I can't help it!

It's true, I can't help it and I apologize if I sound like I am pushing homeschooling. I just feel so sorry for those kids you tell me about. I feel sorry for the ones who are so anxious they make themselves throw up in the morning, the ones who can hold it together for school but let in to you when they come home. My heart breaks for the kids whose parents tell me, "she doesn't have any friends" "She thinks the teacher doesn't like her" and "they must sit quietly at lunch"
This isn't judgment. I don't judge you for sending your kid to school I REALLY don't but when you say things like, "I don't think I could I could do it" I want to change that. I want to empower you, show you that YES you can teach your child.
When I hear you tell me that your child wishes to be homeschooled I want to show you how easy it can be, especially in this state. I don't want you to think I am a pushy homeschooling mom trying to tell everyone how to live but that door feels left open for a reason. I sometimes think maybe you want me to convince you that you can do it, because I know you can.
While I don't think school is detrimental to every child, my own niece thrives in school. I do think that many do not thrive and actually end up solely surviving and that school grades are not the best assesmentof whether a child is thriving.
So Yes I would love to convince everyone to homeschool if they could so I apologize if I sound overzealous I just don't want you or child to miss out. There really is another way.

..but you live in a good school district.

I do. I live in lovely town with "great" schools. What that means I guess is that most kids graduate and go to college. However in my circle of homeschoolers who take their kids out of school the complaints are such that I do not consider much of anything a good school district. kids that I know have been taken out to be homeschooled b/c class size was outrageous, kids having homework in Kindergarten, or kids spending all day coloring; Kindergartens that are full days and just way too much for a small 5 year old and kids who needed recess but were punished for talking so that privilege was taken away. Those are not good schools are not good school policies for children in my very humble opinion.
Good schools I can recognize but those are in my opinion charter schools which are very hard to come by in NJ. I do however love the The Ridge and Valley charter school philosophy and if I ever had to send my kids anywhere that is where they would go.
This http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2010/03/petition_circulating_to_save_c.html is from the "excellent" school district, which although not exactly my district, we are close enough neighbors that it could be.
Please for moment remember what Kindergarten was like for you. I remember the play kitchen, the big wooden blocks; which a student once dropped on "Miss" O'donnel's ankle and sent her to the nurse. I remember our round tables and warm milk and cubbies. I remember needing a smock for finger painting and using my father's old shirt.
I can't say I LOVED kindy but I do remember not hating it. The smell of warm milk is really the biggest memory for me and that smell is not pleasant so the association is not warm and lovey.
Kindergarten was for little kids to get used to going to school but that has been replaced with Preschool. The problem however is that kids are still 5 when they go to kindergarten and whether they learned to write their name in Pre K or not they are still 5 year olds that need lots of imaginative play, creative outlets and freinds. No one learns best by being lectured to but children need to figure stuff out.
They need to play and learn to play together. The brain is still growing and some parts of it are not ready for what we are shoving into it at this young age. This does not mean that we can't manipulate a kid and shame them inot learning something but where does that leave the desire to learn? What might a "red card" sent home for mis behaving do a child's view of education.
Is education all about being quiet and learning or is education bigger, louder wild and unleashed.
Information is everywhere not just in classroom full of kids and teachers and pricipals who think art is not as important as writing. Maybe they forgot the rule that art skills help develop handwriting. I don't know, but I'm glad my kids don't go to a "good" school.

Field trips...

If you went to school as opposed to being homeschooled do you find yourself remembering fondly going on field trips? Or do you remember being worried about a seat mate on the bus? Was the trip special because of a school bus or a walk to town? In grammar school were you especially proud to have your parent along as a chaperon? Maybe a special brown bagged lunch?
Well those are my memories, anyway. the good and bad about riding bus. I was worried about having a freind to sit next to and was thrilled to find Yoo hoo in my lunch bag. My dad was always the chaperon because Field trips were on Wednesdays and that was his day off. My father was in charge of the unruly kids.

The Butterfly school school bus leaves on class trips several times month on average. I, the bus driver, load up my 2 students. We go on so many field trips it seems we are mistakenly labeled homeschoolers. We really do so little at home that might look academic. Although we live by the rule that we are learning all the time somethings just look better as learning. field trips work well for pictures of learning.
I know school kids go on class trips and adore them and learn from them as well. However the nice thing about homeschool field trips is that we rarely go just once. You don't need to learn all there is to know or experience on that one trip.
The other side of the homeschooling field trips though is, there is never Yoo Hoo in your lunch box, although that may be a sign of the times and so not so much homeschooling. The other thing is, if your feeling unruly your own mom is right there to take care of it, that could be a plus or minus depending on your feelings.
See ya on the road my fellow homeschoolers.

Fosterfield's

Fosterfield's is a living farm that runs as though it is still in the 1800s. this year they did the maple sugaring and I still prefer it over at the Great swmap but it was interresting to see the farm in the freezing cold. (ok maybe not interesting b/c it was FREEZING) but I suppose it had some educational value right?


Anyway, I love this farm (in the spring most of all) because the kids really get hands on experience and great time outdoors. In the summer they can wash clothes by hand after filling the bucket from a pump then hang them on the line to dry.

The kids' favorite part in the winter was churning butter because it was inside. and in the summer they like washing the clothes and looking for barn cats.