Nap Time Debate: Homeschooling vs. Public Schools Part 2

If you have yet to read Homeschooling vs Public Schools the first debate please click here if you're interested in brushing up on some reading.

So here it is September already. I can't even believe how fast this summer has gone. S'mores have been eaten, camp fires have been enjoyed, the beach has given many hours of entertainment and sandy diapers and now it comes down to the decision. Where do I send Lorelei to school this year? What will be the answer for my family with the concerns of education.

First I will tell you that I spoke to Lorelei's preschool teacher the other day. We registered her into Public school back at her open house in early spring for the upcoming school year. Lorelei was not yet potty trained, but on her way. We saw all the other parents signing checks and getting kids ready for their first year of school and we jumped right on that band wagon. Well, jumped too quickly really. Miss Lorelei still refuses to...uhum...doodoo number 2 on the potty. (Sorry bad joke.)

I recently got up the nerve to call the preschool and speak with the teachers at our public school. Basically I was calling to scream for help and tell them I did not want to be "that" parent who sent their child to preschool wetting their chairs and peers while they were there. Could you imagine the poor children going through that or seeing it happen on a daily basis. The trauma they must experience. That and the poor teacher. What a first few weeks, months it must be in the first year preschool rooms. Wooh. These women (and men) need awards for their practice.

The director gave me the advice of just going with it. Take Lorelei out of pull ups completely and let her be free. She will learn. The pull up is after all a diaper the kids can pull up and down. A toilet to carry if you will and they know the difference of underwear and pull ups. Let me tell you. I didn't know what to do. I was calling to back out of preschool for my little girl and they are telling me to forge ahead. What to do what to do?!

After all there has been wonderful communication and discussion with a friend of mine about starting up our own preschool for our girls so we could teach them at their own pace. Watch them learn and be able to help them with specific needs. I feel that would help them get ready for preschool. What's preschool for three year olds anyway...pre-preschool?

So all if this is floating around my head while I'm thinking "Wow. Two and a half hours during Hannah's nap time. That's it. Lorelei would be around other kids, enjoying herself. Let's do it. Should I do it?" The open house for the preschool was days away. Actually, now that I think of it I think it was the next day. I was at a loss. I told the teacher and director thank you and that we would be at the open house. We would attend and hope Lorelei would love it and she would want to finish training. I immediately stopped using pull ups all together. She has stayed dry all night and only has accidents while running to the potty to make it. That and number two. Oh boy, number two. There is an icky story I will spare you the details, but I put down a firm mommy law on that one. No more. Let's just say it involved dirty big girl underwear, my carpet and a small pink potty. Enough said, right.

So here we were, getting ready for a preschool open house. My husband and I had another discussion once again. It came back to the fact that I teach Lorelei and Hannah all day and at many points throughout the week. Was a strict and organized preschool classroom something that Lorelei needed right now? What if I took Lorelei to the classroom for the open house and she loved it, but wouldn't train? What if she loved it and we decided two years was ridiculous? One what if I didn't think of was "what if she loves it and it all works out?"

I e-mailed the teacher the next morning apologizing for the inconvenience and explaining our situation. I wouldn't want to traumatize or push Lorelei into something she is not ready for. After all a group of close friends in a nurturing structured environment sounds pretty darn great to me. We will learn about each other, friends, letters, numbers, games and so many other things. I will feel more comfortable as a mommy to send Lorelei to preschool after knowing she is ready...next year.

So there it is. My inner debate. I worry too much, but I love a lot! I hope my girls will know that when they hit their teen years and undoubtedly hate me. Oh, sad thoughts, but in the end I am doing what I feel is right for my girls and I feel like a small group of kids in an at home environment and learning at their own pace is just right. We are homeschooling this year!

What do you think? Any opinions? Any websites I should check out to prepare myself? Are you already doing it or have done it? Any and all advice and comments are welcome! I hope sharing my debate with you will help you make your decisions or at least let you know you are not the only person out there struggling with the inability to make a decision until the very last minute. Please enjoy your kids. They will be out of the house and having kids of their own before you blink. So I've been told by my mother many times.

If you homeschool or are interested please take a look at my Crafts & Education page and please leave any tips or comments. Thanks!

Nap Time Debate: Homeschooling vs. Public Schools

Swimming, sand, hot sunny days and Popsicles dripping down finger tips. Camping and S'mores all fun summer activities filled with joy and laughter come to an end and the school year vastly approaches. Summer is at it's half way mark and all I can think about is where to send my daughter to school.

She is still working on potty training, though we took her to her first preschool open house back in February or March. Excitement isn't even an accurate description for how Lorelei feels when we walk by the preschool and stop to play on some of the equipment (shhhh, don't tell). She is working hard on potty training, but doesn't seem to have the knack for it as she'd rather be playing right along with her sister, which doesn't quite add up to being ready for preschool.

The girls and I sit together to do endless craft projects, learning letters in work books and cutting out shapes and making puzzles. We do so many learning activities in this house; I even add in learning when we're going for walks or on the beach just by simply asking questions or pointing objects out.

All of this has made me wonder what is best for Lorelei and Hannah in the near future. What is going to be best for my girls? Does homeschooling or Public Schools have the best structure and learning environment for them to flourish and grow?

Homeschooling leaves so many doors open and seems to me to be a much more nurturing environment. It's my responsibility how the day goes and what they have learned by the end of the week. How they view learning and what they learn would be completely up to me. I can send them to summer camp or Library functions or decide to start a homeschooling group for parents and children or I can join a group.

Sending my daughters to a public school offers daily peer interaction and possibilities of ever lasting friendships. Learning from and trusting an adult other than a parent. There are things a public school offers that I simply can't. Learning how to get along with a teacher or peer on a daily basis and coping with their environment; if that may be the case. Odds are in the many years of schooling the children will come across a teacher or peer they just don't understand or get along with.

A child learns to thrive outside the home and learn how to follow their given schedule and earn grades and be admired and seen by peers. It can teach them how to handle a bully or even an assignment they'd rather not participate in.

On the other hand children may feel stifled and left behind their peers if they stay home with their mommy. They may feel uncomfortable in such a fast and structured environment in school.

Are these things I want my children subjected to? Just because it is the norm to attend public school and to learn how to thrive or survive doesn't mean my children need to be subjected to that type of lifestyle. Just as much as keeping my kids home "sounds" like the more nurturing option doesn't mean I need to keep them home with me. After all it takes a village right?

I have so many different arguments on this subject I can't simply decide. Not yet anyway. I'm not sure if I'm the right teacher for my children or have what it takes to guide them into living a happy and fulfilling life as adults. The last thing I want is to look back and think I made selfish decisions. I chose to send them to public school so I didn't have to feel the pressure of their education on my shoulders or I kept them at home with me because I wanted to nurture them and keep them close..too close for their liking.

Expect to see more on this subject in the future as I simply don't have a "winner" for this debate. Both schooling styles seem to be viable solutions to raising children. I hope I can make the right decisions for my children as the years go by. Any advice or opinions, please share!

For some homeschooling information go to http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com. Don't be afraid to look into it yourself. Google it!

For Homeschooling vs. Public Schools Part 2 please click here.