In almost every conversation with my friends lately, school for our kids comes up. I completely realize how uninteresting this sounds to anyone not in the same position at the same time. When I had little babies, this stuff barely crossed my mind. And before I had kids? Never. But now here I stand, a month away from (what feels like) some big decision making.
This particular crossroads feels all consuming because, unlike when I was growing up, there seem to be a plethora of options! Choices are wonderful to have, but it does make me (us) feel responsible for researching our options and making an informed decision.
On Friday I attended the Fresh Take Conference, an annual conference for teachers, administrators, parents, researchers, and anyone else interested in public education. However, I was certainly the only “just a mom” in any of the sessions I attended. I didn’t mind though and instead soaked up all the knowledge and input I could from the presenters and the attendees.
A big thank you to Whole Foods for providing an incredible afternoon make-your-own-trail-mix bar!
I actually have the greater half of a notebook covered in notes I took at the various sessions and am really excited to share with you some of the things I learned from STEM focused projects to Number Talks and a lot of theory of how kids best learn in between.
Speaking of theory, Barbara Coloroso was the keynote speaker. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first and ended up blown away by her wit and wisdom. My hand almost fell off as I furiously scribbled down notes. I look forward to reading her parenting book, as her philosophy on raising (and teaching) children to develop their own self discipline without bribes, threats, and behavior charts enthralls me.
All in all, I was incredibly inspired by the conference. I admired the knowledge and drive teachers have to bring creative and effective learning techniques to their classrooms all while handling the challenges that come with teaching 20-25 kids at the same time. Teachers are incredible!
And personally I felt empowered to make an educated decision in regards to us choosing the next step in the path of Hailey’s education in the coming months.
My fascination with fostering intrinsic motivation continues…
So where does this leave us personally right now?
In our area, we are fortunate to have great public schools, several wonderful charter schools, a handful of excellent private schools, programs that offer a blend of school and at home study, and a strong homeschool community. I’m incredibly grateful for the options. Any of them would be good choices depending on the different needs/desires of a family. After looking in to them (and almost achieving analysis paralysis), there is one charter school I’m particularly smitten with. Their approach to public education is exactly in line with ours, if I could more eloquently verbalize my beliefs.
Their acceptance into the school is lottery based and if my math is correct, so many children apply that there is roughly a 5% chance of getting in. A couple months ago this stressed me out, but now I’ve really submerged myself in the idea of homeschooling (here are some reasons why we are considering it) and feel comfortable and even super excited about starting out on that route. We’ll decide on a more concrete path in about a month after the lotteries are held.
I know there is a lot of political discord right now in the education sector. I understand the passion from all sides and was really inspired by the desire I saw in teachers’ and administrators’ eyes on Friday to bring the best education to all children. As for my personal journey, I feel I’ve been talking about it for so long now and can say I’m learning a lot along the way. I appreciate you letting me sort through my thoughts and share that journey in this space!
Is anyone else engaged in school (preschool, grade school, college) decisions at the moment?
Tarayn says
ME ME ME!!!!! I am prayerfully considering the same options as you except we don’t have as many options here. whomp whomp. It’s the hardest decision and I would go with homeschooling first if my oldest didn’t love school SO Dearly. She thrives there on a schedule and at home but me being her only authority for her education makes me super stressed bc we are a lot alike. ekkkkkk
I love that you are sharing this journey. many prayers to you all
Lindsay says
I homeschool but I re-evaluate every year. I struggle because mine is ahead (from one on one and homeschooling at her pace) so she would probably be bored academically. But she’s so social she would love school. I half consider moving to Virginia (or another close state that is not md because they aren’t homeschooling friendly) that allows homeschool kids to join in on public education for parts of the day. That would totally be ideal for me.
Brittany Dixon says
What you mentioned is exactly a point I’ve struggled with too- academically homeschooling definitely makes the most sense for us I believe, but I want to make sure I’m able to create a social setting that works as well. Our YMCA offers homeschool PE that sounds really cool and other local museums and such offer homeschool classes too. Plus there are several co-op options. Do you have those near you? If we go the homeschool route I’m hoping to piece together a combo that works well for us.
