OK, so the winter has closed in around me and the thought of getting out of bed, let alone taking care of and teaching three children, is quite overwhelming. So on a whim I have sent (gasp) school choice applications (public school, no less. I KNOW!) to a local school, because they have a great program for gifted children (yes, my daughter and probably my sons are gifted. It's not PC to say so, but it is what it is.). I am just tired. I have lost the will to do all the work involved in homeschooling. I selfishly want time to 1) exercise 2) eat an entire lunch sitting down 3)clean my house 4) have coffee with a friend.
I am fighting my inner voice that reminds me that I homeschool because there are so many things I cannot abide about public school such as 1) making kids sit still so much 2) the long hours 3) the bad influences 4) the one-size-fits all teaching methods.
I cannot see myself as a shiny PTA mom. I can definitely see myself as a huge pain in the ass, pushing for what my kids need and simultaneously hating myself for not keeping them home.
I chose this particular school because they still have a half-day K program and for their differentiated instruction and shameless "label" of gifted for children who need it. My daughter, 7, is reading on a 10th grade level and learning to solve for x in algebraic equations. She understands molecular combination. She plays Bach effortlessly on her violin. She needs challenge to be happy. My sons, 4, add and subtract to 12s, are starting to read early readers and also need extra. So what's a mom who has lost the will to do it herownself to do?
I am looking into private schools, but will only be able to afford it if they hire me. So I have cobbled together a workable resume and sent it out all over the North Shore. I am leaving it to fate what will happen.
Am I a hypocrite, for all my ranting about the evils of public school? Or just a worn out mom who wants to give something else a try for her own sanity, and so she can enjoy the fun stuff with her kids and leave the nagging to someone else. These are the questions troubling me these days...
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6 comments:
Hey, a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do right? Where is it written in stone that once you choose to homeschool there is no turning back? It isn't! :) And if the school gig doesn't work out guess what, you have the freedom to switch gears again and find what works best for your family :) Isn't freedom great?! :) LOL
Who says the answer to Evil public school isn't to fight back? Why should we have to hide in our homes and not let our kids be with other kids everyday? WE pay for the those schools and our kids have the right to a good education in them. I say let them go and FIGHT for them to be BETTER! The schools will only continue to slide with their lack of attention, weird expectations on behavior and PC BULLSHIT unless we put our collective foot down and demand they they improve. Better yet, we get in their faces and improve it ourselves. I find it shameful that those of us, me included, who cannot afford private school, should allow our kids to get a lesser education. Don't feel bad about sending them out, send them out with a mission to make it better!
If your 7-yr-old is reading on a 10th grade level she's not "gifted," she's a prodigy...right?
I don't know if she's a prodigy, because she's not that advanced in all areas. In the other areas it's about 2 years ahead, give or take. I wouldn't classify her as a prodigy, but she is certainly "special needs".
I'm sort of on the opposite end of where you are now. I tried a gifted public magnet school for my 5-year-old-reading-on-an-8th-grade-level-and-doing-multiplication child and the whole experience fell far short of what I had hoped.
(Now my child, unlike yours, has issues with sensory processing and maturity, so that, combined with lack of academic challenge was a recipe for disaster.)
Now I am homeschooling for "first grade" and my son, now 7, sounds extremely similar to your daughter, minus the violin. (We tried but have such bad fine motor skills we couldn't do it.)
I know how you feel though. It is exhausting to homeschool children like this. Sincerely exhausting.
There is certainly no harm in trying public school, and you shouldn't feel guilty for trying it, or for feeling exhausted by all you've tried. You never really know how a child will react until you try, right?
I wish you best of luck and look forward to hearing more regarding your journey.
I have to hand it to you for homeschooling for any period of time - I love my kids, but last week almost did me in!
If the public school falls short of your expectations, here's a new way that some parents starting to use to have their gifted kids' needs met: put them on an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). You may have to pay for the testing, but the school must meet the needs of ALL its students, including those who need additional attention because they're advanced. Some schools are secretly welcoming it, as it helps boost the SPED population MCAS scores... remember, where there's a will, there's a way!
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