So many ppl have been asking me if I'm going to send Aidan to kindergarten because he will turn 5 on 8/3. And each time they ask, I reply that I'm not sure b/c I'm really not sure. I'm been wondering about this for a while now and there are so many thoughts swimming in my head about this. But the more I think about it, the more confused I am - and here's why:
I've been waffling between sending the kids to school or trying my hand at homeschooling for a while. And I have friends on both sides who are strongly believe in what they've chosen for their kids, which helps me to see some of both perspectives. And this is what I've gathered:
HOMESCHOOLING
Pros: Individualized attention; each kid can learn at their own pace; you can focus more on character because they will be with you more; less exposure to undesirable influences and teachings; flexibility in schedule; can incorporate religion; safe environment (at least more controlled)
Cons: You have to be organized, it's a lot of work; there can be oodles of paperwork and tests to show progress to the state; having young babies around makes it tougher; possible lack in social interactions (that depends on the mom); mom might feel indequate to teach certain subjects; loneliness if no one else by you is homeschooling; paying school tax for a school system I'm not using (that's the frugal side of me talking)
Other considerations: I've heard that if there is a good homeschool co-op nearby, there will be lots of social interaction (ie sports clubs, outings, etc) and lots of support. If I were to actually homeschool, I think having a co-op nearby would almost be a pre-req!
TRADITIONAL SCHOOLING
Pros: Teacher proficient in their subject(s) teaching my child; lots of social interaction; if regular school - exposure to different ethnicities, religions, etc; kids hopefully being a light at school; understanding of our culturel positive peer pressure from good friends
Cons: Being taught things I don't agree with; possibly safety issues (ie Columbine); regular school issues - bullying, teasing, etc; bad education; falling through the cracks
Other considerations: There is also alternative schools, such as Christian schoosl and charter schools but some of them aren't much better in terms of safety and teasing, which is bound to happen when you group kids together. Then there are the financial concerns - since we would love to have another, 4 kids in school will be very expensive...and that's not even counting in the cost of college!
But the questions I really have to ask myself after all this are: why am I choosing the route I am choosing? If homeschool, am I choosing it out of fear? If regular school, am I choosing it because it's easier day-to-day? What if there are no co-ops? Am I trusting God in my decision? The fact remains that public/private school these days are just not what they were when I went to school. Back in the 80s, there were no metal detectors and drugs weren't as rampant as they are today. Also, I feel that kids are being exposed to certain topics like sex and abortion earlier and earlier and I question the wisdom in that. And certain social topics I would really rather cover myself instead of having to correct what's been said at school. Also, with the reports of American schools lagging behind in academics and the solutions that have been set in place that don't seem to do the job, I'm even questioning what kind of education they will receive on the academic end. No doubt there are still great teachers out there (which make all the difference) and I thank all my teacher friends that are still out there (you are sooo needed!), but there are also the bad ones that can make you dislike a subject your entire life. (Though my teaching math might do that to the kids...hehe). Plus, each kid is soo different that it might be possible to choose homeschool for one kid and public/private for another...or would that even happen? That then gets even more complicated. I guess it all boils down to lots of prayer, asking God to show me what is best for the kids...which means spending more time with Him. I should do that more anyways. ;)
Back to Aidan...we sent him to preschool this year b/c after we moved to PA, I had a hard time finding boys his age for him to play with that were not in school. We went to playgrounds, malls, bookstores and libraries. And he really, really wanted some boys to play with. So, we were blessed to have found a Montessori nearby and enrolled him right away. Overall, he had a good time there but was teased a bit for wearing glasses and being different looking. That made him really sad and made me really annoyed. Plus, we had done a lot with Aidan and he was already reading some when he started preschool and they were just covering the basics of how to recognize numbers and letters. And since he was a bit bored and very active, he got in trouble a little. But don't get me wrong, he did learn how to color well and he now knows more of what it means to be a friend, which are important skills. Anyhow, I'm glad I have one more year to think and pray about this because we've decided to wait one more year before making a decision and if he were to go to school, I'd rather wait til he was 6. We'll see what happens, though. Either way, I know that God has a plan for him. :)
Anyone with any thoughts on this?