Lindsay says
We do classical conversations so they have classmates, teachers, valentine exchanges, recess, lunch with friends, etc for the social aspect. It’s once a week 9-1. Honestly, and his may sound terrible, I just wish it was dropoff. I have four kids, husband who works long hours, and not a single minute of babysitting, preschool, or gym daycare (I don’t like using it when I have infants). Not complaining, this is my choice, but I wish md would allow us to take some stuff at public school. I figure this is my season of life to give myself to my kids and one day I’ll be hitting the gym daily, having peaceful dinners, and more alone time than I actually want.
Brittany Dixon says
I’m looking into CC too and was hoping it was drop off haha! This is certainly a crazy phase of life (more so for you than me right now I’m sure), but it sounds like you are doing a wonderful job. Wish you lived closer- I’d watch your kiddos to give you an afternoon to yourself! Let me know if you move south 😉
Lindsay says
We actually came from nc just last year! I miss the weather and school options but all of my family is here so that won over for us after being away for 10 years when my husband was a marine. occasional date nights with grandparent babysitters and family dinners a few times a month are priceless!
Brittany Dixon says
Many thanks to your husband (and you!) for your service. And I can only imagine how nice it would be to have family nearby! How wonderful!
Cassie says
I’m a former public school teacher with a 16 month old but I think about this a lot. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
John J. says
Good for you that you take this time to learn more about such an important topic for your children. You and David will make the “right” choice for Hailey and Kaitlyn as your life evolves and schooling options avail. I wish more parents were invested in doing what is best for their kids. I see way too many kids whose parents have missed this opportunity. Keep inspiring – and “teaching”!
Heather says
My son turns 5 in April, so we’re having all of the school discussions and figuring out what is going to happen this fall. Our original idea may not be happening so now we have to decide which district we want both of our kids to be in, whether or not we should keep them in the same district they attend preschool or not and it gives me heart palpitations quite frankly. I never thought I would have so many conflicting feelings on my kids reaching school age and everything that goes with it.
Brittany Dixon says
Exactly how I feel! I never knew I’d be so consumed by school decisions. And that doesn’t even factor in the fact that I can’t believe I have a child old enough to be considering these thoughts (wasn’t Hailey just born?!). Best of luck to you as you make these decisions!
Kelli Harrison says
I homeschool my children we live in Florida where the public schools are for the most part less than stellar. That being said there is a huge homeschool community (that keeps getting bigger!) and options such as charter and magnet schools. That being said my 11 year old is now working on 9th grade material and my 10 year old is 3 years ahead . It really is no longer a option. We love it for the most part but it has its challenges some days 😜
Brittany Dixon says
Thanks for your input Kelli! It sounds like you are doing a stellar job at homeschool- send me your tips please!! What you listed is part of my thought process too, as I have looked into our local kindergarten curriculum and it appears Hailey already knows/can do a lot of the major focuses (reading, numbers to 100, etc). I cringe because I don’t want that to sound like a brag, but I have friends with children in kindergarten this year that have struggled with boredom/behavior because they already know the material and am figuring out how to take that into consideration.
Nan says
My kids all have graduate degrees so I’m just interested for my grandsons who are both gifted academically and in special programs in public school. Your daughter seems pretty advanced- have you considered having her tested or at least look into it as she ages? I’m not a big fan of homeschooling- I was a teacher and my oldest daughter is an educator now- but I do believe you’d do a good job. I enjoyed helping in the school classroom and being able to do a lot of volunteer work in my community so homeschooling was not for me.
Brittany Dixon says
Hi Nan, thanks for your comment! If Hailey does go to school I do believe I’ll enjoy helping in the classroom and school community a lot too! I’m not looking into testing at the moment because I don’t think it would change the way we are doing anything at this moment. If things change in the future then I’ll look more into it!
Arielle says
Same boat here. Waiting for the lottery results and will then decide if we are homeschooling 👍🏼 Prayers to you all in your journey
Brittany Dixon says
If we both end up homeschooling, let’s get a regular “field trip” day on the calendar to do together!
Heather says
The pre-school struggle is real. I love the ideas and concepts behind montessori and waldorf educations, but it is hard for me to put her in those when I know we really only have public school as an option when she is older (and they are so expensive!). Our American society also doesn’t really accept the concepts involved with alternative education, and I worry that she would be behind or have a hard time fitting in once she made the switch. Right now she is at a pretty basic pre-school. They do colors and number etc., but are way less strict than something like a Goddard school. Those people are crazy (IMO).
