05 May 2012

To K or Not to K: An Intellectual Meander

Now that we've made The Decision (okay, okay, so we really decided when Syd was in utero) and I've started some formal curriculum stuff with her, I definitely feel like a homeschooler, deep down in here. *touches chest*  However, actually deciding, "Okay, this is our kindergarten year" somehow seems like a really big deal. 

When September rolls around, Syd will be right around four and a half.  We'll either be finishing up Saxon K or starting Right Start A, depending on how much math we end up doing this summer.  We just started doing Explode the Code 1, which Syd hasn't had any problem working through, and we're probably going to start Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding this fall, assuming we've mostly finished up Exploring Science.

So the question is... do I tell people she's a kindergartner?

I know I have a few years yet before I have to officially let the state know she exists, but people ask.  And pry.  And prod.  Probably so they can compare their own kids to the weird homeschooled kid.  Which is fine, I do the same thing, truth be told, though I try not to.  When your child starts out with developmental delays, mentally comparing your child's progress to everyone else's kid become second nature. 

She just seems so young.  And I'm still wobbling back and forth on structured vs. unsctructured K, strictly play vs. lots of learning.  Both sides have their vehement defenders, and research to back up either claim.  Every time I pull out the Saxon math (usually at her request) the little voice in the back of my mind asks, "Is she even retaining anything?  Are you burning her out on math forever?"  It's the same with ETC.

However, the days where we just play, play, play seem so fruitless and blah, like spending the day lying on the couch eating bonbons and watching reruns of Oprah.  It's like I can feel both of our brains dying by bedtime.  Taking a nature walk and looking at the same dead leaf for the eighteenth time is all well and good, but I want to learn something.

I'm trying to find a happy medium.  Truly, I am.  It doesn't help that I'm a curriculum junkie with OCD.  (No, really.)  I'm hoping that Syd will have some sort of magical developmental leap before the end of the summer and the right thing to do will become obvious.

If it doesn't happen... I don't know.  Maybe I need therapy or something.
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4 comments:

jengod said...

Great post! I think a lot of moms have the same feelings of impatience. :)

Mergath said...

Thanks! :)

Bright Sky Mom said...

More curricula is a great substitute for therapy I'm sure! :) You could say K4 and K5 next year... Lee

Mergath said...

I thought about that, but most people around here don't use the term. I worry that if I say, "We're doing K4 next year," they're going to think I'm planning to have my daughter scale the thirteenth highest mountain on Earth and call CPS. ;)

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