Kindergarten is not required in SC, so we just opted out. I did not join a homeschool accountability group. They keep you legally covered and some require records of attendance and progress reports and such, but they all cost $, so we'll wait until 1st grade to join one. So that keeps things more relaxed.
We did join a homeschool co-op that meets once a week. We have elementary classes for Spanish, Social Studies and Science/Math. They separate into k-4 and 4-6 grades so there is a huge spectrum of ability. Its mostly crafts and games. Bobby goes to a preschool class, and I'm with him most of the day and he really likes it. Adeline has a love/hate relationship with "school." We go in 8 week sessions and we've decided to just enroll her in the science/math class next time (her choice). She gets a bit overwhelmed by all the kids and a lot of the material is over her head and I think she gets confused and lost easily (especially since she is not reading yet). I am teaching the science class and I'm loving that--especially since this session I get to teach astronomy!! Its nice to be a teacher for 1 hour a week for a group of kids that don't have to be tested and where I have enough parents in the room that take care any disruptive behavior that happens :)
Adeline's reaction to school has brought up a huge parenting dilemma that I'm not sure how to handle. I know all parents come across these situations, but I feel like I usually hear more about what parents are supposed to do or should do instead of people admitting that they don't know what to do. So I'm using my blog to hash out the details of my dilemma, not because I'm looking for advice, but more so I can prove that I'm a real parent with real concerns and not only do I not know what to do, but I also haven't formed a solid opinion on this matter yet either.
So, do I push Adeline to keep going to "school" even though she tells me she doesn't want to go (half of the time)? Does she just need exposure to new situations to learn how to adapt and be a part of a community? Will she get used to it after more time? Or do I need to be more sensitive to her needs and try to understand her insecurities and where they are coming from better? Should I let her make this choice and show her that I respect her decisions and empower her to make important choices at this young age so she'll be more likely to take responsibility for herself as she gets older? Will she just become spoiled and rotten if I let her do what she wants? As a parent, of course I want what is best for my child, but it's really hard to figure out what that is sometimes (all the time!).
For now, we are keeping things super simple. I've read a few articles that have really resonated with me about the importance of play in these early years. I feel like society is in such a competitive state that we all feel like our 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 year olds really NEED "school" and that they are going to be behind without it. I respect the decisions of parents to send their kids to school at whatever age they want. (Half the time I wish my kids were gone and with someone else for part of the day!) But I don't like that there are so many expectations that come along with it. I've actually seen preschoolers who have homework, and to me, that is ridiculous. But I also don't believe in homework for older kids either...I bet my former students wish I had that belief back when I was teaching school. ;) I don't believe that kids need to go to preschool to learn how school works and get used to a classroom setting. I believe that kids that age need to play and explore and have time to entertain themselves. I watch my kids play and I can see them learning things and figuring things out. When they are curious about things, they ask me and learning comes naturally. I don't want my kids to think learning is something that you do at school, that is directed by a teacher while you are sitting in your chair at your desk.
So that is my rant about why I'm not doing formal lessons with my kids or pushing them to learn something that they're not interested in. Adeline does not have an interest in learning to read yet, and it is killing the teacher in me! But, we've decided that when she asks and shows interest, we'll do what we can to help her. We have tons of books and when she's ready, she knows where to find them. She knows we will help her. Bobby has very little interest in art. I'm not going to force him to color pictures, but we have tons of art supplies and when he wants to color, he knows where to find them.
This doesn't mean I don't sneak in some educational things throughout our day though. The kids love to earn money and Adeline is very interested in counting her money and knowing how much she has all together. She's learning math this way. Bobby loves to be silly and loves to do things the wrong way on purpose. He thinks its funny if I'm counting and I say the wrong numbers. I can tell how good his counting is by how well he catches my "mistakes." We also do this on identifying letters. At preschool the other day he had a paper with letters all over it and the directions said to color all the letter A's. He thought it was funny to color all the letters that were not A's. He loved my silly reaction when he colored the wrong letter and so he kept choosing all the wrong letters. So I know he know's his A's. It doesn't matter if he followed the directions or not. Learning happens when they're having fun.
So I still haven't told what a day of kindergarten looks like in our house. So here's a quick run down of what we did this week.
Monday: The kids went to Grandma's house in the morning while I went shopping (thanks, Sherie!). They came home and had quiet time upstairs in their rooms (usually 1-2 hours by themselves then 1 hour playing together--sometimes Bobby naps). I planned my school lesson for the next day. We took a quick evening trip to the beach since Rob got off work a little early then came home, had dinner and bedtime.
Tuesday: Co-op day. School from 10-1:30. Came home, had quiet time then cleaned up the house to earn some money then dinner and bed.
Wednesday: Stayed home all morning. Kids played inside all morning since it was rainy and I got caught up on cleaning that had been neglected for way too long. After lunch the kids had a very short quiet time before heading out to dance classes in the afternoon (Adeline is in ballet/tap and Bobby is in a hip hop class). Came home and went to Grandma and Grandpa's to celebrate Grandma's birthday.
Thursday: Met up with some friends at the park in the morning. My kids are almost always the oldest ones at our playdates these days. Most kids their age are in preschool or school. Came home for lunch then we picked up Rob from work and took the whole crew to my ultrasound appointment. I'm sure they learned a lot at my appointment :) PS...its a girl! Then we came home the kids tried jump roping for the first time then Grandma came over while Rob and I went out to dinner for a date night for the first time in probably months. Grandma wins the saint award for this week!
Friday: Should have gone to the gym, but I couldn't resist going to the fabric store instead to look at cute little girl fabrics (It was the last day of a really good sale). Rob was able to come meet us for lunch at Chick-fil-A and the kids got a lot of energy out in the play area. Then it was home for quiet time then painting some crafts we bought at the fabric store, dinner (in front of the TV...), a short dance party and hula hooping then bedtime.
I hope my blog doesn't come off as me bragging about my kids or how wonderful we are at homeschooling. I want to share our journey because it is very different from traditional education (some might say radical). I want to encourage people to see that there are many paths and options for education. Our way will not be the best way but we are trying to find what is best for us and I'm hoping we're on the right track. I don't want anyone reading this to start comparing their kids to ours. I am already getting so tired of the parenting competition. I'm starting to resent the Facebook posts and blogs about how wonderful/smart/athletic/artistic someone else's kids are. I know I am guilty of these posts in the past (extremely guilty), but I am trying to make a conscious effort to be more generic about my kids. It is so discouraging as a parent to see other kids excelling where your child struggles. I don't want to contribute to that competitive environment any longer. Of course I think my kids are amazing, but I'll try not to brag about their specific accomplishments anymore (notice I said TRY...don't call me out if I slip up!).
And that's how we homeschool...for now at least!
Playing chase at the beach
ipads and iphones at the doctor's office. Adeline dressed herself. I feel like I needed to make that disclaimer :)
Counting money
Bobby doesn't like coloring on paper so much, but loves coloring on his body. If you look closely, you'll see his face and belly "tattoos."
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing!
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