In a perfect world there would be more waldorf schools at a lower price and Americans would calm down and act more like a European country…I don’t see that happening anytime soon 🙁
I currently cannot homeschool because I am working…
Brittany Dixon says
My girls have been in a basic, church-based preschool and I’ve loved it, though I also dig the montessori programs too. I actually was pleasantly surprised to hear at the conference at how forward thinking so many schools and teachers are in regards to classroom methods and how children best learn. I think all the different ideas (montessori/waldorf/etc) are starting to combine more than I previously thought (or at least I hope so!)
Kristin says
Hi there! Just had to comment since I’ve put both my kids in a montessori pre-school prior to regular K-8. My daughter did 3 years prior to Kindergarten, and now my son is in his 1st year at montessori. I love the montessori system because they focus on letting the child lead their education path and choose what they want to work on, making them extremely confident and independent learners. Also, their ‘practical life’ exercises where children as young as 3 are helping to clean the classroom, take responsibility for their actions and working as a team is really amazing to see. My daughter, who is now in 1st grade at our local Catholic school, is very independent and respectful with her peers and teachers, and I can thank her montessori school for that. I’ve heard really good things about the Waldorf system too. Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents! Good luck with your decision, I know it can be very hard! 🙂
Liz T says
Yes, school decisions leave a lot of angst for me. With both of us working, homeschooling just isn’t possible. The public schools here in Durham County are a wreck, too, and all the charter schools are in high demand. The options of moving further away from our family to live in Wake or Orange county where the schools are better hurts as it would be very difficult to not live so close to our families, not to mention home prices in those counties are so much higher. You’re privileged in that you are in position to consider homeschooling, have a good public option and could entertain the idea of private, if desired. I wish I shared those options.
Nadia North says
I’m with you! My kids are in 1st and 3rd grade. They have attended a private school that we are very fond of, but feel that it is no longer meeting our needs. For the first time, I am also considering homeschool and it doesn’t terrify me as much anymore – there are SO MANY GREAT resources! We also have the option of moving into a better (public) school district before next fall. Good thing I am decluttering and organizing our home! Best of luck to you, and with such caring, supportive, and thoughtful parents, I envision success for your two girls!
Brittany Dixon says
Yes, exactly, so many resources! If you would have told me 5 years ago that I’d consider and even lean towards homeschool I would have said there was no way, but it becomes much less scary the more I learn about it. Good luck with choosing the path that works best for your fam! <3
Elizabeth Evans says
Hi! School and childcare have been at the forefront of my thoughts since I found out I was pregnant. Since I work, I’ve always had to make childcare decisions even before the kids were born (e.g. put them on waiting lists at daycare’s to hold their spot). Now that my son is in a state funded PreK program at our public elementary school (he won the lottery), and loving the program/school and making lots of friends, I don’t see a reason to switch him to a different school. We have lots of options like you (International charter school, science & technology charter school, lots of private schools… all just around the corner from our house). Our elementary school is actually a STEM school, and has been top rated – so that’s another reason we’re going to keep him there. With all of this said, I’m STILL questioning our decisions and trying to decide if we’re making the best choices for both of our kids 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
Wow you guys have some great options and I think it’s awesome you’ve been so happy with where he is. Sounds like a great fit! It’s comforting to hear that you still question things sometimes even though you like where you are. Makes my over analyzing not seem quite so crazy 😉
Helen says
Hey, looks like you’re now more qualified to make educational decisions than our President’s nomination for Secretary of Education! Great job!
Jenny says
Hahahahaah Helen. YES!!!
Sarah Simon says
I am a few years away from this as my daughter is only 2.5. I have given it thought and as a working mom living in a more rural town with fewer options, we will most likely choose public school. Thankfully I have only heard good things about our local elementary school. However, they are changing the cutoff dates for going into kindergarten and that could affect my daughter, pushing it back so that she would have to wait until she turned 6 (July 1st cutoff date, she is July 31st). That seems crazy to me and we may have to look into other options if we want her in school sooner. I am an October baby so I was one of the oldest in my class and always ended up bored, usually put in the advanced classes when in reality if I had started school sooner I would have been right on track with the class.
