So in the most part I am actually accepting the idea of school now. I am even at peace with it.
Today I read this post from a dad about kids who don't learn how to deal with pain and how it doesn't necessarily make their life as an adult easier. The rest of the blog is also great. In fact bought the book and read it over the weekend. :-)
This is a big factor in the decision to put some of my kids in school. While it hurts my heart that they may not make friends easily, may get rejected at times (as we all do) and will have to cope with being behind/ahead in some subjects, I do also know that my kids have been protected by our homeschooling. With everything else in our lives being fairly stable at the moment and likely to be for the next 12 months this is the ideal time to take on the big Public School Experiment.
In the 4 years before we settled here we had moved from Brisbane to Hobart to Launceston to Dorrigo in NSW, to the Hunter Valley. We were not in any of those places (except Brisbane) for more than 12 months. Now we have been here almost 6 years. I couldn't put my kids in school during that time of upheaval. I didn't think it was fair on them when we had so many other stresses going on but now... not so bad.
I still have my boundaries in place. There are certain lines that if crossed will mean the end of the PSE. I will post those another day.
Best wishes
Jen
Hi Jen, I'm hearing your worries, and I can totally understand where you are coming from, having been there myself. My little girls have been at the local public school for two years now, and I couldn't be more happy with their experience, or with the school. I respect the values of the school, the girls' teachers have been wonderful and kind, the girls have found good, kind friends.
ReplyDeleteThey had a little difficulty at first, because everything had changed, but children are immensely adaptable. Even though they had missed some aspects of the traditional curriculum, their home education and personal interests had been so broad that they found they always had something to contribute.
And values? They come from you. I think one of the great strengths of home education is that children discover who they are very early, and they don't let that go. They will eventually find friends who are like them, and who they can trust and feel comfortable with.
Know I am thinking of you. It's very hard to let go of such a significant part of your identity as a parent. But you will still be mum, still the most important person in the world to four small people..
Thanks Jo. Can I come cry on your shoulder on the tough days? I don't take up much room. ;-)
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Jen
You can come and cry as much as you like! First day hardest! Then all the days that you find you are doing as much homework with your highschool child as you used to do in a whole day homeschooling. But then one day they will suddenly realise they can do it alone, that they are just as smart as everyone else, and then they will never want your help again, because after all, what would you know? Then you cry again...
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