Thinking about schooling for Audrey and starting to feel somewhat unsure. Technically, she should not (in the local school districts) start kindergarten until the 2015-2016 school year. And while I like the additional time that gives me with her, it makes me wonder if I shouldn’t take this time to give homeschooling a shot. I never would have thought myself capable, but I feel like she thrives more around older students. I don’t doubt she would do well with a majority of students younger, but I see that most of her friends and natural gravity is toward older children, and I wonder if I shouldn’t see how she does with kindergarten (and maybe even first grade) at home…. I do want her eventually in a traditional school setting (I’m for a good public school, Cesar wants Christian school), but I wonder how this could play out if I play to her strengths and tendencies on this….
I’m looking for several things in this curriculum:
1– Balanced values. I don’t want Audrey to be limited to my strengths. What if she’s better at math or science than I would ever be? I want her to have a good education with quality learning.
2– Technology. It’s a hot topic and I get a lot of heat about Audrey’s tech time. But we live in a tech world. I want her not only to keep up, but to thrive responsibly. I would like to limit her exposure to the harms while teaching her the positive advantages to technology and how to responsibly use and value technology.
3– Reading. It’s always a large part of a homeschooling curriculum and it certainly cannot lag behind.
4– Extracurricular. Activities can be, at times, more educational than the classroom. Learning teamwork, arts, music, charity, responsibility, community. It’s all a part of being in our world.
What a responsibility it is being a parent! I never thought I would be contemplating these topics. But as I look to Audrey and her best interests, I see ideas and the limitations that could be placed. We want her to travel and see the world. We want to teach her our values. We want her to be a critical thinker and self-motivated. We want her to be caring. And we want her to thrive as herself. I am not trying to rush her. I would hold her back (and hold her close) if I could do it and know it was best for her. But how can I ignore who she is showing herself to be? Will it destroy her and her education to go according to school guidelines? Not at all. I can see her thriving either way. But, she is Audrey Bella, social butterfly who flutters best with the challenges of those older than she. …