I’m excited to read about your experience. I don’t forsee myself being able to stay home and home school but I believe we can help support our children in public school by setting great examples at home (as my parents did for me). Good luck, that’s such a crazy small chance with the lottery!
Brittany Dixon says
Absolutely! I think if parents care (which anyone even thinking about how things affect their kids obviously do) then kids are going to thrive no matter the environment. It’s just finding the one that best fits each family. I was always the oldest in my class too, as Hailey would be with a September birthday, and being bored academically is something we’ve considered too. Thanks for your comment!
Liz T says
This is an insanely ignorant comment: “I think if parents care (which anyone even thinking about how things affect their kids obviously do) then kids are going to thrive no matter the environment.”
You think parents in poverty don’t care about their children? You think parents who speak a different language than English don’t care about their children? You think parents of children with mental illnesses don’t care about their children? There are so many reasons why children can fail to thrive educationally. Statements like that one are presumptive, snide and unhelpful.
Among all the things you research, you really should take the time to consider your privilege and hold it in check. I know you don’t care for my comments about your privilege, but the fact that you consistently fail to acknowledge it is what encourages me to continue to point it out. It’s not a bad thing innately to have privilege; it’s a bad thing to not acknowledge it.
Brittany Dixon says
Hi Liz. I think maybe I was unclear. I was trying to say that caring parents make such a big difference that children can thrive in a multitude of situations, despite socioeconomic status, physical and mental abilities, etc. It was intended to be in support of all parents in all situations that though we stress over things, the fact that we care is what makes the biggest impact on our children.
I’ve read your many comments about checking my privilege and I am just unsure of what exactly you want from me. Do I have many incredible things in my life? Absolutely. So much so that my heart wants to burst with gratitude. I try my best to use the gifts I’ve been given to give back and spread empowerment and joy. I KNOW I sound like a cheeseball most of the time, but it’s who I am and the only way I know to connect with people is to share my personal journey. Feel free to email me if you’d like to discuss this further.
Lizounette says
I hear you. I don’t think your bursting w gratitude is an act. You’re right in that I shouldn’t have any expectations from a lifestyle mommy blog. Next time you focus on “giving back” though, it may be more effective if you don’t articulate so in a sponsored post from said “charity.”
Jenny says
Brittany, I think what Liz is articulating is probably what many readers might be thinking/wondering. I love how enthusiastic and joyful you are, and I think you DO appreciate what you have. But especially given what’s going on in the world and country right now, it’s difficult when it seems like those things are the elephant in the room. When other bloggers acknowledge things like BLM or the March or refugees, it makes me respect them and want to read their blogs even more. You acknowledge your privilege but only when it seems to really be pointed out to you by a commenter. It would be amazing to hear you say on the blog, “hey guys, one of the reasons I’m worried about school is the possibility of school shootings” or something like that which lets us know all of the horrifying stuff in the world somehow impacts you. I know this is a mom/kids/healthy lifestyle blog, but I think you could be of such service to other women and moms reading this blog if you shared more of this side of yourself.
Brittany Dixon says
Hi Jenny, thanks for your comment! I do hear what you are saying and after I read your words, I gave it a lot of thought. My answer may be unsatisfying but my viewpoint is that there is so much decisiveness out there right now. My facebook feed is almost unbearable. Political stances are not essential to my core, but sharing joy and lifting up others is. I want this space to be a place where all women feel welcomed to focus on and celebrate what unites us, not what divides us. I really don’t long to be Suzy Sunshine all the time, and don’t feel like I am, but I feel sharing my genuine ability to find the good in dark times is more additive than listing of my fears or worries, of which I don’t allow myself to spend much time on in day to day life. I believe in empowerment, seeking the good in people, and am forever looking for the silver lining. I feel the need to share what God gave me, which is the gift of optimism, rather than spark political discussions that proliferate anger. I do share reality, days where everything goes wrong, uncertainty about some aspects of the world I’m raising my children in, but I also want to share joy because in times like this I want my kids to know that hope and goodness still exist, in what I believe is in more people than not.
