Back to {home} school

I've been feeling a lot of trepidation as home school kindergarten is starting up in a couple weeks.  We literally live around the corner from one of the highest-rating elementary schools in the area, chalked full of shiny teachers with many accolades and superb awards across the spectrum.  What luck!  If only...

Deciding to home school has been a difficult one.  And I'm still not fully sure it's something we'll do indefinitely.  I feel really possessive of my time with my boys right now at this age.  I was talking to a friend last year while at a pumpkin patch bale ride, confiding some of my issues about school, and wondering which would be the best fit for my guy, (I process out loud, you know) and the lady on the bale in front of us turned around and said, "I can't help over-hearing your conversation, I'm sorry.  I've been homeschooling my kids for three years.  I just want to encourage you to do it, you won't regret it."  As a person of faith, I have learned not to sniff at encouraging strangers.  There is something sacred in their messages.

Choosing to home school has been very personal, complicated, and for someone who A) was raised in public school and a secular home, B) had parents who bitterly regret corporal punishment being banned from public schools, C)  had parents who firmly believed public school produced well-socialized children and home school children were backwards, and D) has been behind the lines in the education system and knows first hand the realities therein, this choice remains confusing.  There are things my little man will miss this year.  But my prayer is that the gains outweigh the losses.  I have given up trying to explain why we have made this choice, it's heavy.  And by no means disrespect those who have children in public school.  But it's sort of private, I suppose.

We have registered with the school district's alternative education program for home school families.  I would be his primary teacher during the week in all core content areas, then Thursday and Friday mornings he goes to their classroom with other home school kids to engage in hands-on, interactive group activities.  And the part that Aaron likes best is that the curriculum is paid for through the district, so we don't have to buy it!

We have been following the UPS tracking online for five days as the materials for Andres' entire kindergarten year embark on their way here--all 70 pounds of material.  We knew it would be coming today.  Andres was eagerly waiting at the window for the big brown truck with the yellow letters.  When it finally came just before lunch, it was like Christmas.  He knew it was all for him.  I put Raph to nap and Andres and I had uninterrupted time to go through all the boxes, and organize them on the bookshelf in what will soon become his classroom at home.   I let him open the boxes himself and pilfer through all the books and manipulatives that he would get to use in school this year.  When he saw his science goggles, he wanted to bust open a Science lesson right away.

"Can we start school today?"  he asked me as I arranged everything on the shelf behind him.  I was pretty tickled too.  After being a Language Arts teacher for 8 years, I still feel the rush of organizing a classroom for the new year.  It's something I've missed these past two years since I've quit teaching, getting my classroom ready for the fresh new year.  And even when I was a public school teacher, I was a "specialty teacher" who had to scrape together my own curricula for differentiated learning objectives based on individual student needs.  I was never, ever handed a calendar with daily lessons or even a spread sheet with quarterly goals.  I never had box full of text books to pass out at the beginning of school.  So this was as momentous for me as it was for Andres.

He was giddy all about it all afternoon.  When we picked Aaron up from work tonight he said "don't tell Dad about the surprise!"  I had to think for a sec before I caught on to what he meant.  As we were putting him in bed he smiled one of his special deep-dimpled smiles at me with his eyes dancing.

"Mom, I can't wait for school to start!"

That's a good sign, I told myself.

I kissed his little cheek and pulled his Spiderman quilt under his chin and said, "Neither can I, sweetheart."

I pray that the year is a good one for both he and I, that we grow and learn together through this experience, that he's bolstered and buoyed, that he he gains confidence as he gains knowledge.

"Mom, it's here!"

Busting open the boxes to see what's inside.

Books!

He's fascinated with ancient Egypt, and was astounded at the unit full of books on the topic in his history box. 

More science stuff.  He's totally looking forward to science this year!

And at the end of the day, we were even tickled to have the boxes to play in.