Our oldest child is about to enjoy the last summer of her life before summer is associated primarily as the vacation from school. This September, at the impossibly young age of 4, my big girl will be old enough to enter her first year of school. I have been dreading this moment for the past 5 years (I'm including pregnancy, folks). I'm not sure she's ready to go. I'm not sure I'm ready for her to go. To me she still seems so little, so young, and simply not ready for that level of all-day learning required at the school she would be attending. Four months seems like too short of a time for her to suddenly become a morning person, and additionally to gain an attention span of more than twenty minutes. She is distractible at best, easily frustrated at worst, when faced with any attempt to learn new things. I look at her face and know that sending her to school doesn't feel right. Doesn't feel fair. I can see in her all the necessary ingredients for the same false ADHD diagnosis we hear is being levelled upon so many young elementary school students. I fear her being bullied as she is small for her age, and in so many ways still very innocent and naive about the cruelty of others.
I don't think I should have to change her, to crush what I love best about her, so that I can prepare her for a school system that is woefully underfunded, understaffed, and overflowing with students at the youngest levels. Through the years I have watched so many of my friends become teachers, working hard to enlighten and inspire the generation entrusted to them. I love these teachers for their enthusiasm, dedication, and fortitude. I respect them for trying to do what they can with what little they are given, making gold out of straw in so many cases. That being said, I look at my daughter and wonder if I can give her more attention here at home. While her teacher could have something nearer to 30 students, I would have just her (plus the distraction of 3 other little monkeys who, fortunately, take naps). I am a university educated woman, and although I don't have a BEd I'm relatively sure I can figure out how to teach my daughter what she needs to know (and some things she doesn't need to know too). I've already taught her about letters, numbers, shapes, colours, phonics, spelling, some french vocabulary, and music. Her reading is coming along slowly, but primarily because she is only 4 and still has a very short attention span. I can see that she knows how to sound out her words, but doesn't have the patience to sit and do it with every word. So we read short simple books, but we do read.
The one thing that had kept me dedicated to the idea of sending our daughter to public school has been that we would send her to French Immersion. Both my husband and I had our schooling primarily in French, and I do feel like it served me in the long run. My paternal Grandpapa was also French, so it was important that my kids learn the language as well. We recently discovered there's a good chance that due to budget cuts the school that our daughter would be attending might be losing its French program over the next few years. There have also been lots of talks of school closures in surrounding regions which I'm sure will be coming to our part of the city too, when you consider the number of schools close to us with the declining enrolment, not to mention the declining education budget.
As we reflected on all this information, we came to the conclusion that, for us, homeschooling was the right path for at least this year. I don't know how many years we'll be able to keep this up, but as long as it's what's best for her (and later on her younger siblings), our home will also be their school. With a bit of guidance from some other homeschooling parents I'm going to dive in head first and do everything I can to give my daughter the best possible educational experience.
Such a hard decision. I can tell you this - If I am financially able to stay home with my kids when they are ready for school, we will likely be doing the home schooling route too. Although, you bring up a good point with French Immersion. Honestly though, I have so little faith in the Halifax school system with all the cuts going on.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you're able to homeschool since you want to. French Immersion is alright, but in the end, looking back, my French is just passable. University level would have done me more good in the end.
DeleteI agree with you. I also have next to no faith in the HRSB's ability to deliver education of a high calibre when you see the cuts being made left right and center. Even the best of teachers is struggling to reach their students effectively. I love and respect all my friends who are teachers, but can see they're paddling upstream against all the cuts.
Such tough choices, having worked closely with public & private schools, as well as with homeschooling families and school boards/departments of education in several states & provinces, we've spent a lot of time thinking about all of this :) We'll be praying for all of you. Just out of curiosity...have you considered not starting school this year? Eoin will turn 5 in October of 2015...that would be the first year he is eligible for school entry (regardless of which method we end up choosing)..however, we've made the decision to delay starting school until the Fall he turns 6.
ReplyDeleteMy parents had delayed my entry and I think it was very helpful for me. We had talked about doing that with our girl but opted for homeschooling with a view to the fact that if it didn't work we could enter her the following year grade primary.
DeleteThe first homeschooling year is a challenging one (at least it was for me!). The first year of new memories for Hannah and for all of you! Her first day of school will be different than your first day. There were days when I was just sad that Emma wouldn't have the same memories as me.... some of my good memories from school. I didn't doubt our decision but it was an acceptance that things would be different for her (and our subsequent children) than they were for us. But of course, she has her own new memories of her first day of school. We get dressed up. take a bunch of pictures, do some special 'first day of school' activities for a day full of fun.
ReplyDeleteThere have been many people who have asked us along the way 'why' we homeschool and I've given many reasons which are only partly true. When I get right down to it- our family was called to this life. We were both open to it and answered God's call. We still take it one year at a time but the blessings we have seen from this lifestyle (in the children's relationships and our family life, etc) have encouraged us year after to year to continue.
May God bless all of you on your homeschooling journey!
Thank you for this much needed encouragement. We are getting a lot of support but even more questions. So tough! I agree that I feel like homeschooling is a vocation as well! If you're called to it, there's something so natural (though still difficult and scary) about it.
DeleteAh yes, the questions.....! There's no end to the questions people will ask- it really is never-ending. I am getting better at changing the subject with people who have an unending stream of questions.
ReplyDeleteIt has always seemed like a natural progression for us too! :)
I know I'm late in replying to this comment, but as we get closer to the date we're getting more of these questions. I will keep looking to you as an inspiration! Your children are smart, well-rounded, and certainly not the "unsocialized" kids we hear being touted as the homeschooled nightmare. I'm with you in that I truly feel that, at least for now, God is callling us to this life! There are many reasons why we chose to homeschool, but what confirms it all is the consolation I feel in these choices from God.
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