Emily says
Brittany, I just wanted to point out that statements like this: “Political stances are not essential to my core” are statements of privilege. Many people in this country do not have the privilege to leave political stances out of their lives, because their lives are severely impacted by political policies and events–like those who hold green cards who were barred from reentering the U.S. to be with their families, like cancer patients who rely on the Affordable Care Act for health insurance, like the DREAMer students who were brought here as infants and now may be deported to countries that have never been their homes, just to name a few. I think it’s important for all of us with privilege to recognize and do research to understand how other people’s lives may have struggles we will likely never have to deal with. I don’t think the commenters here want you to feel bad about yourself, but just to acknowledge that you have a level of comfort and privilege that others do not.
Amanda L says
Jenny, maybe you could start a blog and post your insightful, world-changing political views on it? Brittany asked recently what her readers wanted to hear more about, and I doubt her political stance was on the top of the list. And I hope you check your privilege of having access to internet and the free time to spew negativity at people who do absolutely nothing to deserve it. Not everyone has to be an activist about what YOU are passionate about. That’s diversity for you.
Christina says
We can register our daughter for Kindergarten starting next week, and I’m honestly in total disbelief that we have reached this point in our lives. How can it be?? She was just a itty bitty baby yesterday (or so it seems). It’s an exciting time, but also a little overwhelming. Best of luck with your decision making!
Brittany Dixon says
I feel the same way! I remember a friend having a 5 year old when Hailey was first born and saying that her kindergartener was just a baby, but she seemed like such a big kid to me then! Now that I’m in the same spot I feel like Hailey is still a baby too! Crazy time and its tricks 😉
Samantha says
After two years of public school for our oldest, we are re-evaluating our options and looking into the local homeschool groups. So far I like what I see! Although we will be happy with whatever path our girls take, my husband and I want to equip our girls to be entrepreneurs if they so choose. As a fourth generation farmer and daughter of a business owner, it’s something that we both deem important. We have had a great experience with our daughter in public school and I am SO grateful for what the teachers and administrators do for these kids!
What it’s coming down to for me is I feel like the public school schedule tends to encourage an employee mentality (five days a week, six hours a day, all dictated by someone else) whereas homeschooling encourages more personal responsibility at a younger age and that is a virtue that’s important to us personally.
All that said, I am very concerned about the socialization aspect and so joining groups and the local co-op is top of my list as well.
Good for you for putting so much thought into your daughters educations!
Brittany Dixon says
Samantha, you eloquently described one aspect we love about homeschooling that I was unable to put into words, thank you! We also are attracted to the more creative thinking and personal responsibility that homeschooling encourages. Good luck in figuring out what path works best for your family!
Laura says
I teach middle school math at a charter school. I can’t vouch for all charter schools, but with our smaller student to teacher ratio we excel at ensuring all students are challenged/ needs met with small groups and differentiating in the classroom. We’ve had a lot of students join our school from homeschooling in the 7th grade. It seems the more introverted students are a bit overwhelmed by the social aspect but the more extroverted kids adjust quickly. There is no denying though that a traditional school offers more consistent social opportunities, It sounds like you have a lot of good options! And this may sound bad coming from a teacher, but kids can thrive even under the worst conditions; having the best education available is not the end all be all. I attended a small country school growing up where students were still regularly paddled (can you imagine?!!) and there were no gifted programs. I’m sure I was bored at times but my parents always supplemented my learning at home. What I do love about a school culture is that kids adapt and learn how to “learn” from different teachers/ teaching styles. That in itself is a valuable asset.
Marie says
As the mother of a 5 year old daughter – entering K-5 next year – I love these posts. Please continue. Thanks!
Amanda Yanetsko says
If you do decide on homeschooling, I’d love to connect!! (Or maybe even if you don’t? We need friends our age!) I live in Davidson and have a Kindergartener this fall and we are planning on homeschooling! I feel a sort of confident because I used to be a teacher. But I also have a 2 year old and a baby due this month. 😳 Certainly challenges I did not have in my classroom ha! Love your blog! 🙂
Kim says
Have you considered a montessori school? I’m not sure what’s available in charlotte but I’m a montessori toddler guide and my 3 year old daughter comes to my school. A lot of the posts you’ve written seem to align well with montessori philosophy. I know options can be slim but I just thought I’d mention it ☺
Jennifer says
Preschool searching here which is oddly competitive! We applied to 2 basic ones and hope to get into one! If not, I have no back up plan! I guess I will cross that bridge if we get to it!
