(This one is all me. Sometimes that's just going to happen.)
So school has been some tough decisions for us. We live in a not so stellar school district. But we can't afford private school. And the one private school we did consider anyway was Christian which is fine in theory but I'm just not religious enough to handle it.
So we did the best we could with what we had and picked an alternative but public school that is close by and wished for the best.
And it's not working. My son is being picked on more than the other kids. And it's causing him to hate school.
The thing of it is, he's kinda a geek. He loves the concept of school. He loves learning. He loves having a recess. He loves his teacher. But he has no friends and hates going to school.
If you ask him he'll tell you he loves school, and I truly believe he does, but how long does that last?
The best case scenario is to get a better paying job, or jobs, and to move into a better school district. One where he doesn't have race working against him. One where it's ok to be smart. I think the suburbs would be a little more open minded to his inner geek.
I mean shit, the boy prefers non-fiction over fiction.
So here's the bottom line: We're considering home schooling him (and then Luke as well). Pat and I had already pretty much agreed that we were going to through middle school regardless. Middle school is tough socially. It's not just tough, it's brutal. Pat and I both have horror stories from middle school and I think we both agree we'd prefer to shelter our boys from that. So middle school was definite. But now we're considering starting at grade 3.
And my biggest fear is that Pat and I aren't educated enough to teach our kids anything school related. But the thing of it is, now a days there are online programs that do all the work. It isn't so unlike college online. They give you a computer for the kids, and there is a teacher available online to answer any questions. There are set assignments with set deadlines and aids in teaching the assignments. It's a good program that's been around for at least a few years now that doesn't rely on parents, though he would of course have our help. And we would of course be instrumental in making sure he gets his work done.
So why third grade? We want him in a classroom while he's learning to read. He's already reading beyond his grade level. By the time he's in 3rd grade he'll be reading most words and will be able to read the assignments by himself. By 3rd grade he'll be reading novels, knowing Thomas. Or rather encyclopedias. Mom, you still have those outdated encyclopedias?
Will he have a say in this? Yes. Pat is pretty set that he'll be home schooled but I am going to give Thomas a choice. Who knows by the time 3rd grade rolls around the problem may have sorted itself out and he may have dozens of friends at school.
Are we really willing to home school him because of some teasing? Let's just say the school years were pretty traumatic for me and Pat both. You'd be surprised the lengths I'd go to to shelter my boys from that.
What about high school? High school sucks. Period. No one enjoys it. It's just something you get through. And I will force my boys to get through it. They will go to public or private, we'll see when the time comes, but they will be in a building for high school.
What about social interaction? He'll have church and parks and the neighborhood kids for that.
What about Luke? I don't know. I really don't. He may love school and have millions of friends no matter where he's at in which case home schooling may be a crime. He may want to be home schooled like his brother. Either way he'll be in school until he has learned how to read, just like Thomas. I have to figure this out one kid at a time, one year at a time.
I will confess I'm a little torn on it. I could use your two cents. And questions, don't forget to ask questions.
I just honestly wish we could afford the suburbs. But we can't afford a three bedroom there and we need that third bedroom for dad. And it's really starting to sink in that my children's education might be less than perfect because of the decision to move dad in. Was that really a sacrifice I was prepared to make?
