Thoughts From A Home-To-Public-School Dad

It has been fun this year to watch Kaley blossom in public school.  I believe that she is getting a better education at Seabrook than she would have received at home.  That said, I think this is the first year in which homeschooling would not have been better.   It was never an issue of homeschooling .vs. public schooling.  The question was what would work best for Kaley.

The factors that kept us on the homeschooling side were:

1. Kaley wanted to be home schooled
2. Kim has a degree in elementary education and wanted to teach Kaley
3. Kaley was learning and liked learning.
4. Kaley needed the comfort/security of home
5. I didn't want her tested/stressed/in lines and herded from class to class
6. It was a time great for exploration, reading, nurture, wonder

The factors that made us leap over:

1. I think Kaley had an inner sense that she needed to be challenged by the external measuring stick - tests, fear of failure, competition, dead lines... "the real world"
2. Kaley needed outside motivation for math.  Wonder only takes you so far if you start yawning and your eyes glaze over at the mention of arithmetic.  I found that I couldn't/wouldn't force her to do her math.  I motivate by trying to get somebody to understand my passion for something - not by tests.  She needed Mrs. Bellamy to hammer her and wantonly give zeroes for any missed work or slight mistake :-)  Yes, the hammer works best for Kaley when it comes to math.  She's responded well to that.
3. Hearing a lot of good things about Seabrook
4. Knowing that Kaley would be with many friends, especially her best friend Emmy

In a nutshell, it was more about time... and it's why I ended up enjoying history after hating it all my life... gotta run... my psychiatrist awaits...