on un-schooling *

Since sending my boy to Pre-School (Pre-K) last school year (2009-2010) I have fought the internal "mommy-instinct" to keep him home. I kept him in Pre-K because "he needed the socialization" and because "that's what you're supposed to do" and possibly because I thought I needed it (the time, sans child, that is).

*I started this post a long while ago (September 27th'ish) and because I am an unknown variety of field-mouse, I have no idea where I was headed with this post, but because I often bounce around from field to field, I came across this draft unfinished. Unfinished...hmmm, if I were to ever change the name of my farm....ahem. Where was I?

Ah, yes, un-schooling.

We sent him to Kindergarten in August of 2010. Cutest darn kid I've ever seen get on the bus at 6:20am, in the dark, to ride for an hour and a half, then wait on the bus, while the other kids finish breakfast, because I don't want him to eat the school slop, er, I mean, food.

WHAT?! 6:20am ? Dark? Hour and a half? School food?

His teachers were great. His classroom was bright and colorful and organized. The school and it's administrators are great. Even the receptionist is great (and has a covetable wardrobe, with the style to pull it all off!).

Our little man came home with a rubric for his day. Smiley face = good day. 1 = okay day, but needs to work on sitting still and following directions. 2 = not a good day. 3. bad day, not listening at all. 4. horrible day, the parents will be getting a phone call. I don't think he ever got a smiley face in the two or three weeks he was a "Kindergartner." He came home devastated, not understanding the combined concept of sitting still, listening and trying to ignore the wild and unruly classmates of his in between lunch, bathroom breaks and what little outdoor recess time they had (from 8:05am until 2:25pm).

I don't know many adults that can "do good" in that setting with such a schedule. Then throw in an hour and a half bus ride home.

He's five. FIVE. Fu-Iv-eh.

He should be playing with sticks and digging in the mud and following his dad around stealing his tools.

We decided to un-school him. "Oh, are you homeschooling him?" people politely inquire, as they peer down their nose at me, just a bit wary of my seemingly lackadaisical certainty. "No, not really." I say.

Then I think to myself, "maybe next year, I'll homeschool him". Then it dawns on me, it's THIS YEAR! I have 8 months, whoops, it's February 2011 already, 7 months to get ready to "do this".

Un-schooling. I can do this. He can learn to read. We'll get the math straight. If I can re-school (my own pet name for returning to college after nearly 20 years) then we can un-school here at home.

Now, what can a field mouse eat so that it stays focused?