School registration was about ten days ago. The public school starts in about ten days. Is Eeyore going? Is he staying home? Whats the plan, we need to decide, the school will be full and he’ll have to go to another school, will they accept late registration, do we really want to keep him home?
He’s staying home. We are OFFICIALLY homeschooling our children. Our minds are made and I’m so very happy. As is Eeyore. And my husband, too, though he is still a bit worried about it, I think.
I have to admit that I started second guessing this decision last week. As soon as I started reading about parents sending their kids back to school and how great it was to have time to themselves, I got a little jealous. And then I started thinking about class parties and school dances and all sorts of other public school things, and I felt a little pang of regret for Eeyore. He WILL be missing out on some things. Theres no way around that.
Then again, all the kids in public school are missing out on all this family-time we have. They are missing out on some awesome experiences when they are cooped up all day in a classroom with the same thirty kids and one teacher day-in and day-out. They are missing out when they can only go to the zoo or museum on the weekends when its CROWDED and we can go any darn time we please.
And thats when it hit. The grass is always greener on the other side and it always will be. Public school DOES have its advantages, but so does homeschool. It all balances out.
Eeyore will get an excellent education right here at home with his mom and dad and sister. And I couldn’t be happier about it.
[tags]kids, children, parents, homeschool, education, public school, differences, benefits, registration[/tags]
Photo graciously provided by foreversouls, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved
8 responses so far ↓
AmyL // Aug 31, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Congratulations and welcome to the world of homeschooling! You’re right about the greener pastures, but I doubt you’ll spend much time worrying about what the ‘other guys’ have. It is true that you have less time to yourself but that’s a short-term problem. All too soon, they’ll be growing up and leaving home. IMO, better to spend every moment with them that you can.
Wacky Mommy // Sep 1, 2007 at 9:20 am
We homeschooled for a while last spring, cuz we got lice (thanks for asking! yeah, it *was* great!) and the principal refused to check heads. After we went over *her* head and called the district (they insisted, yes, check heads — we had an epidemic going on by then) we finally took the kids back.
I liked staying home with the kids. I blogged about it a bit — we went to the art museum, worked on science projects, read a ton, printed out math worksheets and worked on those — I could not believe how much is available for free on the web. I’m having some trepidation about the upcoming year. For us, I like to just play it by ear. If something doesn’t work, we can always try something else. I don’t mean I’m in favor of jumping around all over the place, but if I could have been homeschooled during my middle school years? That would have changed my life.
Have a great year.
Wacky Mommy // Sep 1, 2007 at 9:21 am
This year, if we get bugs again, do you think it would be wrong to sprinkle a few on the principal’s coat and chair?
AmyL // Sep 1, 2007 at 8:57 pm
ROFL. Well, sharing is a value taught in schools, right?
Ally // Sep 3, 2007 at 7:53 am
I know quite a few children who have been homeschooled, and while they’re very bright and usually more mature than other kids their age, they lack the social skills to interact with the other kids. If you keep homeschooling him for highschool as well, then maybe it won’t be so much of a problem. However, if you decide to put him through regular highschool…there’s a high chance he won’t fit in or adjust. Just be careful now that he doesn’t lose connections with other children.
Kathy // Sep 4, 2007 at 12:42 pm
My kids (9th & 10th graders) are in public school. I think you’re right: the grass can seem greener on the other side. We’re lucky our public schools are excellent, but I bet that if my kids were homeschooled they’d be further ahead academically and much less cynical. Whatever decision one makes, it should be done with enthusiasm, much as yours is. I’m sure you’ll have a great experience!!
edj // Sep 5, 2007 at 11:52 am
The grass is always greener. We live overseas (or did till recently) and our kids went to the local French school. Some of their (American) friends were home-schooled, and they think that sounds like so much fun! But their friends, of course, envy them the French school.
AmyL // Sep 5, 2007 at 7:43 pm
Hm. I know quite a few adults who were home schooled, and their social skills seem fine. I wonder if it’s something that shows up in adolescence and then fades? I’ve tried to picture my boys moving into a regular high school from the home program, and I could see that a tremendous amount of prep work would need to be done so they could navigate the complexities of high school. On the other hand, I can see them transitioning into college from here with very little adjustment.
Leave a Comment