The first grade

To follow up on the new school year post, we've looked at several possibilities for first grade for Jordan, including homeschooling, private and public school, and Montessori-based learning. Because we live in a progressive and state-awarded public school district--and because Jordan is sure he wants to ride a bus--the local public school is going to win this particular lottery.

What happened to homeschool? Homeschool was great. If that were the only choice we had, we'd follow it with verve and dedication. But the truth is, it's not easy. I like being a teacher, and to a point I even like being a social coordinator for six-year-old. There is that point, though, where it would be better to be a dad more than a teacher.

I will miss the teaching, but I'm not going to give it up totally. We'll still do our own things, following his interests, delving deeper into airplanes, planets, cars, and buildings. We'll even take days off and head to a museum or park or just go for a road trip.

If our local school hadn't turned out to have the multiple rooms of the same grade, if they hadn't provided the opportunity for parents to be involved in the classroom as volunteers, if the vibe had not been so positive, we'd have looked elsewhere. That's the great thing. So many possibilities these days.

Looking back on our homeschooling year, I think we had a lot of success. It's something we can return to in the future, if necessary. I sure know that if I were a kid--maybe a little older than Jordan, for sure--and I lived in the city near other people and I had a chance to school myself and not sit through the interminable day in the building, I would have done it in a heartbeat.