First Day of School!

Today was Gavin's first day of K-3. No, he is not going to school - he's going to school at home, as I told him. We've done some "school work" before, but this was our first time to dive into the A Beka K-3 curriculum. Today we did the number one and the letter A. We started a book about himself that we will finish another day. We reviewed our letter flashcards and he learned how to write "A" on a dry erase board. I know we'll have to review that concept. We also went over the spelling of GAVIN several times.

Having been a teacher, this should be easy for me, right? Well, it is one thing to educate other people's children and something entirely different to educate my own child. My patience level and expectations probably aren't quite the same for both. That is something I have to work on. I have to remind myself he is only three and not a kindergartener or 3rd grader (the two grades I taught!).

I don't know if we will homeschool "all the way up" or not. There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to every educational choice. I know that from experience in all three - public, Christian, and then homeschool. Do I have a preference? Well, I know one I don't care for, but as to which is the better of the other two, I'm not completely sure. A lot depends on the family, the child, and the options that are available. As we raise missionary support, homeschooling will most likely be our only option. When we move to a foreign country, we will have to re-evaluate the situation and see which option suits our family best.

Continued, yearly evaluation is a necessary part of any educational choice. Do you continue to give your business to a restaurant or store where the merchandise or service is subpar? Do you go to a repair shop based only on price and not on the quality of the work? Would you complain if your utility service was inconsistent? What would you think if your doctor showed up late for appointments or not at all? Would you continue to frequent a location where crime and sin was being committed? Amazingly enough, parents sometimes tolerate similar situations in their child's school and even from themselves.

For now we'll stick to "school at home" with two pupils - Gavin and Mommy. He'll learn his letters and numbers, while I'll learn patience, self-discipline, consistency, and probably a myriad of other personal character qualities. It should be quite a year!