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Quarterly update...
...or that's what it seems like, anyhow. Things have gotten really busy around here - and here's why...
::Family Stuff::
1. We're moving again! Yes, you read that right. Kev got a great opportunity with a friend of his and so we're relocating to the Jackson, NJ area. Does anyone know of a great town to live in down around there?
2. With all this rain we've been getting, it was hard for us to go out and do our daily run/walks around the neighborhood. I'm still working on getting down to my pre-preg weight, so Kev got us EA Sports Active (SA) for the Wii. I was doing well on the Wii Fit but it was getting a bit monotonous since I knew what I would be doing each day. With the SA, they have a preprogrammed 30 Day Challenge that surprises you each day with what your workout routine would be. And I find myself sweating after each workout, which feels great! And, you can workout with someone else, which has been fun for Kev and I!
3. We've been needing to replace Kev's car for a while - a bunch of things stopped working and it started making funny noises. Kev had been researching for a long while now (esp since something fell off his car while he was driving one day!) but finally decided to sacrifice a nice, fast car for a mini-van since we're wanting #4 sometime in the future. So, now we have a Bali Blue Honda Odyssey sitting in our driveway! It's growing on me a bit, though it's so big, it barely fits into our one car garage. *0* I AM enjoying having more room to manuveur around in, esp with buckling the kiddies (though the older two can almost do that by themselves). This thing does eat up gas pretty quick, though....I am sad about that. Kev is now driving my CR-V and gave it a nice cleaning inside and out before he officially claimed it as his. Haha!
4. I'm still sewing and it's been getting more fun as I get to try different projects. I think it's really nice (esp for us Moms) to hold our 'accomplishments' in our hands or to see our kiddies enjoying something we made for them...it's very satisfying! Some pics here.
...and, now, onto some hodge-podge updates on the kiddies:
He officially graduated from Montessori Preschool at the beginning of May and we're so proud of him. He has really learned a lot of great things, academically and socially. However, his year in school also made us think about moving to a place with more ethnic diversity. Aidan's at the age where he's starting to notice differences in people - he's not making any judgements but likes to point out if someone is really different. Because his classmates are the same age, Aidan's gotten some comments about how he doesn't look like everyone else, which made him self-conscious. This makes me really sad. So with this next move, we are more mindful of looking for areas of greater ethnic diversity - anyone have any ideas of areas around Jackson, NJ that have what we're looking for? Anyhow, we've been doing additional stuff at home and he's been doing much better with writing and reading - go, Aidan! :) He still loves his Kumon workbooks! The latest development is that his love of fish has been surplanted by his love of dinosaurs! I thought I would never see the day but he did tell me he likes dinos more! Now everytime we go to B&N or the library, he heads right to the dino section and now knows more about dinos than me! Oh, and he loves, loves, loves his Legos and is great at making his own creations! See here, here, here and here. :) What else....his sisters: he's still great with Cara and helps out a lot! And his days are riddled with moments where he's playing well with Jana and then squabbling with her...so typical, eh? Haha! And Aidan's first trip to the dentist went swimmingly - he's got great teeth, like Kev - so blessed!
