The Simple Woman's Daybook

[eliskimo]

FOR TODAY Monday, April 29, 2013

Outside my window ... Today is a cloudy day. It rained last night on the way home from Welland and Paris and I assume from the look of the pavement this morning that it rained overnight as well. However, while I was waking up this morning, I noticed that the red maple outside my window has bud on it!

I am

Comments

[deeprivermom]

Regardless of what you choose to do, my experience is that when you register in public school, the school admin will advise you to register for full-time because they receive more funding for full-time registered students versus part-time.

Depending on the individual teacher and the particular school admin, there can be a fairly wide range in how flexible the system can be. We lucked out with Xavier's first kindergarten teacher who didn't mind if some parents sent their children only half-days, or only 3 out of 5 days, or on an ad-hoc basis kept their children home if they had special plans. Many teachers find it annoying to have several different students with their own customized schedules because it can be more challenging for the teacher to make sure the class as a whole stays on the same page. De

Some teachers/admin prefer a more set routine, e.g. if you register your child for only mornings, only Monday Wednesday Friday, then you're told your child cannot attend for their off-days, if say you have a doctor's appointment.

A very close friend is a Montessori teacher, or at least she was when she was still living in Ottawa. I am very impressed with many aspects of Montessori education, as well as their peer conflict resolution teaching which you can google "Montessori Peace Table" if you haven't yet read about it.

I also happen to know several homeschoolers. A common criticism is the lack of socializing, but I believe this is a misconception, as the homeschoolers I know, do not ignore this aspect in educating their children. In many ways, their children have a wider variety of opportunities for socializing than public peer-segregated schooling. The homeschool families are often deeply connected to a church community, while both religious and non-religious homeschool families socialize through several homeschooling groups that meet regularly and share educational resources. Like their school-attending peers, homeschoolers also participate in the regular recreational and community activities, clubs, organizations.

In their daily lives, the homeschooled families socialize with a much wider range of age-groups. I think this lack of age-based segregation helps these children, pre-teens, and teens feel more at ease conversing with adults, seniors, as well as their peers.

I don't think one can generalize about any particular approach being better than another. It comes down to what best suits your child and your family. Visit the local schools and talk to the parents, sit in on a kindergarten class, speak with the teachers. I think you'll have a better idea when you get some feedback from other families who share your values.

One advantage of living in a fair sized city as you do, is the range of choice. Also, there's no need to feel locked-in to any choice you do make. Several homeschooling families would choose to homeschool or enroll their child in school, depending on the needs of that particular child at a particular age, and also based on the family's homeschooling strengths. For example, one mum said she was happy to enroll her children for kindergarten (then it was only half days, or alternate days), simply because she was more interested in teaching the higher grade skills, maths, sciences and not terribly patient with the preschoolers' lack of attention. Another parent described how one son was thriving in the homeschooling environment while his older teenage sister longed to go to highschool and experience highschool social-life. The parents set ground-rules that the children could opt for homeschooling or public schooling but they would have to commit to their decision for the entire school-year, so no "yo-yoing back and forth" as she put it.