Julie says
I’m a teacher and long-time reader. I hardly leave comments, but as an early education professional, I just wanted to point out that I hope that you are taking into consideration the social lessons that children of all ages, but especially young children, learn at schools. The knowledge they get from working in groups to answer higher order thinking questions, to being able to navigate a crowd to buy lunch, to dealing with personal problems with other kids is something that is really hard to replicate. I teach in a public school and I know that they are FAR from perfect (I had 27 kindergarteners in my class last year), but I think that there is something really empowering for children about sending them off to become their own people. Also, there is a lot of research that points to the fact that students who come from educated parents can succeed in school, even if their school is lacking some resources. I think it’s hard for the public system to change the problems that drive parents to homeschool/charter schools if parents keep choosing homeschool/charter schools in the first place. I hope this doesn’t come off as judgmental, but just wanted to point out some of my observations as a long-time early childhood teacher 🙂 I do think it’s AWESOME that you are so interested in your child’s schooling, and it must be so nice to be able to have so many options available to you. It seems like, no matter what you guys choose, your girls will flourish with such great parents as role models.
Brittany Dixon says
Hi Julie, thank you so much for your input! Honestly I really value the insight from teaching professionals to help highlight the shortcomings of alternative education choices. I have given a lot of thought to the social aspect (it’s one thing that actually took me a really long time to come to grips with). If we choose to homeschool I will definitely be putting a lot of effort into providing those hands-off social settings for Hailey. I understand I will not be able to replicate it perfectly, but I will be doing my best to give her similar experiences. At this age I am comfortable being more of a main influence in her life, but understand as time passes my role with be to decrease boundaries and expand responsibilities and autonomy.
I also hear you on the frustration of not being able to change the public system if people choose other routes. I have two really good friends that are retired teachers and we’ve discussed this in depth. If I’m being honest, I don’t have a good answer for it, but it is something I keep in mind and try to balance as we navigate making the best choices for our family.
I didn’t find your comment judgmental at all and appreciate hearing alternative viewpoints as they can bring up points I might not have considered. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
Jenn says
I wanted to homeschool, but because of the social aspect and my husbands love of high school sports we have started the public school route. I know there are groups I could take him to play with, but Im a homebody and know that I wouldnt do those things. And it is really neat the things he has picked up being at school. Navigating the lunch room the other day when I went to eat with him. He tells me he is going to the other line because it is faster. I was in awe that wow, you know how to do this?!
Make sure you look at the charter schools, in our area they are not required to be certified teachers, if that matters to you.
Laura says
Julie, you raise some really good points. I am currently a charter school teacher, but have huge respect for and confidence in my local public schools. A lot of my top 8th graders do end up attending one of the oldest public high schools in our city; this school to me is the definition of success. It is located downtown and is incredibly diverse, and strives to meet the needs of all students. The top students go there because of their IB program and highly skilled teachers, even though financially the parents of these students have many other options. This is not the only public school like this in town- there are entire districts that again and again rate at the top of our state schools. And this is in spite of having many (free) charter schools available. I know this is not exactly the norm, and it was not like this where I grew up out east. But it gives me hope that the future of our public schools (and charter!) can be bright. Maybe “choose local schools” will be the mantra for our future generations?
Sorry, I know this discussion goes beyond the boundaries of the original post, I just thought you brought up interesting points, and I love to talk education and absolutely LOVE being a teacher! I have a degree in Chemical Engineering and I cut my pay in half to obtain my secondary math license and teach middle school math (and never once looked back) if that gives an indication of how passionate I am for my career and the success of my students.
