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The days lately seem longer than ever! Nick has been working a lot lately, the project he is finishing off a critical stage right now so he has been working very long hours. To top that off I am actually quite busy at work as well lately (I generally work extremely part time, only a few hours a week). Couple that with the fact that Gabe is teething and Tristan has been needing a lot of attention, and I am WORN OUT.
Now, after having said that, you are probably going to think my next comment is crazy… but I am thinking of homeschooling the kids.
Now I know all of the arguments for and against, I just need to decide if it’s the right thing to do for our family. That is that part of me that is counting down the years until the kids are in school full time and I will have more time to devote to work and quite possibly *gasp* some ME time. But then there is that other part of me that just doesn’t feel right about sending them off to public school. I want to teach them that learning doesn’t just happen within the four walls of a school building. That it can happen in your home, in your backyard, out in the community… everywhere! And I want to have the flexibility to take them on trips, and have them learn at their own pace, and be able to individualize their schooling experience.
This is obviously something that is going to require a lot more thought. If I homeschool I will still continue on with the work I am doing now, so I need to figure out how that would all work and how I could juggle the schedules. I also need to learn more about what is involved with Tristan’s therapy plan and whether it is in fact possible for me to teach him, or if he would benefit more from a structured classroom setting (although, I’m thinking he probably wouldn’t).
I just keep thinking that though the days seem long, they are young for such a short time. I personally loved learning as a child, but hated school in junior high and high school. I don’t think that school necessarily prepares you for what is out there in the world. In fact, looking back I felt horribly unprepared because in the real world nobody cares if you are popular, or how you scored on the last quiz, or if you’re the captain of the basketball team. In the real world, people care if you can carry on a conversation, work hard, think critically, act on your feet, and work both independently and as a team player.
So I really think that the homeschooling thing could work for us if I do my research, find some groups in our area that we can join in so that the kids do still get to do some group learning and find out about joining sports and clubs in our community.
Tristan is really inspiring me to think outside the box. There is not just one way to do things, so I’m going to explore this path and see if it just might be the right fit for us.
