm like I've never felt before.
If I were to home school, Katelyn wouldn't be held back to a specific grade. She'd be able to soar as far ahead as she would like. I'm anxious to get K's report card today and see if she finally gets an "excelling" on her reading level. The kid reads at at least a grade three level - well beyond her years in grade one.
And then there's Andrew. Mr. Bubbaloo. With his speech delays and social/emotional delays, I have a feeling Andrew will be behind for most of his years. Katelyn was already reading by the time she was Andrew's age of four. Andrew knows the alphabet, but that's the extent. He doesn't know what sounds the letters make. He doesn't know how to write yet. He can't even manipulate scissors properly. All things I can show him at home, if he'd just let me!
When I thought about home schooling, I got all excited about doing lesson plans and finding science experiments and going to the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon for field trips. But I have questions - like, what happens when the kids want to go to university? How does that work not having high school transcripts? And what about friendships? Yes, they will be in various activities, but you don't have the chance to develop friendships like you do on the playground at recess time.
We shall see…we'll see how this year goes for Andrew in PreK. He's doing wonderfully in his class and knows the routines for the morning. He's progressed to where I can just give him a hug and a kiss and walk out the door (instead of the EA running interference for me). My plan was for him to do two years of PreK and then start kindergarten as a six year old. I just can't picture him being mature enough to play out on the playground next year and come in when the bell rings (and to go to the right door!). Makes this Mamacita's heart nervous!
And so it goes...
I could never ever home school. I don't like to teach things and I am far too impatient. And truth be told, I like my freedom. I think they have to go to a real high school but I don't remember anymore. A friend of mine home schooled for a few years but she was terrible at it and her kids struggled. They are now in regular school. On the flip side, my other friend did it and she was a teacher like you and her kids were like k and far above where they should be. She did put them in regular school last year but that's only because her business took off and she realized she couldn't do both.
ReplyDeleteThat's a definite drawback for me - losing my freedom. Right now, I get two mornings a week to myself and I love it! And I still toy with the idea of opening another business - once the kids are in school full time. Oy vey…decisions, decisions!
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ReplyDeletethis is a girl i went to university with...she homeschooled her kids and has lots of good ideas
Thanks for sharing this! I'll check out her blog!
DeleteSorry! Just catching up on your blog! I homeschool! Answers to your questions:
ReplyDeleteUniversity/high school transcripts: You either get all your high school credits or you don't. If you do, you might do it through on-line school and you get your SK credits the same way as in school. If you don't, there are many options and just depends on what college you want to get in to. For example, if you do traditional type schooling at home, the parent can make up a transcript and many universities/post-secondary institutions will accept that. (However they might accept the student with conditions, that they don't fail.) Some colleges (ie. music at U of S), you do an audition. For some colleges, if the child had more eclectic schooling, the parent/child will put together a portfolio of the things the child has been doing: on-line classes, fields of study, hobbies, volunteer work, debate club, etc. I have heard of some parents going to professors and showing them the textbook the child has been studying from, the professor okays it, and the child can take the class. Also, a child can start taking a class at a time at U of S at age 16, and then this will get them into Arts & Science. In general, post-secondary institutions are very open at this time to homeschoolers because they tend to make good students. (Or you can send your child to school in gr. 10 and they can start their credits.)
As for friendships, I'm sure there is a large homeschooling community in your city. There are so many things going on where I live that I have to say "no" to a lot of things because we have to do some schoolwork! I think friendships develop like they did before your kids went to school: your kids hang out with your friend's kids, except that you will probably meet a lot of homeschoolers who have more free time in the daytime and they will become your core friend group. I think my kids have a lot more friends than they would if they were in school, because a) we have more free time because schoolwork doesn't take as long at home b) there is tonnes going on in the homeschooling community and we are always out doing stuff with our friends, and c) our homeschooling friends also have more free time to get together and hang out.