Kate says
I teach at a charter school, and changing schools a few years ago made me really start thinking about what I will do when I have kids. I have always been a supporter of homeschooling, and I also believe that there are a lot of instances where a few different options could work beautifully for a child (and that there is no option that is without drawbacks!) But one thing that I’ve been thinking about from a research/teaching perspective recently is the social element of learning. Not social as in learning social skills, but as in the way that kids learn from each other and strengthen understandings by sharing ideas with each other and engaging in discourse with each other. Of course, there are ways you could arrange to make that happen if you home school, but we have been making a big effort recently to give our kids at least 10-15 minutes of time discussing concepts and ideas with their peers per hour because research shows that it helps solidify and deepen their own understandings. Again, not trying to sway you in any way, but I’ve been thinking about it recently and thought you might be interested in reading more (you can look for anything about discourse in the elementary classroom and that should steer you in the right direction). Sorry for the novel-just thought throwing some more food for thought at you might be helpful 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
I love the novel! 🙂 And really appreciate your insight. The social aspect (though it’s oddly one my friends who homeschool say is not as challenging as I would think) is something I’ve given a lot of thought too. I do see the immense benefit of having peer groups and open discussion. I just learned a lot about Number Talks and how kids learn from hearing their peers talk out their methods and solutions and it really had me thinking. Though I know I wouldn’t be able to recreate it exactly, I have looked into co-ops and other classes for homeschool kids (the Charlotte kids science museum offers regular science classes for homeschool kids) that would surround her with kids her age/stage and give her the ability to experience similar circumstances. I do believe every path has strengths and drawbacks and if we go homeschooling, I do want to make sure I’m aware of all the shortcomings of that choise and do my best to supplement in those areas.
I really appreciate professionals like yourself offering insight and advice to help steer me in a good direction and helping me ensure I cover my bases. Thank you!
Jaci says
I’m feeling this with preschool and already looking for a transitional kindergarten for my son who is 2.5. We plan to send him to public school (as of now), and he goes to a Christian based preschool 2 mornings a week. There are so many options for what to do with him his “transitional year.” He is a July baby and we’ve chosen to redshirt him so he’s on the older end of his class, rather than younger. At the rate he’s going, he will be bored out of his mind if I don’t find him a challenging program for that year he is 5. And who knew there were so many options?!
Amanda L says
We are in the throes of this currently. We are just now applying to preschools, where hopefully my sons will stay through 7th grade. I’m impressed at how much research you’ve done into it – we pretty much have just been talking to friends and going off of “feelings.” Honestly I’ve never known anyone who was homeschooled, and I’ve generally viewed homeschoolers as sort of a crazy bunch, but you’ve started to open my eyes to some different motivations for going that route. Where we live (New Orleans), there are some really great charter schools (one only .5 miles from our house), and the public schools vary wildly across the spectrum from great to sort of dangerous. A higher percentage of children attend private schools in New Orleans than almost anywhere else in the country, and they obviously range in cost. As a New Orleans native and a product of private (Catholic) schools for 13 years, including single sex high school, its the route we’ve decided to go for our 2 boys (ages 2 and 9 months). However the decision has to be made early (when they’re about 1.5) in order to make sure you become active members to increase your chances before the application process starts (and yes, you are bumped up on the list if you donate a certain amount of $$ to the church). It’s also difficult to choose the place where we think our younger(/potentially unborn) child/ren will fit in best, for the next 10 years or so, when we don’t really know their personalities yet (small school vs large school, different education styles and levels of intensity). I’m sure people will scoff at this “stressful decision,” and I admit that for us it would be really hard for us to make a BAD decision, as we have plenty of options; however we still want to make the best decision possible for our family. We do sacrifice in other ways to afford this (13 years of Catholic school is a legitimate factor in deciding how many children to have for most of the people we know), we both work (more than) full time and cut back in a lot of other areas. I hope your decision becomes more clear and you are satisfied with whatever route you choose! And thanks for enlightening me more about the process.
Alison says
I am right there with you, deciding between a Christian school that aligns perfectly with my educational and spiritual philosophy (but is 20 minutes from our house), public school that is rated well (but I don’t totally agree with educational philosophy) and homeschool (but my husband is not keen on this). Three great options and I know any of them will be fine, but the decision feels paralyzing right now!
The thing I struggle with in regards to homeschool is what I want (I would love to quit my job and spend all day learning with my kids–the family bonds and flexibility are such huge draws for me, as well as the ability to tailor their education) versus what I think my son would probably prefer (he is extremely social and would 100% love school). There aren’t really any hybrid options by us but I think that would be perfect. Anyway, this topic is top of mind for me right now so I love reading your and others’ thoughts!
Christina says
We are 6 months into homeschooling our 3 oldest boys and are working on decisions for next year. It’s such a weight on parents shoulders to choose the ‘right’ education route for their children now a days.