She is our singing, echoing, robot-talking princess. ;) Now that Jana has a good command of the English vocab, she loves to talk, talk and talk. She's on the play phone, talking to everyone she knows several times a day - and it's complete with 'uh-huh's', 'yups' and head nods. She also wants to talk to everyone that calls and it doesn't even matter if you're a telemarketer (though sometimes I'm tempted to hand her the phone...tehe). She also makes up songs on a whim and sings them everywhere she goes - it's pretty hilarious! She still echoes Aidan a lot, esp during meals, and breaks out in a monotone robot-talk randomly. She is still super cuddly and like to say 'I love you', esp when she gets in trouble. ;) She also likes to do school when Aidan does and has been getting better at her shapes ans colors - yay, Jana! Her latest 'job' is babyfood tester! Everytime we open a new jar of babyfood, Jana wants to taste it...and she's liked everything except the winter squash! :) Jana also says very profound things at times: One time I was lamenting about how much work it is to find a new home and how I'm trying to stay at peace. Jana just turns to me and says "God can do it all by hisself [sic] - it's His job". I think I just stared at her for a few seconds b/c I didn't know what to say. Whenever I stare at her, though, she would start to giggle, so that broke me out of staring enough to say "Jana, that's so true!" :D Anyhow, she is definitely back at the testing phase, which can get tiring by 11am. But all her hugs and kisses help to remind me 'our battle is not against flesh and blood'...;) She's also showing an interest in princesses, so for her 3rd birthday this past Saturday, we had a princess day with her cousins - fun stuff! Jana also did great at the dentist, having been inspired by her brother. :)
Our little 7 month old is doing swell. :) She went through a phase of waking up 2-3 times at night, which was more than she did when she was a newborn. That was brutal. I can understand that as a newborn but when you go backwards like that, it's so tiring! Anyhow, but praise the Lord, at the beginning of June, she started sleeping through the night - from 7:30 to 7 or 7:30!!!! Let's hope this is NOT just a phase! :) Cara got started on solids around 6 months and she took to it no problem. She had to figure out what to do with her tongue to get it in but once she did it, she barely needs a bib! [But she's still wearing one at every meal b/c I made them for her...haha!] She also hasn't met a babyfood she didn't like yet! :) She's also the recipient of quite a few handmade dresses b/c smaller sizes are so much easier to make. ;) She's getting good at sitting up unassisted and loves to sit in the same room that her siblings are in and just watch the action. I even find her cracking up sometimes when the sibs are doing something funny! She's also my only baby thus far that still smiles at the pediatrician at their 6 month appointment. All in all, she's got a great temperament, which is so nice! The latest is that she's been rolling around in her crib, getting stuck vertically and was not able to roll back on her tummy (her preferred way of sleeping) and it's waking her up at night. I think just today, she's getting better at falling back to sleep on her back. I really have forgotten how many changes babies go through!! And, oh, she's also sporting a new tooth! Go, Cara! :)
I just posted some pics of this past month here - it pretty much summarizes what's been going on, so check it out! :) G'night!
::Family Stuff::
1. We're moving again! Yes, you read that right. Kev got a great opportunity with a friend of his and so we're relocating to the Jackson, NJ area. Does anyone know of a great town to live in down around there?
2. With all this rain we've been getting, it was hard for us to go out and do our daily run/walks around the neighborhood. I'm still working on getting down to my pre-preg weight, so Kev got us EA Sports Active (SA) for the Wii. I was doing well on the Wii Fit but it was getting a bit monotonous since I knew what I would be doing each day. With the SA, they have a preprogrammed 30 Day Challenge that surprises you each day with what your workout routine would be. And I find myself sweating after each workout, which feels great! And, you can workout with someone else, which has been fun for Kev and I!
3. We've been needing to replace Kev's car for a while - a bunch of things stopped working and it started making funny noises. Kev had been researching for a long while now (esp since something fell off his car while he was driving one day!) but finally decided to sacrifice a nice, fast car for a mini-van since we're wanting #4 sometime in the future. So, now we have a Bali Blue Honda Odyssey sitting in our driveway! It's growing on me a bit, though it's so big, it barely fits into our one car garage. *0* I AM enjoying having more room to manuveur around in, esp with buckling the kiddies (though the older two can almost do that by themselves). This thing does eat up gas pretty quick, though....I am sad about that. Kev is now driving my CR-V and gave it a nice cleaning inside and out before he officially claimed it as his. Haha!
4. I'm still sewing and it's been getting more fun as I get to try different projects. I think it's really nice (esp for us Moms) to hold our 'accomplishments' in our hands or to see our kiddies enjoying something we made for them...it's very satisfying! Some pics here.
