Lately my mind is very preoccupied with school. Kindergarten to be precise! In August my oldest Diva starts the big K. I am completely bewildered as to how my baby is now all of a sudden old enough to be in Kindergarten. I say it all the time, but honestly can someone tell me where the time goes?
Aside from that, things are weighing heavily on my mind because I DO NOT want my Lil Diva to go to our local (zoned for) school. This causes problems. First, we can't afford private school so that is not an option for us. We have 2 local Charter Schools but entry is via lottery. I have applied but it's all just wait and see and even these schools - I'm not 100% happy with at this time.
One of the Charter Schools is going to be brand new - it's not even completed yet. The company behind it has a great track record of A schools throughout the state and I like it's model/curriculum/philosophy but am leery of it because it has no history. It will be a gamble. It might possibly not even be ready on time - sigh!
The other Charter School is a school I actually used to work for before it became a public Charter School. The philosophy is still the same, it is run by the same companyI worked for, but they have a new curriculum/model that I am ususre about. They are the only school in the entire County following this model and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It seems to have it's + and - . I was given a tour by a teacher who was not so great at explaining things so that could be part of what turned me off. He didn't seem very hands-on or creative. That worried me since we know now children do not just learn by listening (as was the traditional custom of teaching years ago) - they need to be an active part of their learning in order to retain the information.
Of course as with any school - much depends on the teacher and how she/he delivers their lessons. Being a teacher I know this, and I think that's where my biggest problems stem from. Turning over the control! :)
I know learning begins at home - it begins with me as the parent. As you can see from this blog, I take that role seriously. I want my Lil Divas to be excited about learning. That is why this choice is so important. I want my Lil Diva to go to school and be happy to be there. I want her to learn, explore and grow to her fullest potential. I do not want her to be a forgotten child in a seat.
I have decided that if things don't work out I will homeschool her next year. I know I can do it - the problem is that I can not do it long term. I wish I could but I have to go back to work. The hubby is feeling overworked and tired carrying the burden of our finances. All he talks about is when I will be going back to work. Sigh. Why does everything have to be hard?
Keep us in your thoughts & prayers as we try to figure out what will be best for our Lil Divas. If you have any experience or advice with this - please share! I feel so lost!
Bern