...and, now, onto some hodge-podge updates on the kiddies:
::Aidan::
He officially graduated from Montessori Preschool at the beginning of May and we're so proud of him. He has really learned a lot of great things, academically and socially. However, his year in school also made us think about moving to a place with more ethnic diversity. Aidan's at the age where he's starting to notice differences in people - he's not making any judgements but likes to point out if someone is really different. Because his classmates are the same age, Aidan's gotten some comments about how he doesn't look like everyone else, which made him self-conscious. This makes me really sad. So with this next move, we are more mindful of looking for areas of greater ethnic diversity - anyone have any ideas of areas around Jackson, NJ that have what we're looking for? Anyhow, we've been doing additional stuff at home and he's been doing much better with writing and reading - go, Aidan! :) He still loves his Kumon workbooks! The latest development is that his love of fish has been surplanted by his love of dinosaurs! I thought I would never see the day but he did tell me he likes dinos more! Now everytime we go to B&N or the library, he heads right to the dino section and now knows more about dinos than me! Oh, and he loves, loves, loves his Legos and is great at making his own creations! See here, here, here and here. :) What else....his sisters: he's still great with Cara and helps out a lot! And his days are riddled with moments where he's playing well with Jana and then squabbling with her...so typical, eh? Haha! And Aidan's first trip to the dentist went swimmingly - he's got great teeth, like Kev - so blessed!::Jana::
She is our singing, echoing, robot-talking princess. ;) Now that Jana has a good command of the English vocab, she loves to talk, talk and talk. She's on the play phone, talking to everyone she knows several times a day - and it's complete with 'uh-huh's', 'yups' and head nods. She also wants to talk to everyone that calls and it doesn't even matter if you're a telemarketer (though sometimes I'm tempted to hand her the phone...tehe). She also makes up songs on a whim and sings them everywhere she goes - it's pretty hilarious! She still echoes Aidan a lot, esp during meals, and breaks out in a monotone robot-talk randomly. She is still super cuddly and like to say 'I love you', esp when she gets in trouble. ;) She also likes to do school when Aidan does and has been getting better at her shapes ans colors - yay, Jana! Her latest 'job' is babyfood tester! Everytime we open a new jar of babyfood, Jana wants to taste it...and she's liked everything except the winter squash! :) Jana also says very profound things at times: One time I was lamenting about how much work it is to find a new home and how I'm trying to stay at peace. Jana just turns to me and says "God can do it all by hisself [sic] - it's His job". I think I just stared at her for a few seconds b/c I didn't know what to say. Whenever I stare at her, though, she would start to giggle, so that broke me out of staring enough to say "Jana, that's so true!" :D Anyhow, she is definitely back at the testing phase, which can get tiring by 11am. But all her hugs and kisses help to remind me 'our battle is not against flesh and blood'...;) She's also showing an interest in princesses, so for her 3rd birthday this past Saturday, we had a princess day with her cousins - fun stuff! Jana also did great at the dentist, having been inspired by her brother. :)::Cara::
Our little 7 month old is doing swell. :) She went through a phase of waking up 2-3 times at night, which was more than she did when she was a newborn. That was brutal. I can understand that as a newborn but when you go backwards like that, it's so tiring! Anyhow, but praise the Lord, at the beginning of June, she started sleeping through the night - from 7:30 to 7 or 7:30!!!! Let's hope this is NOT just a phase! :) Cara got started on solids around 6 months and she took to it no problem. She had to figure out what to do with her tongue to get it in but once she did it, she barely needs a bib! [But she's still wearing one at every meal b/c I made them for her...haha!] She also hasn't met a babyfood she didn't like yet! :) She's also the recipient of quite a few handmade dresses b/c smaller sizes are so much easier to make. ;) She's getting good at sitting up unassisted and loves to sit in the same room that her siblings are in and just watch the action. I even find her cracking up sometimes when the sibs are doing something funny! She's also my only baby thus far that still smiles at the pediatrician at their 6 month appointment. All in all, she's got a great temperament, which is so nice! The latest is that she's been rolling around in her crib, getting stuck vertically and was not able to roll back on her tummy (her preferred way of sleeping) and it's waking her up at night. I think just today, she's getting better at falling back to sleep on her back. I really have forgotten how many changes babies go through!! And, oh, she's also sporting a new tooth! Go, Cara! :)I just posted some pics of this past month here - it pretty much summarizes what's been going on, so check it out! :) G'night!
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